Diabetes & Pumps - Fed Up With Daily Injections ?

Considering changing from injections to a pump?

Just what are the issues you should consider, the benefits and drawbacks of changing your method of insulin delivery?

Could an insulin pump have implications for your health, could it help improve your long term prognosis and also help with your daily control ?

5 Benefits Of Pumping

1. Lifestyle flexibility - if your life is ruled and controlled by daily injections - when you can eat, exercise, then moving to insulin pump therapy could give you far more flexibility.  It can allow you to change meal times, skip snacks, exercise when you choose, change your insulin levels when you're unwell, all of which can improve your control.
2. Improved control - if despite carefully managing your diet you still have poor control and a high HBA1C level, your hospital or doctor may consider offering you a pump to see if it can help improve your control of daily blood sugar levels. 
3. Fewer bad hypos - if you've been in hospital because of a hypo, you'll know how quickly they can happen and how much that can limit what you're able to do or how your friends and work colleagues perceive you.  With more even levels of insulin produced by a pump, you're less likely to have serious hypos, which can improve your confidence in day to day living.
4. Fewer injections - instead of injecting several times each day, you'll only have to insert your infusion set once every 2-3 days or so.  This can help ease the stress of diabetes intruding into your life and help you feel more "normal", as well as freeing up time.
5. Less stress - research by Michigan Health concluded that "the pump is just as effective as insulin injections at controlling Type 1 diabetes in preschool-aged children" and as important, it caused less stress and worry.  This is an important factor for parents of diabetic kids to consider, as well as anyone trying to gain control of their health.    

Of course, there are other plus points, but these are the five which can offer real lifestyle & health benefits.

5 Things To Consider Before Dumping Injections

Few new technologies are all positive and here's a few possible drawbacks to consider before making the move:- 

1. Cost - for most people the high prices of pumps can be a big stumbling block.  If your medical insurance doesn't cover it or it's not offered for free in your country, the initial purchase and set up can be expensive.  There's also the ongoing costs of your diabetes pump supplies, particularly infusion sets.
2. Learning a new language -  you'll have to learn a whole bunch of new medical terms such as bolus & infusion set, as well as learn to manage a highly sophisticated piece of technology - your insulin pump.  Initially this may involve more effort than daily injections, but once mastered, you'll probably find it's a breeze.
3. More visible - if you enjoy swimming, sunbathing or wearing shorter tops and showing off your tummy, then you may need to get used to your infusion set being visible.  Even without this, wearing a pump on your waist, thigh or in your bra, may influence or indeed limit your choice of clothing, if you don't want the pump to be obvious.
4. Regular testing - if you were used to occasional testing of your sugar levels, a pump will mean you must be far more rigorous with testing your level.  This is due to the fact that if there's a blockage or air bubble  in your pump, with no insulin going into your system you can quickly become ill with high levels (a hyper) and need medical attention.  So if you can't bear pricking your fingers four, five or more times a day, pumping may not be for you.
5. Support - whilst most local medical practitioners and nurses are able to support patients who inject, you may find know more than your doctor about insulin pump therapy!  This can be unnerving at first, though you're likely to have good support from your hospital (if they have experience of pumps) and the backup of the diabetic nurse or trainer.

Of course, you'll have to evaluate your health and lifestyle priorities - as well as how much time you choose to devote to your own healthcare, to evaluate the pros and cons and make a decision for yourself. 

Recommended Resources

Phil the Mini Med Insulin Pump -