"Go Ahead, Pick Your Pump: Which Pump is Right for You?" Gary Scheiner, Diabetes Self-Management, November/December 2006.

With humor and detail, Gary Scheiner, a certified diabetes educator and author of one of our favorite books about diabetes, Think Like a Pancreas, gives us his enlightened view about which features are important in a pump and which are just "sales fluff." There are many options — seven pump manufacturers, each with several models — and small variations can make a difference in your control. But how to choose?

According to Mr. Scheiner, pumps don't vary much in the warranty and support, training, computer connection, ease of use, backlight, and prolonged bolus delivery for slow-digesting foods. All of these features are pitched for "competitive edge," but Mr. Scheiner says they don't actually affect the user much. What does matter are the following:

• Will the pump hold enough insulin to last you three days? Different models vary from holding 176 units to 300 units.

• Will bolus-dose amounts work for you? Various models vary in their dosage increments and maximum amounts.

• Is the clip convenient? This is more important than one might think!

• How is unused insulin (often called "insulin on board") treated? (Having "IOB" by the way is one of our favorite features of "smart" pumps, which came out in 2001 and which do all the calculations for you...)

• Will you hear or feel the alarms? You might need to do a test run to figure this out.

One warning: don't turn payment or insurance information over to a rep before you make your final decision. In his article, Mr. Scheiner provides specific information about various pumps (Medtronic MiniMed, Animas, Cozmo, Insulet), but he also encourages you to do your own research and provides the pump manufacturers' contact information as well as good pump review websites. He ends by not telling us what pump he's using, explaining that any pump can be good or bad for you depending on whether or not it fits your individual needs. "After much research and deliberation, the pump I have chosen to wear at my side is none other than..." and there the article ends!

The bottom line: This article will help you organize your thoughts on what's important to you when you choose an insulin pump.