Learn about insulin pump therapy; we tried to cover most of the insulin-pump questions and information that stands before you.
About insulin pump
Learn about insulin pump therapy; we tried to cover most of the insulin-pump questions and information that stands before you.
Insulin pump learning curve
Pump training may take a week, during this session patient and parents would attend hours of formal teaching sessions. Beyond this, the speed of learning and grasping varies depending on your interest and knowledge. However, they provide support daily or weekly until you learn to use it.
Insulin pump durability
No, Insulin pumps are highly durable and withstand your child's active lifestyle. It comes with warranties, thus if something happens to their pump, you can easily replace or repair. However, you should not break it by hammering.
I heard from my friend that insulin pumps are dangerous, is it true. Properly managed insulin pump therapy is very effective and safe in diabetes control. However, what you heard is correct if careless can be dangerous, because if blood-glucose left untested for 12 hours without noticing the displaced cannula can easily lead to ketoacidosis.
Insulin pump therapy
Can an insulin pump give insulin automatically to my child?
Insulin pump is a computerized device, delivers insulin precisely at a basal rate as prescribed. No bolus insulin it gives by its own, your child has to press a button on the insulin pump.
While on an insulin pump, are carb counting and blood-glucose tracking required?
Insulin pump is a special insulin-delivering device helps you to take insulin conveniently. However, Insulin works in a similar way even if the mode of delivery varies. Thus, carb counting as well as glucose monitoring is vital for insulin pump therapy for effective blood-glucose control.
Does my child need to wear insulin pump during sleep?
Yes, your child needs to sleep with the insulin pump on. Some kids just put it next to them in the bed; others put it in the pocket of the pajamas. You can find your own way.
During sports, can my child do it with the insulin pump on?
Yes, your child can participate in sports with insulin pump. However, if you feel it is not convenient or safe, allow to play sports without pump for up to one hour. If their activity is more than one hour, ask them to take a small bolus insulin dose with snacks and remove the pump until activity completed.
When I am on the pump means, never require giving injections again.
Yes, if things are all going well, you do not require conventional insulin injections with syringe or pen.
No, if for unknown reasons, your blood glucose goes high with ketones. It is important to have insulin injection until you know the cause, whether the pump is working properly. Additionally, you may want a break from the insulin pump for a while, for that you can go back to conventional insulin injection.
What is the bolus insulin wizard in the insulin pump?
Different pump manufacturers use various terms; however, wizard refers a useful piece of software in the insulin pump. It does a calculation for the recommended insulin dose based on many factors such as current glucose level, carbohydrate-intake, exercise-performed, and the recent insulin dose given.
What is insulin on-board in an insulin pump?
Since the pump is administering insulin continuously and takes boluses with food, there is a possibility for the dose to build-up and causing hypoglycemia.
Insulin pump is now becoming smarter and helps managing the diabetes lots simpler. One such feature in the insulin pump is insulin onboard; it keeps track of previous insulin doses, ensures, and prevents us from giving too much with the next dose. It calculates insulin remaining in your blood steam based on the bolus size you had, time elapsed since the completion of the bolus, and your programmable metabolic rate.
If your insulin pump does not have this one, do not worry, there are free insulin on-board calculators available for your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad - Google to find the best one.
What is a custom alarm in an insulin pump?
Custom alarm is a smart alarming system, which monitor and alert us regarding any expected activity did not occur. Few examples of these custom alarms are a forgotten lunchtime bolus, a missed blood-glucose test, a glucose test 15 minutes after a hypoglycemic test, etc. These alarms are customizable as per each user’s expectations and requirements.
Can I integrate my insulin pump with blood-glucose monitor?
Blood-glucose results can be manually entered into the insulin pump to support varies smart calculations in an insulin pump. Some even support an interface between the pump and glucose meter through radio frequency (RF) communication. Some insulin pumps have blood-glucose meter integrated in it to check the glucose level. Insulin pumps are now available with a personal diabetes monitor (PDM) and remote to check the glucose level, enter it and even stop or add bolus insulin in an insulin pump.
How does a pump able to provide both fast and slow acting insulin?
Insulin pump has only one reservoir to load fast acting insulin. It does not give both fast and slow acting insulin; instead, it gives fast acting insulin in a very slow continuous delivery (basal rate). This makes it work more like long acting insulin; you can change the rate of delivery as per your requirement. This way, an insulin pump mimics the way your body keeps releasing insulin all through the day.