Pump Information Evening.

Walk to the hospital.

Last Thursday, I attended a pump information evening at my diabetes clinic. Having been accepted for an insulin pump, I was keen to go and listen to what they had to say about insulin pumps and what comes next. 

I feel like I've lived at my diabetes clinic for the last few months: pump assessment clinic, dietitian, a follow up with my DSN, my annual review and then finally the pump information evening. Well, appointments aren't going to get any less frequent with the insulin pump, especially during the first year or so. It's a good thing the hospital has a nice, new coffee shop that I can frequent, and the walk there is really nice too! 

There was a girl there that already had an insulin pump who was able to answer any questions we had about the practicalities of having one, which was very useful, and a DSN talked through the advantages and disadvantages of it. 

We were shown various types of insulin pump. I was surprised by the Omnipod. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but, for me personally, not something I would want. If you don't have the personal diabetes manager (or PDM), or the PDM fails, you have no way of bolusing with it, where as with the Accu Chek, Medtronic and Animas pumps you can. I like to be as prepared as I can be for various diabetes-related situations, and not being able to bolus without the PDM isn't something I'd feel comfortable with.

My diabetes clinic tends to start patients on the Accu Chek insulin pump, which I'm happy with. I already use the Accu Chek Aviva Expert blood glucose meter, so that's one piece of equipment I already feel comfortable with, and I like the fact that I can bolus remotely with the meter (as well as press buttons on the pump should the meter fail).

So, now we wait. I know I can't start on the pump until after my final exams (at the request of both myself and my consultant), but fingers crossed for early June!