Why I Use A Pump

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This was originally posted to my blog, Diabetes Odyssey.

First, let me make clear that although I love using a pump and therefore talk more highly of it than MDI (multiple daily injections), I fully understand and respect that a pump is not for everybody. Whatever works for you both physically and emotionally is what’s best for you.

This post is strictly my own opinion based on my own experiences with MDI and pump. Everybody is different and has different experiences, feelings, opinions, and needs.

I spent the first 27 years of my diabetic life on MDI. I was fine with MDI, or at least I thought I was. It was all I knew, I was used to it, I was comfortable with it. I also spent these years rebelling against my diabetes. Ignoring it. Hating it.

Then I started getting involved with my diabetes. I started to care about my blood sugars. I started to study diabetes more, ask questions, actually really talk to my doctors and other type 1’s. I realized how behind the times I was. I was using ancient, obsolete insulin. I was still using syringes instead of pens or a pump (not that that really matters). I began to feel like the odd one out.

As if I was a member of an elite club but not taking advantage of the perks of membership.

Usually I’m not the kind of person who cares about the newest toys, gadgets, popular stuff, etc., in any area of life. But as I studied up on pumps, CGMs, and all the stuff I’d ignored and not even known about all these years, I realized how much help, aid, convenience, health improvement, time saving, etc., I was missing out on.

I studied, I talked to my endocrinologist and other type 1’s, I started using pens, and then I decided to get a CGM and pump.

Emotionally, how different is MDI from a pump?

You may not have even thought of it, but, yes, switching to a pump has made a big difference in my emotional and psychological state.

Why? How?

Well, um… how do I put it into words? Do I even understand it?

As a child I didn’t hate taking shots. I got used to it pretty fast, I think. I did, however, hate feeling like I was chained to the clock.

“Time to take my shot, gotta drop everything and go to the fridge to get my insulin and shoot up.”

So, yeah, there was a bit of loathing and resentment there.

My brother has had a pump for many more years than I. I never really cared. I didn’t even pay attention to his pump. But once I started catching up on the times and thinking about pumps I realized how much more convenient his life seemed than my own.

He just pulled his pump out of his pocket and pushed a couple buttons, and here I was searching for my purse, digging out my pen, putting my needle cap on, dialing up, looking around hoping no one is giving me horrified looks (I don’t care what they think, I just don’t want to deal with drama)…

Also, I got to where I would get my insulin pen out and feel obsolete compared to my brother.

Jealous much?.. Um, I think envy is more appropriate here.

What really got me to choose a pump, though, was all the stuff I read and heard from pump users (including my brother) on how much better and easier their BG control was with the pump.

Emotionally, I felt a million times better when I went on the pump. Initially it was the more shallow reasons, being caught up with the times, having a cool device to carry around and show off, convenience of having my insulin on my hip at all times, etc. But then it was the more important things. I felt more secure about my BG control, I was in control at all times of my BG and insulin. I didn’t have to drop everything to get my pen from somewhere to bolus for this unplanned treat. I no longer have to worry about missing or being late for a shot, because it’s on me at all times, and keeps a log of doses! I don’t have to keep track of where my insulin and supplies are because they’re right here on me.

Simply, I have the power and security of much tighter control, and I have the convenience of not being as restricted or anxious with time and planning, and scheduling.

Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been all flowers and puppy dogs. I have had a flare in depression over my pump. I gained weight after going on the pump.

Why?

Because having more control over my BG’s also meant I was taking more insulin. And more insulin means more fat storage.

The pump didn’t directly cause the weight gain, it’s mostly my eating habits and actually trying to bring down my BG’s. I just learned that I need to adjust my lifestyle if I want to be in control AND lose weight.

Some people ask me, “But don’t you feel trapped or bogged down by having that thing on your hip all the time?”

Nope, I actually feel safe, secure, relieved, and free with it on. It’s not a constant reminder of my disease, if that’s what you mean. On the contrary, it reminds me that I have my lifeline right on my hip and not separate from me where it can get lost.

