Hi
I'm a 22year old with brittle asthma. My doctors are beginning to run out of ideas how to treat me as I don't respond to normal treatments. One of the options which has been suggested is a sub cut infusion of tubutaline using a pump similar to the ones used for insulin. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips, hints or useful advice about living with one. It's all a bit daunting at the moment and I can't imagine what it would be like. It will be nice if it works and I can breathe again though!!
Thanks in advance, and I hope you don't mind me posting on here!!!
x x x :wave:

I use an insulin pump and find it far preferable to multiple daily shots. Although it does require being "attached" to something (about the size of a pager), it clips right on your belt, the waistband of your pants, or you can get devices to wear it on your leg (thigh or below the knee). I really don't find it all that intrusive.

It delivers a steady dose of insulin (called the "basal" rate) 24/7, and us diabetics program extra (called a "bolus") to cover our carbohydrate intake when we eat. We also need to test our blood glucose several times a day, which you wouldn't have to do. Also, you wouldn't have the food issues...learning how to count carbs in order to give a proper bolus. I think the whole thing would be far simpler for you than dealing with diabetes and insulin.

The insertion site gets changed about every 3-4 days, and it's also a fairly simple procedure. Takes a bit of getting used to it, but after you do it 3 or 4 times, it's a piece of cake.

Do you have any more specific questions? I'd be happy to answer anything I can. It sounds like this could make your life a lot easier!

Ruth

Hi
Thanks for the reply. how do you cope with things like swimming and sport. Do you leave it on in the shower? How do you sleep with it?????
I have to monitor my blood sugar as I'm on high dose steroids and it makes my bsl high, need to keep a careful eye out as I'm now high risk for developing diabetes, hopefully I won't though.
Thanks again
x x x

Showers are easy...you just detach it for the short time you're in the shower. For swimming, you have to either detach or I believe there's a special water-proof case you can get. The pumps themselves are water-resistant, but not waterproof enough to swim with. For us diabetics, we can usually just take a bolus before we detach of whatever amount of insulin we'd get in our basal rate for, say, an hour...then detach and go swimming.

There are lots of devices to keep the pump safe during sports. But here, again, many diabetics detach if they're going to be doing extra strenuous sports. You'd have to ask your doctor if this would work for you...could you take a bit extra medication before the sport activity, and then resume the steady basal when you're done?

Sleeping is super easy. If you don't toss and turn a lot, you can just lay the pump beside you on the bed...the tubing is long enough to allow quite a bit of slack. There's also a waist pouch (which I use), and I place the pump in the waist pouch at the small of my back. Since I toss and turn a lot, but NEVER sleep on my back, that works for me. If you wear pj's, you can just clip the pump to the waistband at the small of your back.

Amazingly, I'm almost never conscious of having something attached to me! Most people that I know who are on pumps say they got used to them very quickly.

Ruth