The Honest Truth About Switching to an Insulin Pump | She's Diabetic

It's a long one, but I think the concept of switching to an insulin pump and the reality of what that means deserves and needs time to be explained.

However, for ease of viewing/skipping to critical bits, I'm linking specific timecodes below:

00:54 Why Change?
2:10 The Process of Switching / First Impressions
8:03 Positive Discoveries
11:44 Roundup
11:49 3 Positives
12:35 3 Negatives
14:58 Would I Recommend Switching to an Insulin Pump?

Are you on an insulin pump or multiple daily injections? What are your thoughts? Comment down below and be sure to like and subscribe for more!

*VLOGGING EQUIPTMENT*

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[chuckschillingvideos]

Insulin pumps have been a godsend to me. I started on insulin pump therapy back in 2008 and will be on my fifth pump starting next week - a Medtronic 780G. The freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want, and not have to carry syringes and pens around, nor worry about the terrible results I always had with long acting insulin has been enormously liberating. I can't even begin to tell you or anyone else who might care to listen what a beneficial effect insulin pumps have had on my life.

[candiceaustin]

Oh my heart as a diabetes nurse educator I feel for you on the lack of support you received from your team😢 every country ( I’m Canadian( every DEC is different but our team does pre- pump training then a saline start and then then go on the pump.( 3 appointments) We follow up daily then weekly. You are a rock star figuring that out on your own!! I love your elegance, wisdom & how you articulate your diabetes! I love watching these videos to make me a better educator!!!

[HayleySulfridge]

A friend of mine is type 1 and I love videos like this and learning what her “normal” must be

[tehKapw]

I switched to a pump 6 months ago and WTF didn't i get this sooner?!

For me, the MDIs were the "reminding me i'm diabetic" artifacts and sticking to the regimen after 3 decades was just plain tough, emotionally.

Although I was nervous and excited, the flexibility of the pump is amazing and without some significant change or discovery, i'll never go back. The pump and the CGM give me so much more control over my life, they've given me a feeling of efficacy i don't ever remember having over my BG (diagnosed 1988).

It's embarrassing to admit that i also ran to youtube with medical device questions, but we're fortunate there are many folks like you (and Danica who also taught me how to use an infusion set i was unfamiliar with) making these videos, so _thank you_ for reminding me i wasn't the only one who felt unsure about how to use this potentially dangerous thing i'm leashed to.

[dmoltzan]

I'm a diabetes educator and your "bad experiences" are good to know for training my pump patients. I'm sorry your support was not different. I believe your comments will enable the diabetes educators out here to do a better job at anticipating how to get someone on a pump in a less overwhelming way. I'm not diabetic but profess that if I was I would absolutely go on a pump, but one that comes with that great support every pump patient needs.Thank you for your candid video. Denise M

[joannabuttercase]

Hi! I am type 1, diagnosed about 7 years ago just before I turned 19, Im currently on lantus and novorapid multiple daily injections. I get very very changeable blood sugars so I've never really felt in control and definitely am considering a switch to the pump, but it's never been suggested by my team, and I feel very scared to bring it up, but I get sooo much anxiety and burnout currently. I also don't know a single other person with type one so finding your channel and instagram has made me feel less isolated (and a bit emotional because actually having some of my struggles recognised by someone else makes me feel less of a failure for having them!) I guess I just wanna say thanks so much for making this happen! You're so brave for doing this and you've really helped me feel less alone :)

[IanRobertDouglas]

My beautiful 9-year-old boy was diagnosed as Type 1 just one week ago after an emergency rush to hospital in Cairo where we live. He was suffering DKA. His vitals are stabilised now, but my own emotions aren't. I would do anything to take it from his body and put it in mine. As I scramble for information, and process the shock, this video really helped me. The content, yes. But more to see someone with the same diagnosis so articulate, so collected and so buoyant. You give me strong hope when I need it.

[stephaniefoster]

I am newly diagnosed as Type 1 diabetic (last 2 weeks) and it has been a roller coaster of being overwhelmed. I appreciate your video and your honesty not only about the pump but everything you were going through. It is very encouraging to me that I'm not the only one going through this. Thank you for taking the time to make this video...🙂

[boatman]

Thank you so much for being so candid about the challenges you faced and continue to face as a type 1 diabetic! Nearly five decades of living with this at times heartlessly demanding disease makes it very easy for me to relate to the fears, frustrations, and feelings of other diabetics. Your story concerning the lack of training and assistance you received when switching to pump therapy both made me angry and sad. I was an out of work photojournalist living in California when I was first diagnosed and although that was nearly 50 years ago I can well remember how I felt when the ER doctor said, "You have a blood sugar of nearly 800 and if you don't get on insulin soon you will die." At the time I had no job, almost no money, no health insurance and was in the process of getting evicted from my apartment. Minutes after being told I was a diabetic I walked out of the emergency room with a bottle of NPH insulin, a box of insulin syringes, and the admonition to eat a healthy diet. Back then there was no internet and no YouTube to turn to which makes me all the more appreciative of what you and other kind and caring diabetics are doing to help those suffering from this difficult disease to get on with their lives by learning the skills necessary for managing their diabetes. God bless you and the others like you who are filling the terrible void created by a medical system virtually hamstrung by financial constraints and a profit over all else motivation.

