Insulin Pump Therapy Demystified An Essential Guide for Everyone Pumping Insulin

by Kaplan-Mayer, Gabrielle; Scheiner, Gary

• ISBN13: 9781569245088
• ISBN10: 1569245088
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-18
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

Increasing numbers of people with type 1 diabetes, all of whose lives depend on insulin, as well as type 2 diabetics, have already adopted the insulin pump, which replaces a regimen of insulin shots with a continuous delivery of insulin. Yet many who stand to benefit from "the pump" are put off by not fully understanding the device, and many already using it don't have anyone with whom to compare notes about its use. Now Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, who has used the pump for more than three years, cuts through common personal fears about the pump and offers insight into the day-to-day challengesand rewardsof life with it. Drawing on interviews with more than seventy-five pump users, including Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999, as well as diabetes experts and other health professionals, Kaplan-Mayer discusses how the pump affects your sex life, dealing with money issues, finding support, counting carbohydrates, and much more. Insulin Pump Therapy Demystified offers knowledgeable, informative, reassuring advice that all pump userscurrent and futurewill find extremely valuable. Charts and tables add to this valuable insider's guide.

Author Biography

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is a writer, performer and educator. She is the author of several plays and one-woman shows. A 1993 graduate of Emerson College with a B.F.A. cum laude in performing arts, she also earned a Master's degree in Jewish studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Gabrielle currently teaches playwriting for the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival and is a Consultant in the Creative Arts for the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. She has had diabetes since she was ten years old and has been on the pump since 1999

Table of Contents

Foreword	xi
Gary Scheiner
Introduction: We're in This Challenge Together!	1	(6)
PART ONE: To Pump or Not to Pump?	7	(30)
What Is an Insulin Pump and Why Would I Want One?	9	(5)
Seeking Knowledge	14	(10)
Finding Support	24	(7)
Making the Commitment	31	(6)
PART TWO: What's It Really Like to Live with the Pump?	37	(52)
Body Image, Fashion, and Visibility	39	(11)
Sleeping with the Pump	50	(4)
And Now, Ladies and Gentlemen ... the Question You've All Been Waiting For: Sex and the Pump!	54	(6)
Money Makes the World Go Round ...	60	(6)
Inconvenience, or How Much More Do I Need to Schlepp?	66	(5)
The Mechanics of the Pump, or ``But I Can't Even Program My VCR!''	71	(5)
Exercise with the Pump	76	(8)
Swimming, Water Sports, and Days at the Beach	84	(5)
PART THREE: Preparing to Pump---What You Need to do Before Your ``Big Day''	89	(30)
Which Pump to Choose?	91	(11)
Carbohydrate Counting, or What Evil Lies Within That Slice of Pizza?	102	(10)
Your First Days on the Pump	112	(7)
PART FOUR: Happily Pumping Ever After ...	119	(34)
The First Few Weeks	121	(5)
Weight Management and the Pump: Watching Those Pounds	126	(5)
Troubleshooting the Bumps in the Road	131	(6)
Your Emotional Health	137	(6)
Staying Motivated	143	(5)
Pump Therapy and Travel	148	(5)
PART FIVE: Pumping for Everyone! Kids, Teens, Seniors, and Moms-to-Be	153	(23)
Pumping Kids	155	(6)
Pumping Teens	161	(5)
Pumping Seniors	166	(4)
Pumping During Pregnancy	170	(6)
Epilogue: What Lies Ahead in Insulin Pump Technology	176	(3)
Glossary of Diabetes and Insulin Pump Terms	179	(2)
Counting Carbohydrates	181	(2)
References	183	(2)
Acknowledgments	185
Index