Diabetic Supplies

Insulin Pump Therapy is one type of treatment for the management of diabetes. When trying to manage their disease, a diabetic must continually monitor their blood glucose and inject or infuse insulin as needed. Insulin is necessary to manage blood glucose and diabetics lack the ability to naturally produce the hormone insulin. There are two ways to get insulin into the bloodstream, through an injection or through insulin pump therapy.

Insulin Pump Therapy - Introduction

What is insulin pump therapy? An insulin pump is a device that continually infuses insulin into a diabetic’s bloodstream via a catheter. Usually, diabetics have to monitor their blood glucose, and inject insulin via a syringe when necessary. When insulin pump therapy this step is removed. In insulin pump therapy there is no need to monitor blood glucose as the pump does it automatically.

Insulin Pump Therapy - Advantages

There are several advantages to insulin pump therapy over other types of insulin injections. The main advantage is that no needles are involved! Many diabetics have a fear of needles (especially children with diabetes) so that is an obstacle to effective diabetes management. With insulin pump therapy the insulin is continually and automatically “pumped” into the bloodstream so there are no needles or syringes needed.

Insulin Pump Therapy - Disadvantages

There are a few disadvantages to insulin pump therapy, the main one being the insulin pump can be cumbersome if the diabetic has a lifestyle that involves many activities or sports. Most can overcome this by just taping the insulin pump onto an armband or sports bra, but for some that makes the insulin pump too evident. To overcome this disadvantage the insulin pump can be disconnected for an hour or so if needed during an activity.

Insulin Pump Therapy - Considerations

There are many considerations when deciding if insulin pump therapy is right for you. The advantages for the most part outweigh the disadvantages. If you are considering insulin pump therapy, determine how active your lifestyle is, and determine how important it is not to have to use needles.

Insulin Pump Therapy - Conclusions

For many diabetics making a choice as to whether to inject insulin or use insulin pump therapy, it can be a confusing process. Be sure to look at the advantages and disadvantages of insulin pump therapy, taking into consideration your lifestyle and patterns. When you take this all in and look at the big picture, the obvious choice is usually insulin pump therapy.