Hi All - I am switching to a pump from insulin pens after 10 years. Any tips appreciated on making the switch or using the pump while doing active events? Also, I am doing a saline trial this week, is it really helpful?
http://www.trainedbyinsulin.com/1/post/2012/12/medical-devices.html
Congratulations! I've had my Ping for almost two years now and love it. Some people think the saline is a waste of time. For me, I liked it because I could figure out all the settings and learn how to insert a set without having to worry about insulin doses at the same time. It kind of broke the whole learning curve down into more manageable steps.
And there definitely is a learning curve! Some of us find it harder than others, but many people say it's from a few weeks to a few months till things fall into place so don't feel frustrated. Generally you start out on conservative basals and will, as a result be high and have to slowly lower it. It takes time to figure out how many different "time zones" you want to provide different basal rates for your different needs at different times. Some people do basal testing, I just looked for patterns of highs and lows and raised or lowered dose for those times (two hours before the problem occurs).
My best advice? Get "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. It's like a bible. Also read over your Ping manual step by step to see how you want to set things. It all takes time, but it's worth it!
Thanks Zoe! Yeah it sounds like it there is going to be a testing curve at the start. Thanks for the rec on the book, I will certainly look into that.