'To pump or not?' ... it is a question fraught with possibilities, complexities and drawbacks. My son is scheduled to start a saline trial for a pump this Friday. Since nearly day one of his diagnosis, we've been asked whether or not he is on, or considering going on, the pump. As a mother of a son with Type 1, the pump question has caused very mixed emotions in me.

First off, when I hear story after story of how insulin pump therapy has changed people's lives, excitement and hope fill me. I...