This may ■■■■ off a lot of diabetics, It pisses me off, too, I cry when I think about it. But the reality is that I actually feel ‘more human’ with my pump.

Sad but true. :frowning:

I also get asked, " How do you sleep comfortably with that thing on?"

A lot of diabetics do it differently, but I simply just sleep with it clipped to the waist of my panties. I sleep on it, it doesn’t get smashed, no buttons get accidentally pushed (there’s many safety protocols built into it). Nope, it never gets in my way or disturbs my sleep.

“How do you manage sex with your pump?”

I always wonder how this could even be an issue for people, but, anyway… I wear a silk (because it’s sexy) belt and clip my pump to it. Easy peasy.

Sooo, anyway…

Is MDI not as good as a pump? In my opinion it really depends on the individual. I think the best way to find out what’s best for you is to try them both out. If you’ve never used a pump and have the opportunity to try one, do it! Then make an informed decision on what’s best for you.

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A million thanks for posting this beautifully-written piece. I would like to show it to others when they ask me why I “make” my daughter wear a pump. Is this OK with you, Tamra?

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Absolutely! :smiley:

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Nice blog, @Tamra11. I’ve worn a pump for so long that I’m so used to the annoying things that I don’t even consider them annoying anymore. When I get out of bed at night to use the bathroom, I reflexively reach for my pump tail that I know will follow. When I forget about it and it drops and bounces onto the floor, it doesn’t bother me. It’s such a part of how I move through the world that I could no more resent it than I could another part of my body.

When I took a two-month MDI break recently I found myself reaching for my pump I every time I got out of bed. It’s just a part of my muscle memory, a well worn trace in the synapses of my brain. I did usually smile when I realized its absence.

I returned to the pump after that break and was neither happy nor sad about this resumption of my routine. In a way I take some comfort in the habit that my pump has become. If a cure were to come in my lifetime, however, I would not long for my old routine, however.

For me, good blood glucose control is the prize. Whatever it takes to produce more normal and consistent blood sugar traces, I will do it. I take pleasure and pride in keeping my BGs reined in. A pump is simply a tool to enlist in that cause.

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I preferred the freedom of mdi vs the pump but my lows were terrible and it was pretty awful in other respects. The pump has its issues but for me it’s still a lot better even with all the pump problems… I’m just waiting for the artificial pancreas and hoping I can get one. If it works that would mean constant fear of lows will be gone or greatly decreased.

I have only been to the beach once with my pump… I just hate having to deal with it and worry about it getting damaged, or dex getting damaged etc. and it’s such a pain, and high bg if you’re swimming and have it off, the heat and so on.

There are times I just want to get rid of my pump and dex and not be attached to anymore devices. I’m a bit worried now because I’m finally getting a new kitten I think in October and I don’t know how I’m going to stop him from chewing my tubing… I sleep with my pump outside my nightgown. He is siamese and I’ve been warned they tend to chew things a lot. None of my other kittens chewed anything… I guess I was lucky.

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I’ve raised two kittens along with my full grown cat since I’ve had my pump and none of them have ever shown any interest in my pump line. One of them even sleeps right up cuddled with me and she’s never disturbed, gotten tangled in, my line or anything. But be careful, you never know. :slight_smile:

You’re very right, there’s good and bad to everything. I guess it keeps life interesting. :slight_smile:

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When I got my pump almost 10 years ago (after 15 years of shots), I had a friend who I often went on short trips with. The first time I travelled with my pump, several days in to the trip she said, “I’ve never seen you so relaxed about your diabetes. That pump seems to really make a difference.” I am not sure which I like better, my pump or my CGM. Both helped me tighten my control a lot while simultaneously reducing the stress of diabetes. I think they work perfectly in tandem with one another.

