[IP] sites and pump choices
Cheryl Hite
email @ redacted
I apologize for this rant but I'm so frustrated right now, please help.
Jan Dxd 1/64
Pumping since 4/02
Jan - I've been pumping since Christmas 1986. Probably the first 10 years
were with bent needle sets...I don't think there was anything else
available. I always used my abdomen and worried about using it up and
wondered what I would do next. As more options became available, I settled
on Silhouettes, or Comforts, or whatever else the same set is called. I like
the slanted insertion because I don't have much fat to poke (5'7", 119 lbs).
I have found spots on my butt cheeks that are comfortable and out of the
way. I had to sit on my bathroom counter so I could see my butt in the
mirror and watch what wiggles when I sit down or squirm around. There is a
spot on the side of your butt where no muscles wiggle when you squirm.
That's been a good place for me...it's probably about two inches around
(don't know if that would vary if my butt were bigger or not...how do I test
that?). I also use my love handles, but do have to be careful about wearing
pants with varying waist band positions. That's also true if I use my upper
abdomen, I've been bitten hard by some of my pants! I change my sites on
Monday mornings and Thursday evenings before the meal. That's 3.5 days per
site.
To answer the person's question about whether I'd choose the same pump
manufacturer again...I had various Minimeds for 18 years, but last year I
switched to a Cozmo and I LOVE it. Especially now that she's been upgraded
to the 1800(?)software. She's a worry wart, but I've really come to depend
on her to keep me in line. All of my Minimed pumps were named Fred; they
plodded along and did exactly what I told them to do, but had no initiative
or imagination. My Cozmo is Sophia (remember Bea Arthur's mother in Golden
Girls?). No male would nag the way she does! But I know her nagging is
serving an important purpose and I love having the meter attached so she
knows exactly what we're dealing with when we decide about meal boluses.
When I got my first pump, I had no choice but Minimed (I wanted to
participate in an experiment at Johns Hopkins, and Minimed was running it,
so everybody involved used Minimed pumps!). Over the years, other pumps came
along and I was curious about some of them, but people were having various
problems with their pumps...not using them, but pump problems, so I kept
using Minimed, but began to dislike their attitude, so when it was time to
decide on a new pump, I talked to everybody I could find and decided on the
Cozmo. I'm very happy with my choice.
Cheryl Hite
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