I got a pump last year, it's brilliant and I would really encourage it, especially if your hba1c is high.
Facts:
-The tube inside you is noticable when you're in a swimming costume/topless/whatever. No escaping that, but you can go back to injections on holidays if you're concerned about that, or even for a day, that's what i do.
-The tube is completely safe, water can't enter it, it's not painful whilst in, in actual fact most of the time I forget it's there
-The tube can leave marks on your skin, but I use bio oil which helps get rid of these
-I'm sure you'll be told about all this, but you can programme your pump/meter so it delivers specific amounts of insulin each hour.
-You programme the amount of insulin you need per 10g carb, so when you check your bs it automatically connects to the pump, and you enter the amount of carbs you're eating and the insulin is automatically delivered. There are more advanced settings for sport/if you're ill, but I don't normally use these.. it's up to you to have look and see what you need.
-You need to take your pump off in water, but not the tube. Also, i sometimes take it off for sport so I don't go low, but it depends on your control, type of sport, ect..
- you change the tube by putting a new tube into an inserter device. Then when you press a button it 'shoots' into your skin and you take a small peice off the top. This does hurt a bit, but no more than if you do an injection. And then you don't need to change it until about 2 days later.
-You have to tuck it into your clothes (or a holder which clips onto your clothes). Mine isn't really noticable, it depends how you do it, but you can't normally tell as a general rule.
-You shouldn't take your pump off when you're low, and you don't need to have 'long lasting carbs' with your short acting.
-You might need to fast from time to time to check your settings are right.
Pros:
-It takes a little while to set up/get used to, but I promise when it's all started you're hba1c will lower if the settings are all right.
-The pump means you lead a bit more of a normal life. It's so easy to maintain, you don't need to worry about anything except entering carbs wehn you eat.
-You only have to 'inject' every 3 days.
-It's basically acting like an electronic pancreas so it's more precise than injections
-It stops 'swings' and reduces lows.
-It allows you to eat more of what you want.
Cons:
-It's a pain in the bum to get used to, but it's amazing when you are
-It always beeps to tell you it's empty, which can sometimes be awkward
-You sometimes need to check your Bs more
These were my personal experiences anyway, I would definately reccomend it!!!
Hope this helped
Beth (15)