I had a pump back in the early 90’s, I was one of the first people that was put on the pump when the military started to use them. It didn’t work out well, and all that I remember was a lot of beeping, clogging, and falling off. I also remember a lot of serious lows. I quit the pump and turned into a die hard MDIer until just recently, when I started taking Symlin. Now I feel like I am continuously taking shots or readings and I am not that happy with my results. Some of the conversations here about the pump are very interesting to me and my NP has offered the pump before. I am really writing to hear from others, why the pump, and which pump? What do they do that MDI can’t do? Are they as intimidating as they sound? What is it like to live with a pump? I am a Type 1.
Almost 11 years ago I swore swore I would never get one of those clnical looking pump things.
Well, ask my hubby, I did a complete flip flop. I still dont know why.
I think, I though the one the dr’s receptionist had looked cool.
I even picked the same color because it was pretty. ?
Well, I may not have the best A1C…my insulin needs never seem the same and my food never hits the same twice, but I dont have lows hardly ever.
Used to go low when I went out to the grocery store, bookstore, anywhere. Not anymore. I can turn my delivery down now and it works really well.
I also like not carrying a pen or syringes around all over the place.
I;m sure you would find vast improvements in pumps, but it is still a 24/7 deal.
You have to get what you want if you get one, not what someone suggests you get.
You have to live with it all the time, and in the beginning test test test.
Testing is also really urgent if you notice odd numbers (could be a clog or whatever).
I’m glad I did it, but if MDI had worked for me I probably wouldnt have bothered.
Right now I’m more frustrated that my insurance isnt very pump friendly, that’s a whole different topic.
I’m sure my reply isnt totally helpful…i know others will chime in.
Great name! I started using a pump in January after many years of MDI, like yourself. I have never been intimidated by my pump (medtronic minimed 772 paradigm) and find it pretty user friendly and similar to other electronics (maybe a cell phone). After you get clicking around for a while you know where everything is and how to change things. The three things that my pump did that I really liked: basal rates to fight my dawn phenemona, bolus to a tenth (0.1) of a unit, and good records/logs. I actually think the CGM (associatied with my pump) is a better tool than the pump ( and for that I would recomend medtronic).
From my research at the end of 2010 on all the pump manufacturers; they all produce pretty similar products (except omnipod - which is the tubeless pump (I am pretty sure)). I liked the fact that my D logs could be accessed over a secured internet site by my Dr. for an easier discussion of any problems I may be having. This was especially helpful when starting the pump and changing settings daily based on my results.
The drawbacks of medtronic pumping: pump is not waterproof (making swimming, water guns and spills a concern), tubing can get in the way/frustrating, and I am still not used to wearing the pump on my belt.
I have had no problem with losing the infusion site (knock on wood) and my control has greatly improved 6.5 to 5.6 (CGM big help there too). I can tell you that my pump (and CGM) have increased my control to a point where I would be a fool to go back to MDI.
I would also recomend that you read Walsh’s pumping insulin.
As I told you I LOVE my pump. I haven’t used any other that the MM’s but I hear here that their are other’s I might need to think about.
As for living with it? It was hard at 1st. (to tell the truth I was kinda scared of it I got mine in 87 so I kinda know where your comig from there about when they were new in the early 90’s)I’ve just gotten used to it. Now I feel like I’m missing something if I don’t have it with me. At night I just lay it beside me when I sleep. When I get up it tends to go in my back pocket on my jeans or shorts. When I breakdown (on VERY rare times) and wear a dress I just put it in my bra. Like I told you teconology their much smaller now than they were back then
I have been pumping since 1990! I don’t know if it is better than MDI because I went from mixing NPH and R to a pump and would never consider going back. I have not had any trouble with clogging, falling off, and my control improved greatly with a pump, including the incidence of dangerous hypo troubles. I have the Mini Med Paradigm and will get another when this one is done (I’ve had three MM pumps). To me my pump is just something I wear in addition to my alert bracelet, it’s that unobtrusive.
I have the Omnipod System and it is tubeless as someone mentioned above, it is also semi- waterproof (you can shower with it on and minimal swimming), I have been on it for a year and love it… much better control and my A1C has dropped significantly. I have had very few instances where the pod “falls” off or losing the “infusion” site, only one occlusion in that time but since it is constantly monitoring itself you will know immediately if there is anything wrong.
I took almost two months of researching all the options for pumps and made my decision based on my lifestyle and I have absolutely no regrets with my decision.
As far as living with the pump… I feel like I am finally actually living period, it had freed me from all those daily injections and the obsessive testing I was doing before, no more drastic mood swings because my sugar was out of control…
I would recommend ordering the sample kit from Omnipod and checking out their website. It helped me a lot when I was making my decision.
Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know how you are doing
I have been pumping for a little over a year now. I like it. I don’t have to deal with the lows as often, I don’t have to eat cause I am pumped up with insulin. I still have to monitor my BS numbers closely. Your numbers can change very quickly without you even being aware. A bad infusion set can change your numbers to 300 within a few hours. I like that my pump provides me an estimate of active insulin on board. This helps me from stacking unnecessarily. I have lost some of my dosing calculation skills"The Math". The pump does all the bolus/correction calculations for me. It is more expensive 
I would suggest you reading “pumping insulin” before considering. You need to understand the concept of basal, meal bolus, correction bolus, carb counting, dual wave and much more. Go online and take pumping tutorial with the manufactures. You must also be confident in self management.
The pump rarely gets in my way. I clip in on my jeans. I just let the pump lay in bed when I sleep. I can download my numbers to see if there is a trend of some sort when I notice that my BS are popping up or I am low at certain times of the day. This allows me to make small changes to my basal and fix it.
