off topic but any one has experience with insulin pump?

i might consider it, in the past doctor wanted me to use it or consider it. sugar levels are high, i will bring it down though now.
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question 1. if you have the insulin pump it is going to be a whole in the hand or skin or where they put it in one spot, and can an infection happen from having insulin pump in hand or stomach. i dunno i am confused.

some times i get infection from site injection its aggavating me. *aggavating oh its spelt wrong.
please anyone who has insulin pump give advice.

I haven't been here for awhile so I am not sure if you are on the level or if this is a joke. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are truly asking for help.

Questions:
You said you inject 10 times per day; why do you do this? Are you eating 10 times a day, not dosing enough the first time, or overdosing, getting low blood sugar - taking too many carbs because it sucks so bad to have low blood sugar then your blood sugar gets high again and whole process starts over again with an insulin injection.

If you are taking insulin, I assume it is a fast acting insulin (Novalog, Apedira, Humalog )?

If you are talking a fast acting insulin are you also on a long acting insulin once a day (like Lantus)?

If you are going to be a successful diabetic, on the pump or multiple daily injections, you need to know your insulin to carb ratio - how much insulin does your body require for one gram of carb. It is imperative that you understand this ratio and how many carbs are in what you eat - without this understanding, you will never be able to control your diabetes. (sounds like you are insulin dependent; if you are Type II taking pills, watching diet and exercising, I don't really know how to help you but I am sure someone here can)

I will give you lots of information on the pump when you are ready for it. Most insurance companies will not approve a pump if you cannot control your BG (blood glucose) with MDI (multiple daily injections).

I am also concerned that you are getting infections from injections. It is not common, but does occur with the pump. It is rare and you will learn how to avoid it (I need to change infusion sets at 48 hours, more and I am on my way to an infection) However, you should not get an infection from a single stick with a syringe. Do you reuse your syringes? Do you alcohol wipe before each injection?

If you get back to me with answers to these questions and would like assistance from a non professional, I would be happy to help you work through this.

Using the high number of units you use, the largest pump holds 480 units, most hold 1/2 that, seems like a lot of bother for little gain. In like the control needles gives me, if I get messed up, I know who to blame. takes me 15 to 20 minutes a day to inject, takes much longer to take my pills...

The pump isn't install and forget, it still requires learning and maintenance. In you case daily. Filling, Charging daily ect! Jim

I'm with you, Jim. I trust my pens, but only need 4 shots a day.
Medicare Part B covers insulin pump supplies, though; and I am being totally hosed
because pens/syringes are Part D, where Big Pharma has carte blanche with my out of pocket.

I have considered a pump and actually attended multiple classes, seminars on them. The little needle that you insert in your skin is normally inserted in the abdominal area and changed every 2-3 days. If you qualify to get one, they will send you to classes on its operation and maintenance. After much research into them, I decided to work on perfecting my injections. Pumps may work for some people just fine, but, it's not an easy answer or quick fix. I discovered that working on pump treatment is also a lot of work. I'd work with a good Endocrinologist to figure out the best option for your case.

Just as an FYI - most folks who are Type 2 will not qualify for an insulin pump on original Medicare. The requirement is that you have to stop producing or mostly stop producing insulin. Most type 2 produce insulin, but because of insulin resistance, need a lot more. There are exceptions though, so it's worth pursuing even if you are ultimately rejected. Private insurance and Medicaid varies, so I have nothing to say on that score.

As other posters have said, you need a good endocrinologist, not a family physician or internist, to help you at this point. If you have to give yourself more than the maximum on the insulin syringes, your doctor should have been able to get you regular, non-insulin syringes and calculated the ml needed. That's what they did before U500 (5x concentrated insulin) became available. That would reduce the number of injections you need. Oh, and the U500 is crazy expensive and most docs won't give unless they feel confident that you know what you are doing.

To reduce infection, you need to rotate your belly areas better and replace the needles more often and use the alcohol swabs more often, at least until you have this infection thing under control. It is often temporary. I get that money may be an issue. See if there is a social worker associated with your clinic and find out if there is additional help available for you.
Here's a site rotation suggestion that may help reduce the hard spots you are getting since your doc wants you to restrict to just your belly area. Print out a copy of it and as you use a spot, mark it off. Then start over (bro uses a plastic page cover and a wipe-away board marker so he doesn't have to keep printing off pages).


Finally, reduce your carbs. My clinic recommends 30-45 gr carbs per meal and 15 per snack and that's still too many carbs, but it may help reduce your need for insulin. If you are hungrier, eat something higher in fat or protein. Avoid ice cream (although high in fat, it is also really high in sugar). Remember that potatoes, rice and other starchy stuff is no different from sugar as far as your blood glucose is concerned.

I am not an expert - I started MDI last year after prednisone destroyed my good control, but then I found out I had LADA (essentially - adult onset Type 1), so my time with a working pancreas was limited anyway.

insulin pump is a not a good idea for me.
i will stick to vials. ty for information. still reading.