Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son is in his mid 40's and was diagnosed with diabetes about 17 years ago. He has been insulin dependent ever since, and uses the novalog (I think) pen. He manages his diabetes better than any human on earth, watches his carb intake like a hawk, and does all the right things , like checking himself a lot. Even with that, he still would run low and high, and had a hard time keeping it level.
For years, we discussed him going on the pump, but he resisted it for a few reasons, but primarily, I think he didn't want to feel like he was hooked up to some machine. People he knew who were also diabetic, but on the pump kept telling him how much better their lives were, but he still was not interested.
However, a couple of months ago, he hit a low while asleep, and I could not wake him totally up. He was really out of it and I had to call 911. He came out of it with their help, but it scared the Hell out of him, and he started to look into getting the pump. He did some research and hooked up with a company who has a new, improved version out, and a couple of weeks ago he started using it.
The reason I am telling this story is for anyone else who is thinking about getting one. IT HAS CHANGED HIS LIFE COMPLETELY ! From day one, his numbers have been very flat and right where they should be. No more ups and downs, and his moods are better, and he feels much more energetic and alive. He did have one day in there where he went high, and we figured out that the insulin in the pump was not working or he was not getting it into his body. But that cleared up the next day with a new batch of insulin and a new location on his body, and has never returned.
He also bought a pouch that you wet and it keeps the pump cool, because we live in Florida (hot) and he works in our hot hobby shop a lot and was worried the heat would damage the insulin. That pouch seems to have helped a lot.
The next step is that a sending device is becoming available in October-ish, and he is going to get that. It will wirelessly communicate with the pump and tell it if he needs more or less insulin, just like your brain would do if you were not diabetic.
So, sorry for the long story, but if you have been thinking about the pump, don't think about it any longer, just do it. It has given my son his life back and he can now live life like a normal, non diabetic person. No more running off to give himself a shot before meals, he just reaches down and puts in the correct information and the pump does it right there. His insurance picked up $19,000.00 of the $20,000.00 bill, which surprised us a lot.
Hope this information helps someone else out. Maybe this information is old hat to all of you, but I thought I would pass it along anyway.
Indeed, several months ago I decided to take the first steps towards obtaining an insulin pump. My doctor and I decided I would first obtain one of those 'glucose monitoring' devices, since I was going out of country (for almost three weeks, just this past July), and he would rather I would not be overseas with a new insulin pump before I was totally familiar with it. However, since I experience frequent lows at night, the glucose monitoring device would help in that regard.
Alas! The insurance company denied my request, saying it was not 'medically necessary' I appealed, but have not heard anything yet.
I shall try again, for last week a new test I underwent resulted in my doctor (a diabetic specialist, I forget the word) formally diagnosing me with Type I diabetes (before, I was Type II). I believe that being Type I creates a presumption of medical necessity.
I am glad that the pump has helped your son so much. I am also pleased that his insurance came through readily.
Thanks for the nice thoughts. What helped get the insurance done was that the pump company really pushed hard for him to get this pump. The people he dealt with there were very proactive and kept him in the loop about how aggressively they were pursuing the insurance company. He also had a very good plan, which helped.
I hope yours works out well too, it will really make your life so much better.
Thanks for the nice thoughts. What helped get the insurance done was that the pump company really pushed hard for him to get this pump. The people he dealt with there were very proactive and kept him in the loop about how aggressively they were pursuing the insurance company. He also had a very good plan, which helped.
I hope yours works out well too, it will really make your life so much better.
Sorry, I just noticed the question you posted. I don't know the name of the company. he did all of it on his own, so I wasn't involved. But I just saw a vial in the fridge with "Humalog" on it, not sure if that is the company or not. I will have to ask him for you.
Just a couple of nights ago, we were eating dinner at 11 pm, and he said " You know, before the pump I would not be able to eat anything but a salad this late, now I can eat like a regular person." He went on to say it has been so good that he isn't even concerned about getting the next step, the wireless monitor, because this thing functions so well on it's own.
I can tell he is feeling so much better too, no highs, no lows. His moods are better, and he has so much more energy. I called my ex the other night to tell her how well he is doing, and she said she sees it in him too. He said he wakes up better too, not running low or high.
One thing he has learned is that he is going to change the type of patch/needle that injects the insulin into his body. He has been using the spring loaded one, but he has found it can slip out of the skin and dislodge, not injecting insulin sometimes. He is going to go with the other style, where he will manually insert the needle into his body. He is used to doing that anyway, with needles for all the time he has been on insulin, so it will not be a big deal, and he feels it will be more secure. Just a little learning curve.
Sorry, I just noticed the question you posted. I don't know the name of the company. he did all of it on his own, so I wasn't involved. But I just saw a vial in the fridge with "Humalog" on it, not sure if that is the company or not. I will have to ask him for you.
