The Bad Side

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Introduction

    While insulin pumps have many perks, there is always a bad side to everything.  In this post, I am going to cover the flaws I have noticed in using a pump for almost a decade.  While the list isn't extensive, there are small problems I have came across that I will also provide the solutions to.

The Flaws

     The first problem I have noticed is the tubing will catch on every day things.  Doorknobs, cabinet handles, and car doors are the main culprits of this issue.  If you leave the tubing just hanging out, it is inevitable that it will catch on one or more of these things.  I personally have even ripped my site off from this happening (not a good experience).  One solution to this is to tuck the excess tubing into my pants; this way the tubing is against my body and not just hanging around.  Another solution is to get a belt to hold the pump.  The brand I use is called SPIBelt.  This brand offers diabetic specific products that are made for insulin pumps.  The belt hold the pump and allows for you to put the excess tubing inside of it.  It is really user friendly and even allows the tubing to be pulled out in cases where extra length is needed.  This prevents a lot of accidental catches of the tubing.
A link to their webpage is provided here.
    
    Another problem I have noticed with the pump is that technology is not always reliable.  Like a computer or any other electronic device, they can sometimes fail without warning.  There was one time I was on vacation and my pump malfunctioned and couldn't be used.  This left me having to use injections for the entire trip until we got back home.  While this was a worst case scenario, it could be a real issue.  The solution I have for this is to always be prepared for this scenario.  Every trip I have gone on, I always bring back up syringes and long-acting insulin in the case that this does happen again.  It is always better to be safe than sorry especially in cases of diabetes care. 

    In my opinion, there are a lot more pros than cons in terms of using an insulin pump.  But it is always important to understand the potential scenarios that could occur while using a pump.  There are many times where I don't even thing about my pump because it is so automated.  This could cause problems if I would rely too much on the technology as they can't be counted on 100% of the time.



If you have any questions about The Bad Side or want more information about my experience, feel free to contact me!  This is done by clicking the "Contact" link at the top of the page and filling out the form. Or you can always leave a comment below!

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