Insulin Pumps: Scientific Fact, Or Popular Fallacy?
Julia Hanf
Once heralded as the absolute cure to every woe that a diabetic faces, insulin has now come to be regarded as one of the grimmer aspects of diabetes treatment. the reason for this lies largely in the conventional method of administering insulin, via injections, which are either dispensed to make up for the deficit caused by a faulty pancreas, or to enhance the natural production in an individual whose body has developed a resistance to this enzyme, which is then bolstered with insulin-sensitizing medication. However, when faced with the prospect of having to administer endless injections, the individual may be intimidated enough to shy away from treatment altogether, or be incessantly irregular which makes the treatment more harmful than it is beneficial. Fluctuating levels of insulin may first bring about exceedingly high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, especially after mealtimes, which then plunge down as the insulin is administered leading to intermittent hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic states either of which can prove fatal to the diabetic.
Type 1 Diabetes strikes young, with a large majority of its victim's falling into the category of young children. As insulin supplements are an irreplaceable part of diabetes treatment, given the inability of the pancreas to create any of its own, children are no exception to the unpleasantness of repeated insulin injection during the course of a single day. In circumstances such as these, concerned parents have often expressed their unease about this method of administering insulin, anxious about the pain which accompanies the process. And thus, many diabetics tend to grow bitter and miserable about their condition, which further hampers them in embracing their treatment as a way of life.
As the number of people who are diagnosed with diabetes increases every day, researchers and diabetes experts have taken to developing alternative methods of administering insulin with a newfound gusto. In their endeavors to put together a method which is less tedious and a lot easier to incorporate as a part of a regular regime, a remarkable little device called the insulin pump has been developed, which is touted to be almost a revolution in diabetes treatment.
An insulin pump, as the name suggests, is a device which steadily pumps insulin into your body through a catheter which is inserted under your skin. The insulin is stored in a disposable reservoir which is stored within the pump. The compact size of the insulin pump means that you can easily tuck it into a convenient part of your clothing, ensuring that you have a constant check of the level of insulin that is administered to your body. You can even pre-program the amount of insulin to be released, depending on your foreseen physical requirements. For occasions when your blood glucose level is bound to increase, the insulin pump delivers a bolster dose, which is a larger amount of fast-acting insulin to bring down the escalating levels of glucose in your bloodstream. When your body's requirement of insulin subsides, the insulin administered is a slow-acting one, which is also called a basal dose.
The amount of insulin to be administered as bolus and basal does is determined by your physician in keeping with the stage to which your diabetes has advanced and also how regular you are with your dietary and exercise regime. The frequency of bolus doses is another arena which needs to be monitored by your physician, so that you do not suffer from bouts of hypoglycemia. The steady supply of insulin which an insulin pump warrants is a welcome respite from having to wait until the glucose levels rise to a particular amount and then shoot them down with insulin, as in the case of insulin injections.
Insulin pumps have gained immense popularity in recent times, as the need for a more flexible and less time-consuming regime has developed in leaps and bounds. Many diabetics who have made the switch to insulin pumps commend them for the freedom they grant from having to schedule their day around meal times and insulin injections. Individuals whose career or lifestyle requires them to travel frequently have also welcomed the idea of insulin pumps, given the fact that they no longer need to carry injections with them wherever they go, and also that they no longer have to live in a constant fear of missing a meal time, or an insulin dose.
Although insulin pumps do have a steep learning curve and require some time to get acclimatized to, many diabetics who have chosen to stick with this method of treatment would swap it for none other. Over the last two decades, many health insurance providers have begun to make provisions to cover the cost of insulin pumps in the policies, either in whole, or in part. And so, if the only consideration that's keeping you from switching to insulin pups is the relatively hefty price tag, you may want to check with your healthcare company before dismissing the idea altogether. Diabetes can be a tricky condition to deal with but only if you let it escalate to the point that it does. Toss out your apprehensions and take control of your diabetes today! You'll find that it's actually a lot easier than it seems!
Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.
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