# All Systems Go...almost



## Deeko (Aug 21, 2013)

Hi everybody,

After going through the process of pump evaluation and approval I have now been given a concrete date for a saline start and then live with insulin. Less than 6 weeks but I'm not counting 

I've read all the forums, sights etc all over the net, done the medtonic online pump school to get the gist and order the John Walsh book which hould be here soon. So my question is does anyone have any other preparation recommendations?

It's also not confirmed which pump is available, it's all down to what is ordered by that time thanks to the Scottish goverments push for more pumps meaning bulk buying on the health service. It will be either Animans or Medtronic but I know both at what they do and will love my first pump no matter which I get.


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## Maryanne29 (Aug 21, 2013)

*Great news*

I've had approval for a pump today and see the nurse specialist in two weeks. I've just ordered the John Walsh book too and have also read loads of websites. I am really keen to get started and wish you well with your pump when you get it. Let us know how it goes.


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## Redkite (Aug 21, 2013)

Best of luck to you both with your pump starts, I'm sure you'll love them!  The only other advice I can think of is to bank some sleep beforehand because you may find yourself doing some round-the-clock testing initially to get your basal profile right.


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## trophywench (Aug 21, 2013)

What do you mean, 'initially' ?  Redkite .......

It's no easy solution, it can be hard work - but you do get out of it a lot more of what you put into it; whereas sometimes you can work your socks off on MDI and have worse results at the end than you did to begin with.  At least I've found that my pump appreciates my efforts, and shows me it's approval by rewarding me with much more encouraging A1cs !


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## trophywench (Aug 21, 2013)

I should add, I was rather taken aback - not immediately because Hey! - this is new and so it's acceptable to not know what you're doing.  But  after a month I expected it to get easier and it didn't.  All the stuff I'd been doing kind of by osmosis, without thinking about it much, for so very very long, suddenly stopped being 'second nature' - I had to THINK about it all.

Very weird; rather like being diagnosed in the first place.  Once I'd worked out that this was why I didn't like the feeling (because on diagnosis, on mixed insulin, with a glass syringe etc etc, there wasn't a great deal you could actually do about highs and lows) whereas now, there's a scientific explanation for everything that happens, and a scientific way of sorting it out.

Get your head round that conundrum and you are well away!


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## Redkite (Aug 21, 2013)

trophywench said:


> What do you mean, 'initially' ?  Redkite .......



 Well I know lots of pumpers regularly do fasting basal tests, but we are rebels and choose not to for various reasons, with full support of his consultant!  He tests about 10 times a day (including the ones I do in the night), and if BGs are showing a pattern of being out of target range we tweak basal or bolus to fix it.  No need for him to starve and/or miss out on activities.  Fasting basal tests would be useless at some times of the day anyway, as he uses a superbolus at breakfast and close to zero basal for most of the morning.  If he missed breakfast the basal would be inadequate on its own.  But if he missed breakfast he would be ill so basals would need altering anyway.  We would only consider basal testing if everything was in such a mess that we needed to start again from square one!


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## HOBIE (Aug 23, 2013)

Good luck to you both. You will only move forward


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## ch1ps (Aug 26, 2013)

Good luck Deeko & Maryann

Been on mine for almost a month now.  Transition was unproblematic.  I did have a wobble when I did my first set change, but find it easy now.

For me it has been a godsend (or whatever the atheist version is).  Now living with diabetes doesn't feel like so much of a grind as it did on MDI.


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## Northerner (Aug 26, 2013)

ch1ps said:


> Good luck Deeko & Maryann
> 
> Been on mine for almost a month now.  Transition was unproblematic.  I did have a wobble when I did my first set change, but find it easy now.
> 
> For me it has been a godsend (or whatever the atheist version is).  Now living with diabetes doesn't feel like so much of a grind as it did on MDI.



That's great to hear ch1ps!


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## Pumper_Sue (Aug 26, 2013)

Hi Deeko,
              my tip would be to make sure you have plenty of fast acting carbs available. I glucose drink, as there can be a few up's and downs when you first start on your pump.
It's a very steep learning curve and can be very frustrating and tiring to start with.
Well worth all the work in the end though.


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## Deeko (Aug 29, 2013)

Hi everybody,

Sorry it's taken me a while to get back here.

Thanks everyone epecially for the tips. I firmly beleive I'll get out from what I put in and I'm very stubborn so I WILL make it work 

Maryanne29, good to hear your getting ever closer to getting yours to. I hope you have a lot of success with it when you get it.

The real taxing question now is which one I will get so I can decide on it's colour


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## HOBIE (Sep 1, 2013)

Give it a couple of weeks & you will not give it back


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## Deeko (Sep 12, 2013)

I got my saline start yesterday, feeling like a big kid with a very cool new toy.

It's the Animas Vibe and came with a big box full of lots n lots of books and leaflets to read. These and the John Walh book will keep my busy reading before the proper start on insulin.

And yes, I've already named him ........ Optimus  Not just for growing up with the original transformers cartoon but because he will need to be 'prime'd for use and will 'transform' my life.

The biggest shock to the system was that there isn't really any shock to the system. The insertion of the Cannula was no more noticeable than pricking my finger and the cannula and tubing are in no way intrusive. The pump itself is amazing, so many menus and buttons to play with. My initial instinct when I got home wearing it was to play around with everything on the pump, then I'll get round to reading proper instructions lol

It's lunchtime now so I'm going to whip him out at my desk and do a fake bolus to see if anyone gets nosey, secretly dissapointed that no one has even spotted it on my belt yet


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## Redkite (Sep 12, 2013)

Deeko said:


> I got my saline start yesterday, feeling like a big kid with a very cool new toy.
> 
> It's the Animas Vibe and came with a big box full of lots n lots of books and leaflets to read. These and the John Walh book will keep my busy reading before the proper start on insulin.
> 
> ...


Yaay what fun!  I like the name Optimus Prime - does it transform into a handy vehicle?


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## trophywench (Sep 12, 2013)

Good luck with it, and yes, do play with all the buttons whilst you're on saline, so you can find out how to cancel the mistakes before you go Live!

Incidentally, you only do 6 hrs basal testing at a time, never 'round the clock' - just in case you thought you did!

If you did it round the clock, you would have to fast for 24 hours and it's sposed to be 'as normal a day as possible'  LOL


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## Deeko (Sep 16, 2013)

Redkite said:


> Yaay what fun!  I like the name Optimus Prime - does it transform into a handy vehicle?



Unfortunately not Redkite, it's clever but I still have to drive myself about for now 



trophywench said:


> Good luck with it, and yes, do play with all the buttons whilst you're on saline, so you can find out how to cancel the mistakes before you go Live!
> 
> Incidentally, you only do 6 hrs basal testing at a time, never 'round the clock' - just in case you thought you did!
> 
> If you did it round the clock, you would have to fast for 24 hours and it's sposed to be 'as normal a day as possible'  LOL



Thanks for the advice on basal tesing Trophywench.

He goes back tomorrow and it feels funny but even after only the 3 days wearing it I feel like I'm missing something. Found myself this morning checking I wasn't tangling the tubing I wasn't wearing


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## trophywench (Sep 16, 2013)

That's how I discovered I'd left mine on the bedside table once when we'd set off for Dover and the tunnel once on holiday!

'Err, come off the Mway dear!'


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