Insulin pump VS shots

Being a diabetic, I know there are different treatment options. You can choose from insulin shots, or an insulin pump. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was on shots for about a year before I got an insulin pump. I wanted an insulin pump because I thought my blood sugars would be better controlled and I wouldn't have to stick myself with needles several times a day. I also thought it would better because because I wouldn't have to carry around needles and insulin all the time or find somewhere I could go so I could give myself a shot when I was out in public.

After being on the insulin pump for a little while, I didn't really see a difference in my blood sugars. Not having to carry around needles and insulin was good but having an insulin pump had it's own issues. I had to carry around extra supplies and extra insulin in case the tubing ripped out of my skin. When I wore a dress, I had no where to put it. With jeans, I stuck in my pocket or between my pants and hip and it would stay there. When I was in gym class, I had a problem with the pump getting in my way. I would run and it would fall out from under my shorts and wrip out of my skin or it would just hang there. It was such a pain in the butt! At night, I had a hard time finding a place to put the pump when I was asleep. I usually put in next to me on the bed but then sometimes the cord would get hung up in my sheets. It was a mess! I always had to make sure the tubing was tucked in my pants or it would get wrapped around door knobs, etc. and rip the tubing out of my skin.

A few years went by when I heard about the omnipod. It's a different kind of insulin pump. There is no cord to get wrapped around anything, and I don't have to keep the remote part of it on me. I can leave the remote in the house if I want to be outside all day and I will still get my basal. Now, I'm finding some problems with it. First, the pod (where the insulin is located) is bulky and you can see it under my shirt. I have had a lot of times when the canula rips out of my skin. I can't put it on my legs (same with the other insulin pump I talked about) because my jeans get caught on it and it rips off. Once you fill a pod with insulin, it's almost impossible to get it back out. So, if the pod rips off my body or starts leaking, that's a waste of insulin. There is no getting the insulin out to put it in a new pod! Lately, I have had a lot of problems with "pod errors" or my pods will leak some how even if the canula is still in my skin. So, that's more insulin and more pods that are being wasted.

With that being said, I'm having a hard time deciding which treatment would be best for me now! Each one has it's ups and downs and that is never going to change. I went from shots to the pump because I thought it would make my life easier. I went from the pump to the omnipod because I thought it would make my life easier. But now, I have come to realize that it doesn't matter what I do, it's all going to be a pain in the ass! (excuse my language)

If you are a diabetic trying to figure out if you would rather take shots or get an insulin shot please read this. Take all this into consideration but in the end it's all about what's better for you. You may have a better experience with these options then I have had. You may even find some ways around these problems. I guess you just have try each one to know what works for you.