My numbers have been great these past few weeks, I am so happy about it! I am up to my head with homework and studio hours but even the lightest exercise and careful eating has been great. Even with decreased lantus, I am down a few units, I am still having such a difficult time losing weight. My doctor, who is very very patient with me and very understanding, told me that weight loss can be achieved much easier while on the pump. I know that i have heard that from a few of my friends on here so i was wondering if somebody could explain why. if im going to make the change back to the pump then i want to make sure i do it right! i was on the omni pod for 2 years and it drove me nuts towards the end. always deactivating and causing problems when i needed them least!!! i wonder if the omni pod system has improved at all in the recent year, Does anybody know, or have experience with successful weight loss in their switch from shots to pump?
Have you ever considered to try Metformin to get more sensitive to insulin? This way you will need less insulin - if this is the main driver for your weight gain. The use of this drug is independent from the decision of Pump or MDI.
The use of Metformin by a Type 1 is risky. If your ketosis-prone it's a disaster ... lactic acidosis becomes a bigger risk and it's mortality rate is 50%.
Metformin will push the body into ketosis faster. This is well proven, Low carb diet doctors prescribe Metformin to push the individual into ketosis faster...not a good idea if your active insulin drops below your requirement and could even be a bigger risk for someone using a pump.
Also when a type 1 uses Metformin the incidence of hypoglycemia is doubled so intensive insulin therapy is really not a good option.
Metformin seems a little risky just for a couple of units of insulin...JMHO
I don't think Metformin is inherently risky. If you are poorly controlled and at risk of DKA, then use of any medication (even Tylenol) is very dangerous. I've never heard any suggestion that metformin pushes you into DKA or ketosis. Low carb doctors prescribe metformin because many of their patients are highly insulin resistant and/or suffer from PCOS.
What is risky for any diabetic is if you have a compromised kidney function. Then lactic acidosis is a higher risk. And I don't know why any diabetic on insulin would take metformin and not think their insulin requirements would drop.
I am currently on an MDI and take a max dose of metforin.
@JohnG: "Of 100,000 people, the incidence of lactic acidosis was 5.1 cases in the metformin group and 5.8 cases in the non-metformin group" (source). In addition to that a type 1 will need a very small dosage in comparison to a type 2. Finally we should not forget that Metformin is a commonly prescriped drug with a good safety record.
I quote the author "Questions about long-term safety and efficacy in this patient population remain unanswered". So there is no study so far that shows evidence that the risks for Type 1's is higher than that of Type 2's. I expect to see much more Type 1's on Metformin in the future because the (I quote again) "average type 1 diabetic patient is overweight". So it will not take that long to have better statistical data at hand. But let us assume the risk will double. This makes 10-12 cases of lactic acidosis per 100,000. I know that lactic acidosis is very serious. In the very worst case with a mortality rate for unrecognized and untreated lactic acidosis of 50% this would make 5-6 deaths per 100,000 Type 1's using Metformin.
I do not need Metformin because my sensitivity to insulin is already too high for my taste.
I don't think that it's the insulin as much as the food that would cause weight gain so I'm not sure that metformin would help if your BG are ok.
What has helped me with the pump is that it keeps better records than I do about what I'm eating. I also started tracking my food w/ this app called "Lose It" which made me realize that I was overbasaling a shade, running lowish a lot and munching like 15-30G of jelly beans to maintain my BG. I turned the basals down maybe 6-8 weeks ago and seem to have saved myself those calories, not a huge thing but I've been plateaued weightwise for a while and would sort of like to drop maybe 5-10 more lbs? The tracking of the pump maintained pretty decent records of what I eat and I've hit other plateaus and said "hmmm, maybe if I cut out _____ and replace it w/ something less carby, I can lose some weight" and that's worked well for me?
I'm not sure about Omnipods but having read about the issues people with them seem to have, I am sticking w/ MM because the tubing doesnt' bother me at all.
