Any Pros and Cons for using an Insulin Pump?

[Ricky's Girl]

My dh has been insulin dependent for about 9 years now. He's always done pretty well with managing his blood sugar levels. Now all of a sudden he has had 15 hypoglycemic episodes in the past couple of months - a couple of times dropping into the low 30's!

We've met with an endocronologist and he's seen a dietician and nurse for a consult. He's thinking about going on the pump and we'll discuss it more with his endo doctor on our next visit. I'd just like to hear from some of you that have experience with the pump. I never knew there were so many different types. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Chloesmom]

My DD is 10 and she has been on a Minimed pump for 3 years now. I know as a child it has changed her life. When she was on shots there were many things she could not do like birthday parties or overnights because parents freaked out over the shot issue. It really has made life so much easier for us. She does say here and there that she gets tired of being attached to something all the time so I will let her hang off of it for an hour when we change it just to give her a break.
We just cannot say enough good stuff about the pump.. Its very easy to learn and use... although her nurse at school still hasnt gotten the hang of it.
We are going to her endo next week to see about going on the continuous glucose monitor which would help your DH with going low. We seem to have a problem with her going high recently. She will eat a snack and not bolus etc. The CGM will alarm us when she starts to creep high or low so we figure it will be a big help staying on top of her blood sugar.

 

[Ricky's Girl]

My DD is 10 and she has been on a Minimed pump for 3 years now. I know as a child it has changed her life. When she was on shots there were many things she could not do like birthday parties or overnights because parents freaked out over the shot issue. It really has made life so much easier for us. She does say here and there that she gets tired of being attached to something all the time so I will let her hang off of it for an hour when we change it just to give her a break.
We just cannot say enough good stuff about the pump.. Its very easy to learn and use... although her nurse at school still hasnt gotten the hang of it.
We are going to her endo next week to see about going on the continuous glucose monitor which would help your DH with going low. We seem to have a problem with her going high recently. She will eat a snack and not bolus etc. The CGM will alarm us when she starts to creep high or low so we figure it will be a big help staying on top of her blood sugar.

Dh has an appointment in mid July to get a continuous glucose monitor to wear for a week. Is this the same as the one you mentioned? We've been bombarded with so much info the past week my head is spinning. Right now he's keeping a daily chart to indicate his carb intake and time plus the amount of insulin he is taking. They also switched him to Lantis at bedtime which we just found out is longer acting then what he was taking.

We never really considered the pump before - we both thought it was offered only to people that couldn't get there blood sugar under control. Now that we've learned more about it dh thinks it would be just what he needs.

I'm so glad to hear it's working so well for your daughter.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I belong to an online group for people with diabetes and most pepole who are on the pump absolutely love it and wish they had done so sooner. You might want to go over there and ask them (we have some pretty vocal anti-pumpers too who can give you the other side). It's diabetesforums.com. You might get more of a response over there.

 

[Chloesmom]

Dh has an appointment in mid July to get a continuous glucose monitor to wear for a week. Is this the same as the one you mentioned? We've been bombarded with so much info the past week my head is spinning. Right now he's keeping a daily chart to indicate his carb intake and time plus the amount of insulin he is taking. They also switched him to Lantis at bedtime which we just found out is longer acting then what he was taking.

We never really considered the pump before - we both thought it was offered only to people that couldn't get there blood sugar under control. Now that we've learned more about it dh thinks it would be just what he needs.

I'm so glad to hear it's working so well for your daughter.

Yes, I'm sure its the same CGM. People I know who have them love them.. they make the pump even easier. DD is unsure if she wants to wear another device but I think once she sees it and plays with it she will like it.
Chloe goes to diabetes camp and I would say 75% of the kids are on a pump. One thing we love about them is that say at a buffet at disney she gets a plate of food... you can give her insulin for it and then twenty minutes later she wants more... you can give her more insulin easily. Or.. one of our favorites... at a movie where she is grazing on popcorn for an hour.. you can spread out her insulin dose over an hour so that the insulin matches the food she is eating...
Worst thing we have had happen on the pump is that her site has fallen out. We always make sure we have an extra site with us just in case. No big deal...

 

[Selket]

My younger son was dx'd with type 1 at 26 months old and started pumping 6 months later - so he has been 5+ years with a pump. We just started him on the Navigator CGMS in April.

