Living with insulin-dependent diabetes presents constant challenges.
Deciding what to eat for breakfast, monitoring of blood sugar levels
and correct dosages of insulin all require careful thought. Nothing
comes easy, and yet, people living with insulin-dependent diabetes
often go unnoticed.
Insulin Pumpers was founded on the belief that nobody should have to
deal with their condition alone. Whether they don't have the income to
pay for expensive medical supplies, need advice on finding a qualified
doctor, or simply need support and sympathy from others in the same
boat, we are committed to helping people with diabetes overcome their
challenges.
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Type 1 diabetes can afflict both children and adults at any stage in their
lives.
It develops unexpectedly and creates a lifetime dependence on injected or pumped
insulin. Many people that develop Type 2 diabetes also become insulin
dependent. Without constant control and observation, insulin dependent
diabetes can lead to severe
complications. Along with a healthy dose of courage and perseverance, patients
(and the parents of children) with
insulin-dependent diabetes need to be mathematicians,
physicians, personal trainers, and dietitians to achieve the balance needed to
live a normal life.
Everyone wants the best diabetes care possible for themselves and their loved
ones. Intensive diabetes management has been proven to significantly improve
the quality of life and reduce long-term complications for people with
diabetes. Insulin pump therapy can provide intensive insulin therapy that fits
the varied lifestyle needs of adults as well as children and teens with
insulin-dependent diabetes. In addition,
insulin pump therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia compared
to intensive insulin therapy using multiple daily injections
Since 1997, Insulin Pumpers has been developing a community where thousands of
people with diabetes and their families gather the support, information and courage
they need to try and live a normal life with the help of technology and insulin
pump therapy. Newly diagnosed patients and people interested in starting on an
insulin pump can browse our extensive database of qualified, pump-friendly
endocrinologists to make sure they are getting the best possible care. We have
helped hundreds of people with information to appeal and overturn service denials
from their insurance companies that refused to pay for an insulin pump or medical
supplies needed to sustain quality of life. Countless families have come to us for
information on how to enforce their child's 504 education plan, a federal statute
requiring schools to accommodate children with diabetes without disrupting their
learning experience. Every day Insulin Pumpers provides pump related emergency
medical supplies to uninsured and economically distressed diabetics who have no
other options.
The value of the Insulin Pumpers network also extends into the little things
that make up day to day life. People struggling to deal with Type 1 or
insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes
can connect with others who know what it is like to have to poke themselves
with a needle multiple times every day, or sit on the bench for the championship
baseball game because of a low blood sugar. From simple questions, such as “What
should I do with my insulin pump when I go swimming or play sports? to the more
nuanced and problematic, like, Why does my blood sugar always get high right
before I go to bed? or, What is the right insulin dose for a chocolate chip
cookie? Odds are that there is someone out there with the real world experience
that can provide an answer on how they solved the same problem.
Please take a moment to visit the
Testimonials
page where you will find stories of people whose lives have been touched by
Insulin
Pumpers. To thousands of people who have been affected directly or
indirectly by diabetes, Insulin Pumpers is a lifeline. For many
people, we are an extended family, whose support, friendship and
collective experiences help them lead happier and more fulfilling lives.
Here at Insulin Pumpers we have developed a three tiered approach to helping
insulin-dependent diabetics get the information, care and medical supplies they need.
The first level of contact for most people with diabetes who come to us for
help is our network consisting of thousands of members who connect and communicate
over the internet. On our website, Insulin Pumpers collects both personal experience,
the experience of medical professionals, and the life experience of our members,
distill and records that experience and makes it available to assist with the tasks
and problems associated with living with diabetes.
People with diabetes looking for advice on finding a qualified doctor,
learning about new treatment options, dealing with complicated medical insurance
claims and other important information that are not readily available, frequently
visity our website and forums help. Our staff members cultivate relationships with
diabetes related medical suppliers to obtain the most recent and up-to-date
information about developments in diabetes management. In addition, they attend
national science meetings and expositions to gather information about new treatments,
management techniques, technology and potential cures for diabetes. On our website,
we maintain a database of qualified endocrinologists all over the country and the
world. All of this information is made available to anyone, free of charge.
In 2005, Insulin Pumpers developed an initiative to provide medical supplies to
insulin pump users who otherwise (loss of employment, no health insurance, low income)
cannot afford to pay for them. Participants in the program are usually referred to
Insulin Pumpers by their medical team or the customer service departments of one of
the pump companies. To operate, this program relies entirely on donated funds and
supplies, which are provided to qualifying program participants with only a small
provisioning fee. The program has not been promoted publically and is currently at
capacity. There is simply too much demand for us to address with our existing resources.
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You are welcome and encouraged to participate in our community, click the
JOIN button above
and select the particular topic of interest to you. To help support our mission of
service to the diabetes community, click on the DONATE button above to contribute
supplies, pumps, an old car, or a few dollars. Any thing at all will help and would be appreciated.
We hope that Insulin Pumpers can be of service to you.
Michael Robinton
Executive Director
Please send additions and comments to:
Editor@Insulin-Pumpers.org
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