New to here, but not to diabetes

kawg · 03-12-2010, 01:53

well... This is all very weird to me. I have been living with type 1 for 17 years. I have never known or even spoken in detail with another type 1 in those 17yrs, or even the 15yrs before that. I started on the pump (animas ping) exactly one week ago, and find myself at a loss. Starting on the pump is just like when i went to the hospital when i was first diagnosed. I think it was easier back then, because i am finding it very difficult right now. I had learned to live with having to take needles, and the minor complications that others take for granted in life, but i'm finding that the pump makes things seem much more... complex. They make it sound so great, but i'm having a hard time figuring this out. The only thing that makes it great, as far as i can see, is that it can emulate your pancreas. That is the end of it. Now i have to plan my day out in much more detail. If there is anyone out there that is living on the pump right now, i'd like to know how you do it.

Richard157 · 03-12-2010, 02:23

Hello kawg, welcome! Why did you start pumping if you were well adjusted to injections? Did your doctor advise you to make the change? It seems like you did not have a good pump trainer if it is so difficult now. Did Animas provide you with a pump trainer? A better choice in the US is to get a diabetes educator who trains people to pump. That is the way I learned to use my Minimed pump. You might find a diabetes educator on a hospital staff near you. You might ask for a reference at your doctor's office. I had one hour of instruction each week for 4 weeks. The instruction and the pump manual gave me what I needed to know. There is a book called Pumping Insulin by John Walsh that is very good. I got my copy on amazon.com. That would be amazon.ca in Canada.

I have been pumping for 32 months and I am having far fewer highs and lows than I did on injections. Being able to program variable basal rates throughout the day and night has given me a much more stable control. It has also eliminated my "dawn phenomenon" (morning highs). I have found that my carb ratios and insulin sensitivity vary at different times of the day. That kind of information makes a difference.

I have been Type 1 for 64 years and I am very healthy. With the control that you can get with a pump your chance of having a long, healthy life is much more likely.

Ask all the questions you want, we are here to help!

Richard

Shanny · 03-12-2010, 03:33

Kawg, I hope you will visit us often with all of your comments & questions. You couldn't have found a better place to air your concerns . . . Richard is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge, especially for type 1s. He's barely older than I, and he's been diabetic for 64 years. There isn't much he hasn't seen in this milieu.

Thank you for joining us - please let us know how things are going. You have all my best wishes for finding a suitable instructor who can help you sort out the complications of pumping. I know it has the capability of making your BG so much more stable and your life much easier once you get the hang of it.

take care,