High-Risk Pregnancy
katiescarlett1
member
Any T1's that DON'T use a pump?
katiescarlett1
member
Just curious..Noticing a lot of you ladies seem to use one. 
I was only diagnosed last year, and I am using an insulin pen 2x/day still. The endo said he doesn't see the point in switching me to a pump yet since my numbers are good so far.
I'm almost 21 weeks and things are going well, but I'm still such a new diabetic--be nice to hear from some people who manage theirs similar to how I do. I don't know all the pump acronyms and lingo. :P
I was only diagnosed last year, and I am using an insulin pen 2x/day still. The endo said he doesn't see the point in switching me to a pump yet since my numbers are good so far. I'm almost 21 weeks and things are going well, but I'm still such a new diabetic--be nice to hear from some people who manage theirs similar to how I do. I don't know all the pump acronyms and lingo. :P
EDD 12/4/14
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Re: Any T1's that DON'T use a pump?
I use injections during my first pregnancy and this one too.
I used the pump in college and hated it. When it broke my freshman year I didn't have a good plan in place and went into diabetic ketoacidosis. So, I'm not a big fan of insulin pumps. I also find it is not well covered by my insurance and too expensive for me.
Anyway, I take 2 injections of Levemir each day (as my long acting insulin) and around 6-8 injections of Novolog. I use insulin pens because they are easier. I don't mind the injections, I'm used to them by now.
It is definitely possible to have good control of your blood sugars without a pump or a CGM, you just have to work at it. Like most of the T1 ladies on here I test my blood sugar around 8-11 times a day. I think frequent testing is the real key to good blood sugar control during pregnancy.
My first baby was born very healthy at 6 lbs 6 oz at 39 weeks (induction) and this baby is measuring right on target too and appears to be doing great.
Let me know if you have anymore questions about using injections and pregnancy
@starla487 You're definitely right about checking often, it does seem to help!!! Thanks for the welcome...
@vmt617 How was the switch for you? I know someday I may need to switch and it seems so complicated.
@heie0008 I definitely trust the pens so far. That's a horrible thing you went through, going into DKA! I was diagnosed because I was in DKA...so scary. Glad you're doing better and that you have two healthy babies to show for it (well the second one soon enough!) Thanks for the input. I'll definitely hit you up if any questions come to mind. Thanks!
BFP 3/30/14.
I did injections for 11 years and have been on the pump 11 years. For me the big reason to switch was the flexibility that it gave me. Mind you insulin technology has come a long way since I was doing injections so I can't speak to how much extra flexibility it gives these days. I just remember waking up my first morning on the pump at 7 am and thinking, oh god I need to eat breakfast and do my shot! only to remember if I wanted to sleep in now I could.
Switching from injections to the pump can be tough. I wear a Medtronic pump so I can only speak to their training program but in my experience they give you a huge amount of support learning the technology and getting everything set up. I do find that a lot of diabetes nurses and endos (more the nursing staff than endos) are not as up on the technology with pumps so you do have to become a bit more of your own advocate. Of course that will probably depend on how many pumpers attend the same clinic/office that you go to.
Personally I advocate taking a few years to learn to control your diabetes "manually" as my endo calls it before considering switching to the pump. In the event of a malfunction (I've had about 5 in 11 years, two were straight out pump issues and the other three were me pulling out my site without realizing it) you need to know how to managed without the technology. I still take mini pump vacations every year or so to make sure my skills stay fresh.
You sounds like you are doing awesome so far on the injections. Sorry I can't give more input on managing things with injections during pregnancy but you've got me as a cheerleader if you ever need it
My high risk diabetes pregnancy team never put pregnant moms on the pump. Some hospitals have the policy to immediately try and get moms on the pump but my team was of the mindset it is just too steep a learning curve and too much can go wrong while learning (really high sugars).
I would expect that you will need more than 2 shots a day as the pregnancy progresses though. Way more than 2!
@KnitPixy That is good advice about really learning to the "manual" way before switching to a pump. With all those pump malfunctions, it sounds very necessary! I haven't even had one year of injections...will probably want a lot of time to figure this out--what a lifestyle change already! And thank you, I'm happy to have you as a cheerleader.
@=Lee=B You are right about the learning curve, alright! I was so scared they were going to put me on a pump and I wouldn't catch on quickly enough. Just learning to eat right and do injections is work enough right now. Yeah, that may be about more shots...my Endo says we'll stay the course until my numbers get hard to manage. So far so good, on account of the "honeymoon phase", I suspect, but he did say if we lost control, we switch to more shots! Yay! lol
BFP 3/30/14.
They just call it Type 1 but this 1.5 thing makes a lot of sense! I was 27 when I was diagnosed, plus I'm not thin, so I was definitely pegged as a type 2 at first, until they tested for antibodies. Interesting!! My Endo and Dietician have both commented that they're surprised I'm still on as little insulin as I am.
BFP 3/30/14.
I started the pump 3 weeks before we conceived Tandem pump and Dexcom continuous glucose monitor. I'm at 26 weeks tomorrow. Used pen needles for a previous pregnancy that miscarried at 8 weeks. I have much tighter control with the pump. My last two A1C's were 5.1 and 4.8 which I thought was IMPOSSIBLE!
Ultimately it's about what you're comfortable with and what helps you get through the pregnancy with a healthy mommy and baby!
If you can use an I-phone you can use a Tandem pump. I have several profiles stored in my pump so that I can copy over my settings for a 24 hour period, make adjustments and make sure they work without having to reprogram everything. I even have my pre-pregnancy profile stored for during/after delivery so we have a baseline to start at post pregnancy.
I'm finding that it's a lot easier to maintain tighter control with the pump and Dexcom combination. I can set temporary basal rights higher or lower when things aren't trending in the right direction.
If you decide you want a pump and have any say in which one you get my best advice is to research several and pick the one that's right for you. I chose the Tandem because their support staff was so helpful and they have the smallest dosing increments on the market. A rep met me at Starbucks so I could see a pump before making my decision.I ended up selecting one that was not the preferred pump per my insurance company and just maxing out my out of pocket expenses for the year. Turns out it was the best possible year to do that because I should have very little out of pocket costs associated with the baby this year.
Even without a pump I would request a continuous glucose monitor like a Dexcom if you don't have one. It has helped me head off some highs and lows before they happened.
Best of Luck to you!
Bit off topic but I'm curious of the pump users who have weighed in here who uses a CGM as well and if you do if it is a second device or built in to the pump?
My medtronic pump has a CGM capbility built in it just requires to be turned on and a second sensor be worn. I've heard a lot of folks mention the Dexcom CGM and am just curious to compare between brands what features are built in and what aren't
(@katiescarlett1 sorry to hijack your original post)
BFP 3/30/14.
BFP 3/30/14.
I am currently 15w with #2 and working hard to keep numbers in check. Weekly uploads of data for the endo and Mfm to see. Lots of work but so worth it.
BFP 3/30/14.