Living with the Pump
The pump will deliver basal insulin into the subcutaneous tissue at the rate you program
throughout the day and night. When you want to give a correction insulin dose or insulin for food, you instruct
the pump by pressing some buttons. Here are some other issues that come up with the
pump:
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Usually the pump infusion set, reservoir, and tubing are
changed every three days. The reservoirs hold 200 to 300 units of insulin, which for most people
is more than enough for three days’ use.
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When you sleep, you can put the pump under your pillow or
in your pajama pocket.
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You can keep the pump on or take it off when
exercising.
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The pumps are water resistant, and some are waterproof.
Most people take off the pump for showers or for swimming.
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Things that can go wrong include air in the tubing and
kinks in the cannula. Both of these problems will result in high glucose levels. As you get more
experience with using pumps and infusion sets, these problems happen less and
less.
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The pumps use AA or AAA batteries. There are alarms to
alert you when the battery runs low.
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