I have been on the Minimed Paradigm 723 pump for 2 weeks now and I absolutely love the pump!! I had been gining insulin shots for 13 year previous to this and I could not bemore happier! But… (the dreaded word) I have been constantly low and my doctor won’t see me unitl 5 weeks from todays date. I have playing doctor and changing my basal rates and my bolus rates obviously they are both set too high because I have corrected 5 times today for low blood sugars below 70 today (yesterday one for 37). I feel like I am contantly chasing lows.
Other than that I absolutely love my pump and CGMS!! I love contantly knowing my my bs is and being alterted when I am on track to going Low or High. Hopefully me playing doctor will pay off but I don’t want to play too much and skrew something up, ha which would be my luck.
The reason why she set my basal and bolus rates so high was because I didn’t take very good care of my bs’s and so my a1c was pretty high, but I can’t seem to get any answer on how I should change my rates from her. Oh well, I am a seasoned diabetic and can handle anything this pump throws at me.
Enough of my whining. I love that I don’t have to give four to six shots a day, instead Ichange my sit every three days and I love it no more looking like a drug addict with my needles lying around lol. and no more trying to figure out if I forgot a part of my equipment for a trip or a small adventure. Now its pump on me and tester next to me, I love the freedom!
Hi bz. It does sound as if your rates are too high. Have you done basal testing?
The general rule of thumb is to reduce insulin by 25% when changing from MDI to a pump. Don’t try to do it all at once or you won’t know what is/isn’t working, and it’s a good way to get in trouble. Pick your worst time (or two) of day, change that rate by .25, see what happens over a couple of days and so on.
5 weeks? Ugh. We all evenually learn to tweak on our own. Keep us posted!
Better to run a little high than have a BS of 37! Lower the basel rates and reduce the bolus until you get fairly regular. You can always raise the basel or take another bolus to correct a high.
Thank you all!! It’s frustrating when I got multiple low blood sugar warnings then a high warning, after getting tired of going low and eating, last night I didn’t sleep I’m trying the tweaking a little, and I definately will try the 25% rule cause that sounds reliable.
The same thing happened to me - but I am type 2 so my lows was not quite so fierce… I ended up at about a 35% reduction of my basals… I’ve had to turn them back up again (stressed and I’ve caught a virus 
) some, but I’m still 20% below original basal…
Take care!
Hey. Well, I can’t really say much about the pump since I do not have it, but I was slightly curious about something. Related to the pump. If you won’t mind me asking.
My cousin, she’s 16, just like me. Well, she tried using a pump, I do not know which model, for one month. But she didn’t like it at all. She’s had diabetes since she was 9 and well, I was kinda curious as to what made it better than the injections. Other than the ‘not injecting yourself 6 times a day’ thing. Can you run and jump with it still in place or does the needle move with your tummy? Is it waterproof? Is it very obvious when worn and does it bulge out when you wear shirts which are somewhat stretchy?
Thing is, I was diagnosed a year and a half ago and some time ago I was presented with the idea of the pump. Now 2 things stopped me from going right ahead.
First of all, my cousin didn’t like it very much, and I was way of trying something like that only to find out that it does not make me comfortable.
Secondly, where I live, the insurance does not cover medical bills. Not for me anyway. And doesn’t it make you liable for infection if there is a pin pricked into your stomach for 3 days?
So…in the end, is it worth it?
Liana, I run and Jump and workout with it on and It hasnt bothered me at all. It is waterproof but they say to take it off when you go to take a shower just in case. In additions, they say if you drop it in water it should be fine. Also it detatches at the site so you can keep the cannula (the small plastic tube that sits under your skin which gives you your insulin) in and not have to change your site for every shower or playtime at the pool. You do have to change the site every 3 days though but its a really easy process. There are tons of videos of site changes on youtube.
I have got very good at hiding it in only a couple of weeks. I put the pump under my bra or on the inside of my pants hooked to belt. you cant see it at all. Ive worn skin tight dresses with it on and nobody saw it, I was the only one aware of it. My site area is just above my buttocks below my belt line so my pants cover it but my belt doesnt rub on it. I havent had any problems with pain. Also, where the site is there is no needle under your skin. Your site uses a needle to insert the cannula subcuteanously, but the needle is pulled out leaving the plastic cannula under the skin.
If you do your injection of the site right you wont have any problems with infection unless you have prior conditions. I clean the area with iv prep and it gets the job done. If you are curious ask one of the pump reps to do a saline trial. Its where you try out using the pump with out insulin. you will still have to give shots but you will get to see how it works and if you like it or not. The pump is not for everyone, but it was definately for me!
One thing Iv found is basal rates change with the seasons… Try some long acting temporary basal rates… Been toying with 70 to 80% (20 or 30% less) and see if you can avert the lows. If so you got an idea what to have the dr change your basals by…you know your body
Do you have the book “pumping insulin” the charts are great and help me alot!
Hey I’ve been on the pump for about 11 years and something you can do is do a basal check to see when exactly the basal needs to be adjusted. It sucks cause you won’t be able to eat for the duration of the check but its pretty effective and can help you adjust your basal for the time being until you see your doctor. What kind of insulin are you using? I use Humalog and basically its set to go with the way your food digest in your body. So lets say you give yourself a bolus for a meal at 12pm that insulin is going to work over 4 hours the same way your food will digest over 4 hours. So at 4pm your BS should be back to normal to the number it was before you ate. The same goes for corrections. If you correct at 12pm that correction is going to work over 4 hours. So lets say you test two hours later and you’re still high, if you give yourself more insulin you will end up having a low later cause you’re stacking corrections on top of each other. I learned this the hard way and had A LOT of lows early on lol…but I definitely suggest getting the book “Pumping Insulin” like Tonya said cause pumping works a lot differently from injecting. I’m sure you’ll get the correct basal eventually. Good luck!
Oh! And here is a link with directions on how to do a basal check, its pretty simple.
I believe your frustrations will fade once you build your confidence of determining your own basal changes I agree…get the book “pumping insulin”. It explains the details of when to make changes.
I am surprise that your Dr. is not in more frequent communication regarding basal changes. 5 weeks is unacceptable. My CDE stayed in constant communication for the first month. She made small minor basal changes. We as team reviewed the numbers and made changes. It taught me how to make my own changes.
I do not miss the shots. A year+ later my math skills are not quick in my brain. I let the pump do all the calculations. I am anxious to get a CGMS. A little nervous about another site (CGMS/Infusion). But I am sure I will get pass that.