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Tamara11, your story reads so much like my own. For far too long I just didn’t give a rip about my diabetes. I didn’t care to follow any particular diet, I wanted to be young and free and eat what I wanted to damn the consequences. After getting older, and having a child, I realized sooner or later this IS going to catch up with you. I was extremely lucky not to have developed any serious complications but I knew deep down that was just a matter of time. Like you I was still using syringes and old insulins, blood sugars all over the place. I first went on Lantus and Homolog pens, and I was AMAZED at doing MDI and using newer insulins just how much easier my blood sugar was to control, and how much more flexibility those insulins gave me…compared to Regular and NPH. But then I just really wanted MORE flexibility in my life, my new endo had brought up a pump…and at first I was like oh we’ll see. I had doctors in the past bring up going on a pump but I just…wasn’t there. The more I started looking into it, reading up on it, reading about other peoples experiences on a pump the more I HAD to have one. I’ve been pumping now 5ish years…and just LOVE it, could never imagine going back.

As far as cats and kittens. I have cats and kittens with my pump too and have never had an issue with them messing with it or chewing on the tubing. I had one kitten in particular that was a real chewer of headphones but never messed with my pump. I think the main reason, I made sure to tuck most of the exposed tubing into my pajama pants, and I just never even gave the cats an opportunity to THINK the tubing was a toy. They’ve never got tangled up on it. So yes, be mindful, but it should all be ok.

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That really is the bottom line. Here’s what I think: the pump/MDI distinction simply proves how adaptable human beings really are.

Being T2, I have been on insulin for a relatively short time, just a few years. (It would have been many more had I known then what I know now, and demanded it a lot sooner, but that’s another matter.)

I started on MDI because my first insulin was acquired OTC and without a prescription, so MDI was the only option.

To be fair, the stars lined up pretty conveniently for me. We were well into the basal/bolus/MDI era by the time I began, so I’ve never been chained to the clock the way people were in the past. And I’ve never been even a little bit afraid of needles, so that was not even on the radar. And I have to confess, I’ve become pretty blasé about it—not about timing or dosing or the insulin itself (I think it’s bottled magic)—but about what other people think. I do what I need to do and if they don’t like it, it’s simply not my problem and doesn’t consume any appreciable part of my attention.

Put simply, MDI is just one of the many inconveniences in my life, not a giant mountain that stands out from all the others. And my control is so many orders of magnitude better than it was before, that even after several years I still feel as though I’ve been given a gift.

Now as to pumps. I don’t dismiss or disparage them at all. Even in their relatively primitive present state—the devices of the future will make these look like Model T’s—they are still magnificent examples of how technology can be a major life changer. For some people, they are far more manageable than MDI. I get that, absolutely. And I’m not going to get into the usual debate about convenience. It really is an individual thing, as Tamra says. Different strokes.

But it’s a good thing that I’m comfortable with MDI, because the only way I could have a pump would be to pay for it out of pocket, and that is flatly impossible. Not happening. Not in this life.

As Tamra says, it’s all about the individual.

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Regardless of whether you pump or MDI…both are for the most part as good and as invested as the user using them. Yes MDI can be a hassles…but I also had very good results using Homulog and Lantus and def had more flexibility than using older insulins like regular and NPH. It’s really as everyone has said a matter of choice and what works best for the individual. Pumping is def no magic fix, and pumping only works as well as the person taking the time to monitor their blood sugars and fine tuning their basals and blousing appropriately for food/correction. While diabetes will always suck, it def is better today, than it was in the early to mid 80’s when I was first diagnosed and has over 30 years come a long way.

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Try a dab of orange or lemon oil, scents they don’t much like.

BTW, We all adored our Siamese cat! She was so personable, smart, and talkative! :smile_cat:

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@Tamra11, I was just thinking we hadn’t heard from you in a while and lo-and-behold, there you are! :sunny:

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Thanks Catlady, I may try that… I don’t know if I can hide my tubing because it seems to make my blood sugar go higher but I’ll try it and see what happens because I’m scared of what will happen if he chews it- to both of us… hobbit2 said her kitten chewed her tubing but luckily all was ok and she wasn’t overdosed etc. I will have to see about the oils because I’ve migraines for many years and they can be triggered by scents/ perfumes as well as cause allergic reactions etc.

