To Pump or Not to Pump
by Kimberly Advent
www.Elviradarknight.com
Posted Mar 10th 2007,
Read 11694 times since then.
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Do Not Let Diabetes Control You Diabetes is an affection that prevents the human body from using insulin in transforming the glucose from the blood, leading to an accumulation of glucose in the blood, also known as a high sugar level in the blood. As a consequence of diabetes, the human body is unable to transform food into energy, and so, it develops other problems involving…
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At some point you might ask yourself this question. "Should I be using an insulin pump?" An insulin pump is a good choice for many diabetics. But, maybe it is not what you need. You should ask yourself these questions:
Is my Diabetes out of control?
Do you experience erratic swings in blood sugar? Do you find yourself going from very high blood sugars to extreme lows? Many diabetics experiencing this can find some control with an insulin pump.
Does the thought of going on an insulin pump scare you? Some people are worried that a pump might not work properly & give them the wrong amount of insulin. Pumps have built in safety features to keep this from happening. It would be very unlikely to happen. Maybe your also afraid of being connected to a machine all the time. I know that this was a very real fear for us before my daughter went on the pump. But, you would be amazed how unintrusive it is. My daughter often forgets it is even there.
Are you worried about the time you will put into learning to use the pump? I will tell you that it definately takes a commitment on your part. It takes some work learning how to use it but, in the long run it is so worth it. You will need training with a Diabetes educator learning how to use the equipment & change infusion sets. It may take several weeks of insulin adjustment before you get the most effective basal rate set up.
Do you worry about the amount of money it will take to use an insulin pump? This is a very real worry. Most pumps will cost you over $5,000. The cost of supplies & insulin can run up over $2,000. You should check with your insurance company to find out what they cover. Medicare will cover some of your supplies but, I have been told by some pump users that not all supplies are covered. So make sure you find out ahead of time how much is covered & if you can afford to cover the rest.
If you are the type of person who works long hours & has a hard time sticking to a meal schedule a pump might be ideal for you. One of the wonderful things about insulin pumps is the freedom it gives you to eat when you want. The fact that you can set it up to give you a constant background basal of insulin & then bolus insulin for meals when you eat them.
One of the awesome things about an insulin pump is the fact that it gives you a shot at being "normal". This is what my daughter calls it. She says she feels more like a normal kid while on her pump. She can eat when she wants & doesn't have to constantly eat to cover lows. Kid's find it easier to participate in sports. You can set up a totally different basal rate for while they are doing sports. Parent's don't have to worry as much about low blood sugars while the child is participating in a sport. They just set up a lower basal rate.
You are always using a fast acting insulin. No longer do you have to use a long lasting insulin that can cause peaks & valley's. You are using one insulin that is working just like your pancreas would release insulin (if it was able to produce insulin).
We also found that we could alleviate the Dawn Phenomenom. No more 2am blood sugar readings. This is awesome for children whose blood sugar is going low in the middle of the night.
What pump company should you go with? This is a personal choice because I have heard wonderful things about all of them. We bought ours from Minimed. I have heard that Anima's has awesome customer service. I would contact them all & request an information packet. You can find a list of company's on my website at Insulin pump info.
So what do you think? Are you ready to pump? It was the best decision we ever made. My daughter Ashley has been pumping for 3 years & we love it. I would never go back to injections.
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