I have type 2 diabetes, and currently take two insulin injections per day. I have heard, talked to people, and seen many good things about pumps, and would really like to consider trying one. My biggest hang-up is that I’m a paid on-call firefighter as well, and I doubt the device could handle or is designed for such situations as what is encountered by the job. Is this something that can be easily disconnected/removed in these cases? I would really like to find something to better help manage my sugars. While my sugars are not terrible, they certainly aren’t the best either. What about the comfort level and wearing it while sleeping through the night?

If you have type 2 and not type 1 diabetes, the key questions is what type of glucose control you are achieving with your twice a day insulin treatment plan. What is your hemoglobin A1c? How often are you checking blood glucose levels? How stable or unpredictable are they? You should have a detailed conversation with your diabetes care team since they would know you best and be able to give you some specific advice.

Usually, we recommend insulin pumps when four to five insulin injections each day are not providing adequate control or when somebody wants better control and/or less hypoglycemia than they are currently able to achieve.

There are many excellent insulin pump sites for you to visit including those of the pump manufacturers, and also several excellent books/ manuals that can be recommended by your diabetes team or available via bookstores in your area or over the web.

SB

[Editor’s comment: See Is pumping for you?
WWQ]