Considering an Insulin Pump

[Linngwin]

I am a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed at age 12, now 52 years old and considering going to a pump. My doctor has given me material on several products including; "Cozmore", "Animas", and the "Paradigm". Would appreciate any comments on these or other pumps, or other information to prepare me for the transition from the needle to the pump. Thanks in advance.

[JDRF-Team-BL]

Dear linngwin,
     i am a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed at 21 and now 53. Which i was told  when diagnosed i ouldn't live to 50. But i have been on the pump for 6 years now and i love it. i have a Minimed 508 pump, a previous pump they released before the Paradigm. The Paradigm has some features mine doesn't have but i am still in love with the pump. A pump is the closest a person on insulin can come to having blood sugars close to normal.
     Now having a pump doesn't stop many of the things a diabetic does, like testing blood sygars, following a diet and exercise and such. But a pump does give you more freedom and as we all know, keeping your blood sugars close to normal helps prevent diabetic complications. Good luck with your transition, bret.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Like BL, I've been pumping for several years, too.

I've been using the Deltec Cozmo (Cozmore) pump for the past coupla years and used the Disentronic H-Tron (sounds like a little robot, doesn't it?!) for about 8 years before that.

You'll find that newer pumps have very similar features and much comes down to (1) personal preference, (2) availability of trainers knowledgeable with the particular pump, (3) insurance coverage, (4) type of battery(ies) and battery life, etc..  I recommend you see & use all the pumps you're able to, so you can get a feel for how they function & how you function with it.  Clarity of the screen is important to many, number of button-clicks to do common taks is important to many, size & shape is important.  Service seems to be A+ for the pumps you mention.

If you visit this site:
http://insulin-pumpers.org/links.shtml
you'll find lots of good information.  Scroll down from the listing of main articles and you'll see info about several pumps and also a handy comparison.

Hope you come to love pumping like BL & I do!

[Linngwin]

BL & LRS; Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I'm sure I've got a lot to learn. One thing I'm courious about...how do you sleep with the pump?

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hi again,
Most folks either put it into a pocket in their PJs or create a pocket or let it hang out on the bed near them.  The tubing & the part attached to our bodies are nothing you'll notice when sleeping.  If you roll over onto the pump, it'll feel like rolling onto a cell phone or pager.  Not comfy ;-)  but no harm will be done to you or the pump.

Tubing come in varying lengths and the longer the tubing, the farther away from your pump you can be.  Some folks with longer tubing just put the pump under their pillow and they can twist & turn and not be disturbed (or strangled ;-)  ).  I prefer the shorter tubing -- less to deal with in my clothing, so when I sleep I usually just have it on the bed near me.  Occasionally, in a half-sleep state if I turn and realize I'm wrapped in tubing, I just move the pump to my other side.  If you're an active sleeper, you might like to put pump pockets on a part of your PJs that won't bother you.  Back sleepers can put a pocket on the front, for example.  Side sleepers could put it on the front, too.  Stomach sleepers might use a sleeve or the back of their PJs.  

YOu'll figure out what seems most comfy for you pretty quickly.

[JDRF - Team- SS]

Hello linngwin,

My son is 10 1/2 yrs. old and was dxd at age 3.  He started on the paradigm 712 last August 2004 and we LOVE IT!   His A1C went from 7.9 to 6.6.  The BG's are not always perfect, but we have been able to gain tighter control and he loves it because whereas before with injections, he had to eat a meal even if he was not hungry, now that is not the case AND he can have more carbs at one time which any growing kid would love!

At first, I, too, was concerned about him sleeping with it.  I even asked the pump trainer (who came to our house) if by rolling over on it, the buttons would be pushed and she said, "No, you need a lot more force than that!"  You will see what I mean.  The first night, he was going to wear his clip (there is a clip or holder you put the pump in and can clasp it to your waistband of your pants, shorts, etc. or even your pocket, like a pager.)  I told him he would be uncomfortable with it on his waist.  Sure enough, he decided to take it out of its holder and he lays it on the bed next to him.  Occasionally during the night if I have to give him a correction bolus because his BG is high, I have to try to find the pump because he is laying on it!  Also, for bathing and swimming, he simply suspends the pump and disconnects.

Usually for swimming, he will test his BG to see where he is at and see if he needs a correction and then he disconnects and one hour later I have him retest and if necessary we give a bolus and disconnect again.  We did this once recently when he went ice skating, as well and it worked out fine.


You will learn VERY quickly how to work the buttons.  It will become second nature.

Also, my sis is on the pump.  She went on it about 3 months after my boy did.  THey have thigh holders, if necessary.  We had a special surprise anniversary party for our parents over the summer, so my sis ordered a thight pouch to put the pump in because she was going to be wearing a dress and did not want her pump showing.  

Good luck!  I think you will be very pleased!

SS

[Englishrose]

I'm in England and it's really interesting to learn that so many people have pumps.  Here no one does, well I've never heard of anyone having one!  

Most of the doctors here are promoting "pen injectors" but I found these awful and went back to using syringes.

This is a really interesting site and reading it I've found out quite a lot.