any one use a pump to manage their diebetes?

Question

i am a dieabetic and are wondering weather people useing a pump to control thier diebetes is better then injections??? is the pump attacted to ur body???

Answer 1

My old roommate has diabetes and he now has the pump. He says it is much better than injections because of the extremity of his diabetes. He is able to be more active than he was previously. And the pump actually goes in his pocket but the lines come out from his abdomen.

Answer 2

I performed multiple daily injections for 19 years, but have been on a Minimed 508 pump for about 4 years now. It's really not any less work and you still have to test your blood glucose the same or more. It does give you more freedom to eat when you want, if you have your basal rate programmed accurately. Mistakes can cause a low glucose situation more often, as the insulin is constantly streaming. With most pumpers, they do find better control, because a good pump regimen will closer mimic what the natural pancreas does. You really have to stay on top of it, though. Some pumpers go back to injections, but not many. Mine has quit on me once. I had to go back to injections while the manufacturer sent a replacement.

Yes, the pump is attached basically around the clock. It has to be changed/rotated every 2-3 days. The infusion set does allow you to temporarily disconnect from the insertion site to take a shower, swim, etc. As with injections, the infusion goes into the fat layer, not the arteries or veins. Bruising can occasionally take place if you miss the mark, but is minimized with experience. You won't forget first time you accidentally yank it out on a doorknob, though! LOL

Answer 3

I just went on the pump about 8 months ago and I love it the only down fall to the pump is that you have to wear it all the time unlike injections. There is plenty of ways that you come up with to hide it though. My hba1c went from 8.6 to 7.1 in three months so it is way better control. You do have to know how food effects your blood sugar and that has amazed me how long food actually takes to break down. I would recommend the pump to anyone who wants to finally try to take control of this crazy disease, it makes life a little easier. There is different features to the pump like setting certain insulin while you are exercising so you have a lot less lows. I have had only one time that my set didn't work and I started feeling bad and had a high sugar took insulin for it and it did not go down so I changed the pump and everything was back to normal. Try looking at the Medtronic Minimed website they have a really good virtual tour of how it works and connects to the body. They also have a really cool pump that just came out that actually tests your blood sugar through another tiny insertion divise and sends it directly to your pump every 5 minutes so no more finger sticks! Woo Hoo

Answer 4

I have been using a pump for over 4 years. I was up to 4-6 shots a day and still couldn't get control of my diabetes. I have found that I have awesome control since being on the pump!! My HbA1c's have gone from 9-11% to 6-7%!! I can do what I want, when I want, and don't have to eat if I am not hungry. I still have to test my blood sugar often, probably more often than when on shots, but it is definitely worth it!

When on a pump, you have a cannula (IV type of needle thing) that is inserted under the skin (not in the vein like an IV), then the needle is taken out and it leaves a plastic thing inside of you. That is connected to tubing and that is connected to the cartridge that contains the insulin. How much insulin in the cartridge depends on the brand of pump you use and how big the cartridge is. Some use 200 units; some use 300 untis. You change the cannula ever 2-3 days; change the insulin when needed, usually about the same time as the cannula. The pump is not permanently attached to your body as the older ones used to be (they had to be surgically inserted---the needle part did anyway). Since the pump delivers insulin 24/7, you have a much easeir time controlling the diabetes. The pump delivers insulin much like a pancreas would. When you eat something or have a high blood sugar, you 'tell' the pump how much insulin to give yourself and it will deliver it for you. No more giving shots when you eat or have high blood sugars! No more peaks and valleys from the shots! No more using two kinds of insulin! Much, much more freedom than you could ever imagine. Much more energy thanyou ever though you could have since you no longer have the peaks and valleys from the shots that can make your energy go away really fast.

Personally, I would recommend an insulin pump to anyone who takes insulin. Children as young as 6 months or a year wear them (with the parents controlling them, of course) on up to those who are in their 80s and up! They can be worn in the shower or while swimming (tho I don't do it), and most are water resistent. They are pretty small, like a beeper, so no one knows what it is unless you show it to them. They are fairly easy to learn (takes one day of being taught how to use one).

I am curretnly wearing the Animas IR 1250. It is the one that stores up to 500 different types of foods so you can tell it what food you had to eat and how much, and it will figure out how much insulin you need to give.

