pros and cons

[StupidKid]

what are the pros and cons of using a pump compared to injecting 4/5 times a day?

[yanki01]

pros: no more injections, better BGs, convenient

cons: cost of supplies, might get in the way at times but you get used to it

[Gordonm]

Agree with the above. The freedom is great. No more carrying around supplies. Fill up and I'm good for 4 to 5 days. Cons, the cost. Never felt the being hooked up was much of an issue. The freedom to eat whenever you want and if yo uwant a little more just push a few buttons. No need to pull out the needle again. Sometimes I have bolused 4 times during a meal. I wanted something a little more or a little different.

[Lilly164]

When BG drops low, I can use a Temporary Basal to halt the inflow of more insulin for an hour. Its more comfortable that way.

[poodlebone]

Fewer BG swings. Lows are easier to correct as are highs. Variable basal rates which makes things SO much easier, especially for things like exercise. You always have your insulin with you.

Cons:
You're attached to something all the time. Even if you choose the tubeless OmniPod, it's attached to you.

Insurance can be a hassle for some people.

Greater risk of DKA if your pump stops working and you're not aware of a problem, or you have a kinked infusion set. This is why you must check your BG throughout the day.

Not exactly a con, but you'll most ;likely have to show your doctor that you are willing to test multiple times a day and count carbs. Some offices will make patients take classes before starting a pump.

[Subby]

Here's a few that come to mind.

Boluses from a pump work a whole lot better for me - more even and more effective action.

Once settings are sorted, more accurate bolusing and correcting is very easy given a carb count (and a BG result if it is far off what you want).

Boluses gain a whole new range of flexible options over injections. You can slow release over different time frames, suiting different foods. You can add to your meal bolus if you decide to eat more later, without the cost of another injection.

Basal rates are an incredible tool for control compared to the issues that can occur with long acting, for those who happen not to have basal requirements perfectly aligned with long acting action profiles. For those with DP, this can basically fix it. For those with other basal issues through the day, you may not get it perfect with basal rates, but you can likely get it much, much more stable than dealing with long acting.

Temp basals mean you can affect the presence of basal insulin in your body from now (or 1 hour ahead) for as long as you want. This has made exercise many times more possible for me without going low, something that I've struggled with for years as exercise can increase your insulin uptake, turning the long acting sitting in your system into a stready stream of hypo inducing insulin.

Temp basals can also help deal with stress, and anything that might give you highs.

Negatives: If your set plays up, you don't have long acting in you, and you can head for DKA mode much more quickly. FOr me that can mean 4 or 5 hours, and I have been caught out nastily a few times since I started pumping. Nothing threatening, but... nasty highs.

Persuant to that, is that you do need to keep an eye on things. 6 is often quoted as the minimum amount of tests if on a pump - if just for safety. This wasn't really a negative for me as I have been doing 10+ tests for many years, but it may be for some.

[SCC]

It's funny, I was worried that with a pump I would never have "diabetic free" times since I'd be attached to a thing. Turns out I was 180 degrees wrong. I think about diabetes LESS with the pump. It is so much easier to traverse through my day, adjusting insulin balance, temp bolus/up or down etc.

Same as Gordonm at meals. Something looks amazing (sourdough bread!) just push buttons. That said, I do watch calorie counts/volumes of food!