Insulin Pumps: what do you have & what..
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Insulin Pumps: what do you have & what..
| Thu, 01-15-2004 - 10:04am |
do you like the most/least about the particular model? I noticed in the roll call below that there were a few of us with them so I was wondering what we all thought about ours in particular.
Personally, I have a green Mini Med 508 and I love my "kermy". He has definetly changed the way I feel about being diabetic. Things are so much more 'normal'. Granted, it involves more work, but definetly more 'normal'.
The part I love specifically about my pump would be the different kinds of boluses. Regular, Square, & dual boluses has helped a lot I think. Especially when I want to eat pizza or other 'difficult' foods.
The part I hate the most is the 'clicking' when the lead screw turns. Now mind you, I don't even hear it anymore, but I have been asked, "what is that clicking noise".
So, what kind of pump do you have & do you like it?
Thanks.
Wendy
type 1 for 21 years

I have a Minimed Pump too, the Paradigm 511. I just got it this summer and I do really like it. Almost instantaneously, I noticed how much flexibilty and freedom it gave me. That really impressed me. You are right, I did feel more normal, like before I had diabetes(I was diagnosed Type 1 at 24). I also loved the fact that I didn't have to deal with injections like I was used to. I got up to about 4 injections a day and I really hated that, though I knew I didn't have any choice but to do them. I never quite got the hang of it, I had to inject really slowly, instead of doing it quickly. For some reason, I couldn't do it. I think that makes it worse. I hope I don't have to go back to injections again, but I will do what my health dictates. If my A1C stays in a good range, I will stay with the pump, if I move out of range I will go back to injections. I actually had good bs levels with shots, but I am doing pretty well with the pump too so far and I prefer to stay with the pump if possible.
I have to admit that I thought that I would have much less highs than I did with injections, and that's not neccessarily so. I still have to deal with them, but I know that pump is not a cure...hopefully that is still on the way. Also, I don't look forward to changing infusion sites probably b/c of, again,kind of having to inject myself. I had some problems too with the set I was using (silhouttes), something about them wasn't working for me, and I had a few incidences of having way too high blood sugar. I am now on the quick set and it's much better. I also have found that I have gained a little bit of weight on the pump. I don't know if that's b/c I eat more frequently and more of whatever I want or if it's b/c of the insulin constantly flowing thru my blood stream. However, I find that it's better to have good control than to worry about a few extra pounds.
Even with some of the negative things about the pump, I still find it much better than dealing with constantly injecting myself and the freedom and flexibility really is wonderful. I would recommend it to other diabetics, though it's not a cure, it is a better way of managing diabetes and I think it could be useful to many out there. That about sums up my experiences with the pump. I hope to continue with it, if all goes as I hope! :)
Andrea
Well Wendy, I too have a MiniMed pump. I have used the 507, but went to the Paradigm 511 back in 2002. I hve found it so much easier not to mention with a ton more functions then the old 507 has. The things I love about the Paradigm 511 would be the remote, being able to lock out the buttons so that my oldest son can't do anything to it, infusion sets are absolutely great, and the resivoirs are even easier to use, lighter weight, smaler sizing, hard case along with a soft one is provided, bolus history, disconnects for showers close to thie skin with no tubing hanging out, uses the AAA batteries that are so easy to find unlike the disk batteries, and the quit bolusing. Of course I could name a few other things as well that I love about the Paradigm pump, but I figure that is a long enough list. The thing I don't like so much about it is the auto off alarm, because there are days that I tend to sleep in late and end up being awaken by the alarm going off. The alarm is not at all quiet what so ever.
Mine is a simple black due to the distribtor in my area not getting me the clear one I wanted and I did not want to have to wait another month to get my pump. My 507 is a blue one and I love that color too. I really wish I would have gotten the clear one, but can't be to choosie when you want it quickly. Next time around I will get a different color that is for sure, because I do love colors so much. my husband for some reason thinks that the colored ones tend to be not so strong in material due to them being dyed, which he could be right since the resivoir cover on my 507 did crack a tad bit on me and so far I have not had any problems what so ever with this one. Thank goodness for toght materials. Take care and do have a fantastic day!
Hi Wendy
I use the paradigm 512 pump. I'm new to the pump however, I started just
6 weeks ago. I love it!!! I was up to five shots a day. I do not miss those
injections at all. My pump is amazing to me really. Does just about everything
for me except talk to me in a voice. It has a wizard calulator that I love.
My a1c has come down from 8.3 which I have ever been that low before in 9 yrs.
It is now 7.8, which is not the best but I'm getting there. My doctor was
very pleased that I was there in this lenght of time of having the pump. I still
have alot of work to do. I also like the blood meter, just prick my finger and
within 4 ft. the meter sends the reading to my pump direct. It appears in the
screen then the wizard starts calulating my dose of insulin, I can take that dose or
or over ride and enter more. I feel so much more free with my body now. No more
lows when I exercise at the gym. I back this baby down on the basls, put in a
time limit for it to start, and go about my business. Thanks for your input on your
pump, I like to hear about others.
Take Care
Cathy