My Diabetes (day 15)
It's been over 2 weeks since my wife Steph (who's a CDE) and I diagnosed me as having the Big D. My BGs are now mostly in the low 100's and frequently down to the 80's; still (amazingly) only one insulin reaction (see Day 7). Occasionally bounce into the low 200's. I continue to check about 8 or more BGs/day and giving myself shots about 5-7 times/day.
A reader recently commented that I should consider using an insulin pump. That's something that Steph and I have been discussing back and forth, and I am seriously considering. I've got no objection to being tethered to a mechanical monster 24/7 (heck, I've got a cell phone, a PDA, and go nuts if I can't check my e-mails every few hours, so I live with electronic miracles all the time). But on the other hand, I've no objection to carrying an insulin pen and using it at any time (such as at meals in restaurants, in meetings, etc.): it's small enough to be almost totally unnoticeable by others nearby.
What's your opinion about whether I should be on a pump, and why or why not?
As always, many thanks to everyone for the words of sympathy and support.
Bill the diabetesdoc
wwq@diabetesmonitor.com
Diabetes.Blog.Com is a blogcompanion to our main website, the Diabetes Monitor, which you can find at www.DiabetesMonitor.com
I was very sorry to read of your diagnosis. My 10-yr-old son was dx'd just last year, and since that time I've come to fully appreciate the many challenges facing those who must cope with this disease.
On your request for opinions-- I'm a big proponent of the insulin pump. It's made so many things a lot easier for us, and more importantly, for Joseph. We found the syringe to be such a blunt tool (as far as I know, you can give no less than half a unit with a pen, and you're really guess-timating when you try to inject less with a syringe). With Joseph's pump we can give him a tiny fraction of a unit.
Now, if your insulin needs are far greater (i.e., your ISF is very different than his, which is now 1:150), then maybe you don't need that kind of precision. But, if you are/or will soon be honeymooning, you might benefit from this feature.
There's also convenience. With the CarbSmart feature on Joseph's pump, we can put in the carbs and his bg, and, voila, a recommended bolus amount. Very nice. Same with corrections. As long as the ISF is reliable, the pump will recommend a very accurate correction that requires no calculations on our part.
And I'll tell you, changing a site once every three days is SO much nicer than the many shots our son was receiving.
The following link is to a post I wrote that might be of interest here. It describes what happened when Joseph decided to go back on shots & an insulin pen (after having been on a pump for almost 6 months).
http://artistmom2two.blogspot.com/2005/08/home-from-camp-something-unexpected.html
Of course, my opinion on this issue is NOT based on first-hand experience wearing a pump. And, I'm sure that, given your profession, I haven't really given you much new information to chew on here.
That said, I guess if it were me, I'd want to try it out-- you know, do a trial with saline (no cost) and really see what it felt like wearing a pump, and using the features.
I'm sure that, whatever regimen you choose, you will do extremely well.
Good luck!
Sandra
p.s. I've been reading your blog for a while now... you really do a nice job here. (Comment this)
I was on MDI for a year before the pump. I gained 20 pounds. The most frustrating problem to me was exercising, going into a low and eating the same number of calories I just burned to bring the blood sugar up.
I also found that long acting insulin didn't behave predictably. I need a basal insulin.
Finally I couldn't get insulin adjusted to meet my schedule. I am a teacher, and have an fairly irratic schedule. We actually change bell schedule at least once every two weeks, delaying lunch schedule substantionally, test days etc. Today is sort of a typical weird day.
Had a teacher workshop in the morning, which requires 50% more insulin for the duration. That took quite a bit of experimenting to work out. Basically, sitting still for so long makes my blood sugar shoot up.
Then I worked out after lunch, which requires 50% less insulin for the length of the workout.
I've actually been able to keep my blood sugar between 110 and 150 all day.
I couldn't do that on MDI. Drove me nuts. Now I am extremely blood sugar sensitive so the pump might not be answer for you. It works for me since my vision blurs at 180, and I get cranky soon after. I get physically ill if I go over 200. I also found that I roller coastered a lot on shots, but I still think that was the uneven distribution of basal insulin.
The ability for finer adjustments is nice too. I used to have 2-3 lows requiring treatment on shots, and I haven't had a treatable low since I went on the pump. (Comment this)