Insulin Pump

One of the best inventions of recent years has got to be the insulin pump - at least in our household! Christopher has had type 1 diabetes since 2001, and initially had to make do with twice-daily insulin injections. The problem with those is that you have to eat the right amount of carbohydrates at the right time each day, to match the insulin that you've already injected into the body. So eating less or more than usual really becomes quite a problem.

With the insulin pump Christopher can eat whatever he desires throughout the day, at whatever time he wishes (within healthy limits, as we all should) - and his insulin is tailored according to his food intake. Until you've experienced both alternatives, it's hard to realise exactly how much difference this makes to his life.

The real measure of the benefits come with Christopher's three-monthly test, called a HbA1c. This test is designed to determine how well his sugar levels have been controlled over the previous 6-8 weeks. Someone without diabetes would have a HbA1c of about 6% or less. Someone whose diabetes is absolutely not under control might get a result of around 10%. Before the insulin pump we were getting levels around 9% (not very good). Christopher's most recent HbA1c was a very, very good 7.8%.

Why does this matter? Well, the test is important because higher levels are intimately related to all the negative long-term outcomes that diabetes brings with it - ranging from liver failure to loss of sight, from foot amputation to death. Clearly, any improvement in blood glucose control is highly desirable.

The only reason we've been able to afford the rather pricy insulin pump is thanks to family members in Holland. Their generous contributions have enabled us to get Christopher's glucose levels under control, thereby greatly improving his life-long health, and making his life that much more enjoyable.

So while diabetes is not yet curable, the insulin pump is a wonderful step towards improving the life of anyone with diabetes.