Have been given green light for pump!

Blondie153

Well-Known Member
Messages
428
Hi all, we were with the consultant this week and they have agreed that my 8yr old can have the pump. She has to go on a few sessions at the end of Feb using the saline solution. Then she will be given the real thing for the Easter week. Really hope this will work out, but very nervous. There seem to be 2 camps those who love it and those who wouldn't touch it. I spoke to my GP recently who said good luck with it, support in this area seems to be poor so hope you get on ok! Doesn't inspire confidence does it? We are using the Aviva expert and have had a fair bit of back and forth with the team. We have found that most problems happen after office hours so there is an element of being on your own. Any words of advice????
M
 

carb-counting-mum

Well-Known Member
Messages
88
How exciting! Did you have to fight hard for it? I know of a parent who had to do a lot of pleading and jumping through hoops until she got a pump for her son.
Sorry, can't advice you on pumps, my daughter (also 8 ) was recently diagnosed - so don't know too much about anything yet. Have been looking at pumps, the pros and cons etc. At the moment my daughter is fine with the injections, but I think longterm a pump (with CGM) would be much better. One thing which worries me is replacing the canula. Would this not hurt a child? Or is it not very different from a normal tummy insuline injection? I have heard that you can use numbing cream?
I hope your GP is wrong about the level of support! If you have always had good support from your DSN/clinic, I can't see why this would change all of a sudden?
Best of luck with it. I hope your little girl likes her pump and that it all goes smoothly.
:)
 

Niamh's Mum

Member
Messages
16
Hi,
We also felt very wary when my daughter was given the ok to go on the pump. She was 12 at the time (18 months ago). Our local hospital that we attend for all appointments didn't have a pump clinic, so we are under dual care with another hospital in a city nearby. We have found it fantastic. I remember being so anxious about everything when Niamh first started but honestly, similarly to when they are first diagnosed, it soons becomes second nature. We had a small problem with the cannula's to begin with and a rep came to visit us, but other than that is has been a learning curve of enormous knowledge :D

I promise you in 6 months time you will pat yourself on the back and say 'How well did we do!'.

Gayle
 

Blondie153

Well-Known Member
Messages
428
Hi thank you for your support and help. I think diabetes must be like this every step of the way. Just when you get the hang of the machine you change to a new one and then thrown into the mix what works one day for diabetes doesn't the next. She was only diagnosed the last week of Aug so we still have our L plates up! Looking forward to that time Gayle that you are talking about when it all becomes second nature. My daughter is doing really well with the injections so I am hoping that resiting the pump will become easier with time. We didn't have to fight more like persuade. The pump situation was good at the hospital but it seems to be whether they can support it with staff. They also like to have children of a similar age starting it together so that they have a support network which makes sense. I had to do 2 courses one at night and one online before they would consider her. They have also offered to let me try the pump for a few days to feel what she will feel. I am not as enthusiastic about this I know it will be painful!!! I hope it will make a difference with things like low gi foods which seem to be her biggest stumbling block as the insulin she needs to counteract acts too quickly and we end up with hypos. They are not mad keen on splitting the injections, so I hope this will help. She has also started losing weight because she is starting to take food out of her bowl as she knows it will bring on a hypo. not a great situation. Anyone else been there? She is only 8 so I am really proud that she is doing this well.
M
 

jayne15

Well-Known Member
Messages
115
Hi Blondie, I hope to discuss the pump at our next clinic Im told it is difficult to persuade them- but I'm gonna try Meg still in honeymoon I think only on long acting 5 in the morning and 2 at night- made me laugh about the hypo thing, meg keeps asking for extra insulin so that her BM will be lower hmmm doesn't take long does it and gives an insight what they will be getting upto when they have all the control !
 

Blondie153

Well-Known Member
Messages
428
Thanks again for all your replies. Sometimes you read other people's messages and it is like they are inside your head. This diabetes is a learning curve that I never thought I would be doing! Bizarrely my next door neighbour's child has also been diagnosed and they seem to be the only 2 children in the whole village and surrounding villages, was it a virus?????? I could send myself mad thinking about how we got here, moved to the country for a better life for my children and this happened maybe I should have stayed in the smog of the city where diabetes figures are lower!!!!! See what I mean your brain goes round in circles. At least I have stopped torturing myself with the thought that they might ring me from the hosp and tell me it has all been a mistake.
M
 

Spearmint

Well-Known Member
Messages
244
That's brilliant news :)

My daughter has had her pump for 3 months now.
My advice is to read as much as you can and learn as much as you can.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask
 

Blondie153

Well-Known Member
Messages
428
Thanks Spearmint, I will probably have a million questions I just don't know what they are yet! Thanks again
M
 

Blondie153

Well-Known Member
Messages
428
Hi Spearmint we have been given a choice of medtronic veo, Animas or Roche. From what I have heard, most think that an 8yr old would get on well with the medtronic. Have you any thoughts?
M
 

Spearmint

Well-Known Member
Messages
244
They all have their own pros and cons, you have to decide which of the cons are more liveable with!

For my daughter the Medtronic was a no straight away as she'd have to get the pump out every time she ate or needed a correction and she was fed up of flashing her tummy in public to inject, would have caused problems for me overnight too!
So we went with Roche because everything can be done by remote control, downside is that it isn't CGM compatible but after using CGM before i personally wouldn't want one linked to the pump anyway.
 

Colin L

Newbie
Messages
3
Hi Blondie,

That's absolutely fantastic news!

Our 10 yr old went on a pump just before Christmas and it's been absolutely fantastic.

He uses the Animas Vibe, and we had lots of training and whilst it seems an awful lot to take in initially, it's soon second nature and gives your child so much freedom, and means that they don't have to have several injections per day.

His BS levels have stabilised significantly from a range of 2 - 29 on a daily basis to a more reasonable 4 to 12, and whilst he still has the occassional low, it is far more likely that you'll understand the reason, as there may still be insulin in their body that is working through, which the pump predicts also, meaning that you don't over-prescribe in most cases!

Our son is also alot happier going out for dinner and playing sport, as he doesn't have to worry about getting his injections out and just presses a few buttons on his pump. His school friends also think it's seriously cool!!!!

Anyway, good luck, and if you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask - after all we're pro's after being on it for 3 months :wink:
 

Lyndesay

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
That is fantastic news! :grin: like everything else it will take time but it will be worth it in the long run! As mentioned before read up on it as much as you can and familiarise yourself, it won't be as frightening when yous eventually get it :roll:

If you are lucky to have a good Diabetic Nurse, this will be great! I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without mine! Also whoever makes the pump should have a headline number which is definitely a lifeline (especially after hours!). The only other advice is to try and stay calm for the first few weeks! Things can be frightening at the start but it is definitely a learning curve and at least if you do have any issues, once you overcome them, you will be more confident if it happens again.

Good luck with it all, yous won't know yourselves once it is up and running and there is always someone here to advise if you need help :smile:

Lyndesay

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