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3/23/2017
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Colts Neck, NJ
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Hi
My Dr again suggested I start using an insulin pump to get my high blood sugar looking better.
I rejected it 10 years ago but started wondering if there are better devices these days that would work with a motocross lifestyle.
Does anyone in here ride with an insulin pump and if so, what model?
Cheers/ Fred
My Dr again suggested I start using an insulin pump to get my high blood sugar looking better.
I rejected it 10 years ago but started wondering if there are better devices these days that would work with a motocross lifestyle.
Does anyone in here ride with an insulin pump and if so, what model?
Cheers/ Fred
Can’t speak to riding with one, but my wife and oldest daughter are Type 1 and use insulin pumps linked to CGMs and they are great. You still need to calibrate them often, but much better than constantly testing and using syringes.
You can always disconnect the pump while riding, and just connect it again when you get back to the truck. The biggest thing is that you don’t have the uneven Lantus delivery with the pump.
Years ago someone said the lines can be flushed if you take the pump off but is it a pain in the arse I wonder?
Would be interesting to hear someone who has a pump and rides.
The Shop
I use the Abbott Freestyle LibreLink CGM that I scan with my phone. It doesn’t transmit the values to the phone by itself so doesn’t alarm when low or high but it’s way better than pricking your finger which in periods of my life, wasn’t done in years.
I’m interested to find out, just like you mentioned, what is done when riding. Does taking off and putting on take a lot of time, do you have to compensate when putting back on etc. I guess that’s my main concern. Also are there pumps that are easier to operate?
CGM is a game changer for riding. I take my pump off when riding and I race hare scrambles so for 2 hours im without my pump. Before CGM it was trying to find a balancing act to get a glucose reading higj enough to not tank turing the race but low enough so going 2 hours without a basal rate wouldn’t create high readings after the race. Basically this involved getting to the race at 8 for a 10 oclock start and checking every 20-30 min and eating / bolusing accordingly.
Now with CGM i can see where glucose is trending (high/low) over the past 24 hours and see whether it is dropping, rising, constant, etc. Much less guesswork and much more consistency (and my A1C has been constantly in the 6’s since ive been on the pump).
I definitely suggest you look into it. I also just got a new pump where the CGM and pump talk to eachother (Tslim with Control IQ). It adjusts the basal rate based on a 30 minute prediction based on the CGM readings and trends. Closest thing to an artificial pancreas available IMO.
Anyway, good luck. Its not really a terrible deal and there are much worse crosses to bear. The key is finding what works for you and it takes time.
My wife disconnects hers for showering, bathing, swimming, etc. Because she puts it in disconnect mode, her CGM knows to alert her quicker because it knows that she won’t be receiving insulin.
One tip is that most insurance companies have a “preferred” brand of pump or CGM that they will try to get you to use because of financial considerations. But if your doctor feels that a different brand or type is better for your situation, it usually only takes a letter from them to get their recommended equipment covered as fully as any other equipment.
I always ride with a kidney belt, feel naked without.
You guys that ride with a pump, would it be possible to use a kidney belt with the pump and Dexcom G6?
I use the Libre CGM but no pump. I would have some concerns about it falling off or getting otherwise damaged. I already lose plenty of Libre sensors as it is doing longer sand motos when things get sweaty.
My take would be that if you are having enough episodes that the pump will improve your daily life, go for it.
Also, the place that provides the Dexcom supplies includes clear adhesive wound dressings to put over the sensor. I haven’t lost a Dexcom sensor yet (pool, moto, shower, etc.)
Pit Row
I’ve had various pumps over the past 10 years or so. I started out riding without it but switched to wearing it while riding. In my opinion the Omnipod is the absolute best insulin pump out there for active people. I love mine as much as you can love a pump. I’ve been T1 for 37 years and was very hesitant to get a pump. It helped control my sugars much much better. My opinion is you have to be mentally ready to wear a pump tho.
Pump wise the tandem t-slim + Dexcom G6 with basal IQ pretty much changed my life, look it up.
that said, If I were young again, I sure would have liked the Dexcom and pump that communicates..
My son is on a CGM, and we mounted his iPhone in a case to his roost guard so we could track his number.
He is a type 1 endo in Texas. And he has compiled his methods into a book that has some helpful information.
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