Hi,I am considering getting my daughter put on an insulin pump.Her bloodsugar levels are so up and down no matter what I try.I am quite strict with the carb counting and even that doesnt seem to help.So I would really appreciate any advice anyone has on insulin pumps whether it is good or bad.I want to weigh up the pros and cons and hopefully get these bloodsugars under control.I feel very stressed out with it all the time.I really feel like the diabetes has taken over our life and its makes everything so much more difficult.
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Advice on insulin pumps.
- Thread starter martina
- Start Date
Hi Martina 
My daughter has been on a pump since mid-January so it's still fairly early days for us but already I can say it's the best thing we ever did. Jess' blood glucose is a lot more stable and predictable now. I feel so much more relaxed and confident and our life is far less dominated by diabetes.
Jess loves the pump and doesn't miss injections at all. She used to be very shy about injecting in public but she has no worries about getting the pump out to dose insulin for her meals when we're out. She actually seems to enjoy being able to explain what the pump is when someone shows an interest and asks questions.
She is quite self conscious about people seeing the infusion site but I think it's more the fact it's sited on her bottom that worries her. Fortunately it's nearly always hidden from sight so mostly it's not a problem, only when she's changing for school swimming that she is worried about it. The downside to a pump is that it's attached to you nearly all the time and can make a person feel different from everyone else. But I think the child would feel different anyway if they're having to inject infront of their peers.
How does your daughter feel about a pump? When we were considering a pump I involved Jess a lot in the decision. I wanted her to be on board with the choice and not make it for her, afterall it's her that has to wear it all the time.
The pump has so far been a very positive experience for both of us and we'd never go back to injections now.
My daughter has been on a pump since mid-January so it's still fairly early days for us but already I can say it's the best thing we ever did. Jess' blood glucose is a lot more stable and predictable now. I feel so much more relaxed and confident and our life is far less dominated by diabetes. Jess loves the pump and doesn't miss injections at all. She used to be very shy about injecting in public but she has no worries about getting the pump out to dose insulin for her meals when we're out. She actually seems to enjoy being able to explain what the pump is when someone shows an interest and asks questions.
She is quite self conscious about people seeing the infusion site but I think it's more the fact it's sited on her bottom that worries her. Fortunately it's nearly always hidden from sight so mostly it's not a problem, only when she's changing for school swimming that she is worried about it. The downside to a pump is that it's attached to you nearly all the time and can make a person feel different from everyone else. But I think the child would feel different anyway if they're having to inject infront of their peers.
How does your daughter feel about a pump? When we were considering a pump I involved Jess a lot in the decision. I wanted her to be on board with the choice and not make it for her, afterall it's her that has to wear it all the time.
The pump has so far been a very positive experience for both of us and we'd never go back to injections now.
hello
reading ur post it sounds like me and my son in the last year, however we have had a pump for a month now so again early days. We had tried everything and felt this was the only option left to us to try, unlike jess dylan was not overly keen on the idea of a pump but we talked it through and he understood we needed to try it he was just scared of the unknown and being attached to it continuously, we agreed to trial it for a few months and if he didnt like it after a fair trial we would return to injections.
i can honestly say after the month we both love the pump i asked dylan how he felt now and u would have to fight him to get the pump back he prefers it to injections by a long way, his over all control is not perfect yet but it is better and more stable than it ever was in the previous 4 years on injections, he feels freer on the pump than he did on injections and he has more responsibility with the pump himself.
i have to say it is not an easy option lots of work but u sound like me in the fact that u are already working hard to make ur regime work now so its not that much more of a stretch to be honest, the worst bit was the tiredness particularly in the first week after change over i didnt sleep much at all waking at all hours to test dylan but that eases as u get into the swing of it.
you dont say how old ur daughter is, dylan will be 9 on march the 10th and has adapted really well to it all the first site change was a nightmare with both of us ending up in tears but once we started using numbing cream for the changes its been smooth ever since. my advice would be go for it if i had to make the decision again i would
anna marie
reading ur post it sounds like me and my son in the last year, however we have had a pump for a month now so again early days. We had tried everything and felt this was the only option left to us to try, unlike jess dylan was not overly keen on the idea of a pump but we talked it through and he understood we needed to try it he was just scared of the unknown and being attached to it continuously, we agreed to trial it for a few months and if he didnt like it after a fair trial we would return to injections.
