So
a few of you may have heard me mentioning that I started my insulin pump trial. This is a 6 month trial with frequent reviews at my diabetes clinic
to ensure that I’m getting the best out of my pump and that I can use it
safely.
Before
starting I sat down with my consultant and set myself 4 goals to achieve by the
end of the trial:
- Reducing my A1c by 5mmol/mol
- Maintaining a healthy weight and BMI
- Reducing blood glucose variability by 20%
- Reducing hypoglycaemia experience by 30%
I’ve
already attended a diabetes educational course (JIGSAW) and intense insulin
therapy appointments (for almost a year) to try to improve my control. Now I
need to make sure that an insulin pump is going to be effective treatment for me. Once my 6 months is up my pre
and post trial data will be sent away to the CCG (people with the money) to
assess my need to keep the pump.
Go
time!
The
night before my start date I ran through all of my biggest pump worries.
These
were:
- Inserting the cannula myself
- Being able to hide the pump in my clothes
- Catching the tubing on handles/people/my dog/anything that sticks out
- Hypos/DKA
After
a week of having my pump (named Iain after my consultant) the only issue that I’ve
had is with inserting the cannula. However this reminded me of when I first
started injecting, when I would spend ages trying to put the needle in. Soon after
diagnosis I had no issues, so I really hope that I will get to that stage soon
with my pump.
 |
| Iain the Pump - Accu-Chek Spirit Combo |
After
2 days of pumping I was amazed at my blood sugars readings and how controlled
they had become, I fell in love with Iain the pump (and soon regretted calling
him Iain). Pre and post meals blood sugars were within my target of 5-10 and
although I was having a few lows my rebound highs weren’t anywhere near as bad
as they were when I was on MDI (multiple daily injections). I actually look forward to testing my sugars now, whereas before I used to dread
seeing my readings because I would feel so disappointed with myself if they
were off of target (which was quite often).
 |
| Taken today - After 1 week of using the pump |
All
in all my 1st week of being a pumper has been a big turning point
for me. If I’m honest I was starting to despair with my diabetes and it was
really upsetting me, to the point that it affected my life far too much. Now I
have a lot more hope and have a positive outlook again.
If
there’s anyone out there who is thinking about insulin pump therapy then I
would definitely recommend you give it a go if it’s possible (I know it’s not
always easy to get one). And if it’s not for you, then at least you’ve tried!
Ninjabetic
x