Choosing a Diabetic Insulin Pump? Check out the Animas One Touch Ping

Animas One Touch Ping Insulin Pump and Meter Video

Deciding to make the switch from insulin pens or syringes to an insulin pump can be a bit intimidating. Especially if you are making the choice for your child, or if you are an older adult. There are several brands of insulin pumps available, and each of them seems to have a special feature that sets their product out just a little bit from the others.

If you are like the average type 1 diabetic, you are probably taking several insulin shots per day. You probably take shots of both short-acting and long-acting insulin, and you probably feel anchored to your disease. The insulin pump uses only short-acting insulin, and the site change occurs only about once every three days, eliminating the need for several shots. It does have to be worn at night so the insulin can be continuously delivered, but it doesn't seem to cause much discomfort. The hot pink case hooked to my daughters pocket in the photo above holds her pump securely, and she isn't afraid to accessorize it!

Learning to use the insulin pump is relatively easy. The representative from the insulin pump brand you choose will give a class, and for the first week you will practice with saline solution. Once you have the basics down, you will be ready to go on your own. Most companies also offer follow up classes so you can learn some of the intricacies and advanced pump settings. If you can count carbs and press some buttons, you will find the freedom the insulin pump has to offer.

My 14 year old daughter, who has trouble not sneaking snacks since her diagnosis as a type 1 diabetic at age 10, was thrilled to have the opportunity to get an insulin pump. I can remember going to the middle school and raiding her locker because of all the problems she was having during school hours with her sugar being out of control. After hours and hours of research, we decided to go with the Animas One Touch Ping Insulin Pump. It has truly been a Godsend. It has given her the chance to eat when she’s hungry and get off the rigid schedule she had when she was using insulin pens and syringes. If she doesn’t feel like eating breakfast some days, she doesn’t have to. If she wants to go swimming, she unhooks it, even though it is waterproof. The insulin is delivered much closer to what it would be by a normal pancreas. Plus, she was up to almost 6 shots a day—now we’re down to a site change an average of every 3 days.

This information isn’t meant to insinuate that the insulin pump changed everything for the better immediately, because it didn’t. It requires user input! My daughter, for some reason, was still of the belief that sneaking snacks was the way to go, so she had a tendency to not program the carbs she was ingesting from her secret snacks. The first three months on the pump were a disaster as far as her blood sugar readings, but honestly, they weren’t that much better with the insulin pens. Her endocrine nurse had a “Come to Jesus” meeting with her and told her if her next appointment went the same, she would be going back to insulin pens. Needless to say, her next appointment showed a 1.3 point drop in her A1C. It was so exciting!

While Insulin Pump technology varies from one manufacturer to the next, in the end, all of the companies deliver the same service: An easier way to control your type 1 diabetes. Excellent information on each brand can be found at: Diabetesnet.com.  Diabetesnet.com provides a great starting point for the new pumper--offering discussion forums and reviews.