My son was diagnosed 5 months ago with T1D. He’s very active in sports. Does anyone have recommendation on insulin pumps?
I am new to forum, but my 12 year old son was diagnosed last July. He has the Animas Ping. He is very active, especially in basketball. We considered all the others but Animas seemed to fit a 12 year old boy the best. We considered the Omnipod for a bit, because we thought tubeless would be great, but within 1 week of having his Dexcom CGM, before they had the phone app, he lost his transmitter at school. I figured he would have less chance of misplacing a “connected” pump. Also the case is very durable for taking it on and off. He hasn’t missed a beat in participating in any sport*basketball, football, golf) with his pump and his Dexcom CGM. Can’t imagine doing sports without the CGM. I am no expert, just a mom. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Our first pump was the Omnipod. I loved it, our school nurse loved it. Due to insurance we had to change. We chose the Animas Vibe with the integrated CGM (we tried using the Dexcom G5 with the omnipod but my kids lost the receiver with in a month…oh I have 2 T1D ages 7 & 9). What I LOVE about the omnipod was the ease of use. I loved the brain part was not connected so when I wanted to see IOB (insulin on board aka how much insulin is still active) or review numbers, upload data to the doctor, etc I didn’the need them to stay with me. Even delivery could be done by remote. It was also fast to switch sites. My kids are active too but our sport is swimming and I feel this is the best pump for that. A feature the Omnipod has that I really miss is being able to go back and see how many carbs were entered and how much coverage given. Seems silly but it was a great feature. I also liked that the kids looked like they were playing with a hand held device. It could also go in a gym bag, etc. Once the insulin is delivered there is no need to have it close. It is way bigger than the CGM receiver so hsrder to loose. No more challenging than keeping track of the meter. Oh and like the Ping, the Omnipod is the meter, so one less thing to remember. Another feature I miss is that it alarms to remind you to switch sights rather than remembering every 2 to three days. Downside, it does need to get reset with battery changes and you loose IOB data and it will not calculate corrections or Carb doses for a certain period, depending on how fast insulin reacts in your body.
OK, the Vibe is not terrible. Here are the things I really love about it. The integrated CGM like I mentioned before. I feel it is more accurate, insulin is delivered super fast. I feel Omnipod is pumping for Dummies, Animas is the real deal. Also the Vibe is water proof. My kids did swim in it and it was great (not great at the beach! Sand was in every crevice) The down side to having it connected was the drag. We bought fanny pack things for swimming and it stretched out. It was easier to disconnect then swim with it on. But my kids would be at the pool in and out for four hours, so it was a long time to be disconnected. This shouldn’t matter but it did…the tube I was afraid it would get caught but it hasn’t. What did surprise me was that it bothered me to see the tube hanging down, it was a noticeable reminder that my kid(s) have a lifelong medical dependence on medication. With the omnipod it didn’the feel the same. I have gotten used to it. And more importantly they don’t care.
One thing I was told is when kids hit puberty a lot of them tend to go to the t:slim because it holds more insulin. It has a very slick look to it, although I am unfamiliar with it.
But we choose Omnipod because it was tubeless, then choose the Animas Vibe because it was water proof and the integrated CGM.
Sorry I am so wordy. I am still sad our insurance doesn’t cover the Omnipod, but more than that I am grateful that some genius invented away that my kids can live happy healthy lives. Technology really spoils us.
at both this site and other popular diabetes sites (TruDiabetes, insulinpumpforums.com) I am switching from Minimed to Tandem T-slim as a result of many postings. I can tell you the Minimed CGM is very inaccurate and not worth having. The Dexcom CGM is highly touted as accurate and easy to apply. Being a child, he definitely needs the CGM to help him out, esp. to warn him when his glucose level is heading low. Children, being very active, can go into insulin shock all of a sudden, so the CGM is a total life saver for them.
I forgot to mention that there are independent groups working on integrating the information from devices into a common app that can report to a cell phone. I know Dexcom already does that with the Iphone and has submitted Android software to the dinosauragency FDA for approval (no info on when may be approved). The age of your child may make a big difference in what you choose. A teen in sports will likely have a cell phone and can manage to not lose handheld devices. The T-slim and the Dexcom already talk to each other thanks to collusion between the two companies. The T-Slim is the smallest pump on the market.
My so was diagnosed at 8 and is now 12. He got the Omnipod pod about 5 months after diagnosis and we love it. He plays baseball, basketball, golf and spends lots of time in the water. He loves not having the tubing and feels like it’s realtively easy to hide (which at 12 is a big deal). At first we found that the adhesive didn’t hold up but we ordered a product called Skin Tac, which is applied before you stick the pod to the skin. We’ve had no problems since then. Since the management device is a bit like a cell phone he’s able to keep all of his tools in a sling that is easily carried and stowed.
My daughter uses the Medtronic minimed and has used it for almost 2.5 years. She is able to still do vollyball and cheerleading with no issues. She prefers the lo her tubing so that if she drops the pump it won’t tug so hard on her.
I’ve been on one minimed pump or another since I was 16. I was a competitive cheerleader in high school and college and didn’t have any issues with wearing the pump.
I have had a pump since I was ten. I use Minimed and wouldn’t change for anything! The customer service is great beyond compare. I have never had problems wearing my pump and playing sports. I played softball, soccer, and basketball and never had issues. I also have the CGM now with my pump that would have been so helpful when I played sports in high school! My teammates thought my pump was fascinating and named it! lol. Someone else mentioned using the longer tubing so if it dropped it wouldn’t pull out. I did the same and it worked well for me. I seem to always been dropping my pump. They also make sports cases for pumps, but I never used one. I personally enjoy the Minimed as they are always on the cutting edge of technology and research. There has been a long track record of success with their pump users. Those are my reasons, but any way you go, pumps are great!