Marsha, in reading about your brother-in-law, I have to say that I have never heard of someone dying due to a malfunction of an insulin pump. How frightening… I can completely understand why you have a huge dose of extra fears regarding this change. Remember that you are a different person with likely a different attitude and regimen. I cannot imagine my pump being able to cause me harm because I know I’m watching my blood sugars constantly.
I can promise you, if you opt to go pump, you will likely never want to go back. Most of us don’t. Most of our bodies need such exact, distinct levels of basal insulin throughout the day and a pump can manage that more acutely than a long-acting insulin. On injections for a decade, I never ever had an A1c below 10. I ate to the insulin, took it as prescribed, etc. Going on a pump 9 years ago was the best decision I’ve ever made about my diabetes, followed by starting on a CGMS last year.
Tell us your what-ifs. Let us share our experiences.