Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Zoe on August 2, 2011 at 4:26pm

Dumb question, Ali: Whose waiting list is it? I got my pump within 2 weeks of calling Animas. I have heard of people having trouble with their insurance giving approval, and that taking awhile, but that's not really a waiting list. Who told you that you're "on a waiting list"? Your doctor?
I did just check your profile and see you're in Ireland. I know the most about the process in the U.S. Perhaps someone else in Ireland can chime in. Maybe there is a shortage on production of pumps there?
As for your question, managing your diabetes will definitely get easier when you get your pump. I didn't get diabetes until I was MUCH older, so I'll let the people who started as kids and are now adults give their opinions. I can think of a couple things. At your age peer pressure is a big influence and it's hard to be different than your friends. That can influence a lot of things such as: your willingness to eat in a more diabetes friendly manner, your willingness to do lots of testing or even to bolus sometimes. If you party, that also can affect control. The importance of the whole peer thing fades as you get older which will help. The next thing I can think of still gives you another 10 years to deal with it. The teens and twenties are the times in your life that are most characterized by change: finishing high school, going to college, starting a career, building relationships,. perhaps getting married and having children. Maybe buying a house or relocating. Even if that is all good stuff it can be very stressful. Higher stress makes it harder to control blood sugars.

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Permalink Reply by Doris D on August 2, 2011 at 4:45pm

For me it's gotten harder with the control but it really didn't start all that bad for me til I hit the 25 year mark. Now my bs's are al over the place. Yes it's always a pian (even with the pump. Been pumping for 23 years now. Been a diabetic for 38 years. The pump made it easier for me with control though I was 10 when I got diagnosed) KEEP KEEPING ON!!!!!! Hang in there YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on August 2, 2011 at 4:58pm

I think that older I get, the easier it gets. I have been at this 27 ½ years. Like Zoe said also, as you get older, you could care less what your friends think. If you are at a party or someplace, you don’t worry as much about pausing for a little bit to test or take insulin. I think part of it for me is that when I was younger, I felt invincible. It didn’t matter what I did, nothing bad was going to happen. I think as I get older, I realize I am not invincible and I need to do things to make sure I am still here tomorrow. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have days that I would like to give diabetes a good swift kick in the butt, but they don’t happen as often as they used to.

I am going to disagree with part of what Zoe said (sorry Zoe!) – her statement that “managing your diabetes will definitely get easier when you get your pump.” That is the case for some people, but it is not the case for everyone. It was not for me and I quit pumping after 8 months. My control actually got worse because I had so many site problems. My A1c went up and I was seeing highs almost every day with the pump. After my pump broke for the 2nd time in 8 months, I decided it was not worth it and I went back to MDI.

I think if people learned some of the stuff with MDI that they don’t learn until going on a pump, they would be more successful with MDI. I did stuff like basal testing, carb counting and knew what my correction factor was with MDI. A lot of people don’t learn stuff like that until they go on a pump. The pump does have advantages, but there is no guarantee that your life will be easier with it.

Hang in there, it will get better!

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on August 2, 2011 at 5:11pm

Sorry, Kelly, guilt y as charged of making sweeping generalities! I should have said "many people".

I do agree with you that it's a lot easier to transition to a pump if you already know and practice all those skills on MDI. I did so for 2 years before I got my pump and it definitely made the transition easier. People that only do the minimum on MDI and then expect the pump to "save them" are usually very surprised by all they have to learn.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on August 2, 2011 at 5:15pm

You would probably be right if you said "most people" - I know I am not the only one but I am sure we are in the minority.

I don't understand why people aren't taught that stuff with MDI. I know there can still be problems but some stuff would be better. One thing I miss the most with the pump is the ability to sleep in - my alarm goes off at 7 to take insulin and if I don't get up, I go high. You don't have to worry about alarms with pumps!

