# Veteran T1, new to forum...



## Pedro (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi all,

Already posted in the 'pump' forum, so apologies for the bad form.

I've had T1 for 25 years, having been diagnosed as a kid whilst living in the far east.  I've gone from years of excellent control on MDI to steadily declining control over the last 2 years.  Things got so bad that I've been signed off work for a few months now; not done lightly as I'm a freelancer and don't receive any corporate sickness benefit.

I'm about to make the switch to pump therapy and can't wait to regain some control of my life.  I appreciate there's lots of hard work ahead but I know it'll be worth it.  A return to health, work and the water sports I love has to be worth any amount of effort and relearning.  And if further motivation were needed, the chance to shake my 'Homes Under the Hammer' habit can't be passed up!

Cheers... Pete.


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## Northerner (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi Pete, welcome to the forum  We've got quite a few 'veterans' here, so I'm sure you'll find a lot in common with them. We're always learning though, and you are embarking on something new and very different with the pump - hopefully our pumpers will be able to give you some guidance and the benefit of their experiences should things prove difficult on occasion  I'm not a pumper, but I've yet to hear from someone who would give back their pump once they've become accustomed to the huge benefits they bring!

I look forward to hearing more from you.


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## Rainbow (Oct 3, 2010)

Welcome Pete, I'm a veteran T1 (42 yrs) and have been pumping for almost five months. I can't praise my pump enough. It's hard work but worth every bit of it. The nearest I get to deep water is a long soak in the bath so can't help with that I'm afraid but anything else regarding transition to pump I'm happy to share my experiences. Sue


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## Steff (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi and a warm welcome


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## bev (Oct 3, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.Bev


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## shiv (Oct 3, 2010)

Welcome! I think at nearly 20 years I also class as a veteran  I've just switched over to using a pump and love it.


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## Robster65 (Oct 3, 2010)

Hi Pete. Another (sort of) veteran here.

You only have to worry when you want to appear on Homes under the hammer. Hopefully you'll be back in the real world before then ! 

Hope the pump sorts you out.

Rob


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## Twitchy (Oct 3, 2010)

Hiya, welcome!

I'm not quite as much of a veteran as Rainbow, but with 31 yrs as a T1, (diagnosed aged 11 months) I guess not too far off! I was on 2 jabs a day for around 16 years, then switched to mdi with much better control for years, the latterly the dawn phenomenon (last 4-5 years I guess) was playing havoc.  I started pumping a month ago & LOVE this pump!!  The only problems to date have been totally user-initiated, doh!!  I can see it will be a fantastic tool for really good control.

Best of luck with the change, I am really certain you won't look back & regret giving pumping a try!


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## FM001 (Oct 3, 2010)

Pete, from one veteran to another................welcome!  Toby (28 years type 1)


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## Pedro (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks for the warm welcome folks, much appreciated.


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## Flutterby (Oct 3, 2010)

Welcome Pedro, you have come to a good place, it seems Rainbow is streets ahead of us with the veteran title, I've managed 33 years.  Hope we hear much more from you in the days ahead and good luck with the pump.  Karen.


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## bigpurpleduck (Oct 4, 2010)

A warm welcome!

I've had diabetes for 18 years and have been pumping for 15 months. Pumping is hard work, but definitely worth it - my control and quality of life have been much better.

Best of luck with the pump, and feel free to ask for advice here


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## bex123 (Oct 4, 2010)

hi and welcome , im also a long term type 1.... 21 yrs and counting lol
i just staretd on the pump in june this year... have to say it has changed my life and im sure you will love it too


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## Ellie Jones (Oct 4, 2010)

Hi Pete another veteran here

21 years and I'm also married to a veteran diabetic of 31 years of service...

I've got a pump, and nope I wouldn't give it back at all no chance no way, if they tried somebody would get hurt and it won't be me...

Best advice I can give about starting, is be mehodical about your approach, change one thing at a time, and don't try to run before you can walk...  A lot of the hard work is actually rethinking your management approach to your diabetes and how to utilise your insulin and pump to the best effect to tackle different situations...  But as you learn and gain experience it gets a lot easier to decided which setting or tactic to use for what type of situation for best effect..


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## Cate (Oct 4, 2010)

Hi, and welcome 

I'm a t1 veteran too, dx Jan 1984 and pumping for the last 6 years.  I'm on my 2nd pump and wouldn't give it back for anything - if my PCT took it off me I'd self-fund somehow, no question.

Good luck with the pump!


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## Freddie99 (Oct 5, 2010)

Hi Pete,

Welcome, I'm a type one sprog of fourteen years suffering. I've been pumping for about six months now and I love it. Wouldn't go back. Given that you're thinking about pumping I'd say get things as good as you can on MDI before turning to pumping as it makes things a whole lot easier.

Tom


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## falcon123 (Oct 5, 2010)

Hi, I am 44 years down the Type I road. Sometimes I expect to leak when I drink a glass of water (that was a Norman Wisdom sketch after they tried to get a blood sample out of him)! I found that I have better control on animal (porcine) insulin - humalin gave me massive problems. What type of insulin were you started on and what are you on now?


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## Pedro (Oct 5, 2010)

Falcon123: I started on Actrapid and Monotard, then moved to Humalog mix 25 about 6 years ago.  Two years ago I switched to Lantus and Apidra.  Each change has been prompted by a resistant decline in control, so pump therapy now looks to offer the best option.  I imagine I'll start on Apidra.

Great to hear about the general enthusiasm for pumps.  Before too long I hope I'm an advocate as well.

Things I'm most looking forward to are the ability to quickly tweak basal rates and manage extended boluses more effectively.  Trying to run extended boluses manually is a nightmare, and rarely works for me.  A system with integrated CGM would also be a boon, especially when I'm on long paddles or managing races.  I know CGM takes a lot of calibration and validation via regular tests, but the ability to spot an up/down trend would help me avert issues when out and about.


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