What does an insulin pump do?

CASEY RESSLER

Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

Adele Morgan is a national spokesperson for a company that produces insulin pumps, and she is eager to tell others about how the pump changed her life. But what exactly does an insulin pump do?

Simplified, an insulin pump mimics a diabetic's pancreas. The human body stores sugar in the liver, and small amounts get released throughout the day and night so that the body has fuel to burn for energy.

To get that sugar to the cells, a human's pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream every few minutes.

When a person eats foods that contain carbohydrates, the blood sugar levels rise, and the pancreas releases a large amount of insulin to keep the levels from going too high. But diabetics don't produce that much-needed insulin. One solution is insulin injections - or an insulin pump.

The pump releases insulin into the body on a more regulated schedule, giving diabetics more options on how to control their blood-sugar levels.

"I can program it if I know I'm going to be working out, or having a big meal, or just about anything," Morgan said. "You get used to having it with you, and you don't have to worry about shot therapy all the time."

The pump is the size of a beeper, has an internal computer and can be worn inside clothing, making it discreet.

Morgan, for example, often wears her pump under her clothing, making it invisible to people. Unless she shows it to you, you'd never know Morgan wears a pump.

The pump has a small cartridge filled with fast-acting insulin. To get the insulin under a person's skin, an "infusion set" is needed - a small plastic tube that rests just under a person's skin.

It is inserted by a needle and then secured in place. Every two to four days, a new infusion set is inserted.

Insulin pumps are extremely safe - most models have internal monitoring devices in place that run several times every second, to make sure no accidental insulin doses are administered. There are alarm systems and automatic shut-offs for safety purposes.

The pump can be used in most Type I diabetes cases, and some Type II cases, Morgan said.