I’m 14 years of age, I’ve had diabetes since I was two, and I’m just wondering if in the future there will be something else rather than injections to help my diabetes.

There are some things available now, and some that (hopefully) hold promise in the future.

As you know, right now, insulin must be given by injection, but perhaps you are a good candidate for insulin pump treatment. This device can be programmed to give variable amounts of short-acting insulin throughout the day and you can also get extra insulin for the times that you eat. The device is about the size of a pager, and is connected to you by a small tubing into a small plastic catheter that you insert (typically at an injection site) about every three days or so. If you haven’t already explored this, ask your diabetes team.

Scientists have been experimenting in animals and in some human volunteers with Inhaled insulin, oral insulins, insulin skin patches, and islet cell transplants. There has been some success, but nothing that has been great, especially in terms of the right combination of effectiveness, convenience, costs, etc., but we all remain hopeful — and you should, too.

DS