Newly Diagnosed Toddler onto pump?

Putting him on a pump without adequate support and training would be far worse than delaying a few months imo.

Pumps are very new, and so there aren't that many people that have adequate knowledge to support your son, as there are many issues with living with a pump on a day to day basis.
I know it must be frustrating, but honestly, it's better that it is done properly and later, rather than sooner and badly.

hiya

i understand ur frustration, we have just been put on a pump mon just gone however we had a year of waiting and fighting to get the pump, in reality u are not being made to wait that long to get one there are loads of children who will have waited alot longer than u are being asked too, not having a go just trying to show u how quickly u were being offered one.

altho its new to us i can see the benefit of a pump but its alot of work and sleepless nights trying to get things right, u will need support from ur DSN so its prob better to wait till they can help u, i wouldnt say anything u are able to do would change things if they are short staffed then they are.

i would agree and say wait however frustrating u find it

anna marie

Hi

I have a pump myself but I'm an adult not a child.

It's very difficult to know really whether or not you will need support from a dsn trained in pump therapy. Most of what you will need to know can now be obtained from the internet and also from reading the Pumping Insulin book by John Walsh. There is a chapter all about how to set up basal rates which is really good so even if you knew absolutely nothing, the internet and the book will see you through. Most pump companies also provide excellent training manuals with step by step instructions on what to do so most people should be ok. The only thing that you might need to be shown how to do, is putting an infusion set in but even that can now be seen over the internet.

For some reason or another it appears that we have become a nation of people needing someone to watch over us Grrrrr lol

thats ok didnt want u to think i was being harsh in saying u havent waited that long it wasnt intendid to be we are all here to support each other

its not a quick thing to be put on a pump and its not an easy option either we had 4 years of injections behind us before we got our pump and had to go on a carb counting course and prove we could do it before we were even considered, and in that 4 years dylan had terrible control with hba1cs over 10 all but one time (that being 9.7 lol) and it wasnt through lack of effort either i worked really hard with no luck but now we are lucky enough to say we have a pump and altho we are on the long road to getting all the basals and boluses right i can see the benefit of a pump.

hopefully u will get ur pump and a few months wont make that much difference to ur daughter in the mean time keep ur chin up

anna marie

Hi, my daughter is on a pump from December 2nd and yes it is hard work but the knowledge that you gain from doing injections and learning to count carbs is a very good grounding for starting on a pump.
Learn as much as you can and use your time to research. This forum has a wealth of knowledge spread amongst its members who are only too happy to help. Another very good book to get is "Carbs and Cals" we got ours from Amazon for about £12 and it is the best book we have ever bought, but "Pumping Insulin" comes a close second.
All the best and good luck

Harry

Hi, my daughter was 8 last week and she was diagnosed on 2nd June 2010. We got a pump after 5 months but kept nudging them. We are lucky to live in an area that is forward thinking and supports the idea that pumping is the best way for children to manage their diabetes.
We are full of praise for our diabetics team and have had so much support from them.
I hope you get one soon but as I say, use the time to learn all you can. Doing injections is a good skill to learn in case the pump ever goes wrong.

Harry

Hi

My son was diagnosed a year ago aged 20 months. We were also told that a pump would be the best way to go. Unfortunately our NHS board have yet to agree to funding the pump although its been put forward at their monthly meetings since September. Due to the current financial climate...etc... Its infuriating, but we're continuing to ask for it. Our diabetic nurse is very forceful!

My friend's daughter is on a pump and she says its one of the hardest things she's had to adjust to and that was with the excellent support of the diabetes team. She also says its the best thing they could have done for her daughter.

As Harry says learn all you can and keep asking.

Annette

from my last few days experience getting the levels right is the biggest challenge but because u can alter the basal rates so much having many different time slots its hard to know where to start. i would think starting it with a toddler would be difficult as they cant always explain how they feel im not sure that i could of coped with a pump straight out with no understanding of diabetes at the age of 4. but at 8 he recognises hypos and can operate the pumps boluses himself which is great for school.

i hope u dont have to wait too long but dont be disheartened it really is normal to have to wait a bit for a pump very few get one straight out although being on a pump is becoming more popular

anna marie

I am an adult I know.....however, I personally think that 4years and older would be easier for pump management...only on the basis of: the constant monitoring needed by the parent, and the understanding of such a young child, and also the tubes and actually having a pump permanently attached to somebody so small. I know that I have accidentally had my cannula ripped out of me three times, and boy I knew it had happened!!!

I believe it would put a huge amount of pressure upon the parent, who also has their own lives as well, and for child care as well by others. Personally, I would not want to be pumping for such a young child......

I have 2 children with type 1 and we have been trying for some time to get them pumps. Our Dr reckons that they should both be pumping in the next few months!

My husband and I never quite understand why small children aren't automatically put on pumps. My husband also has type 1 for 25 years now and he personally doesn't like the idea of being connected to a pump. After managing 2 kids for nearly 2 years we can see so many positives from pump management in kids.

My husband has excellent control and although the diagnosis of our children came as a massive shock, we knew we had a wealth of knowledge and could manage the condition, but after a few months it soon became clear that managing kids is far harder than managing diabetes in adults.

For us pumping would give so much more flexibility therefore leading to tighter control. I know that pumps are not the magic answer, but here is a small list of things that a pump would offer to our kids:

Allow us to administer small amounts of insulin as when my son was first diagnosed a 1/2 unit would
reduce bg by 8 mmol. Correct at night without injecting if high, lower basal if too low rAther than waking a sleeping child and making them eat. Give greater flexibility over young children finishing meals and activity. Correcting when ill as children get more colds especially at pre- school. Being able to check if you forgot to bolus for a meal rather than waiting 2 hours to take a reading and then correcting. And finally allow us to deal with the dawn ph when a young child can sleep for 12
hours.
It won't be long before pumping will be the only option and injection pens will seem so out dated. As parents we want the best for our kids and I would fight for what you feel is the best option for your child. Everyone will have their views, but at the end of the day, you are the ones dealing with this and trying to get the best control possible with the best tools available.