Answer 5

Most people who switch to the pump would never switch back. The new smart pumps available now how features that make it easier than ever to give yourself the correct amount of insulin before a meal. Some you can put in how many carbs you're eating and it will figure the amount of insulin, others have a data base of food to select from and can be added to by the user. There are alarms to remind you to test, to change infusion sets and to bolus. Because it constantly pumps a tiny amount of insulin you don't have to get out of bed to give yourself an injection of long or intermediate insulin. Most of them can be used in conjunction with a glucose meter, the meter transfers your glucose level to the pump. This comes in handy when you've given yourself a bolus (meal time insulin) and want to eat something else. The pump will figure out how much active insulin is still working and based on the added carbs you're eating, suggest the bolus amount. It also can figure out corrections if your glucose is too high. You can either use the suggestion or not. With all the great things a pump brings it does bring some added responsibility on the users part. You must be willing to test your glucose a lot. Most people test around 10 times a day. When using a pump you are only using fast acting insulins like Novolog or Humalog. There's not long acting insulin cushion, so if the infusion set becomes dislodged or clogged you're getting NO insulin. If you're not testing you won't know anythings wrong and can find yourself in the hospital with DKA. As long as the user is willing to test they will more than likely catch it before getting to that point. The pump is about the size of a PDA or cell phone/pager. It holds a reservoir filled with insulin. Tubing attaches to the reservoir and on the other end of the tubing is a cannula...sort of a needle...that can be teflon or metal. the cannula is inserted into your body, most people use their stomachs, but hips, upper buttocks, thighs and arms are used to. The cannula is held in place with either adhesive that is already part of the set or is taped in place. The can either go in at a 90 degree angle or anywhere for 20 to 45 degrees depending on the type of sets and how much body fat you have. Once the set is in place you don't need to do anything with it for 2-3 days other than check and make sure that it's not inflamed, no signs of infections. Infection is rare unless when properly cleaned and inserted. Most sets can be disconnected either right at the site where it was inserted or a few inches up the tubing. Most of the pumps are water proof and don't need to be disconnected for showering or swimming, but some people rather disconnect sothat its out of the way. There are several pump companies. If you're really interested you should contact them. The will send you more information and work with your doctor and insurance company to get your started. word of warning...pumping is not cheap. A pump itself is about $6000. and the reservoirs and infusion sets plus other supplies can be around $125-150 a month without insurance help. Pump companies like Minimed are good about arranging payment plans, very reasonable. Here are a few of the pump company links.
www.Minimed.com
www.animas.com
www.cozmore.com

Answer 6

My dad does. He is Type I insulin dependent and has been for almost 40 years. He finally went on the pump about 5 or 6 years ago after being on the shot his entire adult life. He was always extremely healthy for a lifelong diabetic, but his healthy got even better without the constant blood-sugar yo-yo's caused by injections. Pre-pump, my dad was 5'11" and 145lbs, which was WAY too thin, although he swore he "felt fine". Post-pump, my dad gained 20 pounds within the first three weeks, which he fussed about, but he needed to put some weight on. And now he can eat whenever and whatever he wants.

The pump is attached through a thin tube that goes in next to his hip. He says it's actually pretty comfortable. He finally decided to go on the pump after reading an article about how Halle Berry manages hers.

Answer 7

I agree with Joe. I've also been on the pump for four years and had injects for 17 years prior. With the pump you can eat when you want to and what you want to, but You can't just forget about your diabetes. You still have to figure out how much insulin you need to cover a meal and you have to test your blood glucose a lot. Having said that, I love my pump, and would not go back on multiple daily injections!

Answer 8

I have to say "ditto" to all the pump users who are loving their pumps. 3 of my children have type 1 diabetes and were fortunate to be recipients of pumps donated to our community paediatric diabetes clinic. The best thing about the pump has been the quality of lifestyle it has provided for my kids. No more routines! They get to sleep in, eat when they want, don't eat when they don't feel like it and are able to work their school, work and social functions around it so much more easily. Life is a lot more spontaneous for them. They've been on it for about 3 years now and we have rarely had a low. One daughter had become insulin resistant prior to the pump and could not bring her sugars down without injecting enormous amounts of insulin, this was the answer for her. It's definitely not for everyone, you have to be responsible and you have to count your carbs. In Canada a new law was passed and by next year all of the criteria will be in place to provide pump and pump supplies to those qualified individuals under age 18 at no cost. This will be extended to adults afterward. It's about time!

Answer 9

well Im a Type 1 diabetic of 19 years and have been on a Medtronic Minimed 512 for the past 2 years & I have to say I LOVE IT!!! I dont have to carry syringes & insulin & my glucometer & alcohol swabs & all that crap now I just have my pump, & my meter...yes the pump attaches to your body w a needle inserted(but the needle does not stay in your body) patch w a plastic poet like part on it its about the size of a half dollar(maybe), my tubing contects to the patch & then to my pump & I usually crry my pump in my pocket, a lot of people think its a pager(LOL) its very conveinent & inmy opinion WAY better than injections!!! instead of having to inject myself between 3 & 7 times daily depending if Im feeling well or not all I have to do is poke myself once every 3 days & all my insulin is given to me thru one tube ......you can twist off the tubing/pump to shower, swim or whatever else you may want to do for a bit, and some pumps are waterproof up to 12 feet....if I were you Id seriously look into it & talk to yur Dr they will be able to advise you on whatever you need to know you can alos visit www.minimed.com & you will find all kinds of info there!!! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!

Answer 10

yes and yes yoo need insulin 24 hrs aday and the pump does that. the only time you tak it off is for a shower but you can leave it off for 1 hour.