Pumping is great - I cannot imagine trying to manage this disease with shots (though I know some prefer it). Pumping allows great flexibility. There are drawbacks (such as the risk of DKA if there is a site failure and it isn't caught). You will be taught all of the ins and outs and they key is routine monitoring. If someone is not good about checking their blood sugar a pump is not a good thing.

A CGMS is simply amazing. It is rather like going from driving a car blindfolded to being able to suddenly see. Our CGMS has alarms on it to alert to impending highs or lows and beeps loudly. This wakes us up at night if he goes too high or too low. It reads his blood sugar EVERY MINUTE.

If you are interested in the CGMS there are 3 types: Abbott makes the Navigator, MM has one (not a big MM fan) and Dexcom has their updated one that just came out - the 7+. If you are paying out of pocket, the Dexcom might be the most affordable. It is worth fighting with your insurance for.

The Children With Diabetes site is all for type 1 and though your DH isn't a child, there are lots of adults posting there, adult forums, etc. The issues are very much the same for many things. There is a CGMS forum there too.

If severe lows are the problem, I would almost choose the CGMS over the pump if you could only afford one device. The best is to have both.

Best of luck!

 

[bopper]

My DH is on the pump. Insurance (at the time) would only pay for it if his A1Cs were too high.
Pumps are so much more flexible than shots...you give insulin to cover the food, rather than eat to cover the insulin. If you get a continuous glucose monitoring thingy, then you get the automatic "TOO HIGH" or "TOO LOW" warnings. They are fantastic.

 

[buffettgirl]

I ditto everything that has been said.

My son has been pumping for over 2 years now and honestly, I don't know how we did it before. It sounds like your husband was probably still using NPH too - which is known for hypos. Lantus he'll find a lot more stable, with novolog for each meal, but pumping is just like the ultimate in freedom. For us, the big thing we noticed is that blood sugars just don't jump up and down all day long, we see a lot more stability. We have a family friend - an adult - who had some very scary lows which is what prompted him to pump as well, and he's amazed at how much better he feels. No lows and even better, less highs.

Using a pump is what you do when you want better control, not as a last resort. That's such a bad rap that dr's have give (mostly adults) that if they NEED insulin, they're in poor cotnrol or if they need a pump they're in poor control. It's what the people who really really want good control do.

If you can get the CGM...then you're golden.

But definately visit childrenwithdiabetes.com You'll get so much info (and hey, if you're in Orlando during July 7-12 you should come to the giant diabetes conference that's being held at Coronado )

 

[firsttimer2007]

I have been diabletic for 25 years. When I got pregnant with my second child my obgyn suggested the pump. I was always in tight control but had early dawn syndrome during my first pregnancy.
I got the minimed pump for the first 4 years, and then the cozmo for the last 6 years. I love the cozmo but they are out of business.

I would suggest you try to figure out what you want to accomplish with the pump and then find the one that will do it.

I also just went on the CGM (freestyle navigator) 2 weeks ago. I LOVE IT. I wish I would have done it a LONG time ago. I like others did not want something else to carry around or wear. Now after only 2 weeks, I would not trade it for anything. It is great.

The pump will change your life. It will give you a lot more freedom and control will be easier.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I also highly recommend a CGS. My son has been on the Medtronic version since October and I feel it has saved his life many times. He had went low to the point of passing out and seizuring twice in a few months, so insurance easily approved it. We tried the Dexcom and I did not like it because he put the receiver on his nightstand at night and it would not transmit--the rep told me to sew a pocket into his pajamas and that would be way too uncomfortable! The Dexcom sensor lasted us 5 days. We had times in that time where he felt low and checking b/s he was in the 40's to 60' and the sensor showed the low 100's, so I thought it was pretty useless. Inserting new sensors is pretty painful--he still does not like it after all this time.
The Medtronic has a version that works with the pump and one that works without a pump. The sensors are approved for 3 days (because that is how long canulas are good, but the sensors do not carry liquid so can be safe longer) and our educator showed us how to restart them. She wears one and changes sensors every two weeks. Ours typically last 10-14 days--you know to change them when they show 120,230,78,200,etc.--you get low to high readings every 5 minute interval.
He also uses Lantus. Last month I decreased it by 10% and he gets 2 extra units of his Novolog Flexpen at each meal. He gets those shots at each meal and the Lantus at bedtime. I forget why but it is better to take it then than during the day. His mealtime shots vary according to his blood sugar reading and the amount of carbs he will be eating. It is like we are pumping, but he doesn't have something else permanently attached.
Could your DH be going low because of increased activity? We learned that exercise can make you require 30% less insulin.
Something else he should remember is to test b/s before driving while he is having these lows.
Good luck to you and him.

