Insulin Pumps for Diabetics

Diabetes has become a problem of great magnitude all over the world. The increasing obesity amongst people keeps on adding new diabetic patients every year. Although, diabetes can be controlled with the help of diet and exercise, you also need to take regular insulin injections to keep your sugar levels within check. Most diabetics find the task of injecting themselves with insulin injections a bit too cumbersome. However, the process of diabetes treatment has been simplified with the help of insulin pumps for diabetics which are not only convenient to use, but also offer myriad other advantages.

What are Insulin Pumps for Diabetics

Insulin pump is a medical device which is a substitute for regular insulin injections. It is a subcutaneous device (needs to be injected underneath the skin) and comes with an array of components. These include, the pump itself with all its controls and batteries, a disposable reservoir for the insulin and a disposable infusion set which consists of a plastic cannula and a tubing system which connects the cannula to the insulin reservoir. The pump is usually inserted somewhere near the abdomen. These pumps allow steady infusion of insulin in the body, as against the sporadic infusion by insulin injections. The pump also allows you to check the glucose levels in blood so that you can adjust the dosage of insulin accordingly.

Insulin Pumps for Diabetics: Benefits

The biggest advantage of insulin pumps for diabetics is that they allow you to control insulin as per your lifestyle, rather than the insulin controlling your lifestyle. You no longer have to adjust your meals as per the insulin injections or go for an insulin resistance diet, instead you can adjust the dosage as per your meals. With basal diabetic injections, you were required to inject yourself at least twice a day (in some cases up to six times a day). This used to be a problem while traveling or performing any activity. Some people simply did not like the idea of injecting themselves with insulin injections, while in public. However, with an insulin pump, you are relieved of this hassle of injecting yourself. Moreover, you need not have to interrupt any of your activities, to get yourself infused with insulin injection.

One of the risks associated with basal insulin injections was that the sugar levels would often fluctuate between high and low. This was mainly due to the sporadic effect of the rapid acting insulin. As a result, the person would often experience periods of lethargy, fatigue, etc. Even if you diligently used the injections, the chances of the glucose level dropping while you were asleep were too high. This could lead to severe conditions like coma and other insulin shock symptoms. However, the continuous infusion of insulin in the body by the pump, alleviates any such possibility.

Insulin Pumps for Diabetics: Drawbacks

Although, insulin pumps are indeed convenient and have many advantages they are certainly not free from any drawbacks. Insulin pumps for diabetics problems include their high initial cost. Insulin pumps for diabetics cost is pretty much higher than insulin injections. Another problem is that, as you are required to wear this device almost round the clock, you may experience inconvenience while performing some tasks. Moreover, you cannot play any sport or swim with the device on. You also need to take it out while in shower. Although, wireless insulin pumps for diabetics may solve this problem to a certain extent.

Diabetic ketoacidosis, which is essentially the formation of ketones in the body, is yet another issue that might arise if no enough insulin is provided at some time. The possibility of diabetic ketoacidosis is more with the pump than with the needle. Also, the performance of the pump depends a lot upon its components. If the batteries run out, you may not get enough of insulin. If the tubing is loose, the pump may keep upon pumping insulin without you receiving it. This can put the life of the diabetic in grave danger.

Lastly, if the pump gets damaged you might have to go back to injections. There might be a period wherein you may neither have the pump nor injections. Hence, it is recommended that you carry some insulin injections with you while traveling. You will have a backup, in case the pump ceases to function. That's why you should also be aware of how to inject insulin.

Insulin pumps for diabetics are considered as the closest thing to artificial pancreas. With little advancement, this device can truly normalize the life of a diabetic.