Blood Sugar Control
Studies have shown that insulin pump therapy, when paired with proper training and support, may result in better blood sugar control than multiple daily injections. Additional benefits may include decreased duration of high blood sugar with no increase in severe low blood sugar, fewer large swings in blood sugar, and lower total daily insulin use.1,2,3
Discretion
When you’re taking multiple daily injections, you have to pull out your pen or vial and syringe in public or find a private place to take a shot. Taking mealtime insulin with a pump can be so discreet, others around you won't even notice. If you use a pump with a Quick Bolus feature, you can even deliver a bolus with a few button presses without even taking it out of your pocket.
Flexibility
Anyone with diabetes knows that blood sugar varies from hour-to-hour and day-to-day depending on many factors. Using pump features like temporary basal rates, extended boluses, and personal profiles, you can easily change insulin delivery for different situations. Because pumps use rapid-acting insulin, you can also make adjustments “on the fly.”
Convenience
Have you ever shown up to a lunch date only to realize you left your insulin at home? Or accidentally left your insulin in the car on a warm day and ruined the vial? With a pump, your insulin goes with you, so you can stay on the go! Additionally, since pumps use only one kind of insulin (just like a healthy pancreas) you have one less prescription to fill.
Reporting & Analysis
Keeping detailed records of every blood sugar value, carb, and insulin dose you take is a lot to keep up with. When you’re using an insulin pump, it’s like you have an assistant keeping track of these details for you. You can also upload your pump data to a management system so both you and your healthcare provider have access to it and can make informed management decisions.
Accuracy
Insulin pumps deliver insulin in precise amounts that can’t be achieved with syringes or pens. They can also calculate your insulin doses for you. All you do is enter how much you are eating and your current blood sugar value, and your insulin pump figures out the rest. This results in better matching of insulin to food.