I've always thought the pump is not for me. It seems to be pretty big and you always have to carry around it with you. My life is still pretty fast paced and sometimes that kind of machinery is just an annoyance to get along with. The shots are not the problem, the everyday need of full control of your life is.
It's smaller than the phone you already carry around. It's mathmatically and demonstrably superior to shots. They have integrated CGMs now. Ask around, the folks with the fastest paced lives (diabetic Olympians, marathoners, world travelers, etc) ALL have pumps.
Unless you have a 6% HA1C on shots, get a pump and live decades longer.
My wife is Type 1, and was on the pump but went off of it after about a year. Says she feels in more control without it, and that it gave her a false sense of "security." And she has had better results since, and more stable sugars.
I don't know, obviously, not being diabetic myself, but I will say she went on the pump really soon after being diagnosed and didn't really have a chance to establish a routine first, and that probably played a large part in her doing better on shots right now. I've been encouraging her to start thinking about using the pump again, as I do feel that, used correctly, as I believe it is a better method, but she has to do what she feels works best for her.
Being a developer myself, the idea that she has to use a custom cable and custom software to manage the data she has in her meter drives me a bit nuts. But the meter industry is, IMO, full of companies that don't really want to help users, they just want to get rich off of diabetics. I know thats a bit cynical, and I'm sure there are companies that sincerely care as well, but it's how I often feel about the meter industry.
I used to think the exact same thing, somehow I think I was really just afraid that someone would see thing thing embedded in me if I ever had my shirt off. When I finally got a pump I realized that it simultaneously keeps itself out of the way while allowing me quick access to my (approximate) levels. I can give my self insulin mid sentence in a board room meeting. I can see my levels dipping and get a lifesaver before it sets in. The worst that ever happens is that someone asks what the hell I am doing with a pager.
In short, the pump CGM combo it is the best thing I have ever done.
I wrote them off as too experimental and bulky when I was first diagnosed just over 10 years ago. I guess technology has advanced since then. I'll make an appointment with my doctor to chat about it. Thanks for the reminder to re-evaluate.
