I’m looking to connect with people who started insulin pump therapy in the mid to late 1980s and have stayed on it continuously. I began pumping in 1987 and have been on a pump ever since.
I’m interested in comparing long‑term patterns — scar‑tissue issues, site‑rotation strategies after decades of wear, and the psychological side of being tethered to a device for 35 to 40 years.
If you started pumping in that era (or close to it), I’d really like to hear what your long‑term experience has been. Thanks!
I pumped for 25+ years, so not quite as long as you (starting in 1997). My stomach is a mess of little scars since that’s the only place I would put my infusion sets, and a little flabby from the years of injecting insulin there.
I was getting frustrated with my Dexcom G7 sensors affecting the pump delivery algorithm (Tandem), so I took a pump break about a year and a half ago and am not looking back. It is so freeing to not be tied to a pump. I have fewer alerts and less tech to deal with. When I travel, I have so much less to take. My A1cs are the same on and off a pump, so for me, it’s worth the mental health break to just inject with pens. I’m not planning on going back to a pump unless something miraculous comes out!
I started in 1994 or 95 I think, and have been on a pump continuously ever since. I remember my insurance made me go before a board of doctors to justify why I thought they should authorize a pump. I guess I was convincing because they approved it. I think it was a Minimed 507. I also remember those bent needle infusion sets were a pain to use.
As for scarring, I guess I’ve been lucky since I don’t really have any - at least not yet.
I started in 1980, but I have not been on pumps continuously, mostly for cost reasons. My longest break was 13 years, between the MiniMed 508(?) and Omnipod.
I have some scarring, more of a lump on one side of my abdomen, but it’s fairly minimal. I have much more tissue damage from childhood injections, because I didn’t rotate.
I used to find tubes a real nuisance, especially how my sleep was interrupted by having to unwind myself several times a night. Now that I use Omnipod, I don’t feel “tethered” at all. I don’t even know it’s on me.
Hi Sjwprod. Sounds like we’ve been using a pump for a similar length of time. Have you always used the same area to insert the infusion set, e.g. abdomen? That’s the only area that seems to work for me, but it seems the older I get, the more difficult it is to find patches of skin that are effective. I’m assuming I must have layers upon layers of scar tissue after all these decades, which makes it more and more difficult to maintain BG control. I’m constantly replacing infusion sets. Doctors have been useless, as they really don’t seem to have a clue how to help. I don’t think there has been any research on the effect of decades-long use of infusion sets on the skin. Does anyone have any advice or tips on this? Should I be trying out different parts of my body?
Thanks for both asking and answering the question and for the comments! I dont come anywhere close to you folks for timing, but the answers and comments give me (and probably some others) some idea of what to look for and act on in our pumping and non-pumping future. It’s things like this that I came to this forum for! Thanks!
“Skin Problems Associated with Insulin Pumps and Sensors in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study” Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2018.
I have no scar tissue or problems with my infusion sites because I am lucky enough to have a low TDD and I religiously rotate sites an average of every 3 days using soft infusion sets.
I started using a pump in 1983. I have since 1990 been changing my site every 7-9 days and i have very little scarring. As being tethered, i have never felt like that, i simply heel the pump to my waist and the tubing in my underwear. I am 72 years old and have been diabetic for 70 years and i have been on a pump since 1983 continuously and started cgm in 2006. Without the pump I would be dead.