Personally, I'm much more comfortable at 100-110 is all. I don't necessarily 'treat' a 90 right now; I was just saying with the glucose tabs I could easily obtain my comfort range of 100-110 without going over :)
Haha! Changing a lancet every time you test…I’d forgotten about that little nugget of diabetes ‘wisdom’. Can you imagine??? 
I change my site every four days. I also like to stockpile a little if I can and I’ve had no ill effects from changing then instead of every two-three days. Keep in mind that they will also probably tell you that you have to change your insulin reservoir when you change your infusion set. This is not true, and if I did that, I would be throwing out expensive, precious insulin all.the.time. I change my site every four days and I change my reservoir when I run out of insulin. This makes it so I rarely change them both at the same time/day, but your pump should keep a record of each reservoir change (part of the ‘prime’ feature) and each prime you do for a new infusion set, so even if you forget when your last site change happened, your pump will have that info for you! Anyhoo…it really depends on you (like everything with D, right?) some folks have sensitive skin/irritation issues and they have to change sites more frequently. I have been fortunate to not have those problems, and sometimes, during very stressful times, I’ve forgotten and left a site for 5 or 6 days, but had no problems. Oops! Your insulin absorption may or may not be affected. You’ll just have to figure it out over time, but start with three, and if you feel like you can stretch it, go for it! There are lots of good sites to use. I used my belly almost exclusively for 10 years, and now use my back, hips, and upper rear end mostly. I haven’t ever used my legs or arms, but I know lots of people do so successfully. Ok, that was way more than you asked for…over and out!
This was some REALLY useful information! I love stockpiling, because, well, you never know! I'll totally do some trial and error but its nice knowing I can stretch these supplies a little farther if I want to (as long as no harm is happening!)
Thank you!!
Great advice fromShelby, and from reading this site it seems very individual: some people need to change every 2 days. some go three and some (like me) go four. I also giggled at the "change your lancet every time you test". I have the Accu-chek multiclix drums which hold 6 lancets and forget exactly how it goes in sometimes because I use the same drum so long. I have the original supply (not sure how many it was) I got when I was diagnosed 6 years ago!
How is your pump start so far? One thing I didn't know beforehand is the tubing naturally coils up so it isn't hard to tuck away (it's also very strong, so no worries there). Overall I like the 32". The 21" is long enough to work but doesn't coil up as well so in a way I prefer the 32". I orient the the infusion set (the slanted type) so that the tubing connection faces whatever pocket I am using to carry the pump. For showers, I disconnect and take a tiny bolus equal to half an hour's worth of basal.
I am LOVING pump life. I’m slowly learning the tricks of the trade. I’m finding out I definitely enjoy a shorter tube so far. I’ve discovered I can disconnect for a shower without having to bolus for time missed (granted I only take a 5 minute shower :p).
Good to hear, I so much prefer pumping over MDI. Another little tip is to take the insulin out of the fridge for about an hour before filling a reservoir (minimizes air bubbles).
Ohhhh, that might have been why I had so many bubbles the first time! Thanks!
Use a letter opener/heavy pen to knock against the air bubbles.
Asking all of the right questions....I started with the Accuchek Combo on the 9th of July.
Couple of thoughts.....Haven't had to use any additional tape to hold the infusion set in (even during physical exertion). The standard stuff that comes on it works great.
When sleeping I literally just let the pump lay loose in the bed next to me. As I toss and turn it just goes with me. Has not been a problem at all.
The excess tubing comes in handy with my business clothes but in casual clothes I just coil it up and stuff it in the waist band. Have not had to worry about getting a kink in it or anything else that would affect the flow. Really not an issue.
Your trainer should have showed you how to orient the infusion set connection based on the location (if using the Accuchek infusion sets). That is the only thing I worry about when changing the site.
I stopped carrying insulin pens as they are not compatible with refilling a cartridge. I got my provider to write a script for some insulin syringes. Donated my Lantus pens to a mobile medical clinic in Gettysburg, PA and I have been transferring the insulin from the Novolog pens to the insulin vials (as they are emptied) until the Novolog pens are gone.
For showering, I literally just disconnect the pump. I do not worry about stopping the pump as it is only disconnected for about 10 minutes. This is what my trainer advised was the best approach.
When exercising, I haven't had any issues with the glue loosening. The guy who works for me does but he uses a different brand of infusion set (which could possibly have something to do with it).
I only carry a vial of insulin with me when I travel. I work close enough to home that if there were an issue I could be home quickly enough before there would be a serious problem.
I started carrying skittles for my emergency supply of carbs. They are counted out but easy enough to take, carry, and aren't messy (and are cheap).
