So I have been on pumps for about 11 years now, and have thought a bit about going back to shots. I am frustrated with dealing with medical companies that do not get their billing or shipments right, causing me extreme stress. I am wondering ultimately if the pumps are really that much more freeing- or if it is a bit of a scam. Has anyone switched back?
I do lead an active lifestyle- which ultimately is what guided me to the pumps in the first place. Though growing up I was on shots, and still active in a lot of sports. Anyway I would love to hear from others....
I can’t speak to a full switch, but OmniPod messed up a shipment, and it was sent to my billing address about 2 weeks late… Safe to say I was out of pods, and shots for 7 or 8 days was enough to convince me how much I love my pump!
I had forgotten completely about balancing everything on your knees in the bathroom, trying not to touch anything, when I was in a place I didn’t feel comfortable giving myself a shot in public. I forgot a lot of things, and I’ve barely been pumping for 6 months.
Here is an interesting article from the ADA’s Clinical Diabetes site. While clearly written from a clinical perspective, the terminology is pretty accesible and it certainly seems to support the efficacy of pump therapy over MDI regimes.
Anecdotally, I recall a diabetes nurse explaining how a relatively small amount of injected insulin (via MDI) is actually used, with the remainder being lost/wasted by the body; up to 40% may be unused? I’ve searched online but can’t find anything specifically addressing this. Maybe someone else can chip in here? Conversely, pump therapy allows far more of the insulin to be used, therefore giving greater consistency. Ultimately, it seems to come down to mimicking the behaviour of the pancreas as closely as possible. Everything I’ve read suggests that pump therapy offers the best way of achieving this. That said, we’re all different and I’d be the first to flame the ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Not a physician, but AFAIR, a lot of insulin is indeed lost under MDI – but that’s because of the subcutaneous (under-the-skin) delivery method contrasted with direct injection into the bloodstream for a non-diabetic.
Since pumps deliver the same way, I’d expect similar loss. Now if you’re talking 1-2 shots/day of long-acting insulin, that’s probably a different story.
It’s also possible that mimicking the pancreas’ actual pattern would be more efficient – but on pump cna do that yet; it would mean hundreds of daily micro-injections, literally per-bite.
I have not switched back but would agree with Maia. I just had to do MDI for a half a day as I ripped off my pod and didn’t want to change my routine so I just figured I’d cover with shots. Here is what I didn’t like that I had with my pod. Went over by some friends for dinner so I had to count my carbs (no big deal) and then I went to the bathroom to give myself the injection. I used my podd to calculate the amount of insulin which came to 2.35 units, which I have no idea how you can achieve that accuracy from a syringe. Could live with that but then after I ate I felt like eating a little more and I did not want to have to take another shot were as with my pod I would just add the additional carbs and input and eat! Also no extended bolus and I can’t believe how this helps me to cover meals. After my meal I checked later and had a high bg so had to take a correction shot. Other things to consider: basal rates can be adjusted especially if your active and I have 3 different settings for each day. It’s a headache with the billings but after 5 months of being on shots I personally would not choose to go back. Good Luck.
Well here is my thought i have been diabetic for 34years i am 37 and have known nothing else but daily shots but i will be starting on my pod next week and i will go into this with an open mind and sometimes i wonder why again am i getting on a pump my bloodsugars do go up and down but my sugars over the three month mark is 7.5 so yes my range could be alittle better, so with all that said i will start this but if it causes more stress than i want its back to the injections.
I am glad to have gotten all the input. When I think about how much the pump has changed my life, it is pretty significant. I have been on a pump for over 10 years, so I appreciate all the reminders of what I had to do on shots.
I am 31 and was diagnosed when I was 2. I have been on a pump now for 4 years. I was originally on the medtronic pump and I liked it. I rarely had a problem with it. I decided to change to the omnipod in August of this year and I love it. I have had a few problems with it but their customer service is phenomenal! They give you all kinds of tips on how to correct problems. I had to have my PDM replaced because my problems were serious. Always have an insulin syringe on you when you have a pump. You never know when they may come off. I have had some (both brands) come off at work.
