Multiple Daily Injections

Pump Break II

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My current pump break is surprisingly different to the one that I took a year ago.

At the time, I was feeling full of anxiety over all of the lows I was having from physical activity. I was still relatively new to insulin pumping, and felt a little overwhelmed at my failure to get everything right. I wasn’t missing my pump one bit, and if it weren’t for the Christmas smorgasbord around the corner I’m not sure that I would have ended up reconnecting.

This time round I’m feeling purely fatigued from the device that I’m using. I’m fatigued from being connected all of the time, and from staring at basal rates and insulin on board all of the time. I find myself getting a little slack with my management, and not getting the most out of my pump. I’m already missing the convenience after just a week, so I’m not confident how long this break will last.

I was deliberating over whether to start my pump break in the morning or evening. I’d read elsewhere that 1) morning would make it easier to monitor my blood sugar in those initial hours, and 2) the effects of Lantus tapering off at the 18-24 hour mark are felt the least. However, I’ve only ever known giving Lantus in the evening. I was also hesitant to have insulin tapering off in the early hours of the morning while I was experiencing dawn phenomenon. So, I stuck with dinner time.

I started with 10 units, the sum of my total daily basal given by my pump. That night, I had about two helpings of Skittles to ward my way out of lows. Residual rapid acting basal insulin from my pump was also very noticeable in those first few hours before bed, and I’d probably create some lag time between disconnecting my pump and giving Lantus if I were to do this again.

The following morning I woke up with terrible insulin resistance, which carried on through much of the day. In the morning it was obviously dawn phenomenon to blame, while in the afternoon my Lantus was likely tapering off.

On night two, I dialled my Lantus dose back to 9 units and added an injection of 3 units the following morning. The evening lows continued, and boy did those Lantus lows feel different. Heavier? Deeper? More intense? It’s hard to describe.

From there my evening Lantus dose went from 7 units to 5 units to 6 units, while my morning dose has remained at 3. That gives me a total daily dose of 9, which is pretty close to the 9.7 units I was giving via my pump. It seems to be keeping me fairly steady while I sleep, so I’m really pleased with that.

My biggest challenge is the moment I get out of bed in the morning. I’ve doubled my insulin to carb ratios at breakfast to combat the insulin resistance. Just don’t make my mistake of putting off brekky for 2 hours and still using double the insulin dose! For the remainder of the day, my regular carb ratio of 1:8 and correction factor of 1:2.6 seem to do their job as per normal.

I’ve been doing all of this blind, aka without the help of a FreeStyle Libre sensor, which means that I’m really feeling the brunt of the pricks on my fingers. BGs have probably suffered in the first week – Lantus was causing some lows in the beginning, while high blood sugars aren’t as easy to manage without a pump. However, I’m looking forward to seeing how this week treats me now that the dust has settled.

At the moment, I’m absolutely loving the freedom from attachment and not staring at my pump every hour. Bolus insulin also just seems to be “working” better. During those last few weeks on the pump, I definitely felt like I was correcting high blood sugars after meals all the time. Having the same kind of insuin for bolus and basal on the pump felt “blurry” at times, if that makes any sense at all.

When I made my decision to start pumping two years ago, I told myself that injections were too clunky and simply didn’t work for me. But after 18 months on an insulin pump, I know that this is not true. So long as I’m prepared to make the commitment to learn and take responsibility for my decisions, I can make any method of insulin delivery work for me.

How long do I think I will stay off the pump? I am missing it already. But I’d like to think I’ll give it until the end of the month, at least.

Pump Fatigue.

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Not tonight, I thought to myself as I paced back and forth in my room on Thursday night.

It’s too late now anyway, reassuring myself of what I’d just decided against, knowing that I would be ready for bed in a little over an hour.

Friday evening rolled around, and I knew that I was ready to do this. But after a plate of Pasta for dinner, I knew I would need a combination bolus to cover it and decided against it.

Saturday evening rolled around, and I couldn’t think of a better day to finally do this. I grabbed a Lantus pen from the bar fridge, stuck a needle on, dialled up 10 units and injected it into my stomach.

I disconnected my insulin pump, ripped the infusion site from my stomach, and tried to remember the best way to tell my pump to stop screaming no insulin delivery every 5 minutes (answer: program an empty basal pattern).

I have grown tired of my pump in recent weeks.