The real question is why do we feel we have to explain this new thing. The beauty of the combo is that you can wear it completely under your clothes, controlling it only with the meter. For women this is especially easy as there are several alternatives for carrying it not available to men. I have the sport band but have had the neoprene case on order for seven weeks now (it is on back order). In fact, that is my one and only complaint with Accuchek....This pump costs that much and all we get is a cheesy plastic holder and when you order alternative cases (in my case the solid leather one and the neoprene one) they are on permanent backorder and no status is ever provided. Back to the point, if it is under you clothes, then all you are doing is checking your BG and then there is nothing to explain! Have to love that!
So does the Accu-chek have a meter remote like the Ping? When it says "combo" does that mean a CGM/pump combo?
It is similar to the Ping but much more. The guy who works for me has the Ping and initially he thought it was the same type of set-up but has since realized it is really different. You can do virtually anything from the meter that you can from the pump. There are some "maintenance" type actions that must be performed on the pump itself but other than that everything is done from the meter. I have literally never bolus'ed from the pump....you test your BG on the meter, enter in your carbs, hit enter, it connects to the pump, computes your bolus, you confirm and off it goes. You can watch it count down or you can turn it off and the meter continues until the bolus is over.
No...it is not a CGM.
I swear by Skin-Tac for good adhesion. Works wonders. Can be touched up around the edges if they start to come up on subsequent days, if you get a bottle of the stuff. I've got both a bottle, and the individually packaged wipes (in my kit).
Also, if you start using ST or some other adhesive enhancer, be sure and use a remover (I use Unisolve) to remove the device. Otherwise the skin underneath will get irritated from having something bonded on that well pulled off.
Yeah, i think the combo remote can do anything the pump unit can do vs Ping remote can't quite do everything. Not sure but i think Ping remote wont' do dual wave bolus or temp basals.
The Ping meter-remote does all that as well, Mike. I have never bolused from my pump either - I test my BG, choose either ez carb, ez BG or combo bolus, enter carbs if that's what I'm doing and it computes the bolus. the only annoying thing is that you can't just click "ok" to the amount it lists, you have to actually press buttons to that number, then click ok.
Thanks for the info guys. I might consider that for my new pump, by which time it won't be so new. I really love the meter remote and the new Vibe doesn't have one plus it has a cgm integrated which most people are really looking forward to but I have zero interest in. It's another option other than staying with another Ping which I've heard will still be produced even after the Vibe comes out and still have the meter remote, but we will see. Nice to know there's an alternative as I'd hate to part with my meter remote.
The Ping meter-remotedoes compute and do combo boluses (its name). You can set the total amount, the duration and the breakdown of percentages and it will then do it automatically as you've set. No, you can't do temp basals from the meter remote; for that and any changes to basals, you have to use the pump itself.
Congrats, Ashley. To respond to some of your questions (I use a Ping): I have both a spibelt and a Tammygear, but no longer use either as they seem extra and bulky. During the day I just use the clip and clip to my waistband, toss in the pocket of my cargo pants or clip it to the middle of my bra (not inside). At night I sleep in shorts during summer and thermals during winter and clip it to that. I sleep primarily on my side and stomach so I clip it to the back, but over time, find I move it around if needed without really waking. Putting it under the pillow didn't work for me as I move around a lot.
I prefer the 43 inch tubing as I can lay it down on the bed or dresser as I get dressed and I just generally feel less "tethered" without something pulling on me. I just tuck in the tubing. I don't worry about tubing kinking, it's not a problem.
I disconnect for my bath and put in the little plastic placeholder (all pumps are different). I only work part time and live in a very small town so the only thing I carry with me in town is my meter remote and glucose tabs which are always in my purse. When I go away overnight I take an extra set (or more depending on how long) with me, a syringe and my vial of insulin in a frio. I stopped keeping pens after my last ones expired and it was one more thing to get prescribed. I just have a few syringes and can use them with my insulin vials in a pinch.
As for explaining to people, it depends how much they need to know. I teach community college and last week at the first class I basically just took a few minutes to say that I was a type 1 diabetic and might have to test my blood sugar during class (holding up meter/remote) and press some buttons to control my pump, but that since it is a short class it's unlikely to be a problem. I didn't want them to think I was playing with my "electronic device" during class as they are forbidden doing so!
Yes, a pump is a definite learning curve and it will be awhile before you get everything set right. Personally after the initial training I declined follow up as it would drive me crazy to wait for someone's "instructions" to tweak doses. I just kept (and still keep) good records of basal changes and tweak as needed. Good luck!
What I carry is Trader Joe's jelly beans - they're 1 carb each, perfect for when I'm heading down but don't need a full 15grams of carbs. I can easily eat 15 if I need, without making lots of noise too! I carry them in a tiny plastic jar in my purse.