Hello, I’m new here. My 2yo daughter just got diagnosed T1D end of September, a week before her birthday. She’s been using dexcom g6 and omnipod for about 2weeks. We dont have any issue yet with omnipod, just still adjusting the best basal bolus rate. Does omnipod is the best pump option for her age? Or tube pump would be better? When does she would ready for closed loop system? Thank You.
@miMan Hilman, first welcome to T1N. With a bouncing 2 year old, the fact your daughter is on a Dexcom G6, is a step in the best direction in my opinion. I am trying to remember a clinical trial I was in with omnipod education from the summer of 2018. My recollection is you have a ‘remote’ to control her ‘pod’ but it does not integrate with the G6 and the pod does not have software to nudge basal rates up and down as her G6 measures her sugar.
That being said about pods, your question about a closed loop system means you are headed in the direction of letting technology help keep her ‘sweetness’ in check. I have been on Tandem’s software enhanced insulin pump for 2 years. First the Basal-IQ and since January 2020 on the Control-IQ technology. I am very happy with the Tandem product and its integration with the G6 you are already using.
Supposedly, Medtronic is releasing or just released a closed loop system.
Not knowing your background, I might suggest you look into device related law suits as one of the parameters in your decision.
Here is a list of Tandem’s documents you may have interest in checking:
Tandem Document Site
CIQ User Guide (350+ pages and is best put on a tablet or computer for easier searching)
CIQ Technology PDF
I hope this information helps.
Please, share on this post what you learn. It is how we all learn and are able to share with others. Wishing you and your princess the best.
Hi @miManand welcome to the forum. I wanted to suggest you indicate in your subject line that your daughter uses Omnipod. There are lots of pod users on the forum who can weigh in, and it will catch their attention quickly.
BTW, I was 3 years old when I was diagnosed in the 60s and am doing well.
@987jaj Thank you for your response. Currently I’m in Bali,where there is no pump option available here. I got lucky, my brother in LA and his friend which is a ped endo help us so my daughter can get dexcom and omnipod. I Still learn so many things about T1D. But then I found tslim. Amaze by its technology. But still unsure, will it fit for my daughter, because it’s tube. Afraid she’ll be discomfort by the tube. And wondering when is the best time for closed loop system.
The US FDA has approved the t:slim with CIQ for age 2 & up if I am reading correctly. Check with brother & endo in LA. If I had a two year old grandchild, I would go CIQ.
Fact check me for yourself about CIQ & use in 2 year olds. Your checking & confirming here will help you, me, & the rest of the group here.
| miMan Hilman
November 10 |
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@987jaj Thank you for your response. Currently I’m in Bali,where there is no pump option available here. I got lucky, my brother in LA and his friend which is a ped endo help us so my daughter can get dexcom and omnipod. I Still learn so many things about T1D. But then I found tslim. Amaze by its technology. But still unsure, will it fit for my daughter, because it’s tube. Afraid she’ll be discomfort by the tube. And wondering when is the best time for closed loop system.
@miMan, Were you able to get the links I shared to work. If you go with tubing, given your distance from the states, I would go with 43 inch tubing sets. (It is better to have & not need than to need & not have - - in the case of length of tubing.)
As far as the tubing, running it under clothing and up her back to her neck. The tubing under clothing idea keeps it “out of sight & hopefully out of mind”.
As a suggestion, if I were advising on pump placement, I would suggest inside the back of the neck opening the same way television and stage personalities wear their wireless microphone transmitters or audio monitor packs. They are about the same size. As far as a case, I would suggest a cellphone case for a flip phone.
Again, Hilman, please share what you learn and decide. Your sharing helps all of us learn & gives ideas to share. Wishing you the best.
I hope you get lots of helpful feedback! A couple of observations about the different systems:
I use TSLIM with Dexcom’s control IQ (CIQ). There were training videos you were required to watch and quizzes you had to pass before you could actual start using CIQ. From feedback on the forum some if not many people - myself included - found the online training didn’t quite meet their needs, and they may have had to reach out to their rep for additional assistance.
You already know the importance of getting the background settings right on your pump - basal rates, carb ratios, etc. With CIQ I found that the settings I had in place needed to be further adjusted. Personally I was having issues with lows that I hadn’t had before. That’s just me - things could well be different for your daughter - but it’s something to keep in mind. There may be age requirements for CIQ so check into that - oops, @987jaj already addressed that. Even with tools such as CIQ it’s important to know how to manage diabetes on your own; and pump users need to have a plan and supplies in place if they need (or want) to take shots for a while.
As for tubeless vs tubing both have their advantages and disadvantages. I tried a sample pod once and didn’t care for the size. That’s a very personal consideration of course but little bodies don’t have much real estate to work with, and some spots may be uncomfortable to lie on, so keep that in mind when selecting placement sites. Also you might want to keep a backup PDA (I think that’s the right term). I’m having flashbacks to commercials for cell phones or valuable items that get picked up by a toddler who runs gleefully through the house and ends up tossing it not on a table or under the bed, but in the toilet… Like I said, a backup is a good investment.
If a pod comes off (or baby pulls it off) I don’t know that you can “siphon out” the remaining insulin to use in a new one, or if it would even be safe. It’s extremely rare but I have had an infusion set come out our the site go bad and I simply found a new location and continued with the same cartridge.
There are pluses and minuses to both sides, but people do find ways to make their choice work.
Wishing you all the best with and for your daughter.
Be sure to have a backup plan and supplies in place if she needs to take injections or go on a “pump break.”
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So im not forsure about the closed loop part. But I think the omnipod is best my daughter is 3 and diagnosed at 9 months she’s been on the omnipod pump for almost a year now and its been amazing I think at her age it gives her more freedom than a pump to run and play. And THE DEXCOM is AMAZING way better than poking a baby in all the time especially in the middle of the night. I wish you and your little one the best of luck.
Hello! My son was 16 months old when he was diagnosed. 6 months later he started on the Medtronic pump. It was inserted in to his backside (bum cheeks 
) so he couldn’t reach it and the pump was kept around his waist in a pump belt (found an online store- a lady who made them with kid designs at the time). He is 16 years old now… still using the same pump but he may try the Dexcom. I can’t advise on the best closed loop system, but the insertion site and tubing is probably best out of site out of mind.
Best of luck and please reach out for support any time !! Amy
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Thank you all for the post. Its give a lot information for me. I’ll discussed it with my wife and my brother, also my daughter ped endo. But will still use omnipod for a while since my brother already shipped the pod for a couples next months.
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