Insulin dependant

[TabbyCat]

Peter O,

When I was first looking at the insulin pump, my biggest concern was how would it work on the water. At the time, we lived in a waterfront house and thought our life was very water-oriented. Fast forward to the present day and now we are living on the boat, cruising 24/7 - our life has taken a quantum leap towards the water.

In any event, the pumps have handled the exposure pretty well. I selected a brand that was initially described as "water-proof" with O-rings to secure the inside mechanism from water. I routinely wore it in the shower and occassionally when I went snorkeling. Again, it worked well for me, but I came to realize that I could leave the pump off for a short duration I was in the water.

The use of the pump has changed my life almost as much as contracting diabetes did when I was 19.

I am no longer a slave to eating when the insulin "decides" to become active, no longer concerned about carrying needles or finding a discreet location to inject a dose (although when I used an insulin pen I just stuck the needle through my clothes so I wasn't worried about discreet locations), and I no longer have to stick a needle in my arm, leg, abdomen 3 - 8 times per day.

One of the biggest benefits has not been a direct one. My wife was constantly worried about how I was doing. She had a hard time sleeping through the night since she was concerned about an overnight episode of low blood sugar. At least once I woke up in the hospital emergency room because my blood sugar had gone so low. Since I have been on the pump she has been able to resume a HER normal life.

There is a lot more, and it is still an effort to balance the delivery of insulin to the intake of food, mood changes, activity levels etc, but for me I live a much more "normal" life then I did using the multiple daily injection (MDI) method of insulin delivery.

As usual, YMMV.

Mike

[Greenman]

Knotty, my wife wears a pump and has had to deal with several provinces health care systems. If you have any questions at all please PM. I will say that the pump is the way to go IMO for long term health and reduced future complications.

There are companies out there that ship pump supplies and insulin with no problems. The only issue may be whether or not you have insurance to cover the pump 6K+ and sets.

[TabbyCat]

Greenman - good point about the health insurance aspect. One of the few areas where my US corporate based healthcare insurance has shined is with the pump. My plan has a "medical hardware" feature (the pump manufacturers know the real name for it) that covers the $5 - 6K cost of the pump itself, which should last at least 4 years.

Of course, now that I have lived with the pump for so long, if I had to pay for it out of pocket I would do so in a heartbeat.

Regards,
Mike

Knotty - how is it going for you?

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by TabbyCat

Knotty - how is it going for you?

So far so good Mike, thanks for asking. The Lantus seems to be working. Gradually narrowing in on the proper dosage, it's only been 6 days. I've seen my first numbers in the normal range in two years. It's a once-a-day injection so the physical aspects of managing injection sites etc. isn't a problem. The injector pens make it easy. Won't be long and we'll have it dialed in! If this works out in the long run I propbably won't need a pump.

[TabbyCat]

Great news then!

From my own perspective, getting the numbers into the normal range was a first step to realizing what could/should be done. I will never forget the conversation with my enndocrinologist when she said I should consistently have tests below 120.

I told her, "No way! I go into insulin shock at 120!"

She calmly said, "Work on it, your body will adjust, you will feel better AND you will most likely LIVE LONGER with fewer complications."

So far, she has been right!

Keep it up Knotty!
Mike