After 5 years on the pump, I've decided to switch back to shots. It's been so long since I've used regular insulin, I'm not sure what's out there these days. Any suggestions to bring up to the doc?
Thanks!
Hi Abbie, would it be ok to ask why ? It is my hope that my daughter will go to a pump. I Thought with a pump it makes life easier,better control.
A pump CAN bring better control and make life easier, but at first it is hard because you have to get everything to the right numbers. Which your doctor will go over with you. The pump is/can be more work that what people think. I think it's easier than giving shots, but can be alot of work espically when getting used to it.
[quote user="Abbie"]
After 5 years on the pump, I've decided to switch back to shots. It's been so long since I've used regular insulin, I'm not sure what's out there these days. Any suggestions to bring up to the doc?
Thanks!
[/quote]Lilly still makes Regular insulin "Humilin R" but I wouldn't ues it unless I had a very good reason, or I was eating pizza and my pump was broken.
You will probably do the best on a long acting basal insulin like lantus or levemir, and a shot of analog (Humalog, Apidra, Novolog) sadly there hasn't been anything else developed.
Abbie, you can make anything work with effort, many people get good results on MDI. I switched to a pump after 29 years of MDI and find it easier.... but you have to live with it so it has got to be up to you. Good luck!
haha I meant a shot of analog like Novolog, every time you eat something.... duh I am getting old =)
The pump has kind of run it's course with me; we just don't mesh well anymore! LOL! It's a wonderful thing. I reccomend it to mostly anyone.
After 13years on Humlog N and R, I switched to Lantus and Novorapid. Huge difference! N and R were pretty much doing shit all the whole time I took them. I recommend the Lantus and Novorapid.
Josh,can I ask how many years you have been on the pump? Did your doctor or family suggest it?
Abbie, I don't know the reason why you've decided to switch back to shots. My 9 year old son has been on the pump for 3 years and it has been such a wonderful experience. Howeve, now I may have to take him off because his botox tissues are worn out and he's going high and I have to change the site almost everyday instead of the 2-3 days. There is really no other site I can use because he's a thin boy. I'll be trying this week to use a different infusion set (30 degree angle). and hopefully it will work. While I'm here trying to do everything possible to keep my child on the pump, I can't quite understand why you would want to get off the pump.
anyway, his diabetes educator told me that if this other infusion set does not work, then I would have to get him off the pump for about a month or so and give him LANTUS and either Novolog or Humalog for every meal. Lots of shots.....
is this your decision or your doc?
hmm let's see..a needle and tubes stuck to you 24/7 pumping insulin into you that may or may not screw up..or get ripped out, etc.....or a shot every couple hours..hmmm.....yup. needles sounds better to me!!
sorry, but she already stated that the pump isn't for her, and I'd say she doesn't really have to explain it farther..she gave it 5years!
I'm on Apidra and Lantus, currently. Sanofi-Aventis is the manufacturer of both. Novo-Nordisk, the manufacturer of Levemir and NovoRapid is another fair option. The only reason I don't take Novo-Nordisk's offering is that I tend to react to the Levemir injections.
That, of course, is the multi-dosage nighttime-basal selection, complete with new disposable pens that don't require you to replace cartridges. Not very eco-friendly, granted, but very handy, especially if you forget your insulin at work or something and need a spare cartridge and pen all in one.
I've had diabetes for 18 years. I looked into the pump and to me it offered no real benefits. Just more money and more hassle.
Cheers to you deciding to go back to shots.
Go with Humalog and Lantus. They're both very consistent. Also you don't really have to keep them refrigerated when using them (Of course don't leave them in a hot car).
I keep my insulin, 2 fresh needles, my meter and strips in one little case that I can take anywhere.
I've had diabetes for 32 years and feel the same way. I too researched the pump heavily a couple of years ago and decided against it. Seems like a lot more hassle and supplies etc. to have to deal with. I don't think I could lower my a1c much lower than it is anyway.
The great thing about being diabetic in the 21st century is we have a choice. When I was first diagnosed in 1977, it was shots or die.
I am on Lantus (long acting) and Novolog (fast acting for meals). They don't give me any problems.
Jessica, were you on Lantus and Humolog during your preganancy? That what I am using right now, but my doc said that I have to change my insulin or switch to the pump if I want to get pregnant....
Let's see... one needle every 3-4 days, no carrying pens/pen needles or insulin vials/syringes, no worrying about finding a place to inject (I was always self-conscious about it), improved control of highs/lows, more flexibility, no worrying if said insulin would fry in your car, the ability to give insulin in much smaller increments, etc. Those are the benefits that I get from pumping, off the top of my head.
Put it this way: on MDI, I injected myself around 4,000 times (that's 4 shots per day over three years). Since I got my pump, I have used a needle to insert the canula around 228 times (over 2 and a half years; I change my set every four days on average).
My infusion set has ripped out once, and it wasn't even connected: I was swimming. It has never "screwed up"; any problems that I've had were my fault, not the pump's.
Let me clarify: I am by no means a "pump or you're stupid" kind of person. I do not like when people misrepresent the pump, however. You should do whatever is right for you. I have thought about going back to MDI a few times, but I always come to the conclusion that the pump offers too many advantages. However, that's just my opinion, and you should do whatever you feel is in your best interest. If that's MDI, then by all means, go for it! Choose whichever method makes you more comfortable and gives you better control. That method is not always pumping insulin.
In my opinion, it doesn't have to be a lifetime permanent choice of one or the other. In my 39 years as a Type 1 I've probably changed therapy options at least five times. My pump is always setup for the correct basal rates and I bolus a certain amount before every meal, taking correction boluses whenever necessary. If I temporarily switch over to a Lantus/Humalog regimen, I replace the pump basal dose with the Lantus and pretty much bolus and correct with shots of Humalog instead of by pump. I've found the dosages to be pretty much the same. The theory behind the two therapies is very similar.
Of course, you don't want to switch back and forth weekly... or even monthly. But for a longer period of time if you get tired of one or the other,... why not? I am at least 90% a pumper, but I have on occasion decided to take what I call a "pump vacation" and go on injections, Why not? Variety is the spice of life!
I even once decided to try and see if I could manage my diabetes with just injections of Humulin R, just like they did in the early days. After three months I had A1c done and it was 5.9! It did take many injections a day to do it.
Paul
An A1c of 5.9 on only Humilin R?! That seems impossible!
[quote user="Yael"]
Jessica, were you on Lantus and Humolog during your preganancy? That what I am using right now, but my doc said that I have to change my insulin or switch to the pump if I want to get pregnant....
[/quote]No, I was on Lantus and Novolog prior to my pregnancy. My doctors said I would need to get off Lantus during the pregnacy because it had not been tested in pregnant women. So they put me on Humalin N instead of Lantus. I was able to keep using Novolog for meals.
Oh, and my doctors did push the pump because they said it would give me tighter control which is better for the baby during pregnancy (but I was able to do shots the entire time and my A1C at one point during the pregnancy was 5.9!)