So i was wondering what peoples thoughts are on how young one can be to have a pump. My son Jesse is now 5 years old and has diabetes for a year now. For the most part he is within his target range of 6-12 mmol.. Hes fine with the injections but for convience sake and for those times hes high, like today at school does it not make sense for him to have a pump?? or is 5 yrs old too young??
imo there is no minimum age for a pump.
pumping comes with some disadvantages, which include being willing and able to respond to pump alarms, know what the buttons do, and a (statistically) greater chance of DKA and site infection, etc. If you pump or are on injections: you take more insulin for a high blood sugar - how would it be different for Jesse? is he not allowed to test and correct in school?
anyway, I use a pump and I think its been great for me.
There is no official age when someone should start pumping. I know a girl who started pumping when she was 2. It was peace of mind for her parents while she was in preschool because it was easier to have her aid punch numbers into the pump rather than drawing up the insulin in a syringe.
I helped out at an ADA summer day camp this past summer, and worked with the 4 and 5 year olds. A surprising number of them were on the pump. Although they didn't push any button's or anything I didn't notice any of them having any problems with them.
Hi Chris, My daughter is 2 yrs old and she was diagnosed 2/13/2010 , We put her on the pump 2 months after her diagnoses and couldn' t be happier with our decision.
My son was diagnosed at 12 months and we got a pump for him when he was 3, close to 4 years old. He keeps the pump in a pack he wears around his waist and it's like it's not even there. He loves his and wouldn't give it up, but everybody is different. I've heard of infants on pumps too. Good luck in your decision making.
Is your son interested in the pump? If he's excited about trying it, it seems like the transition would be a lot smoother...
I have heard of toddlers getting insulin pumps so 5 y/o is fine!
I have the medtronic minimed and while i like the advantages of a pump (being better A1Cs) I may switch back to shots. I am a teenage girl and find the pump annoying with its wardrobe limitations and it irritates me A TON! So the pump is good for controlling bgs!
My son was dx'd at 3.5 yrs and we started pumping about 7 mos later. He is five now. He really does not mind his pump - much preferred over shots. He has never really minded BG checks, but always said his shots hurt. Now that we are pumping he only complains about the site change - that is like a shot. But it is only once every 3 days. The main reason we wanted to pump is that my son's insulin needs were (and still are) very small. He usually gets 1-2 units with a meal and the pump makes it so accurate - much more than syringes - so we deal with a lot less lows. Pumping can be frustrating at times, but I think most young boys would adjust really well as you can play up the superhero like aspects of it. :)
In my opinion i really dont think there is a minimum age to be on a pump. I think you need to have good control on shots and a willingness and commitment to being on a pump. Personally, im not a pumper myself, but i havent put the idea past me for the future. But i really dont think there is a minimum age.
I am a type 1 and have been on shots, pens, and pump. Although I am praying that when I have children they will NEVER get it. But, there is always that chance. If they do get it, I will not hesitate to put them on a pump. In fact, I would probably be on the phone with the pump company and getting a pump overnighted as soon as possible. I have been thru the shot regimen and the pump therapy and for me the pump is so much easier, less stressful, and less painful. I do not want my kids to have T1D, but if they did, I would have them on the OmniPod just like me.
(i'm not sure why but I replied and the post disappeared..so let's try this again. sorry if it shows up twice..)
There isn't a min. age for the pump, but i don't personally agree with putting kids on the pump when they don't REALLY understand what's going on. I was dx at 6, was on shots for 16years before trying the pump last year..but after 3months got rid of it. I think a lot of people jump to the pump almost right away now because they think it's "easier" than shots, but as mentioned in posts above..it's not. Compared to shots, for me it was WAY more work..more patience, more stress..it's a piece of machine and it needs to be carefully used, and like any machine, does have it's problems and can make mistakes. I also agree I think people should be able to use shots and pens before getting the pump..have that knowledge because there are times on the pump when you WILL need to take shots and NOT rely on the machine for your control, even if it's only for a few hours.
If you REALLY want your son to get a pump, I would do a saline trial first, see how he likes it and then maybe if he does..get it. I don't think you should force him into it as it's not REALLY your choice..it's his, even if he is only 5. he's the one whose going to have to life with it attached to himself and you're going to have to trust him not to be ripping out the site because he doesn't like it.
In the end, if he doesn't like the pump or it doesn't work..it's not the end of the world. the pump is NOT the only way to gain control of diabetes, it's one of a few tools we have available..it's not a "god send", it's not magically going to make everything okay.
Thanks for the input everyone, Jesse i guess is still a little young, he understands his symptoms of lows somewhat but not fully yet, so it may be a ways yet away..
I wanted to get peoples input and its exactly what I received, thanks again my peeps