Animas vibe

[emmamadi]

Hi All!
My little boy (aged 3 next month) has been approved and put forward for this pump, as long as the funding comes through which we are hopeful for. I'm excited to have this opportunity for him but also a little scared! I think I have researched all I can and can guess the level of work involved, but the benefits seem quite good in relation to him in that we will be able to drip feed the insulin at different levels through the day depending on his needs which I'm hoping will help even out his levels a bit . He is having a 'practise' with it quite soon to check he wont totally freak out about it .
Does anyone have any tips? Or views on little ones with pumps? Advice? Im so proud of how he has dealt with his diabetes since diagnosis at june and hope he will also deal with this in his stride :thumbup: .
Thanks in advance!
Emma

 

[ebony321]

Hi,

Insulin pumps can be excellent for children, with being able to give very small doses as many children are sensitive to insulin. As well as being able to fine tune his basal very well too.

It's also an advantage as he won't have to endure so many injections, just a cannula change every 2-3 days depending on which cannula you will be using.

It's great you've done your research, you will learn a great deal when you get the pump but knowing the theory and basics beforehand will give you both confidence

It's always sad to hear such a little one has been diagnosed with diabetes, but it's great to hear he's taken it in his stride, kids can be so resilient and never ceases to amaze me! There are a few parents here that have children of all ages with pumps so i'm sure one will be along soon to give you tips based on their experience and knowledge.

Hope all goes well when you do get the pump, i'm sure you and your little one will do great with the pump!

 

[emmamadi]

Thank you He is a great boy and I love both my boys so much! I think he will freak out initially, but hoping he will forget about it after a bit! I think he will be using the animas canulas? They are in a blue or pink plastic case and you kind of push the middle button in the middle and it self plants onto him?

 

[SandraR]

Hi Emma

Good luck with getting the go-ahead for an Animas Vibe. We have the earlier version (the 2020) but then my son is an earlier version too! (He is 15 years old).

If you get started on the Animas, ask your Animas rep to give your little lad one of the Animas soft kangaroos - assuming they still do them. Its a very sweet bedtime companion toy with a 'pouch' in which to tuck the pump at night.

It does seem like a lot to learn at the outset, but the overwhelming majority of children of all ages take very well to their pumps - including those (like mine) who hated the idea to begin with.

For us, the only hurdle was the set insertion. The Animas Inset II's are what we use (the grey, pink or blue pods). You do have to squeeze the pods very firmly to trigger them and they go with a bit of a 'click' at which point my son always expects it to hurt. In reality, they almost always go in completely painlessly and only rarely produce an 'ouch'. Less uncomfortable than injections (according to my son).

Good luck!