Diabetic patients use insulin pumps to help them manage their blood sugars effectively. These unique devices administer insulin doses into the body at different times, making it easy to maintain and regulate sugar levels. This article discusses everything you need to know about insulin pumps. Explore and learn.
What is an Insulin Pump?
An insulin pump is a medical device used to dispense insulin to diabetic patients. The insulin pump administers little insulin into the body throughout the day and night, making it easy for diabetic patients to control their sugars. It delivers the insulin through a thin tube placed under the skin, and one can clip the device anywhere on their clothes, making it easy to move around.
How Does the Insulin Pump Work?
People with Type 1 diabetes cannot make insulin in their bodies, and therefore they need to inject themselves with insulin to help regulate their body sugars. Those with Type 2 diabetes, bodies cannot use their insulin well, making it hard for them to make enough insulin that can be used to regulate their blood sugars. This means that the patients need a way to help them inject the insulin into their body to help them regulate their sugars, which is the main role of the insulin pump.
The insulin pumps release insulin into the body almost the same way it releases it naturally, helping the patients have fewer needle sticks. It is also beneficial for those who have trouble remembering their insulin injections because the pumps are always attached to the body.
The insulin pump delivers insulin into the body in two ways, basal insulin, which is the small and continuous insulin doses, and bolus insulin which is the surges of insulin when it is almost meal times; therefore, it is important to keep on checking the blood sugar levels, to help you determine if the pumps are regularly dispensing the insulin into the body.
The pump can calculate the required insulin levels depending on the blood sugar levels, which is how it automatically adjusts the bolus and basal insulin doses depending on the glucose levels in the body.
Who Qualifies to Use an Insulin Pump?
The diabetic insulin pump is not meant to be used by everybody. To qualify for the pump, one must have Type 1 or 2 diabetes and constantly use insulin injections to regulate the blood sugars. According to Tandem Diabetes, anyone with an A1C greater than 7% also qualifies to use the pump. Those who always forget to take their insulin injections and have very high or low blood sugars are also qualified to use the insulin pump as it helps them manage diabetes.
People with diabetes need insulin injections for the rest of their lives. If you are wondering how do insulin pumps work, you can note that it makes diabetes treatment easier and gives the patients the freedom to lead a normal life without constantly worrying about their blood sugar levels.
