On April 17, 2011, author Linda van Wartburg published an article in Diabetes Health magazine.  The following was her first paragraph:

“What if there were a technology that could make people with type 1 diabetes feel absolutely wonderful, completely healthy, better than they ever realized was possible?  And what if it were about to disappear?  Well, there is such a technology, and it is in serious jeopardy.  It’s called the implantable insulin pump, currently made by Medtronic.  This is the story of four people who have been using this device for 20 years, and their desperate crusade to keep it from disappearing forever.”

Here is a link to the article:  https://www.diabeteshealth.com/a-miracle-technology-for-type-1s-can-it-be-saved/

Anne and Greg also published an article in 2011.  “The Implantable Insulin Pump – The Perspective of Two Patients”, appeared in the online scientific journal, Infusystems USA (Volume 8 Number 2, 2011).
Scroll down to page 12 at this link:   http://www.publiscripts.com/wp-content/uploads/Infusystems-USA-Vol.8-No.2.pdf

The four of us who were the subjects of the first article still have our implantable insulin pumps, live in the United States and must travel to Europe four times per year to keep our pumps.  And, we are still trying to make it possible for all of our fellow Type 1 Diabetics to have this remarkable technology that vastly improves our lives.  We (and many others in Europe) can confirm that the implantable insulin pump truly is a better and easier way to successfully manage Type 1 Diabetes!   The implantable insulin pump was developed in the U.S. and continues to be manufactured, but not available, here.  Our challenge is to find a way to encourage the much-needed modernization of the implantable insulin pump, to bring it back to the United States and to make it affordable and available to all of us who live with Type 1 Diabetes and who choose to have it.

Why are we so passionate about the implantable insulin pump and why do we go to such lengths to keep our pumps?

Because having an implantable insulin pump makes a profound and positive difference in our daily lives.  Our pumps are surgically implanted under the skin and deliver insulin directly to the peritoneum (the space that surrounds the liver, spleen, intestines, etc.).  This is called intraperitoneal insulin delivery and its superiority in treating Type 1 Diabetes has been known for decades but the technological capabilities needed to make it a wide-spread and affordable reality have not been available until recently.  Several of us received our first implantable insulin pumps in the U.S. as early as 1992.  Sadly, beginning in 2007 this was no longer possible – we now must travel to Europe four times every year to maintain and keep our pumps and we do so because it vastly improves our lives.  This is not an option for the vast majority of our fellow T1Ds and we cannot accept this inequity.  We have long worked to change this and we will continue to passionately strive for the day when all T1Ds can have access to an even better implantable insulin pump.

The differences between intraperitoneal and subcutaneous insulin delivery are dramatic.  Life is easier with intraperitoneal insulin delivery: there are fewer hypos when trying to achieve excellent blood glucose levels, if a hypo occurs it is far milder and recovery is faster, blood sugars and insulin action become far more predictable, accommodating unexpected changes in daily schedules is simple and achieving stable blood glucose levels takes far less effort. And we just plain feel better – this last point is the most difficult to explain, yet it is what we all experience and is undeniable.

Our small U.S. implantable insulin pump group is not alone – there are also approximately 450 T1Ds living in Europe who are fortunate enough to have an implantable insulin pump, and just like us, every one of them refuses to give it up!

So, what is the current status of this remarkable device?  To summarize, the only available version of this pump is mired in decades old, outdated technology, is far too costly and is not reasonably available.  The technology now exists to make a far superior and affordable implantable insulin pump.  Perhaps most importantly, we also know that the implantable insulin pump, delivering insulin to the peritoneum, is the key to creating a truly functional artificial pancreas.

Pretty strong statements we admit – and our experiences lead us to believe that they are absolutely true.