6. Does the Pump Really Change Anything?

In my case? Here are the facts:

1. In 1998 my A1c's were all 8.6 (all 3 of them). These were all ordered by my PCP. I did not have an endo due to frustration of many in the past.
2. In Apr 1999 I was introduced to this list and carb counting. By using Pumping Insulin and faith that I knew what I was doing :) I started carb counting. When I met with an Endo in June, my A1c was down to 8.2. The endo thought a pump was a good idea for me, but his support staff (CDE, nurses, etc) were very out of date and I was teaching them stuff at our meetings. Since this was a big endeavor for me, I decided to find another new endo.
3. In late Sept. 1999 I saw a new endo, who is now my current endo. She right away had me meet with the CDE and nutritionist to figure out what my carb ratio, correction ratio, and insulin needs should be, and to make sure I was counting carbs correctly. It turned out that I hadn't been far off. She gave me a month to really get things down and then she approved the pump. My A1c in early Nov. at that appt. was 7.8!
4. In late Nov. I started pumping Saline for a week. Dec. 6, 1999 I started pumping, the wait was mostly getting an appointment with the CDE. My first A1C was 7.6 after pumping and has stuck there since.

1. I can skip breakfast, I can skip lunch or eat it at 2pm, I can eat dinner at 4pm or 9pm or 11pm if I want.
2. I can do my job a LOT more effectively. I am a consultant for a integration company that helps companies update and create their websites. My clients vary from being located in San Francisco to London, while I am in the Boston area. We work on their time so flexibility for meals is a must. Plus travel and eating is never an easy thing.
3. My average day before pump was between 25-350 and I spent a lot of times bouncing between the extremes. My bgs before meals weren't bad, but the in-between was awful. My bgs now are between 50-250 with most of them between 100-150. Remember that an A1C is an average!
4. I feel so much MUCH better with my bgs more consistent. I have actually forgotten to eat meals while wrapped in work and came out with 100s. While before pump I would be reminded by a crashing bg and a trip either to the kitchen for a regular soda or a trip to the ER.
5. I can get my bgs down so much faster and tweak my boluses as needed for exercise. High bgs were always a pain to treat between meals because of the unused insulin factor, where now it is a lot more straight forward with only H in the system. Also exercise was such a pain. I always had to eat as many if not more calories when I worked out, then I burned off. Made exercise seem like a waste of time.
6. Spontaneity, Spontaneity, Spontaneity! I don't have make plans around picking up my supplies. If my husband and I go shopping at the mall and it takes longer then planned it isn't a problem. If we decide we want to stay and grab dinner and a movie it is doable. I don't know how I ever functioned before the pump.

--Sherry Webb Nolan