i can honestly say after the month we both love the pump i asked dylan how he felt now and u would have to fight him to get the pump back he prefers it to injections by a long way, his over all control is not perfect yet but it is better and more stable than it ever was in the previous 4 years on injections, he feels freer on the pump than he did on injections and he has more responsibility with the pump himself.
i have to say it is not an easy option lots of work but u sound like me in the fact that u are already working hard to make ur regime work now so its not that much more of a stretch to be honest, the worst bit was the tiredness particularly in the first week after change over i didnt sleep much at all waking at all hours to test dylan but that eases as u get into the swing of it.
you dont say how old ur daughter is, dylan will be 9 on march the 10th and has adapted really well to it all the first site change was a nightmare with both of us ending up in tears but once we started using numbing cream for the changes its been smooth ever since. my advice would be go for it if i had to make the decision again i would
anna marie
Hi!
My 5 yr old daughter got her pump last August. Best thing we ever did! No regrets. It has given us back our lives. Life feels more normal again and we can be flexible again over when to eat and what to eat. She has a DANA pump through Advanced Therapeutics. It's very small and light and has a remote control so we don't even need to take the pump out when bolusing for food. She wears it in a belt round her waist. The first few days she felt a bit odd carrying this thing around but she is so used to it now it really is no bother.
We now have mostly excellent readings with a much improved HBA1c. She still has some highs and lows but these are so much easier and quicker to correct now.
Be prepared for a lot of hard work though. It's not easy at the beginning. You don't just 'plug in' and go. I would say that you have to pencil in about a month on the calendar to really dedicate to getting it right. We were so exhasuted at the beginning and all the testing is hard going but I would do it all again.
Good luck in your decision
XX
My 5 yr old daughter got her pump last August. Best thing we ever did! No regrets. It has given us back our lives. Life feels more normal again and we can be flexible again over when to eat and what to eat. She has a DANA pump through Advanced Therapeutics. It's very small and light and has a remote control so we don't even need to take the pump out when bolusing for food. She wears it in a belt round her waist. The first few days she felt a bit odd carrying this thing around but she is so used to it now it really is no bother.
We now have mostly excellent readings with a much improved HBA1c. She still has some highs and lows but these are so much easier and quicker to correct now.
Be prepared for a lot of hard work though. It's not easy at the beginning. You don't just 'plug in' and go. I would say that you have to pencil in about a month on the calendar to really dedicate to getting it right. We were so exhasuted at the beginning and all the testing is hard going but I would do it all again.
Good luck in your decision
XX
Thanx for all the advice,its been very helpful.My daughter is 8 years old.I have spoken to her about getting a pump and she seems very keen.I was just wondering if you get to choose the type of pump or do different health authorities offer different ones?I have read about an omnipod that doesnt have any tubes or anything,sounds good as one of my worries would be if there was a kink in the tube that stopped the flow of insulin which for some reason we didnt notice.
Hi. We are just trialling the omnipod at the moment with a hope to get pumping in the next few weeks. I cannot comment on the other pumps as we have never used one before, but we have been very impressed with this tubeless device. It is well worth consideration and you can pm me if you have any questions which i'll be happy to answer. The other pump we were considering was the accu - chec combo.
It's best to look at a couple, trial them and decide which one best suits your needs.
It's best to look at a couple, trial them and decide which one best suits your needs.
we were offered the veo as our DSN prefers them but we were already familiar with it so made life easier anyway, i think every area is different with some being offered all and others being offered one or 2 u would have to ask i guess.
not heard alot about the omni pod so cant advise there im afraid, as for the tubes we havent found a prob with them, the only prob we have found is bubbles but i would guess u would get them in any pump
anna marie
not heard alot about the omni pod so cant advise there im afraid, as for the tubes we havent found a prob with them, the only prob we have found is bubbles but i would guess u would get them in any pump
anna marie
It appears that some clinics/hospitals allow you a choice and others don't give you a choice. We were able to choose which pump we wanted. If you're given a choice then ask to see some demo pumps so that you can play with each one and decide which you prefer.
Well I'm pleased to say that the Omnipod stayed in place during my son's 30 minute swimming lesson. I was a little worried that it might come off, but it hasn't. I keep thinking it is too good to be true but the only negative thing we've come across so far is that the remote device is a bit cumbersome and key pad could be improved. Having said that the company are aware of this and the device is being upgraded in the near future. So far so good!
