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Friday, December 10, 2010

Minimed Paradigm Insulin Pump - Getting Used To It and Eating

I'm getting used to my new insulin pump. I've had it about two months now. It's a MiniMed Paradigm with Medtronic. The company has been terrific to deal with. It is getting easier to manage my diabetes, but I'm still not keeping it in a good range. That's my fault. I have to become more aggresive with my eatting and diet. I seem to stay hungry. They say the insulin will do that.

I remember I was having such a hard time making the choice between Medtronic's Minimed, the Omnipod and Insulet and another insulin pump company. I'm glad I chose the Minimed. It's hard though still remembering that the pump is attached to me and I have the tubing to deal with. It's great being able to keep track of my numbers, knowing how much insulin I have "on board" in my system and having the pump calculate my dosages for me. I still need to manage these numbers to keep in range. I've had some very low numbers (40's thru 60's) and still have the highs (300s and 400s). But, I do know that I can get them in better range if I do my part a lot better.

My problem is I love to snack and eat. My eating schedule is erratic and days are very long. I'm not real good at watching all I put into my body in a day. I'm not a 3 time a day eatter with a couple of snacks thrown in.

I check the web for interesting recipes and I watch my carbs.

I'm getting ready to order the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) that goes with the Minimed. It will help me with those lows and highs I've been having if I can see where I'm at at any time. I already feel like a pin cushion on my stomach and have been using alternate sites. It's getting better because I don't have to give insulin injections so much now. I still do a lot a fingerpricks (7-10 a day). It's good for me know where I'm at, so I don't mind so much.