Is PUMPING.worth the trouble?

Alison pretty much covered it all, really well. The Omnipod connection to the body is very stable, it just may not be stable for every body, and will definitely be less stable if you are not willing to follow a few basic guidelines when putting one on.

I haven't had an occlusion in months. I haven't lost a pod, for any reason, in months. That, of course, doesn't mean that you won't have an occlusion or lose a pod for some reason if you try out an Omnipod, but I can't speak to the problems you will have on other pumps other than to say that, at some point, you will have some kind of issue to deal with.

Thanks for this post! That's the first time I've heard some of those details about the Omnipod and it makes sense. Come to think of it, I always put my stuff in when I'm standing up too, as I do it in the section of the kitchen without any chairs!

The pump with tubing I can find hiding places for the protruding through my clothes syndrome. I don't think you would have that option with the ominpod, that is what keeps me from trying it.

The site with pump with tubing, is relatively flat and with the long tubing I can find a hiding place for my pump.

My pre-pump years where filled with A1c's over 7.0....scarey nights and lost sleep. Have not had a A1c over 6.0 in 5 years (most are under 5.7 ) and no more nighttime drama....Hmmmmm...should I stick with the pump....

i've been pumping now for 11+ yrs. its the greatest gift i have ever given myself. it is definately worth the trouble, because after you are on it for a little while, it will seem like the easiest thing you have ever had to do to control your diabetes.my skin is very sensitive and i have vertually no body fat; still, there is no problem at all for me. (and you can eat almost like a non-D)

I was on Metformin but my stomach gave out. Now wow! I wear a Dex. to help the swings. My BG's are way high 260 from way low 64. Will a pump help me have more control, more than finger sticks and Dexcom? What about the cost. Is a pump considered "medically necessary" and is it covered by medacare and other insurance?
I feel tied to Diabetes in my life. Everyone here seems to have so much freedom.

I may not be the best to reply here because I'm not a pumper, at least not yet.

I can see how a pump might help with the highs and lows in that you would have more precise control of you insulin supply. You would have the ability to adjust basal rates to match your needs for different times of the day and adminstering a bolus would be easier. In the end though pumping is not the majic bullet. It still requires a great amount of effort in testing and in calculating bolus injections to match carbs injested. The only thing thats easier with a pump over shots is the delivery system. Pump do have a very steep learning curve.

Unfortunately we are all tied to our diabetes but we are as free as we allow ourselves to be. I try not to let D control me. I look at it as something that I must take care of but not as a weight that ties me down.

I didn't find the alleged "learning curve" to be that big of a deal. I would give my endo credit for guessing correctly on the settings but it worked out really well, almost immediately. I think that pump insulin > shot insulin. I don't have anything against shots, there's a sexxy glamour to the needle but I could feel the buzz right away and, FWIW, I'm no stranger to a lot of buzzes! The smoother control of the insulin worked out to be what amounted to a magic bullet for me. I suspect it may not work quite the same way if you aren't aggressive in attacking BG, etc. but pumped basal offers a big improvement unless your body is programmed ***exactly*** like Lantus/Levemir!

I have to agree that the learning curve wasn't that steep and even though my A1c didn't improve that much the ability to adjust basals made a huge difference. On MDI I was pretty much zonked out after breakfast - even eating the dread cereal - because of basal mismatch. On a pump, I had to give up cereal but got my mornings back. From my perspective a very good trade.

Oh cereal and oatmeal! I was so happy to have them back! My learning curve wasnt bad but I credit that to a lot of work with my endo and trainer on how to make adjustments. I reduced my insulin needs by a lot! My body didn’t like long acting insulin, that’s how my CDE puts it.

I, on the other hand, experienced a definite learning curve. I think there were two factors for me: One, I have terrible eye-hand coordination, so getting the technique to insert the sets down was very challenging. Second, I do all my own dosing. My Animas trainer did recommend what percentage to reduce my total basals, but it took quite awhile to get it broken down to the 9 different "time zones" and basal rates that work best for me.

My insulin carb ratios didn't change much, and I don't eat differently than I did on MDI. I don't consider a pump as a laissez faire to "eat whatever I want and bolus for it". I don't overeat because I'm in recovery from an eating disorder (18 happy years!). Also I gain weight way to easily, and the last thing I want is insulin resistance so I keep my carbs and insulin down.

Cathy;
My endo suggested the pump to me. After looking at the results loaded from my meter he said the medtronics software would help me to see trends and the pump would make it easier to adjust to those trends. I'm going to try it.
I figure if my endo is suggesting it then my insurance will likely not challenge it.
Wednesday I plan to choose a pump and have that mfgr contact my endo's office. I will let you know how it turns out.