I am a very impatient person, my doctor is a very patient , methodical person, my saline date is july 28th and i was told i would start pumping mid august, i have read "pumping insulin " twice already, we go to disney world mid october, my question is am i going to have enough time to get used to pumping by then , that is in 85 days, we go to disney all the time but this will be the first time with an insulin pump and i am worried that i will not have things ironed out by then, i am very frustrated that it is taking so long, anyone have any advice, i trust ya"ll : )
My simple advice …yes things will be ironed by then out and have fun in Magical Land …by the way I did a 1/2 marathon in DW , Jan 2009 and attempted a full M in 2008 …had to give up at mile 22 …I wear a MM pump and usually a sensor . Bring Pumping Insulin along for night time reading , ha, ha …And I am still learning, pumper since 2001 …
The thing that took me the longest to remember was changing the site when you need to get a new resevoir, new tubing, extra tape, etc. Then remembering to prime the pump before inserting it was hard, but it only took 3-4 times to do it before it was second nature. I have been pumping for almost 15 years now and I can’t imagine not pumping. While you are using saline, make sure you watch how your blook sugars are doing when you eat and how long it takes for the insulin to bring them back to 120 or lower. Then you will learn about insulin sensitivity which is how much insulin it takes to bring your sugar back to the normal range after eating a certain number of carbs and how long it takes. I do this every season because my activities change with the seasons. Sleeping with the thing on your waistband will be a little difficult as well as
"intimate time". My husband laughs now about it and always asks which side the pump is on. When you go to Disney, be careful about rides that are magnetic (drop rides) because they can and sometimes erase pump settings. I was warned about that by my endo before visiting Cedar Point. He said to take my pump off if I was riding that ride or even walking near it. Also, make sure you take double the amount of supplies you think you will need because water rides and parks will still be open there.
As Nel says - bring along the Pumping Insulin book - as you never know when it will come in handy (as well as your manual for your pump). I’m still learning as well - but there’s lots of people here to help out if you have a HELP ME NOW question!!!
I can only speak from personal experience, but if you are anything like me you will be just fine by October. It took 4 weeks for me get everything adjusted to perfection and I didn’t read that book everyone suggests. The only extra advice I would give you is: remember your numbers might be so perfect that you might have more lows due to heat or extra exercise than you are use to.
That’s the only problem I had once I got everything ironed out. My numbers use to run really high most of the time so taking an extra long walk unexpectedly didn’t create a low BG problem for me. Now my numbers are so perfect that the slightest “extra” (heat, exercise, food, stress, you name it) will change my numbers in a noticeable way.
I know what you mean about being impatient. My pump sat in my house unused (except for me “playing” with it and learning it) for what seemed like forever before my appointment with the pump educator. Originally she had given me the same type of schedule: meet with her week 1, start the saline week 2, start with insulin week 3, talk about CGMs week 4, start CGM week 5. After our first meeting she was so impressed with how much time I had already spent learning the pump (I had already exhausted one battery before I got there) and how much I knew about it that she told me I can go home and start with insulin that day. I opted for the saline for a couple of days just to know what it feels like anyway.
By the way, I saw somewhere here that Disney World is diabetic friendly and has a website with a link for diabetics to give you information about general topics but more importantly about the Nutritional Information of the various foods you can eat there. You might want to check it out if you haven’t already.
Michael, you will be fine by October. My husband used to have a job in CA where one of the perks was free passes and VIP parking at Disneyland, and we used to go all the time. I never worried about my pump on any of the rides. There is a nice discussion - here - about Disney and pumps, with lots of links that you may find helpful. Have a great time, and welcome to pumping!
i used the pump for 3 days as a trial and it was all i needed to get used to it and only after 3 days i started using insulin on the pump … you have to accept it as a part of you and you won’t have any troubles … good luck with it !
I am also extremely impatient! I got my pump in april, and found it much easier and less stressful than shots. I love it. I adjusted very well to my with a exception of one day trying on a million outfits and felt like nothing looked good with my pump. Now i dont care because it just looks like a beeper. My doctors have always said that if im going to a theme park or on vacation I can take it off. For instance I went camping not to long ago and i toke it off for days, and i honestly missed it! I am going to a wedding soon and cant wear my pump with my dress, and will be going to cabo and im not going to be wearing it! You should ask your doctor if you can take it off when you are at Disney. At least if you go to a water park. Whenever i go away i always bring plenty of insulin pens incase i decide not to wear my pump or if its not working.
You should have no problems by then. I have been pumping for just about 6 weeks, and feel real comfortable. I have a MM722. I went through pump school once without the pump, and three other times while waiting for my pump start. After the start, it takes some work to make sure your basals are correct and your I:C ratios are good. You probably will have to tweak those. It really is pretty easy to get used to it. Good luck.
Wow! That’s a long time to wait between saline and pump start! Especially since you have already read Pumping Insulin!
I agree though that you should be adjusted to the pump by mid October… but keep in mind that adjustments are on-going. (Tweaking basal rates etc)
In no time at all it becomes second nature, I was worried too when I started in April. Have you ever had a new mobile phone I bet it’ll take you less time to get used to the pump, honest :o) Good luck for august hoping it flies by for you x
It was the same for me…VERY FRUSTRATING!! The first few days was tough for me with my pump…I swear it took about 2 or 3 days to get the Lantus I used to take out of my system. When I took Lantus my I/C ratio was 1/15 and my ISF was 1/70. I started my pump with 1 basal rate and the same I/C ratio and ISF. I now have 6 different basal rates, 3 I/C ratios troughout the day and my ISF changes twice daily from 1/65 to 1/70. It takes some time to get used to but believe me you WILL feel better and have less peaks and valleys. Priming and changing infusion sets takes some getting used to but you’ll soon have it down to a sciece!! LISTEN TO YOUR ENDO…at least at first and then once your used to the pump and supplies you’ll soon be tweaking on your own!! BRING DOUBLE SUPPLIES on vacation and keep a pen and needles around too… P.S. I was so impatient (and foolish) I never read a book (although I had an excellent DE) and am feeling better than ever !!! GOOD LUCK!!
I learned the same way you did…
Did your sugars suffer as a result of not wearing your pump while camping? Mine would SKYROKET!!
Oh goodness, yes, you’ll be fine. You will be a completely seasoned pumper within a few weeks. When I got my first pump in 2000 (never did saline - went straight to insulin), I left a month later for a summer in the mountains doing mountain sports (like rafting, biking, rock climbing) and I was very confident by then. And I was only 20.
I am a longtime pumper now, but I’d been on the Omnipod system for only a week and a half when I went to WDW this last May. I was nervous about taking a new system out there, but I knew what I was doing by then. You’ll be amazed at how quickly everything gels. Just make sure you read up on advice about visiting as a diabetic and pack more supplies than you think you’ll need.
It is not take long to get used to the pump. It takes longer to get used to the fact that you are not having to give yourself shots all of the time.
Started pumping on a Tuesday and by that weekend I was out camping in the woods.
I got the pump and went to Disney 4 days later with the family. I pushed out the follow up appointment a week and didn’t tell them why. I think if you’ve done your research and have read pumping insulin twice you’re good. I’ve had no problems what so ever just test and you’ll be fine. I’ve been on the Ping since March I will never go back to MDI.