HELP PLEASE! Switching to the pump

[Shakes]

Hello there fellow D pals. A friend referred me to the site and this is my first post. Here's my situation. I've always used the "needle route" and figure I should finally give the pump a try. I do pretty well with my A1C scores ranging from 5.5% to 6.5% but as an average usually at 6%. I may or may not be able to improve upon that with the pump. My reason for trying it though is to simply attempt to make the actual process easier.

Now I'm not as tech/gadget heavy as some succuesful diabetics are so a pump that counts carbs, tracks trends, etc. isn't a big draw for me. What I'm after is the pump that is the most comfortable to wear. Now this is all quite subjective, I understand. But my question is:

WHICH PUMP IS THE LEAST UNCOMFORTABLE/ANNOYING AS FAR AS ITS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES?

When it comes to traditional pumps I like how they allow for me to remove the device when need be (intimate moments, swimming in salt water, etc.) but I'm turned off by the idea of having to clip, tape, or just lie it next to me at night. Sleeping in my boxers and cuddling with my girlfriend just doesn't seem like it would be the same.

With that said I thought the OmniPod might be a good alternative and I seem to be leaning that way. At least I won't have to deal with securing a traditional pump and the wires and what not. BUT, that bump has got to still be a pain and must add a certain amount of annoyance throughout the day. I don't have enough extra body fat to put it anywhere but on my "love handles" so I can imagine it getting in the way in all types of situations (exercises at the gym, laying on the couch, etc.).

Oh well, maybe pump therapy won't be for me after all. But I'd like to at least give it a try. Any information/opinions you can provide on the physical side of wearing a pump would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your time.

Kyle

[Ali]

I love pumping. And I am thin. You can find a pump and infusion set that works for you. Two year old string beans and 20 year old hard core athletes pump so you know it is doable. Talk with your Dr. about the best match for you and your lifestyle. If you are active the pump is really very helppful. No problm with intimacy no matter what pump you use. Sleeping becomes a non issue quickly with any of the sets also. :)Good Luck. Ali

[clb1968]

I thought the pump would get in the way too, but wanted to give it a try ,I had been on shots for 17 years so I knew I could go back to them if needed.
My husband has no problem cuddling me or anything thing else, if I need to I just take it off and then put the pump back on later.

[Shakes]

Thanks so much for your replies. I'd really love it though if some people could share the pros and cons of the pumps they are using, or have used in the past. I'm definitely going to give pumping a try so what I really need advice on is which individual pumps people like, and why.

I'm leaning towards the Omnipod at the moment. Seems like it's the least involved. But I don't have experience with any of them so please share your opinions openly.

Thanks so much! I need to make a decision soon because I've met my deductible for the year so I need to order in the next week. And to the two people that posted, thanks for taking the time. It's greatly appreciated.

[Shakes]

Any one still out there?

[betty6333]

Hi shakes,

I am not an adult with type 1 , but do have a child with type 1. We made the decision to use the pod.

We have loved it. It is a great pump and we highly recommend it to anyone who wants to pump. you can PM me with any questions you might have as I don't know what you would like to know.

They have excellent customer support and are a WONDERFUL company to work with!

Let me know what you would like to know!
Betty

[lbarr00]

Any one still out there?

I have been diabetic for 29 years and recently went to a pump, the omnipod. I love it. I tried the CGM, but the adhesive wouldnt work with me. The switch was weird at first, but I am becoming more and more comfortable with it. I am on the ice 3 times a week and never had a problem with it. I do a lot of other outdoor activities and it continues to not frustrate me. Not having to go to the restroom to give a shot is great. Being able to get a few more units in is great when you have one more slice of pizza. I am just getting used to counting carbs so the past few months have been an adjustment period.
Anyways, I would recommend the Omnipod....

[BernFarr]

I'm now on my 4th pump model and have been doing this for over 10 years. I think you'll find that most pumps (except OmniPod) are the same. The big difference in terms of comfort is the infusion set. These have different insertion approaches and different adhesives (it does matter). So having a chance to try one out is really the best way of figuring this out.

Some pumps are waterproof, so that may be important if you're doing a lot of water sports or swimming. As you point out they're all removable, so you could just take a small amount of extra insulin to cover the basal dose and remove it for some time.

At this stage they all do some amount of carb counting and they all track insulin on board, so they help you avoid insulin stacking. when you may have a hypo due to overlapping insulin doses.

When I sleep at night I either throw it in the bed beside me, put it under the pillow, or leave it in the pocket of my PJs. Assuming you have a long enough tubing all of these options work fairly well.

The biggest downside might be the cuddling with girlfriend. I does have the possibility of being in the way. If we're going to get intimate I'll remove my pump. Then the critical thing is remembering to put it back on.

With a pump you have no long acting insulin and if it is off for too long your blood sugars can go sky high. One night (one time only) I forgot to reattach it and woke about 4 hours later with a blood sugar over 500 mg/dL. That was horrible and took me until mid-morning to recover from.

I hope this helps, please ask if you've got other questions.

[kcard]

:DThe best thing for you to do is just try one that you think you may like. We are all very different and what works for me may not work for you. I can see that we have omnipod users here, I tried it and went back to my MM after a trial run with the omnipod. I didn't like the omnipod.. I don't care about having tubing. Others love it.... my point is, you have to do what's best for you. I am very thankful that we have options to try.
One thing about a pump, as one other poster said, is that you must check your BG fairly often. No long acting insulin on board means that if you run into an issue and aren't aware of it until you start to feel bad, often times it takes several hours to get back to normal. Things can go bad really fast... but I wouldn't trade my pump for any other option. I have done it all.... MDI, pump, even inhaled insulin, and so far, the pump is the best for me.