Why Not Pump?


The other day I asked my friend how her brother was handling his diabetes. He was diagnosed with Type 1 about two years ago. She mentioned he was doing fine and how he didn't talk about it much, and I asked my usual follow up of "is he on the pump yet"? She very politely said no and asked me why some people choose not to use a pump if it has all the freedoms and benefits that I talk about. And it hit me. Is that a sensitive question? Should I not be so nosey about it? And why the heck do some people choose not to pump?

I remembered a guest post by Brittany in the early days of my blog. She wrote an awesome piece about giving shots rather than using a pump. To her using shots gave her more freedom. She often thought about her pump and even got anxiety about her pump and all that came with it. I can say there are definitely somethings I agree with. I would love to not have to always carry a bulky piece of machinery with me or not have strangers think it's a pager. There are definitely pros and cons to both.

I kept thinking about it. I love my pump and tell everyone under the moon that they need to have one, without even considering what that looks like to someone else. Financially, the pump sucks, the pump itself is not cheap, and though I can make the argument that's its worth it, I can't help but feel insensitive to people who can barely afford their diabetes supplies. Maybe I shouldn't always be promoting my pump, or maybe I need to think about the people I am talking to and ask them their thoughts on it before my sales person comes out.

Because the comment keeps wracking my brain, I'm curious what others have to say about choosing to use a pump or not use a pump. I want to know the benefits of both sides and the arguments for both sides from other people. I never realized through my almost 10 years of diabetes the pressure of choosing how to treat your disease and I want to learn.

Comments

  1. I used a pump for 14 years and am currently on a pump vacation - using Lantus and Humalog. Honestly, I may never go back to the pump. My a1c dropped by a full point and I don't feel inconvenienced by the shots at all. When I went on the pump, Lantus wasn't around - only NPH, which sucked for me. I don't have lows or highs really with the Lantus/Humalog and it's cheaper, so I'm thinking I may not go back to my pump unless something changes where the Lantus/Humalog combo isn't meeting my needs.

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  2. I have thought about taking a pump vacation, but have never gotten as far as actually doing it. I'm not sure that I could ever remember to take basal insulin twice a day much less tote insulins and syringes (or pens) around with me. I use temporary basals and extended boluses almost every day and would miss that flexibility if I weren't pumping.

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  3. I did MDIs for 28 years and had no interest whatsoever in pumping. I was really freaked out by the thought. But then I couldn't get my A1Cs in the range I was shooting for and I got so tired of feeling like a failure. So I overcame my fears and tried a pump. I took to it right away and for me it works so much better than MDIs. But I do know that isn't the case for everyone. And I honestly believe each person needs to figure out what works best for them - and many times it is NOT a pump.

    #dblogcheck

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  4. Daley,

    I would love nothing more than to have a pump for my T1. However, my insurance will not cover anything they don't absolutely have to required by law for diabetic patients. I would be much healthier on a pump but they view a pump as nothing more than a luxury item. When your insurance is funded by the government the only thing that matters to them is spending as little as possible. If more d*people like myself and others had access to the medical tools we need medical costs in the USA could go drastically down. While the ACA was modelled on Massachusetts the only reason it ever had the support to pass was because the healthcare industry dictated what should or shouldn't be covered. In closing, its one thing to have access to the medical help you need and its another thing to be denied it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Daley,

    I would love nothing more than to have a pump for my T1. However, my insurance will not cover anything they don't absolutely have to required by law for diabetic patients. I would be much healthier on a pump but they view a pump as nothing more than a luxury item. When your insurance is funded by the government the only thing that matters to them is spending as little as possible. If more d*people like myself and others had access to the medical tools we need medical costs in the USA could go drastically down. While the ACA was modelled on Massachusetts the only reason it ever had the support to pass was because the healthcare industry dictated what should or shouldn't be covered. In closing, its one thing to have access to the medical help you need and its another thing to be denied it.

    ReplyDelete

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