Alarmed

As I have been telling people about M's plans to begin what is commonly known as "insulin pump therapy", I have realized that those not involved in the diabetic community have a lot of misconceptions about the pump.

Here are some common reactions:

"Oh my God. Is the insulin just not working?"

"How long will she be in the hospital?"

"She's choosing to have the surgery rather than take the shots?  Things must be pretty bad."

Huh.

I guess when you say "insulin pump, it conjures up images of the iron lung.

I am always pleased to tell people that the pump is a portable and removable device that will allow M more freedom and better control over her bg. That she can take it off any time, and that all it does is administer the insulin regularly, allowing her to have no injections, but instead change her infusion set every two or three days.

They are visibly relieved.

It is also my pleasure to tell people that insulin therapy has come a long way, and that M going on the pump is a good thing.

If I tell them that the darn thing helps her calculate her dose as well, I am afraid their heads might explode. I think we will save that information for when M is wearing her pump. It may be easier for people to visualize and understand when they see it and how it works.

I will have to initiate the new-to-diabetes set with tender loving care. It might be fun to experience things through their eyes, after all. It might give me a moment to appreciate the miracles that we in the diabetes world experience, rather than lament the ones that have yet to happen.