The weather has quickly warmed up since November rolled around, and having a pump attached to me really adds to the discomfort while I’m sweating it out on a hot day. Which I’ve been doing a lot of lately, being under the pump at work and racing around like a lunatic all day. When my clothes are sticking to me, the last thing I need is an annoying pump line there too.

I can’t remember the last time I went for a walk in the afternoon where I didn’t think that I’d done more damage to my blood sugars than if I’d stayed at home. Pumped insulin is so much more sensitive than the injected kind. Yes, I know how to use temporary basal rates and consume carbs, but can’t a guy just go for a walk without it being some big orchestrated chaos? 

Infusion sites are beginning to feel like a real chore. They haven’t felt particularly comfy of late, and sometimes I can really feel the insulin sting on the way in. I find myself putting off changing a perfectly good site because I can’t be bothered dealing with a new one.

I guess my self care has also slipped in recent weeks. I haven’t been eating too well (translate: lots of trips down the chocolate aisle at Woolies), there’s been lots of slack guesstimates and my BGs haven’t been as great as they could be. I guess this lack of effort, combined with being overworked, has left me feeling exhausted at the end of the day. But I’m working on that. I also took it hard when I found out that I was unsuccessful at a job that I thought I would be perfect for.

At the moment, I don’t really want to be thinking about basal rates, insulin on board, infusion sites and the sense of urgency that comes with it all. I don’t need to be reminded of my diabetes every time I pull out my pump to deal with it.

I really think a change is what I need to clear my head and help me to feel a bit more excited about my diabetes management. Which sounds weird, I know, but doing the same thing every day feels absolutely monotonous. I’m also super grateful that I have the luxury of choices in my management, because not everyone in the world can afford insulin and basic supplies. Sidenote: check out T1International, who are working towards a world of #Insulin4All.

Also, I’m dying to go to the beach. Not that I can’t, but no pump sure does make it a hell of a lot easier…

Throwback Thursday: Thinking About An Insulin Pump

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Almost two years ago, I attended an insulin pump information evening. Today I’m looking back at that evening, and some of the reasons why I began thinking about pumping.

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Last night, I attended an information session on insulin pumping.

I’ve been on Multiple Daily Injections since I was diagnosed five years ago. I’ve never seriously considered an insulin pump, and I can’t say that I know too much about them. I’ve thought about going to one of these information sessions over the years, but it was just one of those things that I never got around to. Okay, truth be told I procratinated on RSVPing to those events until it was too late. Over and over.

I guess what motivated me this year was the fact that I am now a part of the Diabetes Online Community. I think, talk and write about diabetes every day. I feel more motivated towards my diabetes managment, just from interacting with you. I see so many of you blogging, tweeting, screenshotting and instagramming pump stuff each day. I want to understand it. And I want to seriously consider it as an option going forward.

Representatives from a few of the insulin pump companies were there to chat to before and after the session. I’ve never seen such eager salespeople out there in full force, desperately wanting our business. When our fantastic host asked for some sample tubing to show us, it literally seemed like a race to see which rep could get to her first. As I asked one of the reps if a meal bolus was as simple as inputting the number of carbs into the device, she began hurriedly cramming in as much information as she could before the talk resumed. I’ve never seen anything like it.

The topic of Continuous Glucose Monitors came up briefly. As I have written in recent days, Continuous Glucose Monitors aren’t subsidised by the government here in Australia. The cost of purchasing a CGM device and its operating consumables is excessive. While having a CGM may not matter to myself, I know that it could make a world of difference to young children and parents out there.

I thought it was rather interesting to hear the representatives in the room quickly removing themselves of any responsibility for those excessive costs. They urged us to write to our Members of Parliament. They urged us to lobby the government for subsidies towards CGMs and diabetes devices. As though it’s out of their hands.

These companies are responsible for the excessive costs of these devices. I hardly got the feeling that these people genuinely wanted to help me make my diabetes management easier. I so badly wanted to know if they even had diabetes themselves!

***

Excuse ranty, 2015 Frank. In hindsight, that evening probably could have been designed a little bit better. The good news is that on Thursday October 12, Perth Diabetes Care will be hosting a tech evening, designed by people with diabetes. I’ll be speaking about my own journey with technology, all of the highs, lows and everything I wish I was told on that evening. If you’re in Perth I highly recommend you come along, have a play with the tech and meet other people with diabetes. Details below.

