my daughter announced yesterday that she wants to go on an insulin pump. Does anyone have any tips about what to avoid or look for in a pump?
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Norfolk
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Re: anyone on an insulin pump?
Sat, April 7, 2007 - 10:23 PMThe real trick to mastering your pump is carb counting. The pump does the rest for you. I love my medtronic pardigim, but shop around and see what features work best for her. It changed my life and I wish I had it when I was young. You can eat or not when you want. Sneak a snack with your friends and not worry about an extra shot, just pump up! It is very freeing not to be tied to a shot schedule. The pump keeps you at your base level and you just bolus when needed. My meter came with it and it sends my blood sugars to my pump and includes any highs or lows into my meal factor and tells me how much to give. Also, if gastoparisis is a problem, the square bolus is also key. Get a good educator and it can be the best thing that ever happened. Feel free to contact me if you have anymore questions.
I cant say enough how much I love mine.
CoCo -
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Re: anyone on an insulin pump?
Mon, April 9, 2007 - 2:06 PM"The real trick to mastering your pump is carb counting. The pump does the rest for you. I love my medtronic pardigim, but shop around and see what features work best for her. It changed my life and I wish I had it when I was young. You can eat or not when you want. Sneak a snack with your friends and not worry about an extra shot, just pump up! It is very freeing not to be tied to a shot schedule. The pump keeps you at your base level and you just bolus when needed. My meter came with it and it sends my blood sugars to my pump and includes any highs or lows..."
Thanks for your response. I am unfamiliar w/ a couple of things you mentioned though. What is gastoparisis and A1C (you mentioned that in another post)? -
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Re: anyone on an insulin pump?
Mon, April 9, 2007 - 2:57 PMgastroparis, is when your stomach does not digest food well. Kind of like neuopathy in the gut. So when I eat, my stomach gets distended and my food will just sit there for hours. There are few meds to help with this problem and the best on so far is one I get from Austriala that was recommended by my GI MD. You A1C is an accummulative of your blood sugar over several months. Your daughters MD should be checking it at least every 6 mo. 5 is normal, 6 is great, 7 is not great, 8 bad and 9 way bad. When I was in the high 7's, my blood sugars were in the high 200-300. Now that I hover around 100-150, I am at 6.6 and they (MD) are very happy with that. I hope that helps. You also may also want to sign up for the ADA e-news letter, lots of good info and a good web site- www.diabetes.org/home.jsp
The diabetes forcast magazine is a good one, but pricey, however, if this is all new to you, it would be worth it. I remember getting pen pals when I was diagnosed at 8 from the magazine and they still have that section in it. So kids with the same illness can connect.
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