I was just diagnosed a month ago but my health care team is already talking about how much easier a pump is going to be. It sounds okay but the only concern I have is the place where the pump hooks up? I don't completely understand what happens. Could someone explain it to me? I know you have to switch sites every couple of days, but does it hurt to switch places?
ive had my pump for about 6 years and it really makes being diabetic easier. i use the silhouette infusion sights and to me it doesnt hurt to switch the spots where the pump hooks up. im still switching between my thighs and the back of my stomach because if u put the sight in the same place every time then there is a chance of that spot having "dips". i have them on my stomach because i used to only put my sights there. good luck with the pump :)
I'd suggest researching it well, read the blogs here, and particularly see what your insurance will cover. Pumps are very expensive, as are the monthly supplies. I've been T1 x 33 years- was on two different pumps - off and on- over the past five years. I decided to try it as I was on lantus and humalog- taking 6-10 shots a day (I snack alot!) so not injecting all the time was a benefit. It was convenient, but my greatest complaint was that my infusion sites would frequently get clogged and the pump would not alarm. without any long-acting insulin, I could reach 300's very quickly. I used a CGM for awhile which helped the monitoring, but was not crazy about having two bulky sites on my body 24/7. Good luck!
My endo does not let newly diagnosed diabetics pump. She insists that a diabetic on insulin should know all about basal/bolus and carb counting before starting to pump. I agree with her 100%. I had used injections 61 years before starting pumping, so I thought I had enough experience. Lol!
The idea is that you should know as much as possible before pumping so you will have less to learn when pumping begins. The book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh helped me. I bought it on amazon.com. You should study your pump manual before starting pump training. You can probably find the website for your pomp and get a lot of information there. I hope you will have a good trainer. A CDE trained me. She works at the Diabetes Education Center at a local hospital.
Ask all the questions you want here. There are pumpers here who can help.
The pump doesn't hurt more than shots. I use my stomach for the sites, but I've heard of people using their back, legs, arms and even butts.
When you put a new infusion set in, a needle is used to insert it. After it's in, you pull the needle out and you just have a plastic tube giving you insulin.
My daughter just started the pump today, she was diagnosed 8 1/2 months ago. Our endo generally advises waiting a year after diagnosis or when the patient personally feels that they are ready and is doing great with carb counting. It is a big decision and commitment, this is a great resource for you to really hear the pros and cons of pump therapy from the real world.
It sounds like you may be asking for the basics of how it works...the pump is a pager sized device that holds insulin and on comand from you for meals delivers the insulin through tubing that is attached to you by an infusion site. The infusion site is a canula (small tube) that is inserted into your skin and held there with tape. The basal dose, which is your "background" insulin (lantus when you are on shots) is delivered multiples times each hour so that you always have insulin in you-a healthy pancreas delivers insulin all the time and more when you eat. The bolus dose is for when you eat or need a correction. Does this make more sense? I found it all confussing and did a lot of research but again this website is a great resource.
-Meg (mom to Emmie, diagnosed 10/29/09 at age 4)