Like always listen to your doctor and any advice they may provide. I put this out there to just let you know the problems that can happen with pump therapy.

Do not get me wrong I really did enjoy my pump. I was a sophomore when I first went on the pump. Before I had poor control that whatever we did just would seem not to help. This option gave me better control and more freedom to be like my friends.

Here are some of the facts:

• Blood-sugars can rise faster due to no long acting insulin
• More expensive (infusion sets, tape, cartridges, ect...
• Can create little white bumps on injection sites
• Can be pulled out , if you got caught on something

• Must change every three days

So here is the sum of my story so you can hear some of the problems people can face.

I was a sophomore when I got the pump. It did not take long to get use to the fact of waking up all tangled in my tubes. Nor did it take long to get in the habit of changing the set every three days. But having it pulled out by people, doors, hinges ect. That was the hard part. IBut all in all thought life was great.

About a year later my pump died. They assured me this was very uncommon. There was no reason. No hard drops, no water damage, no putting it in the microwave. I mean whatever. I didn't do anything. But yet it died. So they gave me a new one free of charge (good on there part). So life started again.

My senior year they told me I was changing to often. So I had to go to a rotation of every 5 days. With major sections of my body being restricted. For they had to many of the white little bumps and scar tissue. Not only was this making it harder, because the only places left were not easily reached.

About the time I started college the major problems began. Not only was I stressed out from college. (Which can elevate blood sugars). But this began the end for me. I kept changing tubing out like five times a day. Getting "No Delivery" messages from my pump. It would be fine for a couple hours then quite on me. I was spending most of my time keeping up with my pump. I would go all night with no insulin. Making me feel so sick. I had two times when my sites got infected. The had puss come out of them for weeks and I had to were pads under my shirts. Finally after about 8 months of stress of tubing, changing, scar tissue, infection, error messages. My pump finally died. The screw that pushed the vial of insulin went out.

It was then that I knew why I was having most of my problems. My doctor never caught it. The company never caught it. All I got was I'm sorry from everyone. Right now I am on an emotional/ mental break from the pump world. I do plan to return to the life of the insulin pump but it will take time. So do look into pumping, just know what you are getting into. The advantages do out weigh the down side. But this is to let you know some of the hidden things to think about!

Angela C.

"God made us diabetic because we were already sweet enough"