Hi everyone,
So my daughter is having her training for her pump, tandem x2 tomorrow (first time to use a pump), however she is not wearing her Dexcomm. she had a bleed and it really hurt last time and now she doesn’t want to wear.
Any advice please? is it still worthwhile to do the training and get started on the pump without the cgm?
Yes. Getting properly trained on how to use the pump is crucial, especially the cartridge filling process. I would encourage you to get your daughter back on the Dexcom. Basal-IQ is phenomenal at preventing low blood sugars and control-iq will be coming sometime in the next month. She will need the G6 to use those two algorithms.
Hi @Lila and welcome to the forum. While a CGM is an excellent tool for peace of mind there’s no reason not to go ahead with pump training on its own.
I didn’t see your daughter’s age - if she’s very young hopefully the insertion process will become easier and less painful as she gets older. It’s also possible that she may prefer one sensor stick per week to multiple fingersticks during the day - maybe time will tell.
Home BG meters didn’t come out until I was out of college; and I had been pumping for several years before CGMs came along. Using my Dexcom gives me great peace of mind; but with or without one,I believe it’s still important to learn your body’s signs. I was diagnosed at age 3 and learned early on that certain sensations meant I needed to eat - and others meant I should check my urine for sugar because it may be high.
If she finds the Dexcom painful you might try the Freestyle Libre - I find the insertion is more comfortable. However you do have to swipe the receiver periodically to get her readings, and it does not give alerts of she is going low or high. But even so it may give you peace of mind.
Sorry if I’ve overwhelmed you, just wanted to share some things to discuss at your visit in a few hours. Wishing you and your daughter the best.
Hi @Lila, the combination created by the t-Slim and G6 into the Basal IQ management protocol sounds really good, and each of those components by themselves can be very effectively used without need to have both of them operating.
I “traveled this diabetes life” for 62 years before beginning my use of a Dexcom G5 which does NOT communicate with my t-Slim pump and during the last couple of decades maintained an HbA1c well average - 15 of those years with a pump and prior to that injections.
Hi! I don’t have a T1D child, but I’m also a long time T1D person. Like the others, I strongly encourage you to get the Tandem pump and work at getting your daughter back on Dexcom, especially with the coming release of the Control IQ software. I Loop, which is a DIY closed loop similar to what Tandem/Dexcom will be with the new software load. I can tell you that automated insulin dosing based on Dexcom data is a life changer. Not only should it improve your daughter’s long term prognosis, it should improve her quality of life - and yours - right away. Typically DEXCOM insertion is pain free, and I encourage her to give it another try. Best wishes for a better future!
hi, regarding the Dexcom insertion hurting: when my son was smaller (and using a different manufacturer of sensor) we used a “Buzzy” on the insertion site before we’d insert the sensor. These can be found at www.buzzyhelps.com. Yes, there is some debate on whether the “Buzzy” actually does anything … but whatever the science says, in his particular case it made the insertion tolerable. As you know, you are very limited in what you can put on the site (for example, numbing creams are not recommended) so that sensor performance will not be impeded. The nice aspect of the Buzzy is it does not leave anything behind. Maybe it was just a placebo effect … but it helped him to tolerate the sensor insertions.
And Yes, I would suggest forging ahead with the pump training, even if she does not have the Dex in place. You may actually find it helpful to focus on the pump training without having to think about the Dex at the same time.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. Great success! My daughter is now wearing her Tandem t-slim and is thrilled! It went on during the class and so far so good! Hope to get the Dexcom back on her in the near future…one step at a time. It sure is nice not doing shots! So much more freedom for her.
Congratulations. Just in case she wants to customize it:
Im so glad ur daughter is loving her pump!! If you don’t mind me asking, how old is she??
Don’t push her to retry the Dexcom. As u know w kids, no matter their age, the more u push, the more they resist. She’ll get there once the painful and scary experience is more in the past.
If she’s older, middle school or older, once she gets used to her pump and then gets sick of multiple daily fingers ticks, you can encourage trying it again explaining the positive aspects of no finger sticks except occasionally & then the protection of Basal IQ and hopefully soon, Control IQ!!
Even if she’s younger, she can understand the idea of no regular daily finger sticks and the thought of not feeling awful due to lows which the cgm will protect against!!
Congrats on getting up and going with her pump and good luck w slowly reintroducing the use of her cgm!! I’m in awe of what ur parents of t1d kids do!! Keep up the good work!! Ur amazing!!