Travelling With an Insulin Pump

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My latest column is now up over at Diabetes Daily, and I’m tackling the topics of travel and insulin pumping.

When I first started on insulin pump therapy last year, I was given an overload of information in the space of a day and a half. At the time, I was still trying to get my head around the strange new device that was attached to me. I took all of the information packets away with me and tucked them into my diabetes file at home. However it wasn’t until I embarked on my first flight with an insulin pump earlier this year, that I began to consider some of that information in more depth.

You can read the rest of my column over at Diabetes Daily, so grab a coffee and settle in.

Multiple Daily Injections, a Second Time Round

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I definitely felt hesitant about going back to Multiple Daily Injections when I was contemplating a pump break.

I didn’t really have too many fond memories of managing diabetes prior to insulin pumping. Lantus was very uneven and inconsistent the last time I used it. I felt I could never get the dose quite right. I remember lots of carb guesstimates, and the wildly fluctuating levels that followed.

But at the same time I knew that I was armed with a lot more knowledge, and motivation compared to when I last did injections. I was actually curious as to whether I could apply these newfound skills into Multiple Daily Injections a second time round.

I gave 9 units of Lantus at around 9pm on the first night of my pump break, which was the sum of the 24 hour basal profile on my pump. I was pretty pleased to see that it did keep me fairly stable when I woke up the next morning.


I was definitely contemplating splitting my Lantus dose, but I wasn’t sure how best to go about it. The general consensus in forums seemed to be that Lantus lasted around 18 hours at best. After running high during the first two afternoons, I decided to experiment with a smaller second dose at 1pm to cover the final third of my day. 3 units seemed to be enough to cover, without sending me low overnight.

After months of diligent carb counting, I knew I definitely wouldn’t be able to survive without a bolus calculator. Although there were plenty of flashy diabetes apps to choose from in the App Store, many of them lacked a bolus calculator. I eventually found RapidCalc for $12.99. Although it didn’t have the flashiest interface, it fitted my needs nicely. I was able to set up my insulin to carb ratios, correction factors, insulin usage profile, and reminders for my Lantus doses.


This break definitely reinforced that to me that you tend to use less insulin on the pump. On the pump, I was using a carb ratio of 1:10g and a correction factor of 1:2.6mmol. On injections, I needed a ratio of 1:6g and a correction factor of 1:1.6mmol. Being off by even half a unit of insulin had a big impact on my blood sugar levels after meals.

What I loved most about injections was the simplicity of it all. There was instant relief from the lows, and far less thinking about where my blood sugar was heading. Small activities around the house had minimal effect on my blood sugar levels. I witnessed steady trend arrows on my Libre during afternoon walks, rather than downward ones. Using Lantus for my basal, rather than rapid acting insulin on the pump, made a BIG difference here. The only time I had to think about lows was when I had mealtime insulin on board.

Gotta say, it was also just awesome to sprawl out on the couch or in bed and not feel that chunk there in my pocket. And I loved having a little less weight in my pockets every time I left the house.

Overall, my blood sugar levels were just as good on injections as they were when I was pumping.

But shots were definitely a LOT of work. Although I carried my pen around with me in my pocket everywhere, I don’t shoot up in front of others. So I really had to make a point of finding a quiet corner to do so when I wanted to eat or correct a high blood sugar level. Speaking of, morning blood sugars were a LOT harder to manage. I didnt have the flexibility of increasing my basal insulin to cover the morning rise after I woke up. I often found myself giving at least 3 corrections after breakfast to bring me back into range. If I had stuck with injections for longer, I would definitely basal test with a few extra units of rapid acting insulin to cover the morning rise.

My pump break definitely reminded of something that Ginger at Diabetes Daily wrote recently. She says that neither pens or pumps were perfect, and that we were choosing between the flaws that bothered us the least. I couldn’t agree more.

For me personally, an insulin pump is a LOT more work than injections. Keeping on top of site changes, dying batteries and insulin cartridges, and having to be on my game in setting basal rates around my activity. It’s more careful thinking about what you’re doing. Not to mention the extra chunk in my pockets pulling my shorts down!

But a pump also offers me more convenience when I’m on the go, more precision in my basal rates and greater flexibility with insulin dosing to cover different kinds of meals.

For the time being, those benefits outweigh the flaws when managing my diabetes.