Improve Your Health and Manage Diabetes With an Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitor
As a type 1 diabetic, it is important to do all you can to keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range in order to maintain your health. Part of this therapy is continual monitoring of your blood sugar levels and the right amount of insulin to counteract the sugar and carbohydrates in your diet. An insulin pump to subcutaneously deliver insulin for your needs and a continual glucose monitor to track your blood sugars throughout the day are both great tools to help you manage your diabetes. Here are some information and tips to help you successfully use this medical equipment to improve your health and lifestyle.
Follow the Device Instructions
It is important that you properly use your insulin pump to make sure it delivers the right amount of insulin. When you first started using the device, you should have received instructions and training from a medical professional to help you get started and to handle common troubleshooting. It is a good idea to refer to the instruction manual when you begin using the insulin pump on your own for the first little while until you can learn how to refill and calibrate the pump easily.
Make sure you follow the proper steps to refill the insulin reservoir inside the and replace the infusion tubing to ensure regular deliver of insulin. Because you rely on insulin for a healthy blood sugar regulation, this can cause your blood sugar level to rise to a dangerous level.
Also take care to calibrate the continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on your insulin pump in a regular manner to help ensure the blood glucose readings on the meter and delivery of the insulin to you remain accurate. Using a CGM can help prevent you from having severe low blood sugar levels and can help manage your A1C. In fact, a recent two-year study found that diabetics using a CGM were able to lower their A1C from 8.3 percent to 7.1 percent.
Protect Yourself From Infection
Keeping yourself safe from infection is an important part of using your insulin pump and CGM. Each time you insert new tubing under your skin or take a finger stick to calibrate your CGM, for example, you take the risk of allowing bacteria to enter into your body. Be sure to follow the instructions to replace your tubing and catheter on the insertion site for your pump and never reuse equipment.
Thoroughly clean the site before breaking your skin. Use a clean alcohol swab to clean the site in a circular manner, starting in the center and working your way outward on the site. To help the site air dry, do not blow on it, as this can place new bacteria onto the site. If you want to help the site dry more quickly, fan it lightly with the replacement equipment's clean packaging.
Repair and Replace the Device When Necessary
There may come a time when your insulin pump and CGM may malfunction due to its age or damage from an external force. In a situation as this, your device's warranty should cover its repair and replacement. Contact a company like Ultimate Biomedical Solutions that offers medical equipment maintenance to get information about having it replaced or repaired.
Your diabetes management device manufacturer will do all they can to help you keep managing your diabetes during an interruption of your device's performance. Ask them about a temporary replacement device while yours is being repaired or quick shipping on your replacement device. They will also make sure you have plenty of insulin for your needs to inject manually to keep your blood sugar levels properly managed until you can resume your insulin pump infusion therapy.