Lost on planet earth with T1 and a pump

Hello! In the yr. 2000 I was diagnosed as a type 1.5 diabetic. I took pills for a short time then went on insulin. I take about 5 shots a day but my HA1c was still 10 - 12. I go as low as 40’s to as high as 500’s. My #s ran like a rollercoaster. in Oct. I was hospitalized in the I.C.U. for D.K.A. (don’t want to do that again!). A friend of mine just passed away from type 1 and left me her MM 715 pump and about a 6 months of supply for it. . I have no INS. (pre existing medical condition) and local Endo Dr’s will not see me without ins. Mini -Meds will not talk to me since I did not buy the pump and have no Rx from an Endo Dr. for it. So I took a online course ; have read the book and all info. that I can find online. I started using it for about a week now doing 9-10 B/G readings a day and my B/G is 90-101 90% of the time. I love this thing ! My wife and kids say that I’m nicer and I feel great. but still need so much more help on how to use this pump to ease my mind. Is theirs someone on this planet that can help me? … lost on planet earth with T1 and a pump!!!

I would recommend you get the book, “Pumping Insulin” by John Walsh. It is my pumping bible! In the meantime, if you had specific questions on how to use a pump, ask away :slight_smile:

Yes, I just ordered it. I should receive it first of the week.

Something I didn’t realize when I first started pumping was that of the three types of boluses, the dual-wave bolus was the best one to use for most situations. The ‘normal’ bolus’ is what I call the “Skittles” bolus, when you’re eating something that is pretty much straight sugar. The dual-wave bolus is best suited for every day meals that usually contain carbs that release at different rates (low, medium, hi glycemic index), fats and proteins. Since sticking to dual-wave for almost everything, I am finding I get much greater control. I’ve yet to use the square-wave bolus - but I can see how it could be useful for slow digestion or for events where you’re ‘grazing’.

Another thing I learned late into pumping is that you should change your insulin cartridge every three days. I’ve always changed the infusion set every three days, but would usually use the insulin cartridge for 5-7 days. What I didn’t realise is that insulin in pumps starts to break down after three days - pumps do generate a bit of heat internally, and it’s not uncommon to wear a pump close to your body as well. Anyways, I’ve found that with changing the insulin cartridge every three days, I’ve solved the mystery of why I was doing correction boluses from about day 5-7!

Do check out http://www.diabetesnet.com/ which has a lot of really great info on pumping, fine-tuning your basal/bolus insulin needs, insulin to carb ratio etc.