10 tips for your insulin pump

Whether you’re new to insulin pumps, or have been pumping for most of your life, there’s always something new to learn! Here are our top 10 tips.

1. The Bolus Wizard on your insulin pump lets you set up to 8 sensitivity settings throughout the day. Your insulin sensitivity is the amount that your blood glucose level is reduced by one unit of insulin and might vary throughout the day.

2. If you have different schedules on different days (like work days and weekends) which leads to different insulin needs, you can program up to 2 additional basal rate patterns. This allows you to switch from a basal rate on a normal day to different basal rates an instant.

3. If you ever need just a little more insulin for a bolus (ok, let’s say a whole lot more), but reached the maximum delivery on your pump, here’s how to change the "Max bolus" setting.

4. A Dual Wave bolus gives you an immediate bolus with the remaining insulin delivered over a set amount of time. This feature is useful for meals with both rapid and slowly absorbed carbohydrates (i.e. a lunch buffet or pizza night).

5. Each of the bars on your battery icon on your pump screen represents approximately 25% of your battery life. Here are more 5 things to learn about the icons on your pump screen.

6. When your battery is in a normal mode, if you hold the “B” button and press the down arrow at the same time during any active alert your pump light will turn on. Good to know when you're in the dark and your pump starts alarming.

7. Open and close your battery cap with a thick coin, like a nickel or quarter. Tighten until the slot is horizontal to prevent it from overtightening.

8. There's a taping technique that can be used with your infusion set known as an “open face sandwich” that helps your sets stick better. We promise you there's no turkey and bread involved.

9. If you ever need to clean your pump, use a damp cloth with water mixed with mild detergent to wipe the outside of your pump. Don’t place it under running water.

10. Sometimes life happens and things can go wrong, so having a backup plan in place can bring you some piece of mind. Make sure you have extra diabetes and pump supplies on hand in case you need them and talk to your doctor about having a diabetes management backup plan in place.

Important Safety Information

Medtronic Diabetes insulin infusion pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems and associated components are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks associated with the use of these systems. 

Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to perform a minimum of four blood glucose tests per day. Insulin pumps use rapid-acting insulin. If your insulin delivery is interrupted for any reason, you must be prepared to replace the missed insulin immediately. NOTE: Do NOT use the Bolus Wizard to calculate a bolus for a period of time after giving a manual injection by syringe or pen. The Bolus Wizard does not account for manual injections, and could prompt you to deliver more insulin than needed. Too much insulin may cause hypoglycemia. 

Please visit www.medtronicdiabetes.com/importantsafetyinformation for more details.