I am trying to decide if a pump is something I want to use instead of injections. Does anyone have any advice or pros/ cons on a pump?
I have been on a pump for quite some time. Overall I feel the pump is better and easier to manage. The only con I have is there is a possibility the tubing can get kinked and since a pump only uses fast acting insulin, if you don’t catch it quick enough your sugar will start to raise and can get pretty high. I have only had that problem twice but caught it fairly quickly.
i’m currently in the same predicament haha… i don’t like the idea of being attached to a wired box, all the same, from what i’ve heard the pump is suppose to be an effective device
It really is amazing, I have had a stroke, seizures, and been in DKA about 23 times and the pump helps me avoid all of that. Even though you are always connected to something, you don’t feel it and it gives you so much more freedom and control.
Bill:
I don’t give advice anymore … just gets misconstrued!
I LOVE MY PUMP!!! End of discussion.
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
I was on the pump for about 4 years, but then I went off it last July. I’ve always had very tight control, so that wasn’t a factor for me. I don’t know if I didn’t use the pump correctly or what the deal was, but I’ve actually found I prefer doing shots. I have no idea why I liked it. Other people recommend them very strongly, so I feel like I must be missing something. I didn’t really notice any difference in my control between being on the pump and on shots. (Though I have to reiterate what the Lion said: about one in ten times, when I replaced my tubing, it would get inserted wrong, and I’d get really high.) Anyway, I’m not advising against the pump, just saying that not everyone loves it. (Not that I disliked it – I didn’t really care one way or the other.)
Deciding to start pumping is a life altering experience! It makes life with diabetes much easier to manage for me. Much tighter control as well. Wish I would have started pumping right after my dx.
I wish I started right after too but my doc made me wait, then I got taken off for other reasons and my new doc put me back on to control me better after my 23rd time of DKA
It is definitely a plus not having to “shoot” up all of the time. Also you have more freedom as far as what and when you want to eat without screwing with your sugar levels. The two cons about pumps are; 1 the cost of supplies, even with insurance, is high. 2- the tubing can get caught on things. I tried to keep the tubing tucked under my clothes, but sometimes it sticks out a little bit and then I as I walk by a cabinet the tubing gets caught on the knob…ouch!
Amber, I don’t deal with either of your cons, because I have the Omnipod.
First, the cost is no more for me than when I was doing shots. The Omnipod system was $800, but with insurance, we only paid $80. This is much less than the other pumps which tend to be $2,000-$4,000. And, my pods and insulin cost just about as much as my insulin pens did.
Second, the Omnipod has no cords, which i LOVE.
Bill, I will always recommend the pump to someone. I am so happy with having a pump, and don’t invision ever going back! I love that I no longer have to do the math! It does it for me!