I have never had any type of pure bred cat, all my cats have been rescues, but I want a babyboy like my Wiz who was part siamese, all black, the best cat in the world and my soul mate who came to me by accident from outside, totally tame. Syb is part mainecoone part norwegian forest cat from a rescue I used to volunteer with but we weren’t aware of that until about 7-8 years later when one dvm mentioned that. I looked them up online and she is exactly like them, especially the NFC.

So I picked a siamese because I know they will have some qualities of him prolly… I’ve had the good fortune to be owned by 3 part siamese cats. The breeder said it is a little more intense so we will see… I tried to rescue a siamese or part siamese but there were none that were in my area who would fit in, we need a kitten because Syb won’t accept an older cat. There was a younger cat someone couldn’t keep in my area I was thinking to try her/him but the lady at the petfood store never called me so I guess someone else got her/him… here is a pic of my babyboybee at 3 weeks old… he is purrrfect… his probable names: quinn, caruwynn, aka babyboybee jellybean :heart_eyes: We don’t know if he is seal point or chocolate point yet…

I’m also wondering if I can train him to be a diabetic alert cat? I hope so… that was another reason I picked the siamese :relaxed: And I need a cat to talk to me… Wiz talked to me and it is very, very lonely without him telling me what to do… I hope Quinn will do that too without driving me cray.

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I guess in this case we have no choice but to take the bad with the good and there is usually a defining factor that makes one or the other better for each person like the low issue for me. I will be careful. I met someone whose grand daughter has type1 and who is also a diabetic nurse… she said she made a pump holder that conceals the tubing so I may get one from her and see how that goes. My older cats had no problem with my pump or interest in the tubing, but a kitten may, I guess I’ll find out soon :smile_cat:

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@Tamra11 - Great post. I finally got a pump 2 yrs ago after spending the first 50 yrs of my life comfortable with injections. I’d feel naked and vulnerable without it :open_mouth:

I have a suggestion for you with respect to [quote=“Tamra11, post:1, topic:55719”]
I gained weight after going on the pump.
Why?
Because having more control over my BG’s also meant I was taking more insulin. And more insulin means more fat storage. [/quote]

I also noticed after 6 months my insulin usage had gone up with the pump, and read a great article that provided the solution: Up your BASAL and your BOLUS requirements will drop significantly.

I did this slowly, and now have 9 BASAL rates for 24 hour period. My TOTAL DAILY DOSE (TDD) dropped 32%, from an average of 37 Units to 25 Units per day.

Give this a try - I promise you won’t be disappointed
Jim

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Did your insulin to carb ratios (I;C) actually go down (less insulin) or did the insulin savings come from far fewer corrections to hyperglycemia? Or perhaps, both?

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I hear you. Across the years. nearly all of our cats have been rescues. Our newest family member (the savage jungle predator shown below—at least in her own mind), is a case in point. We had been wanting a black cat anyway, and when the shelter people pointed out that they are the most difficult to find homes for, that did it. She was just 2 when the picture was taken this Spring.

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Thanks so much for sharing your experience with a pump @Tamra11, it’s always great to hear other people’s experiences.

This post is particularly timely for me, as I’ve been going through the debate of whether to go from MDI, which I’ve been doing for the past 18 years, to a pump. I can see so many benefits to the pump but I’m nervous about a number of things in regards to pump failures, problems with tubing and then things like swimming at the beach and how that will work with my pump.

It’s good to hear that you really ahven’t found it to change those things too much. Thankfully my insurance does cover my pump, so I suppose the best thing to do would be trial it and then if I don’t like it go back to MDI. Perhaps it will change my life!

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That fallback position is always available and many people have done that, including some members here. If you don’t try, you’ll never know. :wink:

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She’s gorgeous David, you’re so lucky :heart_eyes:… blackcatsrule and are the best! I almost got a little all black kitten also part siamese but I wasn’t sure if it would remind me too much of Wiz and be painful etc. I know I will get another black cat one day, they are all genetically related to siamese cats too… It is a pity they are the last to get adopted and the first to euthanize… I’m starting to feel guilty for not doing another rescue but I know I will again at some point.

me and my beloved wizberry babyboy, number one cat in the world… :heart:

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