I’m am starting on saline too as far as I know. I think it’s a great idea. Lets you play around without worrying about screwing up your blood sugars if you make a mistake.
I got my Animas Ping about a year and a half ago, and after pumping for about two hours, i wondered why I didn't make the decision to move to a pump years ago.
One of the things that drew me to the Animas was the training that was offered to me for that pump, over that of other manufacturers. I have little doubt that you made a great decision. My advice to you is to really understand the principles of carb counting and pay close attention to carb contents of what you eat. That will affect your insulin to carb settings. Once that ratio is established, you will be able to think of your pump as another part of your character. I would recommend that you get a copy of the Calorie King book and carry it with you, so that you can look up the carbs of the foods that you eat.
I was concerned about lows, highs, or just having a period of adjustment that would cause me to be sick until I became accustomed to the pump. The Animas representative set up the pump in my training session, showed me how to adjust the setting and explained when and how to change them, and cautioned me to be sure before I touched anything. I wasn't sick at all from the day I pushed the button to start, and I have never looked back. I wouldn't go back to seven shots per day for any reason.
All the best to you. You will love this pump!
Thank you so much. I do carry the Calorie king book and it is a godsend when I’m in restaurants. I also just got a nutritional scale from Lee Valley that allows me to place, say a banana on it, enter the code and it gives me the exact carb count in that banana. As well as all the other nutritional info. It’s really great.
I started being really vigilant with my carb counting lately because my dietician warned me that I will have to do that when I get the insulin pump. It’s the thing I hate most about diabetes just because its such a nuisance.
Thanks again for the advice.
My Endo would suggest the pump every once in a while, but knew it had to be my decision. I ran into a colleague at my day job and teased her about being so important she had two pagers. That's when I saw my first pump ever. One of those "pagers" was a pump. I had thought they were as big as a paperback copy of "Gone With the Wind" Wrong! I asked if she had a moment and we went into her office. It was time for her to do a fingerstick, so she tested and I gave her the correction dose.I was sold. I printed out the medical necessity form, got it to my Endo's office that afternoon. That was a Wednesday, the following Wednesday my pump kit arrived. It was a Cozmore -I still miss its features. On Saturday a CDE arrived at my house and I was pumping. I didn't use Saline for a training period.
I have never looked back. I think the one thing that pumping made me aware of is how few cookbooks include nutritional info. I know that I can go online, but hey, the computer is in our home office and the kitchen is well in the kitchen. Every once in a while, I'll write to the food editor of our local newspaper, saying that a [published recipe looks yummy, but can't they include the nutritional info?
For those who have read my other posts, I just wish my pump would help me in my keyboard skills - I must come across as illiterate with all the typos!
I couldn’t agree more about the nutritional info dilemma. It drives me bananas. I definitely hated the idea of a pump when it was first mentioned to me. But after doing the research I did a complete 180 and I have been begging my endo for months. Thank you for the reply.
If you don't like to carry around a book, and have a smartphone, there are plenty of apps available to get your carb counts. I have an iPhone and use one called Nutrition Menu. It works pretty well for general foods and even has a section for specific chain restaurants. You can get information on foods and exercises and add it to a daily journal.
And..to add to the above respopnse, Calorie King (which seems to be the go-to book) as well as the FDA are also ont he internet.
Cool! Yeah I have a blackberry currently but they only have a limited selection for apps. I’m getting an iPhone for my 18th birthday in may.
Thanks!
Funny, I rarely look up things for carb counts. Having been raised in a ballet studio, I never developed an interest in eating. We used to joke that you could weigh as many pounds as you were inches tall. (Based on 5 feet = 60 inches that's not a lot) Another joke was to have a ballet company potluck party where we brought pcitures of food we thought looked good. I had a real problem conving my CDE and the dietitian that I wasn't cheating on my logs because every meal had the same carbs (e.g. every lunch had the same carb count) Finally I convinced them that the consistency was cuz I ate the same things every day. Meanwhile my brother, is a real foodie and food snob. Go figure. He was such a snob that when he visited my parents he brought his own pots and pans.
I danced for a while haha. Loved it. Although it got to be too much for me on top of my other extra curriculars (piano mainly haha). I have definitely gained weight once I stopped.