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Permalink Reply by Joshua Marshall on August 5, 2011 at 7:04am

I am also on MDI. When I finally stopped the ancient Lente and Regular routine and went to Lantus and Humalog, my doctor said the routines of the Lantus and Humalog shots are the same as the pump; I think he meant you deal with the same issues. I've found that if you get a good doctor, know what you're doing, whether you're on MDI or a pump, and don't freak out when things go wrong - most of them are fixable - it's not too bad.

I would say diabetes has gotten better with age, but that's only because of improved technology; I don't think anyone would want to go back to Clinitest or even early glucometers that were about the size of a paperback book with test strips in a huge glass bottle or the highly esteemed exchange diet where you had to eat a little bit of everything to keep everything in balance with the peak insulins. Jeez!

A good attitude also does wonders for diabetes care.

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Permalink Reply by SEAGATOR on August 2, 2011 at 5:15pm

Ali I am 84 years old a Navy veteran of WW2 it does not get easier with age. You still need to be vigilant test go to endo get A1C lowered mine is 6.0. Talk to friends. I live a good life and I refuse to let Diabetes get me down. I am cheerful helpful good attitude. Do not get discouraged. I do 4 shots of insulin a day my stomach looks like a pin cushion but so be it. Reed

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Permalink Reply by Bug74 on August 2, 2011 at 5:40pm

Good question Ali. I was dx @ 14 and have had D for 37 years. I often think back to the early days and don't remember thinking about the D as much as I do know. But we didn't have meters, or pumps or as many food choices as we have now. The decisions were often made for us. A sliding scale was about the extent of the calculations we made. I'm also sure my parents carried many of these burdens for me at this time.

My college years were hard because I just wasn't as responsible as I should be and PWD still didn't have all that many tools to manage it with.

I've pumped since '92 and that made things much better. By the time I started pumping I was more mature, had a career and getting ready to marry.

I don't know if I would consider "now" any harder, but I do put more effort into my care and I feel better because of it. I may get more frustrated because now (as opposed to the early days) I have a meter and can see the numbers.

So................to answer your question, I'm sure my control is better than the early days. I am more mature, have a more routine schedule, have a husband to share the struggles with, have devleoped better coping skills, have more tools to work with.............and with all that there are still times when the numbers go whacky and I melt!!!

Teenage years are tough because of so many hormones/growth spurts!! The lovely monthly period will cause issues for you for some time to come. And I struggled with menopause and my numbers.

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Permalink Reply by Doris D on August 5, 2011 at 11:09am

Well said Bug. I was just so upset with the way the world rotated on that day I said litle but looks like you covered it all there. I sooo remember the days of not having all that iis avalible to us now.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on August 2, 2011 at 6:12pm

When I went to college a whole new world opened up to me. I could eat when I needed and what I needed, and check my bg whenever I needed and take shots whenever I needed, things I could never do beforehand because everything had to be scripted and regimented beforehand. I ended up with much better control than I had ever had in junior high and high school.

I saw my doses plummet around that time. In junior high and high school I needed 60-70 units a day; after going to college and getting into the groove of MDI my doses where half that. I don't know whether that was teenage hormones no longer raging, or better adaptation of diet to insulin curves, or what, but it was dramatic.

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Permalink Reply by angjojeff on August 2, 2011 at 6:37pm

I think it really depends on your personality. For a lot of young people, including myself, it is hard to transition from the structured environment of your current school and home regimen to the completely chaotic schedule of college. Transitions are probably the hardest. You can try to get yourself in a routine, but undoubtedly your life is going to change and your diabetes will too. Adaptability, persistence, and optimism are great traits to have when dealing with diabetes. Unfortunately, I don't think they have prescriptions for those yet and I'm still trying to come by them the natural way. Oh well, good luck to you.

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Permalink Reply by Terrie on August 3, 2011 at 12:54am

For me, it was hard for many years but has gotten easier since I've been exploring DOCs for a lot of years. Knowing how Diabetes affects me, carbs and the treatments and knowing what my test results mean plus knowing what to ask my Endo during my appointments.

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