Well, my bright shiny new Ping pump and meter was delivered last week and my appointment with the Animas trainer is on Wednesday. I'll be pumping and I'm hopeful of leveling out the highs and lows of life. As much preparation as I've had it still seems a bit overwhelming. I'll take it one step at a time looking forward to great results.
Congrats, NorCal! It is overwhelming, but you're on the right track and you have the right attitude of one step at a time. If you haven't already done so, do read the whole manual (the one that came with the pump, not the workbook online). Also what I did was used the time before training to play with the basic settings and see what everything did. If you are going on saline first you will also be able to do that then. Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure and order different types of infusion sets and lengths of tubing to see which you like. (you can ask your trainer for samples). Good luck and let it know how it goes! Don't expect instant results - you may be high for awhile as you tweak settings - but in time your numbers will get better (though not perfect, of course - you are a type 1 after all). But to me, at least, it was more important the convenience it gave to my life.
Thanks Zoe. I've been doing just that since the box was opened. Been using the Ping meter/remote instead of the ultra 2 and reviewing the charts, etc. More information is a good thing. I think we need to get some sort of certification after we've successfully completed 6 months to a year of being a T1 diabetic. This isn't easy!
Congrats NorCal! There is a learning curve, but take it easy on yourself so you don't become overwhelmed. Easier said than done, I know! Love my pink Ping, it's a life-changing piece of tech. Let us know how it goes Wednesday.
Shall do. I do believe it will all come together once I see the endo's numbers get entered into the pump. Just over 28 hours away....
it will be a little overwhelming at first. but once you get the hang of it, you'll be really glad you did! it's just coming up on a year for me, and i love it (sort of)!
Welcome to the club! The minute my new Ping was hooked up, I knew it would be life changing. I wish the same for you.
You got that right! I want at least an honorary degree!
We've put in the work and are still alive, therefore we get a full degree! This requires a lot of input from the patient. We're truly part of the treatment process and I'm grateful for a wonderful doctor and CDE to work with me and get me up to speed.
Well it's been a week today and the first 6 days were wonderful. Everything smoothed out pretty quickly and my numbers became very level. Then yesterday morning I did a set change. First I went low, then high and higher. Having no other reason to be having highs I decided to change out the set again after dinner. Still no luck and the numbers are creeping upward. I called my CDE first thing this morning and she recommended that I call Animas support, which I did and we changed the set again while I was on the phone with her. Now the numbers are trending downward and hopefully stay there. With the exception of the cannula getting bend over 90 degrees, I couldn't be happier as a pumper.
Wow, you adjusted quickly! It took me weeks to get my basals tweaked and to make changing sets not a major production. But then I have awful eye hand coordination. So the bent cannula was the reason? I like knowing what caused a problem so I can add it to my list of possible snafus for next time. I also like the Inset 30s because they have a little clear plastic window so at least some of the time you can see a problem developing with the set.
Yeah, animas support, in my experience know more than the CDE or endos. I usually just come on here and rely on the incredible experience of 20,000 diabetics! Whatever it is, someone on here has had - and solved - the problem!
Again welcome to the world of happy pumpers. In a rough patch financially recently I thought, "can I really afford this extra expense?" Then I realized that at a year and four months I'm hooked and it would take dire circumstances indeed to get me to give up my Ping!
Congrats NorCal! I'm with Zoe, you did adjust quickly. Those 90 degree bent canulas are a real PITA. Did you have 2? Hopefully you worked out with the Animas rep what caused it to happen.
Again, I'm with Zoe - you'd have to do something life-threatening to get my Ping away from me :)
If they gave you any insight as to why you had a bent canula (and how to avoid them in the future) I would like to hear that as well! I think I'm ahead of the game in being able to recognize what types of set problems can occur, but preventing them would be even better. (Sometimes being entirely self managed has its drawbacks)
The Animas support desk told me that the clear line should not be in the little indentation prior to pulling back and locking the trigger. Only after the trigger is locked, should the line be placed in the slot. My before dinner number was much nearer normal. Whew! Thanks for the support!
I do that, and still get bent ones sometimes *sigh*. I've had enough that I recognize what's going on now, but I too would like to prevent them!
Try as hard as I can, I can't understand what you mean! What clear line? What indentation? What pulling back and locking what trigger? Are you talking about Insets or Inset 30s??
Insets. There's a little indentation on the inserter where you're supposed to tuck in the canula before inserting.
I did get off to a great start and was so pleased, then... My control was not so good starting mid-week last week. I contacted my CDE and Animas service desk. Replaced sets over and over again. While things have improved somewhat, I'm still not staying in target and inquired with my endo if I might be a candidate for steel needle insets. She's out of the office but replied by email late last evening and said yes. Have any of you gotten off to a rough start with the 9mm straight insets and then to steel needles?
Oh, thanks, now I got it. I used Insets for awhile and then decided I like inset 30s better. It was the "clear line" that threw me; now I realize he meant "tubing"!