Just a couple of nights ago, we were eating dinner at 11 pm, and he said " You know, before the pump I would not be able to eat anything but a salad this late, now I can eat like a regular person." He went on to say it has been so good that he isn't even concerned about getting the next step, the wireless monitor, because this thing functions so well on it's own.
I can tell he is feeling so much better too, no highs, no lows. His moods are better, and he has so much more energy. I called my ex the other night to tell her how well he is doing, and she said she sees it in him too. He said he wakes up better too, not running low or high.
One thing he has learned is that he is going to change the type of patch/needle that injects the insulin into his body. He has been using the spring loaded one, but he has found it can slip out of the skin and dislodge, not injecting insulin sometimes. He is going to go with the other style, where he will manually insert the needle into his body. He is used to doing that anyway, with needles for all the time he has been on insulin, so it will not be a big deal, and he feels it will be more secure. Just a little learning curve.
Interesting, and thanks.
I decided on the Omnipod, an insulin pump without the tubes (since I am frequently carrying animals and going through brush).
I do hope that I respond to the pump as well as your son apparently has. I also hope to be able to expand the type of food I eat, at least to a moderate extent (pretty much limited to meat for the past decade, since any carbs spikes my sugar levels markedly).
I hope by now you have gotten your pump. My son is still doing very well with his. He had two instances where the pump was not feeding insulin to him, and he ran high, but he tracked it down to the patch not putting the needle into his body, it was bent over. So, he changed from the spring loaded patch to a regular patch, and it seems more secure when he inserts it.
He also got one of those water cooled pouches to keep the pump in when he is working in a hot environment. It keeps the insulin from going bad. That has helped a lot too.
Overall, the pump has been a Godsend, and has enabled him to live a much more normal life. He still counts carbs religiously, but maybe when he gets the second monitor that will lessen too.
Yes, I got the Omnipod at the end of August, and I am doing very well with it. It is a slight bother to have to change out the pod every 72 hours, but at least I am not tied to a tube (which tube is tied, of course to the device that actually holds the insulin, so you must sleep with it in bed).
Indeed, if I need to do a bolus, the device (the part you hold in hand, not the pod) will wirelessly transmit the amount of insulin to be injected by the pod, which process will continue even if I leave the device behind (go to another room, etc). I will note that the pod itself holds 200 units of Novolog, which is sufficient, for me, for three days (the lifespan of a pod).
I also received, just last week, the Dexcom 5g Continuous Glucose Monitor. So, I now have another, smaller, pod-type device on my body (the 'sensor + transmitter'), and another wireless device to carry around (receiver). While I still have to physically test my blood sugar via meter twice a day (morning and evening, to calibrate the Dexcom), I otherwise can keep very close track of my blood sugar levels.
As time goes on, I expect to gain better blood sugar control. For instance, I am learning (from the Dexcom) that some foods I eat, with complex carbs, do not begin to affect my blood sugar level for 60 to 90 minutes.
Previously, when eating some complex-carb food (whole grains and the like), I would immediately inject Novolog to 'cover' the expected carbs. However, the Novolog would start acting within 15 minutes, while the complex carbs would not start elevating my blood sugar for 60 to 90 minutes (or even beyond). I had wondered why my blood sugar level would drop soon after the injection, only to watch helplessly a few hours later as my levels rose alarmingly (for the complex carbs would start to raise the glucose level as the Novolog was losing potency).
At the least I can, using the Dexcom receiver (which has a graph showing trends) program the Omnipod to inject the bolus when I see the levels start to rise. Also, I can program a bolus into the Omnipod, and ask it to delay the bolus for 90 minutes or whatever.
I have no experience with the other insulin pumps (which use the tube method), but I can highly recommend the Omnipod. The pods appear, to me, to be a marvel of engineering, since this small device that attaches to your skin is programmed to inject a small, continuous basal rate, as well as be programmed for bolus. It seems a shame that every three days I must toss this little wonder (I think they do have a recycling program, which I must look into).
As for the Dexcom 5g: I chose the 5g (over the 4g) in case I decide to join the 21st Century and get a 'smart phone'. Dexcom has an 'app' that one may download on said smartphone (they have a list of approved phones), that can take the place of the receiver. In theory, if I have such a phone, I can leave the receiver at home (one less thing to carry) and simply carry my smartphone (since I carry a blasted cell phone anyway). Again, if one does not want to use a smartphone, get the 4G.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From day one, his numbers have been very flat and right where they should be. No more ups and downs, and his moods are better, and he feels much more energetic and alive. He did have one day in there where he went high, and we figured out that the insulin in the pump was not working or he was not getting it into his body. But that cleared up the next day with a new batch of insulin and a new location on his body, and has never returned.
