What Is Insulin Pump?
What is an insulin pump? An insulin pump can deliver short-acting insulin in small doses based on your body’s need, and do it consistently throughout the day and night. It offers many benefits over multiple daily injections, including more flexibility with meal timing and delivery of more consistent levels of insulin to your body throughout the day. Once you get used to it, using an insulin pump can really improve your blood sugar control and make it easier to manage your diabetes long-term. Let’s take a look at how an insulin pump works!
How does insulin pump work?
There's a tube that gets put inside your skin with a needle at the end, usually abdomen. The tube is called an infusion set. Short-acting insulin and fluid are put into a small pump that attaches to your belt or waistband. The pump slowly releases short-acting insulin and other fluids through your infusion set. These fluids act as vehicles for delivering long-acting insulin through your body during meals, snacks, or whenever you need extra coverage of insulin throughout the day and night. As you eat foods containing carbohydrates (carb), blood glucose levels rise and extra insulin is released by your pancreas. This quick surge of rapid acting insulin causes rapid drop in blood glucose levels so you don't get high from eating too many carb rich foods at once.
Types of insulin pump
There are a number of different types of insulin pumps on the market today, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. For example, some offer more flexibility in their infusion set (the tubing that connects to your body) than others. But no matter which pump you choose, there are three basic features you'll need to know about: basal rate, bolus calculator and carb ratios. Your pump's basal rate is essentially its automatic feature; it will deliver a steady dose of insulin throughout any given day. Bolus calculators, on the other hand, allow you to enter meal information manually and use it to determine how much additional insulin is needed during a given meal or snack.
How do I make the switch from my current method to using an insulin pump?
If you're considering a switch from your current method to using an insulin pump, you might have a lot of questions. Here are some of your top concerns about making such a big change, as well as answers to those questions. There's more than one way to use an insulin pump, but typically they all involve these two steps: Calculating how much insulin you need: It's easier to do in many cases with an insulin calculator; these will give you estimates based on any individual factors like weight and food intake. In general, you'll want short-acting (regular) insulin first thing in the morning and long-acting (basal) throughout your day—basal rates tend to be steady during fasting hours and higher after meals.
Do I need any special tool when using a pump?
The pump itself is extremely small and can be worn comfortably wherever you like (ex. pocket, bra, or fanny pack). You can also keep a steady supply of syringes filled with insulin and needles at your disposal if you don’t have time to change out your infusion set before meals. If it’s been more than 10 hours since your last meal, check with your physician to see if it’s OK to change out your infusion set. This will ensure that you’re still getting enough insulin from your pump over a 24-hour period of time.
How does insulin pump affect daily life?
The insulin pump is a miniature computerized device that works like the human pancreas. It’s designed to deliver small doses of short-acting insulin throughout most of your day to help keep blood sugar levels from getting too high between meals and overnight. But using an insulin pump requires more than just a quick jolt of insulin when you eat something sugary. Users must test their blood glucose levels frequently throughout each day in order to calculate their basal rates and make changes as needed. And because basal rates are often lowered to help stabilize blood glucose levels, users must also monitor for signs of low blood sugar. However, even with these extra steps and potentially uncomfortable lows, some people report fewer severe highs with an insulin pump vs.
Which type of insulin pump is best?
There are many types of insulin pumps in market but two are mostly used: DUAL CHAMBER (or two-part) PUMPS and single chamber pumps. The first type is designed to be used as a replacement for long-acting insulin injections. It contains a small reservoir (which holds a few units of insulin) that is attached to an infusion set (needle). Some dual chamber pumps also have an additional reservoir that holds more short-acting insulin which can be released when needed. A new generation of pumps allow you to program both parts independently, so you could program your long acting part to release twice per day and your short acting part once or four times per day, whatever works best for you!
Can I swim with insulin pump attached?
You can take a shower or bath with your insulin pump attached, but swimming is not advised. According to Minimed, For now, Minimed has not authorized showering or swimming while wearing a pump. There are many things that need to be considered in deciding if it’s safe for you and for your pump. The two primary concerns are avoiding water getting into your infusion set and also preventing skin irritation from excessive moisture trapped around the reservoir site caused by excessive sweating or humidity.
Are there any risks involved in using an insulin pump?
Because insulin pumps can deliver a continuous stream of insulin, they carry a higher risk for potentially life-threatening complications than traditional shots. For example, getting dehydrated or even having an irregular heartbeat can throw off pump accuracy and make it difficult to manage your blood sugar. If you decide to use an insulin pump, it’s important to be on top of possible issues and changes in health that could impact pump use. It’s also important to discuss all options with your doctor before making any decisions about treatment.
How long an insulin pump can be used?
Today, almost all patients eventually transition from pump therapy to multiple daily injections. The typical failure rate for a new insulin pump user is about 40% in 2 years. That means that about four out of every 10 users aren't able to stick with it long-term. If you're thinking about starting an insulin pump and want to know how long you'll need one, be sure to take into account these three factors: your income (insurance or not), lifestyle needs and motivation for use. At least two of those three things need to be well-developed before considering a pump—because once you start, there's no turning back!
How Much Does an Insulin Pump Cost?
The truth is that many people who need to use an insulin pump can’t afford one. The average retail price of a new model is more than $6,000, although most insurance companies will cover at least part of that cost. But even if you have private insurance coverage and no deductible, it’s still expensive. You will likely spend at least several hundred dollars out-of-pocket each month for supplies alone; in addition to insulin and syringes, you’ll also need glucometers, batteries and alcohol swabs to keep your pump working properly.
