Insulin Pump Therapy

Insulin Pump Therapy is best for those type 1 diabetics who are known to have troubles controlling their diabetes. In fact, there are even type 2's who use the pump when their blood sugars get out of control and there is no other alternative that works better. Most diabetics already realize that their main goal should be to normalize your blood sugar as much as possible. But accomplishing good control is not always that easy.



Insulin pump therapy can help you manage your diabetes control with your type of living/lifestyle. I've known many diabetics that have had an absolute miserable time trying to control their sugars with multiple daily injections and grew very very tired of keeping up with it. Especially on occasions when going out a lot! The pump has seemed to stabilize them very well.



You may wonder how insulin pumps work? Well, the pump delivers rapid or short acting insulin 24 hours a day through a catheter under the skin. You have doses which are separated into basal rates, bolus doses for carbohydrate coverage, and also corrective or supplemental doses.

Before you eat, you use the buttons on your pump to bolus insulin. The bolus amount ahould cover the amounts of carbohydrates you are eating. What if you ate more than you thought? Then simply program a larger bolus amount to be delivered.

A bolus can also be used to cover blood sugars which spike. Simply give yourself a correctional dosage of fast acting insulin, and this will bring your glucose back into your range.

Where do you put an insulin pump day and night? Well, most people wear it on their belt or carry a case made for the pump and attach it to your waistband. For nighttime use, you can work it so that you can clip it to your blanket, pajamas, or pillow.

When showering or bathing, you can remove the pump from yourself, disconnecting it. Most pumps are water-resistant, but still they should not be submerged into water. There are pumps that will work in a shower caddy or side of your tub.

Using insulin pump therapy is an adjustment in your daily living. But for people who have the most difficult time controlling their sugars, they have many advantages. The main advantage also being that they improve overall diabetic health, and deliver your insulin dosages more accurately. They have also been known to help diabetics with ridiculous swings in their blood sugars, and helps to stabilze more sugars into the normal range.

The disadvantages to insulin pump therapy are weight gain, and they can cause ketoacidosis if your catheter accidentally gets pulled out. They are also terribly expensive and insurances are reluctant to pay and reimburse the expenses associated with one. So these are things to think about before considering pump therapy. The pump does require some training for use as well.

To get started using a pump once you have one, your team will sit down with you and show you how to work your device, how to determine your insulin/bolus rates etc., and whether those rates will need adjusting up or down.