What is an Insulin Pump?
There are different types of diabetes and, different needs for insulin shots, causing some people to inject themselves with insulin several times a day. This is where insulin pumps come in handy. These devices provide insulin to the one using them, through infusion. They also have reservoirs where insulin is kept before being injected to a patient. Thus, by using insulin pumps you do not have to worry about the frequency of your insulin shots since this device does it for you.
Positive Sides of Insulin Pumps
One of the greatest benefits of insulin pumps is, that they deliver insulin regularly. This means that you do not have to worry about your shots, nor their schedule. Moreover, these pumps give your body steady doses of insulin, instead of shocking your organism with abrupt injections. Furthermore, some people find it uncomfortable to deliver insulin shots to themselves, especially while in public, not wanting to look odd or awkward. Insulin pumps remove these problems as well since they do not stop you from doing whatever you were doing and are far more discrete that their traditional counterparts.
Additional benefit of these devices is the fact that one can know the exact amounts of insulin delivered through better hemoglobin Alc level readers instead of concentrating on measurements inscribed on syringes. Finally, modern insulin pumps can be programmed to meet your nutritional needs by increasing or decreasing your insulin levels, based on your carbohydrate intake. Moreover, these devices can be connected to your computer, offering you graphs of their readings and many other useful data.
Negative Sides of Insulin Pumps
First of all, there is the price issue. Regardless of the fact that insulin pumps will save your money in the long run, they will cost a lot initially, since you need to provide yourself with the pump and all the necessary add on parts like insulin cartridges etc.
Additionally, taking into consideration that you have to wear this pump all the time, dangerous sports or activities like swimming are out of the question, unless the device is temporarily removed. Furthermore, you will need to monitor your pump all the time for the levels of insulin administered, since too little may lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. This can be dangerous if your batteries run out, for example.
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