Infusing Can Improve Diabetes Control

By infusing, you are taking your life into your hands. It is a great way to manage diabetes but also, you must be wary of making sure you have a working set every single day you use it. My infusion set model is the silhouette model infusion set. I have a round device with three prongs on it because the connector then inserts into the set itself. Super-strong tape makes up the other portion of the device. My machine is the 630G system because I upgraded to a color screen as well as more readable screens in general.

This model pump has a screen that the bolus wizard is set to so that you can input your glucose readings in there. Or with a continuous glucose monitor, it does so automatically. Active insulin is always showing which does give you a better picture of the system in general. Bolus and Basal are menu options below the glucose screen. Above the glucose you see a battery read out as well as an how much insulin is left read out since the bottle is what reads the amount of insulin left, which as of right now is 121 units. The old pump used to measure in decimals though, the 573 Revel.

I wonder at why decimals only work for insulin doses on the new pump. The interface has a button with four directions on it, up, down, right and left. There are two buttons. The exit button is to the left in the shape of an arrow, and a button that looks like a menu to get to the menu screen. Pushing the arrow gets me to a page that states notifications-as well as-check status, pump, and settings review. The pump section is where you see how much insulin you have left. You suspend delivery on the other screen accessible by the button to the right.

This button accesses audio options, the history which tells you how much insulin you have left and how it has been distributed, reservoir and tubing for changing your set, and finally insulin settings/sensor settings. The last menu options that are on this screen are called event markers, reminders, and utilities. The Insulin settings menu has access to the bolus wizard set up screen, the basal pattern set up screen where you change your basal rates, the preset temp set up screen, and the preset bolus set up screen. The dual wave and square wave bolus setting are on this screen as well. Dual wave means that you get insulin with a normal bolus followed by a square wave, use this bolus situation on pizza or other high fat/carbohydrate foods.

Square wave boluses, on the other hand, have a separate bolus thing going on. You get to set the duration of the square wave. You enter the amount of time you need to use the square wave bolus. This pump activity cannot change the maximum bolus amount. You can cancel boluses at any time. This is something that you as the user, take responsibility for along with your need to change your infusion set. If it isn’t working, if there is blood, or it is painful, you must change your set. Changing your set is necessary to do when it goes down. This is the number one insulin pumper responsibility, period. It is necessary. You cannot go without infusion. Your blood sugar will soar if you can’t change your set in a situation. I got off shots because shots are not as low profile as my infusion set/insulin pump is. I’m doing my very best to survive though because changing your set is paramount to that goal. You need to change your set. I cannot emphasize this enough to any new pumper, change your set. If you figure out your diabetes, hey cool. I’m very close to figuring it out for good.