Sex and the Insulin Pump

This is a well-written article by a professional teacher and writer about the impact of having an insulin pump for Type I diabetes on her feelings of sexuality and self-worth.

The article is of general interest about how chronic illness and particularly medical equipment can affect not just your health, but also sexuality.

As a doctor, it is also a reminder that medical conditions and also their treatments can affect life and also quality of life, which includes sexuality. I admit that I had not considered this in the insulin pump, though the subject often comes up in the setting of arthritis, heart attacks and cancers of the breast and prostate. "Will I spread the cancer by touching her?" "Will "being with him' cause his heart to over-work itself?" These kind of questions may be hard to ask, but they're real questions. They reflect concerns based on anxiety, love and compassion. Nothin' more real than that.

(H/t to boing boing for this link.)