Dear All,
I am looking for Insulin Pump options for my 10 years old son who is recently diagnosed with T1 Diabetes. One of the important consideration for me is to go for option which has least pain either during initial insertion and during day to day functions. Can you pls provide your inputs on the same? he is able to manage pain with Insulin pen. is Insulin pump similar in terms of pain during insertion etc?
Kind Regards,
Abhijit
Hello @abhijitekre, Both Medtronic and Tandem Tslim will allow you to change the infusion system you use. The infusion system selection will allow you to choose between 6 or 9mm depth and between straight and angled and between metal and Teflon, And even combinations.
These will allow maximum flexibility which can result in minimal pain overall. For example; I don’t have a lot of fat and prefer 6mm straight Teflon infusion sets so I could use many infusion set systems. Some people have specific preferences, limiting their choices in pumps.
If you have the right infusion system, there typically is only brief and manageable pain at the moment of insertion, and sometimes mild pain when taking a set off(similar to ripping off a bandage). Some people get irritated by the adhesive on the infusion system.
Hope this helps.
Hi there @abhijitekre. One thing you might do is reach out to a medical supply company and ask about gauges - a measure of how fine or “fat” the pen needle or insertion device is. The finer, the less pain. Lots of kids use pumps so hopefully it will not be too hard for him.
I find there is a tiny bit of pain when I insert the infusion set for my T-Slim (I use one called AutoSoft 30), but overall insertion is quick and hurts for just a moment. I use a Dexcom CGM and do find it more painful than inserting my infusion set, but it’s not unbearable. On those occasions when I use a pen, I can barely feel it.
I believe there are some products and techniques people use to help numb the site but I just go ahead and, well, jab myself - I’ve gotten used to it.
If your son’s doctor has a diabetes nurse educator who does the training, s/he may be able to do some insertions or try out a needle so he can compare. Don’t know, but it could be worth a shot.
Having the cannula under the skin is not noticeable most of the time. You are puncturing the skin with a big needle and leaving a piece of tubing under the skin. There are going to be some painful insertions once in a while, it’s just part of using an insulin pump. It doesn’t matter what pump company you choose to go with, all the infusion sets are made by a Danish company and manufactured in Mexico. Of course there’s OmniPod, who offer no options for cannula length, material, or angle of insertion.
Hi @abhijitekre, I agree with the others who have already replied - very little pain with infusion sets and sometimes I never feel anything at all. Over a period of years, I’ve used infusion sets with cannula ranging from 6 mm to 17 mm.
The BIG difference for me was putting in an infusion set every three days [133 per year] instead of poking in a needle 6+ times every day [2,000 needle pokes per year].
Thanks all for your inputs
I’m aware omnipod has no options regarding cannula length, angle, etc. Does anyone know what the length/angle actually is? I’ve been only recently diagnosed and i’m considering getting an omnipod.
hi @wowcarolynn Carolynn, welcome to Type One Nation and the forum.
wayyyyyyyyyy at the back of the POD specification it says that the POD has a 6-7 mm “cannula” (small probably teflon tube) so that’s pretty close to the shorter cannula depth available today from 90 degree (called “straight”) sets. This refers to the angle of the infusion set relative to your skin The longer sets (I don’t think are available in Omnipod) are 9mm in 90 degree. good luck!
My 12 year old daughter finds that squeezing the fat/skin behind her Omnipod when she is inserting it results in nearly zero pain. She often comments, “I didn’t even feel it.” She wears her pods on her thighs. The cannula is inserted by the pod itself mechanically using the handheld electronic control device (which is just a small smartphone), so the insertion speed/pressure is identical every time.
Have been T1D since age 4 and am now 71. Started using the Medtronic pump in 1994 and have continued with their pump through all the upgrades, am now using 670G. Insertion of the reservoir and tubing is simple and I feel painless. But talk with your Endo and Medtronic pump rep to get details.
Keep supporting your son and he can live a long life with T1D, until the cure is found.
Our experience with 2 T1D kiddos, diagnosed at ages 7 and 13 is that Omnipod is good. We did a Medtronic free trial, but didn’t like it. We also squeeze for our youngest (now 10), and that works well
Thanks Roger and Jason for inputs. which is best tubeless pump available and is it closed loop along with CGM?
Something else for how to `insert needles or cannuals. My sister is a trained nurse an was always VERY successful giving pain free shots. She learned the best way when she was 11 and sometimes had to give me my shots when Mom wasn’t available. BTW I was diagnosed in 1956 at age 5, and didn’t learn to give myself shots until I was 7. Even now she is asked to give people a shot since she knows the most pain free method.
Many people squeeze up the skin and inject between the 2 fingers they use. SHE uses all 5 fingers and squeezes evenly over a larger area, and they hardly ever feel much at all. That of course applies when she doesn’t happen to put it directly in the center of a nerve, which must happen to everybody occasionally.
Hi @tedquick. You “didn’t learn to give myself shots until I was seven”! I just had to send kudos - I was diagnosed at age 3 but I don’t think I started giving myself shots until I was about 10. I’m positive they didn’t let me measure out myinsulin until around that age - and then under great supervision of course. I think doing my own injections came around the same time.
I remember going to diabetes camp as a young child and the nurses had this mysterious device on the table. It was big and the nurses used it to check each camper’s blood sugar before giving us our shot. We were interested and our parents were in awe, but at the time they said only medical personnel were qualified to use it - it was too difficult for the rest of us "mere mortals"
. The results also took several minutes.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist reminiscing…
Well done to have learned at such a young age, particularly since those needles were a lot fatter than they are now! And thanks for sharing your sister’s method.
Yes, well Mom felt forced to teach me how to give myself shots. Mom and Dad had a standing practice of having a DATE night on Fridays. When I was 7 they went out for a nice evening together expecting me to be asleep in bed when they got home so Mom could give me my evening shot. BUT when they got home they found me asleep on the couch, where I had gone to wait for them. My brother Marshall was asleep right next to me, since we shared the bedroom and he was very responsible about helping me, even though at age 10 he didn’t really know what to do either…
So there we were when the folks got home and Mom said ENOUGH of this!, and started training me. Of course it helped that I always read well, in part because I learned my numbers when I started building model planes in the hospital… and letters followed soon after so I could read the rest of the instructions.
You can also use the option to put pumps on while he sleeps as often as possible. We put on omnipod while my 6 year old sleeps. We call it a visit from the pod fairy. Omnipod is very easy to do while they sleep. Peel and stick and push a button on the remote.