I actually hated my pump after I got it. It took some used to being connected all the time, but the reality that I could visibly see my diabetes was what really got me. Going on the pump is a little like being diagnosed all over again with a 24 hour physical reminder. After a few weeks of adjustment, the pump is now officially the best decision I ever made!
I still have problems finding places for the infusion sets (not too much padding), and recently had a reaction to the insulin, but I would recommend it to anyone who could afford it. And I’ve never encountered a door knob I didn’t like.
My advice would be to do as much research as you can on all the pumps. This way you can have an idea of what features they have. For example the Animas pump has about 500 food items from the Calorie King book. It could help with the carb counting. It also is water proof. So, unlike the other pumps you can go swimming with it on. I’ve had my pump for about five - six weeks. I’ve really liked it. Somone metiononed the carb counting as being a con. I guess that can be if you starft using a pump and getting used to the carb counting at the same time. What I did was take a carb counting class before switching to the pump. I thougth it would be easier to do it this way. Why try to get used to both things at once. I took the carb class last October and didn’t get my pump until March of this year. I think in my case it made the transition easier, at least for me it did. The most improtant thing I think to remember is that just becasue you switch over to the pump doesn’t mean everything will go smothly. It still takes work to keep your diabetes under controll with the pump.
I'm young, I'm single, and I'M BIONIC! It's very frustrating/difficult to explain why you have a beeper in your bra. And why it is vibrating! Very awkward if not forewarned when "in the moment"
I am a very irregular person -- don't eat regularly, don't sleep regularly, and the pump fits my needs MUCH better than MDI ever did. I HATED having to be so self-disciplined as to eat 3 meals a day and 3 snacks (olden days on R and NPH).
I never have a doorknob problem because my tubing is always well tucked into my pants.
The cons are site infections, poor absorption (if you pick a bad site), not planning ahead well enough and running out of insulin when you're 100 miles away from home (did that once)(the solution was to put air into the reservoir and let it push in the insulin that was already in the tubing), being allergic to tape (in the olden days, when you had to tape down a set, and tape down a safety loop), dropping the pump in the toilet (had to say that!), what else?
Since my MM pump and CGM are an integrated system, I couldn't give up the pump anyway! I guess I could give up the CGM, but it would mean testing a whole lot more, and I'm lazy.
Good thing I don't have to give up either, and I hope you don't, either!
