Hello, I am on OMnipod and it works okay but I hear Dr Ponder speak and he is on injections. That would be awesome if I could achieve a HGA1C of in the 5s on injections as I am frustrated with Omnipod espcially during summer. However, I am not sure I can keep track of IOB etc on my own. Any suggestions? Or any ideas how to delay till I see the bend? I have a hard time as I seem to need at least thirty min and I am already hungry to eat too soon then have to play catch up.
I would recommend that you purchase Dr. Ponder’s book Sugar Surfing. His strategy is more about understanding trends and acting preemptively than it is about IOB. I think we all often get hungry, but perhaps you can come up with strategies to defer your hunger such as drinking a glass of water. If you really want to use his approach to meals you need to wait for the bend.
ps. And why are you frustrated with the Omnipod in summer?
I have never used a pump, but since starting tresiba as a basal (which I believe Dr ponder uses as well) I really no longer even see the appeal of the pump. As far as keeping track of insulin on board— if i only eat 2 or 3 meals a day it’s pretty easy for me to just set my watch when I take bolus and then check again after 2 hours, if I’m a bit high at the 2 hour mark, I have it pretty well figured out when/if/ how much more to take. I don’t see how a pump would make my life easier, but many people swear by them. I find it interesting to note though that every pumper on this forum who has switched their basal to tresiba (that I know of) haven’t gone back to pumping.
Various diabetes apps/glucose monitoring apps will keep track of that and help. Diabetes M for example, has an “Active Insulin” readout.
Pump is for if exercise is more intense than expected one can decrease the basal at any time. But if I get in a more routine schedule I’m glad there is a basal like that now. Pump is also for the artificial pancreas. I turn that on at night.
Because I cant seem to keep the pod on in the pool.
Where on your body do you wear your Pod when you are in the pool?
I am on MDI and sugar surf and have an A1C of 5.5. I use a CGM and Tresiba for my basal. I have no interest in using a pump, although I can’t imagine going without my CGM. I use the RapidCalc app to help me calculate my bolus and keep track of IOB. I prebolus for meals and wait for the bend before eating. A piece of cheese will usually tide me over if I’m hungry and want a snack while I wait.
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Are you using an artificial pancreas at night? Is it your own development, DIY, ???
Glad to hear you are looking into Sugar Surfing, which you can do with a pump or with MDI - either way is fine. Access to CGM is certainly more important to Sugar Surfing than how insulin is delivered. In terms of insulin delivery, I’ve done everything - injections for around 15 years, pens for around 10 years, and a pump for the last 15+ years. For me, the pump wins hands down. Being able to glance at bg on a wrist watch (CGM) and send crafted waves of insulin anytime, anywhere (via pump), gets me pretty close to bg control and living overall as if I did not have T1D. So, I feel zero motivation to go back to MDI, but I can understand how different people can have different preferences.
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I was never able to get below 7 with MDI for 20 years, so I started pumping 13 years ago, have been in the low 6’s since, and would never go back unless I absolutely had to. An obvious benefit is being able to run multiple basal rates since I have dawn phenomenon, but other benefits include being able to dose for even the smallest amount of carb, adjusting for exercise and post-exercise without having to eat first, and the dual-wave feature for high-fat meals. Apparently the insulin you mentioned is not the US yet, but it sounds good. However, I would never go back to injections because the pump gives me the flexibility to live my life. My schedule and hormones are too erratic. I realize you swim, but Minimed simply makes a better pump. You may do better by just disconnecting when you swim.
Yes, its DIY but the software tools I downloaded. I ran it all day for a while too but its a lot to get used to and take care of.
Are you using the Medtronic pump then? I’m on Omnipod but it doesn’t look like DIY has a way to integrate it yet. I’ve checked out openAPS and omniAPS.
On my abdomen or back hip
You might want to try an arm and wear a Band for Life while swimming.