Chris -- I'm a long-time pump user and currently use the Animas Ping. In the past I've used Medtronic (Mini-Med) and Omnipod pumps. The biggest lesson that I draw from pump use is that the most important element of this whole equation is the knowledge and attitude of the person with diabetes.
It's important that the pump be dependable and accurate. It's also important that the pump company customer service provide good support and responds well to the pump user.
If you are not conversant and fluent with terms like insulin duration of action, insulin sensitivity factor, insulin to carbohydrate ratio, basal rate testing, temp basal rates, and combination boluses to name a few, then you should seek to learn the meaning of these terms. There are several books written on these topics. Check on books written by John Walsh and Gary Scheiner.
I was dagnosed with gastroparesis (GP) two years ago. That motivated me to use a low carb diet along with daily exercise to gain the best control in my 30 years of living with T1D. I've mostly minimized, but did not eliminate, my GP symptoms. I find when I experience multi-hour highs that the GP symptoms return. I politely withhold description of these symptoms but it's not hard to guess.
My biggest pump tactic that I use to control my blood glucose is dosing insulin based on not only the carb content of a meal but also protein and fat. I use a combination bolus, an immediate bolus for carbs followed by a multi-hour extended bolus to cover the protein and fat.
For example, this morning for breakfast I ate two scrambled eggs made with whole cream, four half slices of bacon, and one medium tomato sliced and fried in the bacon grease. I dosed for 6.4 gram of carbs, an immediate 1.6 units of insulin. I followed that with an extended bolus of 6.7 units over the next 5 hours. I dependably get very even post breakfast BG numbers that rarely rise to more than 140 mg/dl and often go flat for 4-6 hours. Please be aware that this example uses numbers that are personal and unique to me. You need to learn your own customized insulin program.
Learn as much as you can about your pump as well as general pump therapy. Don't be afraid to experiment. Just make sure to document your experiments so that you draw the right conclusion. Logging is a highly effective tool that I always fall back on when things get rough and I need to reset my control. It's a pain at times but you don't have to do it every day.
Good luck with your new pump. Did you get any software that enables you to upload pump and meter data for your analysis? If you did, I encourage you to make a habit of looking at that data to improve your personal insulin program. Your goal should be to become an expert on your unique glucose metabolism.
