Anyone on vials and needles

Hi All, I am currently on vials and needles versus an insulin pump. Anyone else doing good at keeping up without having to use a pump and keeping their A1C leveled?

Les @LeslesT1D, I used needles [including horse size needles] and syringe for many years and kept my HbA1c fairly level - especially since the scaling graph was modified moving the base to 6.0.
I made the decision to begin pumping after 47 years of poking myself with a needle [about 2,200 shots a year] in favor of implanting 121 cannulas a year - you are still brand new at this game and I suspect that you have plenty of virgin territory for needles to explore.
Methods of diabetes management are plentiful and each of us must find what works best for ourselves - seek information and advice from others but do not base your own management [such as volume and timing of insulin] on what you hear others claim to be doing. I know an endocrinologist who himself has had T1D for 52 years who changed from a pump to injections because as he says, better management for his minute by minute glucose.
A ā€œlevelā€, a ā€œlowā€ or a ā€œhighā€ HbA1c does NOT indicate ā€œbetter or worseā€ diabetes management. For instance, an A1c of 6.5% means an average glucose level over a period on 90 days equal to about 139 mg/dl. Consider this: every day you awake your BG is 20 mg/dl, you eat and check again at lunch-time and your BG is 250, you take a shot and eat, at dinner-time you are back to 20 and then at bed-time you are back to 250; your A1c = 6.5. Is that acceptable? For me, NO.

@Dennis thank you your information is always so helpful to me. I completely agree with seeking for help/more advice. Thanks a lot!

I have been taking shots for 33 years now and have no intention of switching to a pump. I have no issues with pumps and think they can really help those that donā€™t want to mess with vials and shots. My ultimate goal in my diabetes care is eating and working out well enough to take little to know shots so a pump for me would be something that is attached to me that I donā€™t need. Everyone has their own perspective but you need to do what works best for you. I love my T1D and feel that it has kept me healthier than I would have been without it.

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31 years myself with no intention of using a pump. It took me long enough to accept a CGM and donā€™t want another device married to me. Prefer to take a ā€˜penā€™ with me when away from base for half a day.

Iā€™ve been using MDIs (multiple daily injections) since I was diagnosed at age 7ā€“Iā€™m now almost 16ā€“and I have no desire to switch. My last A1C was 6.2. For me, MDIs are a better fit because Iā€™m very active and donā€™t like the idea of wearing a pump while playing sports. I might switch when I go to college in a few years (itā€™s exciting to think about what new technology theyā€™ll have by then!) but for now I like the way Iā€™m managing things and Iā€™m not ready for a change. Obviously itā€™s a personal choice but it is nice for me to see someone else whoā€™s doing things the ā€œold-fashionedā€ way and doing well with it! Best of luck :slight_smile:

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Iā€™ve used pumps on two different occasions a few years apart and donā€™t like them. Iā€™ve been on MDI for over 53 years now and itā€™s working fine.

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I am a type 1 for 41 years and still take injections. I have started using an Iport made by medtronic which is just a port you can wear for 3 days to take your multiple injections. It has no wires like the pump and thats why I like it. After 3 days I remove it and pop on another one. I use a Freestyle Libre for my glucose checks and can inject in my port whenever I need to. That seems to be working for me so far!

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I have been a T1 for 41 years too. And I still do MDI. I have never tried a pump and it doesnā€™t appeal to me.

However this sounds interesting. Iā€™m gonna check it out. Thanks for sharing.

Your welcome! Make sure when you call medtronic you ask about the monthly autoship because that will bring the price down to $59.99 per month supply

Im also on MDI.
My a1c is below 6.2, which a mean less than 40.
lately I have a junky diet. I am still within my range, however it requires a lot of work and several injections a day to maintain my numbers, even more so that my I:C vary greatly (not just during the day, but during the week too)

I am to a point, where I am willing to consider a pump. My stomach is bruised from all the injections I have been giving myself lately to keep up with my numbers.
Well, that and going back to a clean diet.