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Permalink Reply by MyBustedPancreas on January 13, 2012 at 5:13am

The Mio infusion sets I use have a little recycling icon on them. Anyone know if I can actually recycle these? I don't know what the rules are regarding medical waste. I am going to look into this today. I am also going to ask them about the Mio packaging stuff. It is just so much trash!

Regarding wasted insulin - I actually draw out what is remaining from my reservoir. Not long ago, I read somewhere that Humalog is safe to use in a reservoir for up to 7 days. So far, no adverse effects. Obviously, I would not do this if I suspected the insulin was bad or something. But I just can't waste insulin. It makes me sick knowing that other people die for lacking this stuff.

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on January 12, 2012 at 7:06pm

I think that the complexity of the pump to which Panpan Ayca alludes is built in to diabetes. The pump was light a lightbulb, not so much because of the insulin delivery, although that's a great bonus, as because it keeps track of things much better than I could. It totally made it possible for me to perceive things that were going on that I had no clue about with shots, because I was always "shoot and fix" with MDI.

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Permalink Reply by Niko on January 12, 2012 at 7:18pm

The freedom the pump brings exponentially outweighs the learning curve. You'll presumably be trained on how to handle the infusion sets, run the pump, etc., before you are allowed to leave with it. There's a bit of tweaking of basals to get things set up, but after that it's usually a no-brainer. The real issue with the pump is the out-of-pocket cost for the unit and infusion sets. I'd check with your insurer and see what that will run you.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Wittman on January 12, 2012 at 9:16pm

For me, the insulin pump has been life-changing. It was certainly worth the fight with my insurance company to get it. My eating habits changed drastically for the good, my A1-c changed for the good. my disposition changed drastically for the good, and most of all, I feel better. Control is finally attained. I read about all the problems with tubes, all the issues with infusion sets and have yet to experience a major problem. Yes, there is a learning curve, but learning is good, so that isn't an issue either. the pump was the one of the best decisions of my life. I strongly recommend it. I love my Ping, and would be very unhappy if it is ever taken away.

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on January 13, 2012 at 4:27am

The MM 722 I have has a belt clip and I've hardly ever kept it in my pocket. Occasionally it will end up there but probably like 10 times in 4 years? If that much? The belt clip will either go on my belt or waistband very easily. I don't even notice it.

I didn't find the learning curve to be steep at all and I came to the pump having counted exactly zero carbs ever before I got it. I sort of had a vague idea of carb counting but was really just guessing.

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Permalink Reply by Panpan Ayca on January 13, 2012 at 5:02am

thank you guys for all the comments. now i have more idea about the positive and negative sides of the pump. the reason i was confused about the pump is my doctor warned me to be more careful and in dicipline if i start using it. and i'm a little disorganized with my meal times and exercises:/ so i was not sure. i guess i will start considering it again:)

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Permalink Reply by MyBustedPancreas on January 13, 2012 at 5:18am

For me the pump has been great BECAUSE I don't really stick to any sort of schedule. Because you're able to adjust your basal rates "on the go," the pump gives you more freedom to do things on a whim. When I was on basal insulin, I had to adjust my dosage the day before if I wanted to go for a run the next day and avoid going low. But with the pump, I can just turn down my basal an hour or two beforehand and be fine.

You do have to be more disciplined with testing when you're on the pump. Things can happen that can interfere with insulin delivery (clogged infusion sets, dislodged infusion sets, etc) and you have to quickly recognize such issues because you won't have basal insulin in your system. That said, such things have occurred rarely in my experience and I picked up on them because I was testing regularly.

Keep in mind that the pump is NOT a permanent change. If you don't like it, you can stop using it and go back to shots.

Finally, I can say that while it did take some getting used to (i.e., having something hanging off my body) within a week it felt completely normal. I love being able to go out to eat and (more or less) effectively bolus for foods I used to struggle with.

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