Hi all!! So I know there are already a few forums on here about taking pump vacations or switching back to shots but I can’t quite find what I’m looking for. Is there anyone out there that has done this and why? I was diagnosed at seven yrs old and we switched to a pump a year after. I loved the pump sooo much then but now at 19 almost 20 yrs old I feel like I need something new. Being diagnosed at a young age I wasn’t really explained everything I need to do and how everything works. I mean I know how to take care of myself but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I feel like I need to be rediagnosed. Any thoughts about this would be great!! 
Hi Elizabeth,
I've never taken a pump vacation and frankly can't imagine doing so voluntarily. But I want to respond to your feeling that you "need to be rediagnosed". If you or your parents have good health insurance you could go to the Joslin DOIT program in Boston for very little cost. When I was at the program, several participants were getting tune-ups and jump starts. It's a great program and might be what you're looking for.
Maurie
I'm on mdi- I haven't use a pump and I prefer mdi for many reasons. I think you can ask your endo/doc about going to mdi for a while. You can always go back to your pump if you want to. I think the Joslin program sounds like a good idea :)
Wow that sounds like an awesome program!!
Hey Elizabeth:
I've been type 1 for the last year and a half. MDI until a couple of months ago when I decided to give the Omnipod a try. I've found advantages and disadvantages with both. I find the dosing with MDI to be more precise and the basal insulin more consistent and reliable than basal settings on a pump, however lugging all the supplies around and injecting can be a hassle. The pump, however, relieves me of all the logging, calculating and allows for very discreet dosing.
Hence, I've figured out how to transition between the two pretty seamlessly. I do a lot of business travel. When I do, I use the pump. When I return home, however, I disconnect and switch back to MDI. Sometimes I'll even take a hybrid approach where I'll address 2/3 of my basil needs through a twice daily Levimir injection and handle the rest with a pump, as well as my bolus needs. This allows me to turn down the pump basal when I exercise while still enjoying the more reliable basal control that I get through basal injections.
Net-net: there is no "one way." Try both and figure out what works best for your goals, preferences and lifestyle. You might settle on one, the other, or a mixture of both like I do.
Christopher
Christopher, it is nice to hear that someone is doing that type of stuff.. MDI and low carb (and my Dexcom) is working well for me, but it took me a while to tweak my basal rate.
That's great that you figured out how to use both... was it complicated to do that when you have long acting basal to add basal in from the pump too?
It wasn't too complicated. When I inject basal, I inject two equal amounts, one at night, one in the morning. When I transition to my pump, I do it in the morning and do not inject my morning basal. I then program my pump to deliver 50% of my basal rate until the time at night when I would inject my night basal. Then my pump reverts to its full basal rate.