Pump Therapy No Delivery Warning

[jkeller459]

I'm hoping that there is someone out there who can help me because I am at my wits end!

I have been on insulin pump therapy for 12 years and am one of the biggest advocates for pump therapy. However...

Over the past two years I have steadily lost 50 pounds (YEAH!). MAJOR PROBLEM!!!

I have been getting "No Delivery" warning messages from my MiniMed 712 about every other day for about three months now. MiniMed has told me that my resulting weight loss is the culprit (where I once had fat, I'm now hitting muscle). My diabetes educator has watched me hook up and is convinced that I'm doing nothing wrong.

I'm stuck in the middle. If I'm not doing anything wrong, then WHY am I getting a "No Delivery" warning? It's truly a no delivery as my blood sugars confirm that.

I've tried different lots of infusions sets, different types of infusions sets (3 lots of Quick Release, 3 lots of Sure T's and now 2 lots of Silhouettes), 5 different pumps (all the same model), different sites (let me confirm that the thigh HURTS!), sleeping on the site, not sleeping on the site, putting a pillow over the site, sleeping upright – you name it, I’ve tried every witch doctor theory.

I’m getting the warning mostly, although not exclusively, in the morning. It seems I can change a site, get through the day but not the night.

Please tell me someone else has had this problem and figured out the solution. If so, what did you do?
:confused:

[rickst29]

You're ordering your infusion sets with the SHORTEST tubing length they sell, right?

pushing the insulin through the tubing has very high resistance, and it varies according to 3 things:

#1 The tubing diameter. Nothing you can do about this one.

#2 The tubing length: If it's twice as long, the effort at the pump to push the insulin through is doubled. (Although resistance at the actual site, and at the pump's connector, is constant). If you're not using the shortest tubing, attack the problem here.

#3 The insulin itself. My Endo says that Apidra has less "stickiness" at high temperatures than Novolog, and I know from personal experience that Novolog has less "stickiness" than Humalog. The three companies use different formulas in the carrier fluid

The Lilly fluid was always a problem for me. My pump did lots of "adapter/cartridge/tubing" alerts before I switched to Novo, and my sites also had more redness and sensitivity with the Humalog.

[jkeller459]

You are a God-send! You have no idea how difficult the past three months have been being a guinea pig and trying every possibility (insulin being the only constant). I'm calling my docotor tomorrow to pursue this!

In three months of goings back and forth with the pump manufacturer WHY didn't anyone suggest this?????

[5miraclez]

After reading your post my first thought was the insulin type. Back when the pump was still new you had to use something called velosolin in the pump. It was just regular insulin but it was a lot thinner. I still know a few people that mix the velosolin with the faster acting insulins like humalog to thin it down so it will work in the pump and have less no deliveries. I've heard that novolog is thinner but I haven't had any problems with the humalog.

Mom to 5 preemie miracles
type 1 diabetic for 28yrs
pumper for 16 years
daughter diagnosed 6yrs old 11/14/06 with type 1