Some of our members have found the following benefits and disadvantages of insulin pump therapy, however as everyone is different these will vary from person to person.
Some benefits of insulin pump therapy
- improved blood glucose control
- more precise dosing and easy adjustments than with MDI
- hypoglycaemia is less common with pump use and can help improve hypo awareness
- convenience and flexibility
- freedom to have a lie in
- eat when and if you want
- weight control, both losing and gaining weight are easier when using a pump
- improved ability to manage BGs for people with irregular lifestyles and shift work
- exercise with confidence
- participating in sport and fitness activities is easier on a pump – athletes competing at a high level find pump therapy advantageous
- spontaneity – pump therapy makes unplanned activity and changes to meals times and carbohydrate intake easier to manage making it ideal for fun family activities for children and young people with active lifestyles
- fewer injections
- Less damage to injection sites – children have many years ahead to inject, it is important to keep sites as healthy as possible, 1 cannula insertion every 2 or 3 days compared to 5 or more injections a day on MDI.
- improvement in quality of life – many people find that they are less tired on insulin pump therapy, and report an increase in their general wellbeing which can lead to less sick days off work, or less school/college/university absences
Disadvantages
Some possible disadvantages include:
- frequent blood glucose testing
- being attached 24/7
Rarely experienced:
- technical difficulties
- skin irritation
- risk of infection at insertion site
It is important to remember, like any insulin regime, the more you put onto the more you will get out of it, but with a pump it is easier to make adjustments if you put the added effort in.
