Pump, Pump, Pump, Pump it Up!

Insulin pumps are everywhere it seems. In fact most diabetics I know already have or are in the process of getting an insulin pump. I think that insulin pumps are a great tool for some. They can help keep blood glucose levels in tighter control and it’s nice to not have to take multiple shots a day. I myself have been struggling to make the decision to become a “pumper” and if there are any of you out there in the same boat as I am maybe you also feel torn between the two different ways of managing your diabetes.

I guess I should start at the beginning of my pumping journey, which means we will be going back in time all the way to 2000. Insulin pumps were still very new at this time but I wanted one so badly. I got my wish and in October of that year I was distributed a beautiful blue H-tron. I loved it, for a while. It kept my blood sugars in wonderful control and I didn’t have to take shots anymore, but as the years wore on I got tired of it. Pumps back then where very big and bulky and weren’t easy to hide. I had trouble concealing some huge machine that was attached to my jeans. Sometimes the tubing would hang out and get caught on the back of my classmate’s chair. That would result in the site being pulled out and I’d either have to go to the nurse’s office or call my mom to bring me a new site. As I got older the aesthetic implications became embarrassing. Keep in mind that I wasn’t as open about being a diabetical as I am now and the pump felt like a permanent reminder of my diabetes. It didn’t help that my skin reacted to the adhesive used on the site either.

By 2002 my family and I made the decision to put the pump away. For the next two years I would be on and off the pump. Right before high school started I made the decision to say good-bye to the pump for good. That ended up being a good call because it turns out that my pump was recalled by the manufacturer which definetly made the decision to be off the pump for good easier. Now it’s four years later and pump technology is constantly improving. They are more discrete and more efficient. My doctor’s are always encouraging me to plunge into the pump pool. I continue to contemplate this decision especially since I don’t feel the same as I did four years ago. My biggest concern now is the financial issue. So who knows? Maybe it’s time for a change.