Diabetic pump?!
Question: Hi, can anyone tell me if you have to be admitted to hospital
for them to monitor you if you are changing from injections to pump,i would imagine they would need to keep a close eye on you, anyone experienced this.
Answers: Hi, can anyone tell me if you have to be admitted to hospital
for them to monitor you if you are changing from injections to pump,i would imagine they would need to keep a close eye on you, anyone experienced this.
hi, I have an insulin pump myself, when transferring from injections to pump, took a little while to get used to. Your diabetic nurse will tell you the doses of insulin you need to start with, then you need to monitor your blood glucose levels very carefully while you are on the initial dose of insulin, and alter your doses accordingly,. once your doses have been worked out the pump really keeps your blood glucose levels pretty stable, but the key to all this is, that you learn everything you need to know bout the pump, insulin doses, and your own blood glucose patterns, keep a diary. It will all sound pretty complicated at first, but soon it will all become very easy. I didn't have to go into hospital at all, and my diabetes was very brittle, and unstable before the pump. The pump only gives a small background dose of fast acting insulin every hour, and you bolus whatever you need when you eat. This can be re-adjusted at any time, or suspended, in case of a hypo, it is instant, unlike insulin injections, which I found were like playing Russian Roulette, all guess work and hope that you have made the right calculations. I really prefer the pump, much safer, hope you do too, luck..
Hi, i'm a student nurse, never heard of a diabetic pump. what is it? Is it like a syringe driver that works over a 24 hour period or something? Do you have a community nurse who comes to see you?
A friend has one and just was told what to do and she goes by how she feels. She's had it a long time.
Are you in America? I'm not, but friends of mine over there have had 'lessons' with a rep from the pump company, plus the doctor or endocrinologist will probably be involved.
In the end it's up to you. Same with all diabetes treatment - we have to figure it out ourselves because everyone is different and only we know our bodies. When you start on a pump just remember to test a LOT and be careful, because it is a whole different world - but once things settle down it should be fabulous :)
I'm sure you already know - but most pump users find they need a lot less insulin when pumping, even though they no longer have a long-acting insulin. So start low!
Check out forums like diabetesforums.com, diabetesdaily.com, tudiabetes - lots of other diabetics who have been through it all and can offer great advice without that judgemental feeling you often get from doctors!
It is just a way of titrating insulin dose against sugar levels and is a bit more portable than an IV infusion, which is still the commonest management.
Here in the US they don't admit you or anything. They send you to someone who can train you how to use it, usually a certified diabetes educator. My daughter is type 1 and I'm hoping to get her on a pump soon if they'll let her.
Nope. I have a pump, and have not been in the hospital since I have had it.
I have a Medtronic Paradigm, and they sent a bunch of educational materials with my pump, about a week before I got it hooked up. I spent the week getting to know the pump and its features. There was an on line course, with questions. Then the day I got it hooked up, I met with my diabetes nurse/educator, and they went over my previous glucose levels, and insulin amounts, and put the pump on.
They have a good understanding of what settings your pump needs, and program the pump to those levels. Then over the next 2 weeks or so, I spoke with or went to see the nurse/educator and we adjusted the pump several times. During this time, I tested all the time, and learned how to adjust the settings myself.
They do keep a close eye on you, but they did not admit me, or any of the other pumpers I have talked to, to the hospital.