 

[WTP]

My DH is on a pump and loves it! He loves the flexibility of it. The only downside I can think of is that since he doesn't have hardly any belly fat, he has trouble finding a good site sometimes. Setting up the injection site can be quite painful, since he has such a small region on either side of his belly to choose from. Often the new site is too close to the one from 4 days ago that hasn't healed. With that said, though, he highly prefers it to shots! If only there was a way he could have some of my belly fat!

 

[tami82]

My 5 year old daughter has been on the pump for 3+ years now and we all love it! When she was first diagnosed we did shots which were really difficult. The problem also that she couldnt eat as often as she does now. It is a real pleasure to not have to give shots constantly, she can eat as often as she wishes and i just have to put the # of carbs n the pump. I couldnt imagine doing shots and it has really changed our lives. Especially with a young child who likes to eat constantly its a great thing.

 

[mackay_j]

All I can say is the pump gave my daughter the teanage life we wanted her to have (she has now been on the pump for 3 years), without all the restrictions/ hypos she used have. It also gave us freedom as a family to do more things without clock watching (in the 5 diabetic years pre pump). Life for us all, as a family is so much more relaxed now and for her is without the interuptions of dealing with low and highs, and the diet and timing restraints she used to have . She would not go back to shots ever again. And if any other relative become diabetic, after seeing the diff it has made to here life, they would insist on a pump almost straight away. The other thing is that her biannual bloods readings are now always with the normal range, which due to hormone changes most non pumping teans never acheive, even when they really try to restrict there diet, she now has no restictions and her sugars are normal. The only thing I will add is it takes a few weeks to sort out the pump once you start, so I would not recomend changing if you are just about to go on hols within 10-14 days. Good luck I hope your husband get it sorted.

 

[Ricky's Girl]

Thank you all so very much for all of your very helpful information. I’m so sorry I haven’t responded sooner – my computer crashed and I just got it up and running again. I think I “googeled” for diabetes info one time to many.

Dh has met with the endo doctor and she has written a script for a pump and a CGM. She thinks the pump will help him since he has no awareness when his sugar levels drop into the 30’s. So far our insurance company seems to be going along with everything. I know I’ll sleep better having a monitor to alarm if his levels drop during the night. I find myself waking up many nights to make sure he is still breathing!

As of now it looks like he will be going with the OmniPod. We go to see the nurse tomorrow morning and he will begin wearing the pod for a week just to get used to the feel. I think the next step will be using it with a saline solution. Then he is scheduled to wear a CGM for a week and they’re also trying to determine his carb to insulin ratio. The doctor told dh it will most likely be early September before he’s wearing the pump full time.

I can tell a big difference already since they switched him to Lantis from Humalin N. He seems to have a lot more energy. We’re both excited about the pump – hoping it gives him a little more freedom.

Thank you again one and all for taking the time to educate us about insulin pumps. I’ll keep you updated and I know I’ll have more questions as we progress. Hugs to you all!

Susie

 

[SueM in MN]

I am going to move this thread to the disABILITIES Community Board, where it will be right on topic (this board is more for WDW related questions).

I didn't want to move it until I could tell that the OP had been back and seen the responses, but will move it now.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Make sure you really research the Pod if you have not done so already. A lot of people who initially loved it have had nothing but headaches and have gone back to shots or switched to a different pump system. It sounds like they have not worked out all the bugs yet. Here are some threads with both positive and negative experiences:

General Experiences

Someone who switched back to MDI

Info on the new PDM

More general info

Positives and negatives

Someone having issuess

This is just a sample of what is on that site. Once there you can do an OmniPod search. With all that has been posted, I would be a bit leery of OmniPod until they can work out some of their issues. The sad thing is I have seen one person who was a staunch defender of the pod, wore it for quite awhile. He finally became so frustrated that he gave it up and switched to another pump.

 

[Ricky's Girl]

Eeyore's Butterfly Thank you for this information and the links. It was really interesting and helpful to see the video of the pump and how it works. I'm going back now to follow the other links you provided and to share them with my Dh. Thanks you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

You're welcome. I highly encourage registering for the site. The people there are very knowledgeable and nice, they can answer just about anything. We have one member who has had diabetes for over 60 years and has really not had a problem with complications.