How do I pick an insulin pump that will suit me? I am occasionally moody, due to the fact that I am a pre-teen and the hormones. I am active in contact sports, mostly soccer; as a mid-fielder (defense and offense), and/or full back (defense), and I do make hard physical contact with other players. One of my fears of getting a pump is leaving the needle in me.

This might be a good option for you. The first thing you need to decide is whether or not you are truly ready to use an insulin pump. For more information on this see: Is pumping for you?.

Once you’ve made that decision, you should visit the MiniMed, Disetronic, and Animas web sites to see what each pump offers. They are all slightly different, and the choice needs to be individual. You should also check with your diabetes team and health insurance provider. Your diabetes team may have a preference, and insurance companies may dictate which pump they will pay for.

I know several people who wear the pump while playing sports. In a contact sport, such as football, they use the upper hip for the infusion set and keep the pump under a pad for added protection. You might want to contact the International Diabetic Athletes Association for more ideas about insulin pumps and sports. Also see a previous answer about the use of pumps in sports.

Actually, most people use a pump set that leaves a plastic catheter in place, rather than a needle. A needle is used to place it, but then is removed. The catheter is flexible enough to be left in during sports even if the pump is disconnected. The only difficulty some people have is that the adhesive which holds the catheter in place gets loose due to perspiration, but there are ways to avoid this.

SS