I too am a T1. I have used the pump for almost 9 years now. I hate everything about it. It’s ugly, it’s bulky, it can be difficult to camouflage, it makes me feel like a freak sometimes. But, I also wouldn’t go back to injections. The difference the pump has made in my control has been absolutely amazing. It allows for more flexibility in regards to food and activity and gives me the feeling that I’m able to live more in the moment than injections ever did. And, over the years, I’ve found ways to make it less visible and more comfortable. The decision to go to the pump was one of the hardest I’ve ever made. I feel for you:)
PS–I say you go for it.
Pretty much. Wish I actually did have an iPhone:)
Have you considered keeping your pump in your pocket. I have cut small holes in all of my pockets (big enough for the piece that attaches to the infusion set) for the tubing to go through, so I never have to worry about hooking the tubing on anything. I haven’t done anything to reinforce the holes and have had no problems with the holes tearing or getting bigger. I’ve been doing this for years. Works great.
If you decide to give this a try, don’t cut the holes at the bottom of your pockets. Otherwise loose change, etc. can fall out. Also, don’t make the holes too big because the same thing can happen.
I don’t have my pump in a case. The pocket seems to be plenty of protection. In fact the reason I started doing this is that my pumps (Medtronic) kept getting stress fractures from using the Medtronic belt clip. After replacing 3 pumps for cracks in the same place, the Medtronic rep suggested that I quit using the belt clip and I haven’t had a crack in my pump in 2 or 3 years. It’s also very easy to take the pump out to bolus.
I’m sticking with MDI until they combine the CGM and pump so it auto doses for you - i.e. a semi closed-loop artificial pancreas. Until then I don’t see the big advantage of a pump, though many others do.
Also, I wouldn’t count on carrying less stuff around when you go on a pump - if anything I think you’ll be carrying more. The meter, food, glucose, symlin and syringes will still be needed the same as before. Other than that, instead of carrying just the pens as you do now, you’ll have to carry a pump, extra catheters and tape, alcohol or skin prep, and most also carry a pen in case they have a blockage and need to get BG down fast.
Intersting idea. I have read briefly of others that put the pump in thier pocket. I carry so much junk in my pockets that I would be concerned that the pump would make my pocket to bulky or get scratched/damaged. Also, is it hard or does it take a while to get your pants off ?
There have been lots of changes, all of them good! The first pump had a door that opened and closed and the res went in there. The pump “clicked” when delivering, I even heard my basal every day all day! There was one basal rate, no alarms, and certainly not any I:C ratio or recommendation depending on carbs, etc. I love the new pumps, but I don’t use all the bells and whistles that come with them. What MM did you have?
In my pockets I carry my pump, Dex receiver, smartphone, car keys and glucose tabs. Way too much stuff. Amazingly, my pump is not scratched at all. Usually before taking off my pants, I just unhook my infusion set, pull it through the hole in my pocket and remove my pump.
If I’m out shopping and trying on pants, I just unhook the infusion set and leave the pump in my pocket. Then just hook back up when I put my pants back on.
The pocket my pump is in varies on the location of my infusion set. So sometimes it’s with car keys and sometimes with the Dex. I usually try to have my cell phone in the opposite pocket because of the size of it. I definitely prefer cargo pants so I can spread out the stuff into more pockets.
The only thing that I don’t have in my pocket that a guy might have is change.
Melanie,
have you consider switching to a different pump? again I have the Omnipod which is completely tubeless and very easy to hide when I want to, I mostly wear it on my arms in the winter and on my stomach in the summer and no one see’s or notices it at all… and it doesn’t have to be hooked to your belt or pocket or hidden in your bra if you are not wearing something with a waste band
I’ve always been interested in the Omnipod, but when I have asked my endos about it they’ve all said that MM is far superior. I’m not sure if they’re saying that because they don’t know much about the Omnipod and/or they’re getting some sort of kickback from Minimed. It’s frustrating because I really feel the Omnipod is a better fit for me as the tubing on the MM can feel like a damn leash. I’m seeing a new endo next week–maybe she’ll have a different opinion. Did you ever use a MM pump?
I’ve been pumping for 12 years, and wouldn’t go back to shots, nohow. Which is not to say that the pump makes everything easy – you still have to test, and pay attention to what you’re eating, doing, etc. But the pump (mine is a Paradigm 722) at least calculates dosages, and they work very well IF the insulin:carb ratio is set correctly, and calculates corrections based on how much insulin you still have active from your previous bolus, so no more driving yourself low from stacking injections. And the ability to vary basals by time of day and by activity level or sickness is priceless – you simply can’t do that with shots.
Personally, I absolutely don’t care about the tubing – I clip the pump to my waistband, and roll up the tubing and tuck it in, and I’ve never caught it on anything. I don’t feel tethered, either, partly because the long tubing allows me to lay the pump on the bed when I get dressed. Or, if I’m trying on pants in the store, I clip it to my bra.
I sleep with it clipped to the bottom of my pajamas in the middle – I’m a side sleeper and am never flat on my belly, so I never notice it. Taking it off for a shower is nothing – I remember the olden days when there were no detachable sets, and you had to wear it in a plastic bag around your neck!
After all this time, I think I’d feel naked without the pump!
No I have only been on the pump for a year and my biggest concern about going on one was the tubing and when I spoke to my endo about my concerns they immediately suggested the Omnipod… I think discussing it with a new endo is a smart choice… I think since it is relatively new most endo’s are not up to speed with it. But I absolutely love it, I have never been in better control of my diabetes and I have been diabetic for 12 years.
Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll also do my own research on the Omnipod before I go–just in case.
Have you reached a decision about considering a pump?