hi everyone,my son is almost 3 and he was diagnosed just after his birthday last year. His dr just recommended we check out and consider the pump for him cuz he has been having overnight lows and his glucose is sometimes very high/low w out explanation. im a little nervous about it cuz he's SUPER active and I feel like he might rip it out. So im looking for some advice and personal experiences of other parents! Anyone with a CGM with any info/advice would be GREATLY appreciated too!! thanks :)
I was an adult when I got a pump. They are WONDERFUL because it works like a pancreas and you can adjust the base rate of insulin to what your son actually needs during the day. Long acting insulins like Lantus or Levemir deliver one steady rate, which causes high and low blood sugars.
A lot of parents of yound kids like the Omnipod because it's a tubeless pump. You can get a free sample from their website. I'm 5'2" and felt like the Omnipod was way too big. I've used a Medtronic pump (with a tube) for the last decade and it doesn't rip out very easily if I use the skin prep wipes that add a little extra adhesive. Ask your doctor if there's a Minimed meeting anywhere in your area.
The toughest thing with a pump is finding enough skin to use for the infusion sites that get moved every 3 days. I don't use a CGM because it uses even more skin. But some people are huge fans of them. You may consider trying it and if it doesn't help you and your son, then stop using it.
If you haven't read it, get a copy of John Walsh's book "Pumping Insulin." You can also go on youtube and see videos of people doing site changes and using their pumps.
Hi Janet, We got Cassie on a minimed pump when she turned 4. It was a very deliberate decision based on the start of school She was entering pre-kindergarden and we didn't want her insulin/snack/meal schedule to pull her away from what everyone else was doing. Switching to the pump at that time was a great choice, and it made us feel more comfortable about vacationing overseas later that year.
My daughter was just past her 4th birthday. We chose omnipod and love it.
My daughter was just past her 4th birthday. We chose omnipod and love it.
Though we haven't gone to a pump just yet, I talked with the Omnipod rep at the JDRF retreat in St. Louis a couple weekends ago and they have just come out with a smaller version! If I had to choose one at the moment, it's probably what I'd pick since most days I'm lucky to keep clothes on my 3-year old. :)
Bryan was 2 1/2 years old when he was given his pump. He has the Animas One Touch Ping and I love it. We just bought these insulin pump pouches from ebay and they're perfect. You can get any of their favorite characters or sports teams or anything! If you know how to sew they aren't that hard to make even! They are elastic and they have velcro to hold them on. We have never had a time where it has come off of him. He still wears the pouches at 5 years old.
Hi Janet,
My son was 9 when diagnosed which was just under 1 year ago. I put him on the pump about 7 months in and it only lasted 1 month. My son did not do well being tethered to a machine that he said "is a constant reminder that Im a diabetic". For us, it did not work out, it may have been to soon, I dont know. However, he was on the Medtronic and I liked it because you can control the flow of the insulin, suspend the insulin if needed when dealing with lows, so it is a good tool to have. For my son though, we will stick to injections for now until he is older and feels he wants to use it again.
Christy
Hi Janet,
My daughter Lily is 4 (she'll be 5 in June) and was diagnosed a year ago this past February. We just started the Medtronic pump a month ago and it has gone very well for us so far. She told us she likes the pump because she doesn't have to get shots anymore. We too were concerned with her activity level and ripping the pump out, because she has a little sister who likes to rough-house with her. So far that hasn't been an issue for us and she hasn't changed her activity level at all. We are very happy with the pump so far. We've had a few ups and downs and the first few infusion set changes were a little traumatic, but Lily took to it quite well and rather quickly too. The Medtronic team has been fantastic and we are impressed with the pump technology. I realize that pumps are not for everyone, but after a month we are very pleased. Hope that helps.
Hi Janet, my son is older but he is very active plays all kind of sports and very rarely does it ever get pulled out. And my dad was really worried because my son falls alot because he is acting like he is catching a ball and was afraid that the tubing would get ripped out, but I'm glad I didn't let his negative thinking affect my sons decision to go on the pump. He is on the Minimed. He did shots for 3 years and decided he was tired of it and wanted to do the pump. Best thing ever for us he loves the idea of having to only getting poked every 3 days rather than 6-10 shots a day. I know this post is old so you have probably figured it out by now but hope all is going well with whatever decision you made.
Hi Janet, my son is older but he is very active plays all kind of sports and very rarely does it ever get pulled out. And my dad was really worried because my son falls alot because he is acting like he is catching a ball and was afraid that the tubing would get ripped out, but I'm glad I didn't let his negative thinking affect my sons decision to go on the pump. He is on the Minimed. He did shots for 3 years and decided he was tired of it and wanted to do the pump. Best thing ever for us he loves the idea of having to only getting poked every 3 days rather than 6-10 shots a day. I know this post is old so you have probably figured it out by now but hope all is going well with whatever decision you made.
Hi! My son got his pump right about the time he turned 3. (About 6 months ago) We love it! It’s so much easier to do the tiny little doses that he needs. Much better control at night too. He’s really active and it has never been pulled off. Although sometimes we just choose to take it off briefly when he’s doing things like bouncing in bounce houses so it doesn’t bother him. Really active things tend to drop his blood sugar anyways even without the pump. We haven’t done the cgm yet. We figured we’d do one thing at a time and let him just get used to this one first.
our son was 8 when he got the minimed pump, and is 10 now. It made life and control much easier, but he does sometimes rebel at the fact that he has to wear it 24/7, which is completely understandable. We have had the infusion set come out a couple of times, but it is pretty rare. If we are going more than 30 min from the house we try to bring a spare set with us just in case.
My son was two and a half when he got his pump. That was almost 11 years ago. It changed our lives. He too was low a lot as a toddler. The pump allowed us to live a much more normal life. I got pump pouches that he wore it in back then. He even had it on a little harness on his back for the first few months until I knew we wasn't going to mess with it. My son has always been very active. Now he plays tons of sports. We never had a problem with him pulling it out. We just explained how important it was and really involved him in the whole thing. I wore the pump myself for a week or so with saline in it so I could experience what it would be like for him. That helped him feel like it would be okay also. Best of luck. It was the best thing we've ever done. We've been on the medtronic minimed for years and love it. Their customer service is amazing.
My son was 4 years old when he got the Minimed pump. We all love it. He has more freedom and flexibility with meals now. The infusion set we use right now has a needle that sticks on, then the tube goes a little further and it has a sticker that sticks on. If his pump falls out of his pocket, the tube tugs on a plain old sticker, and the needle never gets tugged on. I wouldn't worry about that aspect. The makers of these things have thought that stuff all through. He's had the pump for one year now, and it pulled out twice. Once when we was pulling up his pants from going potty, he snagged it...and the other time we were at a water park for several hours and his skin was just so soaked that it fell out. It didn't hurt him either time.
Also, just started on our first CGM two weeks ago. Let me know if you want to chat.
~Lauren
My daughter was diagnosed at 13 months and started her mini-med pump at 14 months old. She is now almost 4 and half and doesn’t really care that her pump is bouncing behind her, even at gymnastics class. It only got pulled out once in the three years she has had it. She keeps it in a pump pack that we bought on the mini-med website. Their packs seem to be the best quality. We attach the pack to a velcro strap that she wears. We have many different color straps, we buy them from a local place that has a website called pump wear.
I can’t imagine doing shots on her, she is such a grazer. I think the pump is so much easier, especially since it can calcuate and give a .025 dose. She uses the sure-t set. We are trying to get a sensor on her, but she gets hystical when we try.