An insulin pump is a device smaller than most mobile phones, that pumps tiny amounts of insulin into your body all day long, kind of like your pancreas did before you had diabetes.

You can keep the pump it in your pocket, clip it to your belt, or hide it under your clothes.

A tiny tube goes from the pump to an even smaller tube (called a cannula) that sits just underneath your skin. The tubing is called an 'Infusion set'. You can easily disconnect and reconnect your body from the tubing whenever you want to, for example when you want to swim, or shower or play sports.

It's a great way to manage your blood glucose, which means you're healthier (fewer highs and lows). PLUS - it gives you Freedom. It means you can eat when you want, sleep in on weekends, go to sleepovers and on trips and excursions without worrying about injections and special food.

If you want to eat, you can just push a couple of buttons to get more insulin. Or if you want to delay a meal, you can!

It's so small that after a while you won't even notice it. Some people wear it like a pager, and some just slip it in their pocket. People hide it all over the place - you can't even tell they have a pump.

It's a pretty good thing all round actually. You do have to change your infusion site (this is where the tube goes into your skin) every three days. That's like taking a little injection. And is nicer than several injections a day! Insertion devices makes this almost painless anyway.

AND...you still need to check your blood glucose at least 4 times a day - this helps you know how much insulin to take. But you're doing that anyway - right???

As you may have guessed, there is a lot more to say about insulin pumps. Contact Us⁴ for an information pack, and speak to your healthcare team to see whether insulin pump therapy could be an option for you.

Medtronic Diabetes is the world’s leading choice in insulin pump therapy, and has a long history of safety, reliability, convenience and excellent diabetes management.