Hi Faustalynn,There's one of us ... albeit from the other side of the Atlantic ocean.
I've been using a pump since November 1998, and can honestly say I wouldn't have it any other way.
The amount of freedom and flexibility that I've found with the pump has been phenomenal.
Prior to using a pump my daily intake was upwards of four injections. I say upwards as officially I was prescribed 4 injections, but when my blood sugar levels were out of control, which happened to be a lot of the time, I was forever having to administer correction boluses of insulin. Obviously, with using a pump, this doesn't involve further injections; simply ordering the pump to make another delivery.
I can't say that the system is perfect, but I can say, with my hand on my heart, that I've spent a lot less time as a hospital in-patient.
Without actually knowing you, or how good you would normally be at attempting to control your blood sugar levels, I'd say that a pump would help you with working "the long odd ball hours and eating patterns", purely for the reason that you'd only infuse enough insulin to cater to the amount of carbohydrate that you'd be consuming. This may, of course, be different to the way you already count your dietary needs and make allowances for, but you sound like an intelligent person who, I am sure, would soon be able to get to grips with it.
As I'm sure you're already aware, your pump would infuse insulin on a basal rate (over any 24 hour period) at very low levels. This can be adjusted to take into account your own requirements. In theory, once you have this at an optimum level ... and you can have as many different rates throughout any 24 hour period as you wish ... you wouldn't have to eat, if you didn't want to. This would mean that you simply wouldn't infuse a bolus dose of insulin. (The bolus is an amount that you would infuse to cover the amount of carbohydrate that you've eaten at any one sitting.) Obviously, this would not be of long-term benefit as your body needs to produce energy, which it does by utilising glucose that would normally be in your bloodstream. I'm just saying what would be possible.
One other point that might interest you is that inserting the cannula into the 'fatty tissues' ... or subcutaneously, is only done every two or three days, so that gives you little else to worry about during your busy working schedule.
One thing that you might not appreciate so much is that pumps use fast acting insulin. This means that there's a greater chance of blood sugar levels falling ... and sometimes rapidly. To counter this you'll need to check your blood sugar readings, perhaps more frequently than you're used to. You may be wise to do this in the middle of the night, too, at least until you're confident that your basal rates are set correctly. (I absolutely hate night time hypos.)
In the UK, pumps are not sanctioned to be provided by our NHS (National Health Service) to type 2 diabetics. I have little doubt that this is purely on the basis of cost. I don't think they look at the 'bigger picture' of how much money is saved on preventing patients from being admitted to hospital, the cost of which also comes from our NHS. Of course, there is always the option of purchasing a pump with one's own money, but the ongoing costs for replacement reservoirs, cannulas and connecting tube would prove to be rather expensive. Would I be right in assuming that you have medical insurance ... and would this coverage be enough for an ongoing period? I do hope so.
Anyway, dear lady, if there's anything you want to ask me ... that's if you feel I'd be any use to you, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. (Simply click on Send email.)
I wish you the best of luck in whatever decision you and your doctor arrive at.
Lots of Love and Light.
Mick
x x x x
x x x
P.S. Please don't be offended, or alarmed, at the "x's". It's simply a logo, of sorts, that I've used for some 30-odd years.