[normc]

The video is at least four years old now, so I can't really say "Welcome to the Club" anymore... oh, what the heck... Welcome to the Club!

I got my first pump around 2007 and upgraded to my second pump in, if I recall correctly, 2015. I'm about due for another, which I'll likely do in the next year, or so.

Prior to that, I was on multiple daily injections for many years, but at the beginning, I was on a single daily injection. The dosage was around 12 units of Toronto and 60-70 units of NPH. I'm not even sure if they make those flavours anymore! But, that's the way it was when I was diagnosed 50 years ago.

Pumps are great, relatively easy to use, and do a fantastic job in making me feel more... "normal". They're not perfect, but nothing really is.

Keep on keepin' on!

[charlynsirmans]

From the bottom of my heart thank you so much for this video. Less than 2 years ago I became an instant diabetic when my pancreas was surgically removed because of renal cancer. I tell people it’s definitely a lot harder to be a diabetic than a cancer patient. Multiple injections and the constant fear of lows much like you were experiencing are exhausting. I am almost 72 and have just received the shipments of my Dexcom G6 and T slim. That’s a lot of scary technology for an oldster! I’ve been watching tons of stuff today waiting to hear back about an appointment with my “educator”. Your authentic expression of your experience gave me such hope. I am also receiving immunotherapy which comes with nausea and decreased appetite. Like you expressed I focus on eating more carbs and my glucose supplements. You gave me hope that emotionally I can get somewhat back to normal after an expected learning curve. I am learning so much from you. I am very grateful!

[melodyflanagan]

At age 64, I was diagnosed with Type 1. I wound up in the ICU with blood sugar at 500! My A1C had always been 6.5. WHAT, HOW COULD THIS BE? I'm in the process of switching over to a pump. Just waiting for insurance to approve. I'm so grateful I found you. Yes, my anxiety is high!

[Lobstrique]

i always felt like the "how many highs/lows a month did you have?" question is just an exquisite torture to make you feel like the worst diabetic in the world :D

[OldVideoGeek]

Hi I'm an old dude almost 76 years old male and to me nothing is more important than feeling good. Although you didn't really directly answer the question since you said you would never give it up in 1 million years I'm assuming that it did make you feel better. The one thing that I have learned over the past decades is that many of the doctors are happier with having your blood sugar a little high than ever letting it go low. For me I want to keep it is perfect as I possibly can and your video was very helpful regarding that. Thanks a lot keep up your good work.

[GeorgeSanguinetti-qptk]

Thank You, I'll be starting with a pump shortly, I've using injections for the past 48 years. I have many of the concerns you've discussed in the video. Hearing someone voice them out loud means so much.

[IsolatedEcho]

I've been a T1 diabetic for a little over 10 years. Just like you, I was battling frequent low blood sugars with daily injections. For whatever reason lantus wasn't absorbing properly for me at the beginning of this year even though I had been using it ever since my diagnosis. Spoke with my Endo and was able to get on an insulin pump with the insurance provided from my work. For the last 3 months that I've been on the pump, my A1C was 5.5 with VERY minimal lows. Happy to see others are having similar successful results with insulin pumps and hoping for the continuous advancements in diabetes technology and maybe one day a cure😊✌️

[jcollinwood]

Your take on the emotional part of it all was something that I needed to hear and I totally wasn't expecting to, Thank you. I was looking for views on insulin pumps and I got much more than that by watching your video." Every minute of every hour of every day " put tear's in my eyes, it's real. I'm also type 1. Good luck to you.

[markfitzsimmons]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm a 38yo T1D diagnosed at 7 and on MDI. I've been considering a pump and watching a lot of youtube videos but the majority are focused on the physical aspects of wearing a pump. It was so nice to hear your take on the affects on your mental state. Thanks for your honesty. It's given me a lot to think about :)

[TM]

I've just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (two days ago) I loved how you talked about how personal it is. Since I was a kid I saw my grandmother battle with her type 1 diabetes, and always been afraid of it. Today I have it. I have to deal with it... I know everything is going to be allrigth, but I am still in shock if I am honest. Nevertheless, I am here looking to learn to live my new life with optimism. Thank you for your videos! :)

[ialone]

As a man more or less born with diabetes, I deeply appreciate this video. I'm 34 now. I will get this pump next week and wanted to know more about it, and your video really gave a good perspective
Very detailed. Thank you so much. And good luck with your diabetes! ❤️🙏🏼