I’m a terrible decision maker. My family often laugh at how long it takes for me to decide what I’m going to have for lunch or what movie we should watch in the evening.
Switching from Multiple Daily Injections to an Insulin Pump is arguably one of the biggest decisions I have made in my life. Thinking about the time, thought and research I put into that decision, I realise that this is one of the few instances where my meticulous decision making was worth it.
Thinking about an insulin pump? Although I’ve written a lot about this decision over the past few months, I really wanted to stress in one post just how big of a decision it was.
I never really thought too much about insulin pumps before I started my blog and made connections in the Diabetes Online Community. I thought that they were only for young children, or for people struggling with their diabetes. Seeing others share so openly about their lives with pumps, particularly those within the wonderful OzDOC community, motivated me to find out more.
I attended an information evening back in October that was hosted by Diabetes WA, the diabetes organisation in my state. The evening covered the basic concept of insulin pumping. Representatives from the pump companies were present to show us the devices themselves, and I was able to grab information packs to take home.
The downside of this session was that I found it a little too light and fluffy. I recall the host making the statement “very few people give these back to me and say they don’t like it.” The session brushed over the seriousness of pumping. The representatives from the pump companies were a little too pushy. I didn’t feel comfortable going over and talking to them, because I was only seeking information at the time. I wrote about that night in more detail here. I do wonder how many people were convinced into signing up for one straight away.
Following this session, I decided to get back in touch with my diabetes educator, Gwen. This was a big step for me, considering that I had not had a formal appointment with her in a few years. My nerves were instantly relieved, and Gwen picked up as if our last appointment was only yesterday. She covered the topic of insulin pumping comprehensively and with the seriousness it deserved. She never displayed any bias, and respected that the decision was mine to make. You can read more about our session here.
Gwen gave me the option of making the decision on that day back in November. I could have said yes then and there. I knew full well that the wait for the pump would be even longer if I went home that day and made the decision at our next appointment. I could have said the words “yes,” but I knew that I wouldn’t really be convinced. I fought my feelings of urgency, because I knew deep down that I wasn’t ready to make such a big decision. I went back home and talked about it. I read about it. I thought about it.
By the time I came back to see Gwen in February, I had a much clearer head.
By taking the time to say yes, I felt much more confidence in the decision I had made.
Let the countdown to the big day in May begin…
Hi Frank..It took me 22years to get the confidence to try the pump and I will never go back to injections ..It was the best thing I did. I use the omnipod its really easy and helped me reduce my insulin requirements, now i have start a low carb diet and reduced my insulin even more !!…you won’t look back….
Thanks Colette! I felt exactly the same way…finding the confidence to make a change…hopefully it will be for the better.
Yes big decision, i researched all available pumps in Australia for several months before i even had contact with the reps. I still feel good with my choice, i found the rep too sales orientated but the company had a clinical consultant and she was excellent. Once i made the decision it only took a couple of weeks to get the pump. The company i am with has a good clinical support set up, once my pump malfunctioned and i got a replacement within 24 hours. The data base is okay but i find it rather basic but have managed to find clinical data which enables me to be fully autonomous with all settings and patterns. Once you get the hang of it you will never go back. I’m already excited or you.
One thing I found really useful was using cgm, I would certainly recommend using cgm, even for a brief time once you are comfortable with the pump itself, it definitely enables you to fine tune the pump and gives you so much insight into the variables effecting insulin requirements.
When i got my pump it was as amazing as when disposable syringes took over from glass syringes but even more so. Look forward to reading your blogs on pumping.
I’m excited too! I might ask my diabetes educator about getting a trial CGM for a week or so. I’m sure I could…
Great that you now have a decision and date. We (my 9 year old Joe) are starting pumping in less than two weeks – we chose the MiniMed back in September so P-day has been a while coming. We’ve got very used to injections, but I think the options with the pump like multi-wave bolus and the ability for us to correct at much lower numbers will be really helpful. We’ve had some issues with Levemir too so more control over the basal would be good. I worry though for my son that the pump is perceived as the panacea of flexibility and “control” when it’s just a different delivery system and I hope he is going to cope with the tubing and the canula insertion.
We’ve been using the Libre for nearly three months and recently switched to the Dexcom CGM and I hope this data is going to be useful to help us get the most out of the pump. I’m not sure the Libre is available yet in your neck of the woods, but if you can get a CGM loan that could be invaluable.
Look forward to hearing how it all goes.
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