1. If you’re struggling to reach your HbA1c target or are frustrated with a lifestyle of injection after injection.
2. If you are tired of taking 3 to 5 injections a day to control your diabetes.
3. If you’re fearful of hypoglycemia and tired of snacking all the time to deal with it.
4. If you want more flexibility because your busy schedule includes:
Irregular work shifts
Frequent travel
Varying schedule from day to day
5. If your active lifestyle includes sports and other recreational activities, because it can be difficult to match insulin to your body’s needs with injections during these activities.
6. If you’re a teenager with changing hormones that may affect the way your body uses insulin.
7. If you’re a female considering getting pregnant or who is pregnant.
8. If you’re interested in using the latest technology to improve your insulin therapy.
Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider to discuss your individual situation.
For more diabetic information and tips – Visit Diabetes Central
Reason #1:Â It’s more like a healthy pancreas
Insulin pumps are designed to act more like a healthy pancreas than injections. A healthy pancreas continuously releases tiny amounts of insulin 24 hours a day to maintain normal blood glucose levels between meals and overnight. You program an insulin pump to automatically deliver insulin in a similar way. In response to food, a healthy pancreas releases more insulin which is why you give a “bolus” dose of insulin when eating on the pump.
Reason #2:Â You can “drive” your insulin for precise control
With an insulin pump, you can adjust your insulin at any time. It’s like driving a car and using the brake and gas pedals to stop and start. With an injection, your gas pedal is stuck on “go” and you have no brakes. That’s because you cannot decrease or stop the insulin once you’ve taken it. You’re essentially in cruise control unless you stop whatever you’re doing for a snack or another injection. With an insulin pump, it just takes a few buttons to increase, decrease or stop the insulin flow altogether. You’re in the driver’s seat – not your insulin.
Reason #3:Â It uses only rapid-acting insulin, which is more predictable.
An insulin pump uses only rapid-acting insulin. It’s delivered in tiny, continuous doses, so you don’t end up with a pool of insulin under your skin – which is what can happen when you inject a large dose of long-lasting insulin. Absorption into your blood stream can be unpredictable, depending on where you placed the injection, how active you are and other factors. This explains why your blood glucose levels can vary from day to day, even if you eat and do the same things at the same times. Rapid-acting insulin, on the other hand, acts more predictably. You can count on the insulin being absorbed the same way each day.
For more diabetic information and tips – Visit Diabetes Central
You comfortably and discreetly wear an insulin pump.
An insulin pump is about the size and weight of a pager. It has a small vial, called a “reservoir” inside that holds up to 3 days worth of insulin. A small battery provides power to a computer chip that acts as the pump’s brain. It controls how much insulin the pump delivers. Because it looks like a pager, insulin pumps can be worn like one, either attached to your belt, hidden in a pocket or under clothing.
Instead of using a syringe and needle to deliver insulin, the pump uses an infusion set with a tiny, soft plastic tube called a “cannula”. This cannula lies just beneath your skin on the thigh, abdomen or buttocks. You generally wear your infusion set for 2 or 3 days at a time and then replace it with another one. Compared to taking 12 or more injections over those 3 days, wearing an infusion set can be easier. To shower, change clothes, or play sports, you can disconnect the pump from your body at any time.
For more diabetic information and tips – Visit Diabetes Central
