In all reality, not much has changed in preparation of exercising. COB, IOB are still the two items I am always conscious of – just how they get to me changes. While on the pump, I always disconnected before working out for 1.5 hours or less. This would tend to leave me in a basal deficit when I got out of the shower and reconnected and I would be forced to bolus immediately to both fill the cannula and get some insulin on board. However, now using Lantus, I do not have that insulin deficit when disconnecting. On the other hand, I do not start working out with a BG <180, Carbs-on-board and limited Insulin-on-board. I have purchased fun-sized candy that are 10 grams each – one or two candies are usually enough to get a BG <150 into my acceptable pre-workout range (also ensuring limited IOB). On the flip side, using the pump, I could be at any BG, and as long as I lowered my basal far enough in advance, I could raise my BG manually without additional carbs (however, I would end up going into further insulin deficit during the period of disconnect from the pump).
Not having to worry about the insulin deficit from disconnecting is a huge benefit for me during exercise – one reason why I am currently considering the OmniPod for my next pump.
As for the OmniPod in particular, I used a demo Pod for a few days over the weekend and I was somewhat impressed. Although the device is significantly large, it stays in place and has a smooth surface all around, unlike some of the MiniMed infusion sets I have used over the years. However, the inside information is calling for a 40-50% smaller Pod late 2010 or early 2011 (awaiting FDA approval). From the investor relations slides, it appears to retain its distinctive shape in a smaller package.
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Interesting information. My son, Kyle was diagnosed 10/14/08 (he was 8 yrs), and we got him the One Touch Ping one month after. I had never discussed with his Team about using Lantus in conjunction with the pump. Other than Football season, and daily exercise, that is the extent of his physical activity. We demo-ed the Contact-Detach infusion set-and it seemed to keep him regulated more-although he despised the hard needle that remained under his skin..so back to the inset!
Thank you for the information!
What I was hinting at is a hybrid approach — coined “Un-tethering”.
You can read about it here: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/clinic/untethered.htm
It’s not something that I have ever done for an extended period of time — and would mostly be a moot point if I went on the OmniPod. It is a little complicated to get started, but makes complete sense for active folks who like to disconnect frequently.
Interesting information. My son, Kyle was diagnosed 10/14/08 (he was 8 yrs), and we got him the One Touch Ping one month after. I had never discussed with his Team about using Lantus in conjunction with the pump. Other than Football season, and daily exercise, that is the extent of his physical activity. We demo-ed the Contact-Detach infusion set-and it seemed to keep him regulated more-although he despised the hard needle that remained under his skin..so back to the inset!
Thank you for the information!