Metabolic DiseasesMy Insulin Pump Journey to this point — Blood Sugar Trampoline

My Insulin Pump Journey to this point — Blood Sugar Trampoline



I considered this matter for 3 causes; one the brand new pump improve, secondly a few folks have requested me if I believe a pump is a good suggestion for them which sadly solely they will determine. And lastly, once I learn this text titled The Golden Age of the Insulin Pump by DiaTribe and now I’ve simply realised that this month is my twelfth Pumpaversary 😉

In case you are questioning if an Insulin Pump is for you right here’s a publish I did final yr that may show you how to reply this query for your self. 

After I received my first insulin pump in June 2010; it was a fundamental insulin supply system solely – in these days there was no such factor as a CGM built-in pump a lot much less an computerized insulin supply machine. I received a CGM built-in pump on my second one when sensors grew to become obtainable in Eire. I like this description of what a pump does from James Hirsh:

What a Pump Does

“A wholesome pancreas repeatedly releases a small quantity of insulin, day and evening – often called background insulin – after which it will increase that insulin launch when meals is consumed. 

And that’s what a pump does. In its easiest type, it’s a machine that pushes insulin via a tube and into your physique, flowing via a cannula that rests beneath your pores and skin.” from The Golden Age of the Insulin Pump by James Hirsh from DiaTribe.org 

Life earlier than My Insulin Pump

I used to be on rapid-acting insulin referred to as NovoRapid which I took with my meals, snacks and if I wanted to appropriate excessive blood sugar ranges. I additionally took long-acting insulin, which I initially took as soon as every day at bedtime however then for some time I took it twice every day; each morning and night. I used the Insulin Pens which meant this added as much as not less than 5 injections every day.

I measured my carb consumption, I checked my glucose ranges earlier than and two hours after meals to make it possible for I used to be taking the right amount of insulin for that meal. From one check to the following I may by no means predict what my blood sugars could be and day-after-day would have not less than one excessive (better than 10 mmol) blood glucose studying. I received annoyed about all the hassle I used to be placing into my diabetes and never seeing my HbA1c budge even slightly. 

My Pump Journey at a Look:

  • 2010 My first Pump; Animas 

  • 2014 My Second Pump: Animas Vibe

  • 2015 Added CGM

  • 2018 My third Pump: Medtronic Paradigm

  • 2022 My fourth Pump: Tandem T:Slim Management IQ

My Private Causes for Pumping

The next is a listing of causes I made a decision to attempt an insulin pump. Numbers one, two and three I knew upfront however quantity 4 was one thing I discovered as soon as I used to be utilizing the pump. The listing hasn’t modified a lot since 2011 however I’ve added to it. 

No 1. My Efforts weren’t paying off

I used to be doing all of the work that being on a pump concerned; carb counting, testing my blood glucose 7 instances every day and listening to the glycaemic index of meals however on pens, my HbA1c outcomes weren’t bettering. They at all times hovered above the 7%. I used to be so burnt out; it felt like I used to be pushing an enormous boulder up a hill however getting nowhere so there comes some extent the place you both quit or change your strategy.  It was price attempting one thing totally different in an insulin pump. 

No 2. Mimics a Wholesome Pancreas Higher

The most important cause I switched from pens to a pump was the analysis I discovered instructed me that it is likely to be extra doable to imitate what my physique wants in insulin with a pump. I checked out graphs of how basal-bolus insulin labored, particularly basal, the place I noticed that on paper I might need extra flexibility in insulin dosing to have extra versatile consuming patterns. 

No 3. Make Train Simpler

For a few years I averted train due to the planning concerned with pens to attempt to keep away from hypos. I additionally resented having to eat twice as many energy due to train hypos if the concept of it was to keep up a wholesome weight and enhance total glucose ranges. If life was predictable it will have been simpler to train; youngsters would get sick or be up all evening and last-minute issues wouldn’t come up. There have been already so many variables (see 42 Elements that Impact Glucose Ranges from DiaTribe.or) with diabetes that I didn’t need to introduce one other one. This began to concern me as I felt the ageing course of catching up with me and I felt not having background insulins would make this extra doable and having the ability to put a brief insulin supply fee to cut back train hypos. The pump positively helped with this. 

No 4. Extra Decisions in Insulin Dosing

My numbers did stabilise in these first 4 years of pumping however my HbA1c nonetheless hovered at 7% (53 mmol/mol). However, life did get only a smidge simpler; I may use prolonged bolus’ for fatty meals corresponding to takeaways and pizza, once I wanted to do a correction dose my pump was proper there connected to me so this grew to become extra handy and fewer prone to be put into the “I’ll do this in a few minutes” pile after which forgotten. The pump was far much less invasive than pens as a result of as a substitute of stabbing myself with a pen needle 5 instances per day I used to be now diminished to inserting a brand new cannula each three days. 

Dwelling with an Insulin Pump

I did a trial interval on the insulin pump earlier than going “dwell”. Which means that I’d follow attaching it however not utilizing insulin simply but. I used a saline and water answer as a substitute of insulin. The aim of this was to grow to be much less afraid of it, conversant in the button urgent, and extra essential to determine the place and the way I used to be going to put on it.

Throughout the trial interval, I wished to fling the factor on the nearest wall – the tubing was at all times in the best way. I had some doubts about whether or not or not I’d be capable to do that however I knew that if it didn’t work out I may return to MDI. I adopted an “in case you by no means attempt, you by no means know” angle. Plus, there have been so many pump customers on this planet raving about its advantages that I needed to consider the professionals have been going to outweigh the cons.

As soon as I went “dwell” this all modified. I tailored to the button-pushing in a few week, in about two weeks I used to be snug with the infusion set change and inside six months all of it clicked collectively. I can predict my blood sugar readings more often than not now and it’s completely superb to take a look at my document ebook and see blood glucose readings of 5’s, 6’s, and seven’s. The traditional vary of blood sugar readings was changing into regular (Notice: this was the data I had from my blood glucose meter). I handle to suit it in half-hour of strolling a day and on the times I don’t get to suit it in I’m not attempting to maintain up with hypos or vice versa due to long-acting insulin injections. 

My pump elevated my high quality of life fairly a bit; as a result of with injections, there was nonetheless a little bit of consuming to feed my insulin however now I may match the insulin higher to what I wanted. I used to be in a position to stabilise my HbA1c but it surely was nonetheless swings and roundabouts with my blood glucose ranges. For me, the most important diabetes sport changer was having a Steady Glucose Monitor which I used to be in a position to entry in 2015. The impression of this machine has been revolutionary in my life with diabetes! I really feel like earlier than CGM I used to be solely in a position to see my diabetes via a pinhole. With CGM, I can see all the things. 

All these fantastic issues that have been doable to do with an insulin pump have been now really doable. The impression of having the ability to see how lengthy it takes for my insulin to start out working, and the way lengthy it takes for meals to have an effect on my glucose ranges meant that I may very well be proactive as a substitute of reactive with my diabetes administration. 

After I was on MDI my blood sugars would bounce like a rubber ball now that I’m pumping my blood sugars are like a see-saw – they seldom go any decrease than the bottom or increased than the tipping level. Life with diabetes and life, normally, has simply grow to be that little bit simpler.

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