What Is It Like to Wear an Insulin Delivery Pump for Diabetes?
Key takeaways:
Insulin delivery pumps are small, wearable devices that attach to the body to help people with diabetes more easily adjust their daily insulin doses.
Insulin pumps offer an alternative to taking insulin injections multiple times a day. They also offer more convenience and flexibility than older insulin delivery systems.
For Aimee Monarch, using an Omnipod pump to help manage her blood sugar has been freeing.
Aimee Monarch has dealt with Type 1 diabetes since she was a child.
Now, at age 52, Aimee uses a wearable insulin delivery device, a switch that she says has been freeing. She uses the Omnipod, a tubeless insulin delivery system. She says it lets her maintain an active lifestyle, and it monitors her glucose levels automatically. And it provides her with a peace of mind she didn’t have as a child.
Aimee, a resident of Lexington, Kentucky, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 6. Back then, she says, having your blood sugar (glucose) levels checked meant going to the hospital and having your blood drawn.
“The only at-home testing method that my mom and I had back then was urine testing,” she says. “But urine can sit in your bladder for hours. If a test said you had sugar in your urine, that could have been from 6 hours ago. So it was just guessing. We just guessed at what my levels were.”
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At the time, she says, maintaining her blood sugar levels meant taking many insulin injections over the course of the day. First, at breakfast, she’d take a short-acting injection that would get her through until lunch. At lunchtime, she’d take a long-acting injection to get her through until dinner. At dinner, it was another short-acting injection to get her through until 10PM. And then, at 10PM, another long-acting injection would get her through until the morning, when the cycle would begin again.
That routine meant she had to eat at the exact same time every day, she says. Not eating, or not being hungry enough to eat, was not an option.
Even throughout her teen years, when she was able to start using a glucose monitor, managing her diabetes wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until she got married and decided she wanted a family and children that she started taking bigger steps to manage her diabetes.
“Once I started thinking about the world beyond just myself, then I found my motivation,” Aimee says.
Previous insulin delivery systems
For a while, Aimee was using an insulin pump that had a tube connected to her body. The pump provided insulin when she directed it to. And while it had its benefits, it also had its drawbacks, she says. For one, she had to carry the device in her pocket, while the tube ran down the side of her leg.
“It was annoying in that it was in the way and you had to find a way to sort of tuck it and hide it,” she says. “But at the same time, it was always attached to you.”
On the upside, the pump’s flexibility allowed her to continue focusing on her passion: horseback riding. She could also do other active things, like boxing and yoga, while wearing it.
After a friend who also has diabetes told Aimee about the Omnipod, she decided to try it.
The tubeless Omnipod system monitors glucose levels and delivers insulin. The system is made up of three parts: a pod (wearake "patch" pump), a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and a smartphone app or "controller." Insulin delivery instructions come from the app or controller. Then, insulin is automatically given through a small flexible tube (cannula) attached to the pod.
The Omnipod 5 system monitors glucose levels giving real-time feedback. It offers automated or manual settings. This means users can adjust insulin deliver on their own if they prefer.
Switching to the Omnipod
Switching to the Omnipod gave Aimee a new level of freedom — freedom from needle sticks and worrying about her blood sugar levels. Initially, she says, remembering to carry the controller around was an adjustment. Before, her insulin pump was connected to her, and she never forgot it. Now, she says, she needs to wear clothes with pockets, so she can carry the controller with her wherever she goes. The Omnipod can be used with an app, which means people don't have to carry a controller. But compatible software is not available for all devices.
But the constant monitoring offers her peace of mind.
“The monitor checks my levels every 5 minutes,” she says. “You can look down at your controller and see any alerts.”
The device also lets her share information about her blood sugar — most notably, with her husband, Tom.
Sharing that information with her husband was hard at first, Aimee says. She wanted him to know, but she didn’t want him to stress over something she was managing. Likewise, Tom says, he didn’t want to run to her and check on her every time her glucose levels dropped.
“I’m fiercely independent,” Aimee says. “When I turned on that share thing, it was very emotionally overwhelming. It made me very upset to think that somebody else was going to be privy to this information.”
Aimee’s blood sugar levels rise and fall throughout the day. Exercise can cause her levels to drop, and other factors can cause her levels to fluctuate. With that in mind, Aimee and Tom came to an agreement: If her numbers drop below a certain point, then it’s OK for Tom to check on her.
Tool makes managing diabetes easier
Aimee says the Omnipod isn’t a cure-all for managing diabetes. She still stays active, watches what she eats, monitors her blood sugar levels daily, and does what she needs to do to manage her disease.
“If someone is refusing to test their blood sugar, or if they're refusing to take ownership of their diabetes, then this isn't going to make their life any easier,” she says. “Because you still have to be present. You still have to pay attention to it. The realities of the disease do not change just because the technology is better. You have to be willing to do all the hard work to make it successful.”
The Omnipod does help her stay on top of her blood sugar, though, she says. “It’s not a cure,” she says. “But it does make it easier.”
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