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Getting a new pump
by superman22x, Jan 28, 2006 12:00AM
Hi,
I am now on novolog, symalin, and lantus. I am thinking about a pump. I got diagnosed 7 months ago and am 14. My doctor let me try a medtronic minimed pump for a couple days and it has saline in it. It hurts a bit mostly sore where I have the infusion thing. I read about the omnipod and it seems okay. I thought the tubing on the pumps would be visible but it really isn't. It is small tubing so I might not get an omni pod. One advantage about the omni pod is the pump and blood gluecose checker are in the same module. How do you manage to carry around a pump, checker, pens, and a phone in two small jean pockets all day. Thats why I like the omni pod.
1. What pump would be best?
2. Are there any pumps that have the checker and pump in the same module? (Other than the omni pod)
3. Has anyone had experience with the omni pod? and is it good?
Thanks
-Tim
I am now on novolog, symalin, and lantus. I am thinking about a pump. I got diagnosed 7 months ago and am 14. My doctor let me try a medtronic minimed pump for a couple days and it has saline in it. It hurts a bit mostly sore where I have the infusion thing. I read about the omnipod and it seems okay. I thought the tubing on the pumps would be visible but it really isn't. It is small tubing so I might not get an omni pod. One advantage about the omni pod is the pump and blood gluecose checker are in the same module. How do you manage to carry around a pump, checker, pens, and a phone in two small jean pockets all day. Thats why I like the omni pod.
1. What pump would be best?
2. Are there any pumps that have the checker and pump in the same module? (Other than the omni pod)
3. Has anyone had experience with the omni pod? and is it good?
Thanks
-Tim
Doctor's Answer
by JDRF-Team-gg, Jan 29, 2006 12:00AM
Hi Superman22x! I am the mom of an 18 year old girl who was diagnosed at the age of 21 months. I am not a medical professional, so please review any info received here with your healthcare team first.
Good for you for wanting to check out the insulin pump - it is a great alternative to shots and I am sure that once you're on it, the discomfort you experienced will not seem as bad and when you compare it to doing multiple injections a day, you'll be grateful that you made the change.
My daughter has the Medtronic insulin pump and has had no problems with it and we are very happy with the company itself(well, there was the time that she went surfing with it on because nobody told us it wasn't waterproof!! - but Medtronic had a new one to us within 24 hours which was great). She's had hers for almost 4 years now. When asked, she says that the best part about being on the pump is being able to sleep in like all teenagers like to. She's able to do this bacause of the flexiblity in adjusting insulin dosage that the pump offers. I don't have any personal knowledge of other manufacturers pumps, but I am sure that the terrific folks who visit our site will be more than happy to share any experiences they may have with you (you can search the archives on this site for insulin pump & see what's been posted before if you want). I have not heard of the omnipod, but the feature of having the bg monitor and pump all in one sounds interesting. I'm just wondering what would happen if one failed for some reason if the other one would still function? You'd probably have to carry around a back-up monitor just in case (just like all pump users should have a syringe & insulin in the event of a pump failure - I know it's a pain, but if you've ever had to leave a dinner out with your family or leave a fun activity because you're having pump problems, you know that a little planning ahead can save you a lot of trouble in the long run). I don't want you to think that being on the pump is more of a hassle than being on shots because it isn't. The whole thing can be made very easy by a little planning ahead and having everything that you may possibly need with you. You should be doing this anyway no matter what your method of insulin delivery is.
That brings up the other issue of where to put it all. I am assuming that you are a guy, because girls don't have this problem of carrying around the diabetes gear because they can use their purses - their only problem is that they can't use the teeny tiny purses that are sometimes in fashion! A guy needs to be a little more resourceful. Thankfully, carrying a backpack is a typical thing to see both boys & girls with these days. There are lots of pockets for your glucose source, snacks, bg monitor, insulin & syringes to go in. You could also invest in some sort of protected case that could hold all of your diabetes gear. Some of them are insulated against the heat if you're in a warm climate. There are many manufacturers for this type of case advertised in the Diabetes Forecast magazine and other healthcare magazines also.
I hope I've helped in some way and good luck making your decision! Enjoy your pump!
Good for you for wanting to check out the insulin pump - it is a great alternative to shots and I am sure that once you're on it, the discomfort you experienced will not seem as bad and when you compare it to doing multiple injections a day, you'll be grateful that you made the change.
My daughter has the Medtronic insulin pump and has had no problems with it and we are very happy with the company itself(well, there was the time that she went surfing with it on because nobody told us it wasn't waterproof!! - but Medtronic had a new one to us within 24 hours which was great). She's had hers for almost 4 years now. When asked, she says that the best part about being on the pump is being able to sleep in like all teenagers like to. She's able to do this bacause of the flexiblity in adjusting insulin dosage that the pump offers. I don't have any personal knowledge of other manufacturers pumps, but I am sure that the terrific folks who visit our site will be more than happy to share any experiences they may have with you (you can search the archives on this site for insulin pump & see what's been posted before if you want). I have not heard of the omnipod, but the feature of having the bg monitor and pump all in one sounds interesting. I'm just wondering what would happen if one failed for some reason if the other one would still function? You'd probably have to carry around a back-up monitor just in case (just like all pump users should have a syringe & insulin in the event of a pump failure - I know it's a pain, but if you've ever had to leave a dinner out with your family or leave a fun activity because you're having pump problems, you know that a little planning ahead can save you a lot of trouble in the long run). I don't want you to think that being on the pump is more of a hassle than being on shots because it isn't. The whole thing can be made very easy by a little planning ahead and having everything that you may possibly need with you. You should be doing this anyway no matter what your method of insulin delivery is.
That brings up the other issue of where to put it all. I am assuming that you are a guy, because girls don't have this problem of carrying around the diabetes gear because they can use their purses - their only problem is that they can't use the teeny tiny purses that are sometimes in fashion! A guy needs to be a little more resourceful. Thankfully, carrying a backpack is a typical thing to see both boys & girls with these days. There are lots of pockets for your glucose source, snacks, bg monitor, insulin & syringes to go in. You could also invest in some sort of protected case that could hold all of your diabetes gear. Some of them are insulated against the heat if you're in a warm climate. There are many manufacturers for this type of case advertised in the Diabetes Forecast magazine and other healthcare magazines also.
I hope I've helped in some way and good luck making your decision! Enjoy your pump!
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Best to share the information you read here with your parents & diabetes team. Do look for a local branch of JDRF (http://www.jdrf.org) where you will likely find a teen group. Also check out the teen chat site whose URL was posted here a week or two ago.
Take good care of yourself and be careful.
i am from india ...my friend is been dxd type 1 18 months back. he is 28 years old now
i wanted to know the cost of the insulin pump and its usage.
until now he was on shots.can anyone guide me over this.
thanks in advance