I read all the same stories about problems with pumps, which probably kept me from trying a pump for many years. After 42 years of MDI I decided that I did not want to live my whole T1D life without ever having tried a pump. I told myself that I could always go back to MDI if I didn’t like it. Well here I am 3.5 years later, still on the pump and loving it. I don’t think that I could ever go back. The main benefits for me are extended boluses, small dosing increments and temp basals. My TDD is around 17 units, so I do not take a lot of insulin. I can tell you in the entire time that I have been on the pump I have had minimal problems with it. People tend to complain online when they are having problems, but they don’t post when they are not having problems.
I started on MDI in 2006. I tried the Omnipod for the first time in 2007. With too many site problems and not enough quality support, that attempt lasted two months.
After my first attempt with podding, I was content to stay on MDI as long as it was working for me. And by “working”, I mean that I had the quality of life, A1C and safety that I wanted for living well with diabetes. It stopped working for me in 2013, so it forced my hand at changing back to pumping. There are things that I really like about pumping. There are other things that are more of a hassle with pumping than with shots, IMO. A lot of this probably comes down to my body type and how well my sites work…and my overall preference not to be attached to anything, no matter how small.
After lots of trial and error, as long as my current regimen keeps working for me as defined above, I’ll stick with podding in its current iteration (meaning I use it for basal and supplement with shots for meals).
My personality is that I like to leave well enough alone if it’s working. I understand others’ perspectives that you won’t know if it’s totally awesome for you until you try it. I agree with that perspective, too, I’m just not naturally inclined to it myself. I might be more in that camp if my podding experiences had been more seamless over the years.
Best of luck to you, whatever you decide!
i wonder what makes these sticky adhesives so different. as most of you know, i swim 4 days a week for 1.5 hours a day. i wear the MM silhouette infusion set and that adhesive is difficult for me to pull off when i change sets, and it has NEVER even remotely become loose due to swimming. yet, the dexcom requires skin tac, Tegaderm, etc just to keep it on for about 5 days.now i would think it would be made the other way around, since the dex is expected to last (at least 
) 7 days, while the silhouette is only expected to last only 3 days.
whats up with that??? anyone know? am i missing something?
Easy to understand if you look at an extreme and silly comparison:
What would be easier to keep stuck to your body? A bowling ball for 7 days? Or a nickel for 3 days?
The Dexcom is bigger. It weighs more, has a bigger footprint compared to the pump infusion you are using. And because it is “taller” (higher off of your body), it is impacted more by force, such as from clothing and door frames.
ah ha! makes complete sense, even to a simpleton like myself.
The tape I get for my guardian sensor is great. I’m like you and have to tear it off at the end of 7 days (when I get that), but my infusion set adhesive is a joke. Any sweat past 24 hours of wear, and it’s at risk of coming off. Skin Tac really makes a difference though, so I’m crossing my fingers I don’t develop a sensitivity to it…
@docslotnick, I have been waiting to get good connectivity to give my feedback, but this won’t be true for a while 
No WiFi and very poor broadband if any right now… So I am taking my chance now.
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Our original reason for a pump was the ability to stop or adjust basal for sports reasons. But, since we started on it, this reason has taken a back step to others.
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The ability to adjust basal quickly can make a big difference to our life. Our teenager’s basal needs vary widely and adjusting for it is a godsend.
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It makes a world of difference to dealing with sickness. We don’t have to worry about calculating insulin DIA for different types such as NPH as we used to in order to be able to deal with ferocious and sudden insulin needs followed by equally drastic falls.
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It is very easy to do fractional dosing for fine adjustments.
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Meal management is much easier with extended boluses for rich or slow meals, or at a restaurant.
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It is very convenient to use: take the PDM, dial a couple numbers and that’s that.
On the other hand, we have run into several problems at one time or another: infected site, absorobtion issues, malfunctioning pump.
On the whole, my son loves his pump. Right now he does not want to do without. I also find it a lot more convenient. In our conditions, I think it gives us, possibly 0.3-0.5% better A1c and a better quality of life.
So it’s not the easiest thing in the world for me to use a pump being pretty darn skinny…but I do my best to make it work for three reasons:
- Super variable basal needs over the course of each day.
- Quick basal adjustability for routinely changing sensitivity to insulin.
- Sick days.
I just got knocked on my butt with a virus that started Thursday night. I was laid out on my couch all day yesterday with a 101 fever. My joints hurt. My skin hurt. My head hurt. My face hurt. I’m WAY better today.
It’s so much nicer to deal with sick days on a pump. Being able to keep trying extra basal to see how much I need to keep things respectable is such a stress saver for me. Being laid out sick on MDI typically followed the pattern of correction shot, correction shot, correction shot, correction shot, Oh Sh!t it’s tanking and I’m too nauseous to eat very much!, and then back to correction shots.
I just really appreciate not having that dynamic when I’m sick. And that’s just my experience. Maybe it’s more manageable for others on MDI, but it was always super ugly for me. Which just made me feel even worse.
I think your reasons to like a pump are valid. They are great, but of course they do come with their own set of problems. For us, the pump is definitely worth the hassle. Variable schedule, variable activity, variable hunger, flexibility dealing with sick days, and of course the future when the system adjusts most things on its own…