Hi- I am a new member and was hoping to get some parent perspective on the pump. My precious Murphy was diagnosed last Feburary at age 16 months- we are discussing putting him on the pump as he turns two in November but would like to get some feedback from parents of toddlers who may or may not use the pump. We struggle with low blood sugars at night and his numbers seem to be all over the place. Its hard to make him eat and I am not a advocate of withholding food. Any advice or suggestions on a pump would be much appreciated. He has days where he does not mind the shots and other days its a battle where we have to chase him and hold him down. But everyday I wish I could have it instead of him that never changes:(
I totally understand how you feel! My daughter was 4 when she was diagnosed, a little older than your son but I can feel what you have been going through. My daughters blood sugars were also all over the place until we got her pump. It has been AMAZING! You won't even believe the difference it can make. I am 100% sure it would help your son! Now my daughter can eat whenever she likes. Your son is at the age that sometimes they are hungry as a horse and other times picky eaters. The pump makes this all a bit easier to deal with. If you have any questions about the pump let me know. My daughter was not excited about it at first but now she loves it!
thanks Kathie-
What pump is your daughter on?
Hi Kathie,
You make the pump sound great - can you tell me more about it. How hard is the inserting, how does your daughter handle it? How often must it be changed? I'm thinking about it for my 4 year old son but really know nothing about it.. My endo told me it was more work for the parents. Really didn't encourage it at all.
Thanks,
Jen
hmmmm If your doctor is against the pump, the answer may be to find another doctor.
That's what we did because our initial primary diabetes MD was old school and was happy with Cassie's 200 avg blood sugar. We decided to pursue tighter regulation and sought a pediatric endocrinologist who really understood the pros and cons of pump therapy before making the switch.
We put Cassie on the pump at age 4. We found that the pump has given our daughter more freedom from a regimented schedule- something that was out of our control as she entered pre-school. At the time the regular and nph mix that we had her on made it impossible for her to do things at school the same time as the other kids (lunch, snack, etc.). Doing multiple humalog injections throughout the day was too disruptive at this age too. It would have caused undo attention from the rest of the class. So the pump turned out to be a great solution for us. We started with a Minimed pump and after several years switched to the Cozmo (now discontinued) because of the great software.
The insertion needle and process is pretty intimidating at first. But in the whole scheme of things, it's very convenient to be able to bolus whenever you need to. Setting up the right basal rate and carb ratios is very involved - that's why you need a good medical team behind you. Once you have it set up though, it makes life so much easier.
The big benefits for us:
1.) you can eat something when you're hungry- not just when you NEED to.
2.) it's easy to course correct when you're high.
3.) The pump reminds you how much insulin is already "on board" so its harder to over treat a high and cause an equally bad low.
Cassie is thirteen now, and she has loved the pump. This summer we switched back to shots because of activity. You can read more about that particular adventure on my blog: Post 1- Untethered, Post 2- Switcheroo
Hope this helps!
~ Red
Lucas went on the pump just a few months after dx. he was not quite 3 1/2 years when he started. We would never go back. It is able to be matched exactly to his needs. Our numbers are still not steady though. Lucas typically eats the same breakfast and lunch everyday and with the same amount of insulin and similar activity we can get VERY different numbers. The great thing is I can check often and with the pump knowing how much insulin he has working in his system it can tell me how much more he needs. Also, Lucas sleeps through the finger pokes and operating the pump. He did not sleep through injections.
The whole toddler / pump thing was not a problem either although we have been through a lot of them in the last 3 years (Animas has an unconditional guarantee - esential) One time when he was 4 and the pump broke, he insisted on having the broken one in his pocket until the new one arrived - he considers it part of him!
Christine
HIGHLY recommend the pump. Especially for younger kids. As a couple others noted, it gives you a lot of freedom, especially for little ones who don't always want to eat or want to eat more at other times. My son started his pump (Animas Ping) 5 months after dx. He is 4 and a half now and we are coming up on our one year dx date. We still have wild numbers but at least we can correct them easily. Animas has been awesome to work with. The people and cs are exceptional. The pump delivers the smallest amount (.025u) which is great for really little ones that are so sensitive to insulin. And the meter works as a remote so you can bolus without having to slow down active kids. They make great pump packs and clothes with special pockets for kids too. Good luck and welcome to juvenation!
My son went on the pump just a few weeks after diagnosis. We love the pump!! He uses the Animas Ping. I love it because he can quickly check his sugar and then I can enter in the carbs and give insulin while is watching TV in the other room or paying a video game with his friends. I also love the combo bolus ability. Chocolate shakes at McD are his favorite thing in the world. If I bolus before he eats he goes low and then really high 3-4 hours later. If I bolus after he gets really high and stays high. Could not find a good way to do it so we avoided it. When he eats a happy meal with a shake now, I do a combo bolus. He gets a % of insulin (usually 40% to take care of cheeseburger and fries) right away and the the remainder of it over the next few hours. You set the % and time span on the meter or pump. It works great for him and he gets to enjoy one of his favorites..just like a 7 year old boy should :)
I feel like the pump has given him some freedom back. He hated the inset at first but he also hated the shots. One shot every 3 days sure beats multiple shots a day. We can do replacement in a matter of secondsAnimas has been very easy to work with and trained us on the pump in our house where Collin was comfortable.
My daughter has the minimed 522. The insertion is SUPER easy! You hit a button and it inserts. Simple as that. I love it! She handles it really well. She hates using needles in her tummy but with the pump it doesn't hurt and she even helps. We change the site every 3 days. It is not more work for the parents...at least not in my opinion. It is the best thing that ever happened to this parent!!