My daughter, Hailey, was diagnosed in July with Type 1 Diabetes. 4 days after her 7th birthday. For about a week, her symptoms were SO vague and unreliable as to what was going on with her. When I did get her in to see her pediatrician - her blood sugar was 981, 1000mg/dl glucose in her urine and OF COURSE Ketones. Needless to say, she was in DKA. What a whirlwind from the next couple of hours/days following. She was carried by life flight to Pitt Memorial Hospital here in North Carolina - spent 2 days in the PICU and 4 days on the Peds floor.
As a Paramedic in North Carolina, I "thought" I knew alot about diabetes. With the exception of increased thirst/urination, she never had the symptoms that I had learned so much about in my studies to become a medic. I just assumed she was hot from playing as much as she was - therefore, drink alot. Man, was I off track.
We have spent the last month on this roller coaster of regulating insulin/blood sugars and her newly diagnosed HypoThyroidism. Surprisingly, she has been amazining with her new diagnosis. She checks her sugars and gives her own insulin injections. It has only been the last couple of days that she is down in the dumps with this "diabetes thing" as she calls it. We are researching so many options for pump therapy, but of course ALL companies say that their pump is the best option for children. Any suggestions??? So confused at this point.
I am sorry to hear about your daughters diagnosis. It is a tough time, but you have found a great spot for learning, venting, crying, laughing, whatever you need! It will be a rough few weeks, probably more so emotionally and mentally than anything else. It is a lot to get your head around, and it is OK for you as the parent to feel bad, sad, or angry too! I also think it is OK to let your child see you dealing with those emotions since they might then be more likely to let some of them out too, because they're in there!
It is great that your daughter is doing so well and taking things in stride. They really are amazing and I think do a better job of it than we do sometimes.
As far as pumps, they all do a great job. Our pediatric endo clinic did not push any of them, because they feel they all do a good job and you should choose what is seems best for you. That said, we selected the Animas Ping for our 4 y/o son because of the meter remote, so he can play while I push buttons to give insulin. It is also waterproof which while I generally don't let him swim with it, it has gotten wet accidentally a couple times and we have had no problems because of that.
Good luck and blessings as you begin this new journey. After a few months you will be a pro!
My daughter is going to be 7 in 2 weeks and she has the medtronic pump. She loves it. She disconnects whenever she needs to and she also has a CGM that works with her pump. It really is all personal choice and I would suggest calling the different manufacturers and ask for a sample so she can see and touch it and decide for herself. Our endo wouldn't let us put her on it until she chose what she wanted. This helped make the transition much easier!!
I'm sorry to hear that, but I know exactly how she's feeling. I was diagnosed Dec. 23rd, 2010 and had the same reaction she did. I tried to keep a great attitude and be positive, but then reality sets in and after managing it for a little while you just wish you could go back to life before. She's going to go through the grieving process, shes going to be numb, angry, confused, etc. But I want you to tell her it gets easier everyday, and everyday it becomes more normal and you slowly forget how life was before. I quickly got on the Medtronic pump. I don't believe I even waited a month. I am off of it now, but it is for personal reasons, there was nothing wrong with the pump. As a 21 year old in college, I care about fashion and the hassle of trying to disguise it when I would go out with friends was a big problem for me, but that is a problem that will be had with any pump. It also caused me to become lax with testing, but not giving insulin. I really liked the features the Medtronic pump had such as the very easy set up, the buttons, and the overall ease of managing the pump. The people from Medtronic were great and are ready to work with you whenever and however. I had issues with my pump while on Spring Break and needed them to send me out supplies, I called at 1 am and they had it to me the next morning free of charge. I would suggest having her look at the pumps, and ask her about the feature's she likes. My parents and doctor told me to read through them all and decide on my own. No suggestions from anyone. Try to ask your doctor for his opinion, shy away from the representatives opinion, because like you said "they all think their's is the best".
I know it's a roller coaster, I still have moments when I fall apart. Let her know that it will get easier every day, and with her diagnose she has just helped to increase awareness about Type 1 diabetes, from the symptoms, to the basic knowledge and understanding of the disease. Just think of how she may prevent someone from getting keto-acidosis, just because they are aware of the symptoms she had. If you have any other question's please get in touch!