I have been T1 for a little over a year now. Recently my BS have been CRAZY(alot of highs) and my lantas seems to die out at night. I have been thinking of switching to a pump, but witch one and is having a pump that much better? Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated, thanks
After 26 ½ years of MDI, I just started pumping in June. A big advantage of pumping is the ability to set multiple basal rates. I have DP and my BS starts going up about 5 AM - having the pump allows me to change my basals in time to stop that from happening without having to wake up to do it. If you want to exercise, you can turn the basals down or even stop them.
I got the Animas Ping. One thing I liked about the Ping is that it is waterproof. It is easy enough to pop it off when I get in the shower, but if my BS is running higher, I don’t have to do that. I also won’t have to worry about what to do with the pump if I go to an amusement park & ride water rides.
It also has the remote making it easy to bolus without pulling the pump out from wherever you have it on or under your clothes. The remote has a food database in and you can customize it to add your favorite foods. You can then just pull those up with the right number of carbs and it does all the math for you.
if you dont switch to the pump you should really think about using levemir… its alot more stable
I second that!
deff i come no where near your experience at 14 years but i respect you greatly for dealing with what you had to those days… i agree i had the pump and will be going back on it veryyyy soon maybe tomorrow hopefully… its freedom like you can never compare and the control is par non for diabetes right now…
I resisted a pump for years but the first DAY I got my MM (and MM CGM system) I knew it was the right choice. After less than 3 months I went from 7.5 to 6.1 and cut my insulin use by 40%.
The pump and CGM is a lot more ‘work’ than just taking shots but the results are so very much worth it.
Thanks so much for the info. My new insurance kicked in yesterday so I think i am gonna look at some pumps and make the switch, thanks everyone
yup i want the Ping, so it will calculate and tell you how much insulin to take? how does that work if everyone it different?
yeah this 24hr no peaking lantus does not last 24 hrs and peaks while im working, making the switch to a pump, thanks
With all pumps, you enter what your carb ratios are - I forget how many total you can have with the Ping but I have 3 different ones set depending on time of day. You can also set your own correction factor and set what you want your target BS to be. If you have your target set at 85 and enter (or use the remote to test) that your BS is 120, it will come back and suggest how much insulin you need. You have the option of using a different amount if you want to.
I highly reccamend you lookat all the pumps and see which one fits in with your life style. you can go on youtube and type in each pump name and you can get videos on each pump that is how I knew almost everything about the ping even before training it was so easy to use!!!
my personal expierience
omnpod landed me in the ICU mutiple times for not alarming the failures. minimed worked but screen was hard to read and could not bolus off the meter. very undurable- went through 33 PDMS in 3 years.
ANIMAS IS AMAZING
I love it soooooo much. no failures yet. painless insertion and really east to use.
If you ever end up having to be on Lantus again, a lot of people actually end up splitting their lantus dose, and get a lot better results with that. So, if you ever need/want/ or have to take a pump vacation in the future, you might want to try that out if you have to use lantus. Good luck with pumping! It’s fabulous!
I agree with all the comments above. A pump gives a lot more flexibility with basals & allows much finer increments for bolus doses. BUT it is a LOT more work. I have been pumping for nearly 4 years now, & I wouldn’t go back, my A1C has gone from 8.0 to about 6.0, & I was a late pumper, I’ve had T1 since 1961. But the first 2 months on the pump were hell, my BG was really high at times & I had real trouble inserting the infusion sets, I was only saved by my wonderful Animas trainer.
My advice learn as much as you can before starting so you are prepared. I would reccomend the Pumper’s Bible, aka Pumping Insulin by John Walsh, you can get it on Amazon or the Diabetes Mall.
Talk to all the pump reps & get them to demo their pumps & let you feel & play around with each. The Diabetes Mall
http://www.diabetesnet.com/ has an excellent table summarizing the features of the different pump models, & another the different infusion sets.
So, my advice Do Your Homework, I just wish I had read more before I started
I started pumping 5 or 6 (or 7?) years ago. I really didn’t think it made that much difference in what I was doing. I don’t know if I just wasn’t using it properly or what, but that’s what I can say. About 2 years ago, a doctor took me off it (I was getting low too much, and she thought shots would help). Anyway, I really don’t miss it.
I say do not think about a pump switch. It is so much easier.
I had to take my lantus in two doses half in am and half in pm so that I would not go low and then spike about 20 hrs later.
I would call all of the pump companies and have them bring out a pump for you to play with. You can not make an informed decision without actually holding one in your hands. You will also want to look at the different infusion sets that each of the pumps use.
I have been on a pump for almost a year now. I was having a lot of lows on MDI so my Endo suggested the pump last spring and in the fall I took the plunge. So far the best decision I ever made. No more lows. My A1c is going down and I have lost a little weight.
Kelly, what do yo do with your pump when you are in the shower? 99% of the time I disconnect, but when I dont, I end up having to hold it because the tubing isnt long enough to rest it on anything. just curious what other solutions are out there…
I used Lantus for several years…two shots per day. About four months ago, I switched to Levemir. I don’t find that it covered me near as well as Lantus. Also, use Humalog to cover my meals and snacks. Good news for me, I’m switching to a pump as of this coming Thursday. Good luck. I love the people at Animas, they were really helpful and patient as I was trying to decide between Animas and Medtronic. Animas is waterproof and has the calorie king food diary, both of which is good for me.
I have had D for 52 years since the age of 3. I switched to a pump 2-12-08. It was the best thing I could have done. My hA1c prior was 6.7 when I finally started to count carbs about 3 years ago. Now it is 6.2. Again it was the best thing I could have done. I also am using the Dexcom CGM. I love it, but I think my wife does more since she can now sleep at nite.