Insulin Pump Therapy

Chances are you’re using a long-acting insulin once or twice a day, plus a rapid-acting insulin before your meals. The pump does the same thing but doesn’t require all the needles and injections. The pump delivers a small, continuous amount of insulin (the “basal” rate) in place of the long-acting insulin. When you enter your blood sugar level, the pump calculates how much insulin you need to correct a high sugar back to a normal level. If your blood sugar is already normal, it will not recommend any additional insulin. If you are eating, you tell the pump how many carbohydrates you’re eating and the pump will calculate how much insulin is needed to cover your meal. You’re in charge: you only get the extra insulin (a “bolus”) when you tell the pump you need it.

No! The pump has a clip to attach to your clothing, slide in your pocket, or sits directly onto your skin. A small plastic cannula sits directly beneath your skin in the fatty tissue to deliver your insulin.

No, and you should talk to the nurse practitioner if it does. The insertion of the infusion set (which delivers the insulin) is quick and often painless. Any discomfort that occurs while you are wearing the pump may be from placing the infusion set in a skin fold or beneath the waistband of your clothes. You learn by trial and error: if it hurts there, try to avoid that site next time.

Most people prefer pump therapy because you no longer have to take insulin injections (long acting or short acting), so it’s much more comfortable than injecting insulin 3-5 times a day. It also reduces the formation of scar tissue beneath the skin from taking so many shots every day.

Every 2-3 days depending on how much insulin you’re using and how much insulin your pump holds (200-300 units).

If you are wearing a patch pump, it will stay on during exercise. Depending on what kind of exercise you are doing, you may choose to suspend the delivery of insulin to prevent your blood sugar from dropping too low. If you are wearing a tubed pump, you can leave the pump attached or disconnect at the infusion site. Many people prefer to remove the pump for convenience, as well as to prevent their blood sugar from dropping too low. After you’re done exercising, reconnect the infusion set and go about the rest of your day.

You still need insulin overnight to wake up with your blood sugar in range the next morning. If you are wearing a patch pump, it stays attached to your skin through the night. If you are wearing a tubed pump, you can attach the pump to your clothes or let it lay next to you in the bed. There are no hard and fast rules about where to place your pump when you’re sleeping, as long as you keep it attached to you.