Hi everyone! I just got trained on my pump today and am using it right now! :) I am a little scared to be honest, it's a little overwhelming and there is so much detail to it! If anyone has any tips for a brand new pumper they would be greatly appreciated :) Thank you!
Congratulations! We started our son (age 4) on an insulin pump in October and it has been wonderful. I don't have too much advice to offer. We spoke to our hospital nurse every three days or so to run our numbers and she guided us to the right doses. Checking sugar often has helped us catch any lows in time and also correct highs before they become a problem. Sorry I don't have more advice to offer, but I hope that you love pumping as much as we do. It takes awhile to get it all set up to match you personally but once that is done, it's a thing of beauty! Enjoy!
My tips....
Never be afraid to ask the same questions to multiple people.
Use the Medtronic help line, they really do help (especially with samples of different kinds of infusion sets, in case you want to change size or style).
Invest in pajama pants with pockets you can button (or line with velcro like I did). Or just buy the insulin pump elastic belt for sleeping.
When in doubt, change your infusion set. If you're getting weird numbers, high or low, sore infusion site... just change the entire infusion set.
Last thing.... it ok to make mistakes and getting your ratios and correction numbers isn't easy. Don't be too hard on yourself. Many times I feel like diabetics get treated like a problem, not a patient and it really bothers me that people and physicians expect imaculant memory of your activities and diet and BG. With a pump, you're dealing with a lot more of that stuff because you have such detailed control. Try not to be overwhelmed.
I wish you the best of everything!
Dennis