An Insulin Pump Can Help You Manage Your Diabetes

An insulin pump can help you manage your diabetes. By using an insulin pump, you can match your insulin to your lifestyle, rather than getting an insulin injection and matching your life to how the insulin is working. When you work closely with your diabetes care team, insulin pumps can help you keep your blood glucose levels within your target ranges.

Advantages of Using an Insulin Pump

-- Using an insulin pump means eliminating individual insulin injections
-- Insulin pumps deliver insulin more accurately than injections
-- Insulin pumps often improve A1C
-- Using an insulin pump usually results in fewer large swings in your blood glucose levels
-- Using an insulin pump makes diabetes management easier – if your glucose level is high or you feel like eating, figure out how much insulin you need and push the little button on the pump
-- Insulin pumps allow you to be flexible about when and what you eat
-- Using an insulin pump can improve your quality of life
-- Using an insulin pump reduces severe low blood glucose episodes
-- Using an insulin pump eliminates unpredictable effects of intermediate- or long-acting insulin
-- Insulin pumps allow you to exercise without having to eat large amounts of carbohydrate

Disadvantages of Using an Insulin Pump

-- Can cause weight gain
-- Can cause diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) if your catheter comes out and you don’t get insulin for hours
-- Can be expensive
-- Can be bothersome since you are attached to the pump most of the time
-- Can require a hospital stay or maybe a full day in the outpatient center to be trained

There are pluses and minuses to using a pump. Even though using an insulin pump has disadvantages, most pump users agree the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.