Eric got hooked up to his pump, with insulin, as of this morning. Already we’ve had a low reading before lunch, which led to an urgent phonecall from Daddy to the more technologically proficient Mommy (me) to walk him through the insulin delivery system. It’s going to take some time, that much I can see.
Yes, getting started on a pump can be interesting for a while At least I hope Eric’s endo has trained others before him. When I got my first pump 15 years ago I had to train my endo to train me. Seems to run in his family though, since I’d trained his father to straighten my diabetes out some 31 years before that… BTW I have 53+ years experience and like to help diabetics avoid problems, since I’ve been through most of them EXCEPT complications.
So I trust you had him put the pump into a Temporary Basal Rate? Watch out for the next few days, it’s quite possible that the entire dosage needs to be reduced since it’s so much more efficient with a pump. So what brand of pump and variety of insulin is he using, just for general background?
Hi Elizabeth! Glad to hear that Eric started on the pump! Yes, it does take some time to learn and get the settings right (all the basal rates and ratios), but after a short time, you will feel like a pro!!
Please post any questions!
Eric is using a Medtronic Paradigm pump. We put him on a very conservative set of basal and bolus ratios and during the day, they seem to be right on target - his numbers are FANTASTIC. The problem we’re having is at night, because there seems to be an issue with bubbles in the line - I’m going to put out a call to Medtronic on this one because 3 nights in a row, we’ve had his BG shoot up because of air in the line preventing the insulin from infusing into the cannula. We’ve tried changing the site, the infusion set, the cartridge, the battery, and all of the above simultaneously (that’s what we did tonight at bathtime), and frankly I’m getting really frustrated. Not to mention exhausted!