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Pump advice for children.

Ellie's mum

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Type of diabetes
Type 1
So, we are entering our 8 month of our daughters diabetes journey.

The last month or so has been a bit of a nightmare with high blood levels through the night and then even higher bloods 24/7 when she caught a nasty cold
. The support we got from Ellie's DN was amazing.

Following a routine appointment with the dietician, Ellie has started to have a lot of questions about using a pump. I've mentioned this to Ellie's DN who says Ellie fits the criteria for a pump and is bringing some for her to look at at home later this week and to answer all her questions


My question is, what are your experiences with your children using a pump? Is there a pump that you've had bad/good experiences with?

Any advice is much appreciated
 
Hi @Ellie's mum
seen there is no response yet on your thread-- I do so wish I could assist but it is outside my area of knowledge.

am just giving it a small bump to see if we get some assistance
 
Hi, my 4 year old was diagnosed nearly a year ago and she is 2 months into having a pump and it's revolutionised her diabetes care, I did a lot of research before hand and that really helped, I was a bit pessimistic when we first started talking about it as I know some people haven't had as good an experience as us but it really has been the best thing we have done x
 
Hi my daughter was diagnosed in May this year at the age of 4. We went ahead and had the pump in September and so far we find it so much better both for us and her. Her levels are more stable she is happier as her isn't stuck to such a tight routine when it comes to food times. She is rven heloing us with the pump and putting how many carbs act she is eating. The possitives far outweigh the negatives. Hope this has helped.
 
I think depending on age of child and other personality factors the decision will mainly come down to two things to consider....

1) does daughter mind having to take pump off to bolus and change thongs like basal rates.. The rates will change quite a lot in first few months...
I) insight has a full remote control but only flexsets currently.

If not want a remote control but may want to consider a cgm as well in the future then the 640g talks to an elite sensor.

The omnipod doesn't have any tubes to worry about.

All of them have options of colours..!!

One with a full working remote control may be worth considering if a parent is having to do the bolus's/basal changes etc.
Oldee children may prefer to be a little discreet too..

Too old to offer opinion/view from children/parents getting on with a pump. I can just remember being in awe when I had a blood testing machine the size of a shoe box!!
 
Just to add that I have the Animas Vibe and love it. I'm not a child but I have children and they've certainly tested the robustness of my pump!! It's a tough little thing, waterproof and simple to use (you mentioned simplicity above).

It also supports Dexcom CGM
 
Thanks everyone. We're struggling with her bloods at the min and she hates having to have corrections


Ellie's 10 and very active with scouts and majorettes. We've told her the final decision will be hers as we don't want her to have something she hates more than injections.

DN is coming to see us tonight so fingers crossed all goes well
 
I think the biggest factor is that it's her choice, if she doesn't like it she can just go back to MDI
 

Not having to inject was one of the biggest things for me. I'd never particularly minded injections and before getting a pump that aspect had seemed pretty minor, but once I got it and got used to wearing it, being able to go out and just press a button or two when I ate was wonderful.

Good luck for tonight
 
I never thought the injections were any big deal and it wasn't something that bothered me. Two weeks into having the pump, when I realised I hadn't injected for two week, I burst into tears with relief!

I think it's perfect that you are fully involving your daughter in the decision. I was trying to think of age appropriate things for her to look at. I really liked YouTube for helping me decide whether I could do a pump and what kind - there are loads of videos of lots of people using lots of different pumps, setting them up, showing them cannulating etc. Also quite a few videos of parents setting them up on kids.

Great that your DSN has demo pumps that you could have a look at - I really wanted touch and poke the pump, before deciding whether I wanted it stuck to me 24/7 - I was pretty suprised by how small and light they are.

Enjoy the research session tonight - don't forget that there will probably be people on here who use the pumps so will probably be able to fill in any practical user questions if any crop up.
 
Ellie's mum said:
Thanks everyone. We're struggling with her bloods at the min and she hates having to have corrections


Click to expand...

corrections on a pump are pretty easy -- just a BG test and push a couple of buttons
AND................the dosing is much more flexible ( as little as .05u )
compared to a .5u minimum on a 1/2 unit pen
 
So, the nurse has been.

She Explained to Ellie (and us) how much easier things would be in the long run to be on a pump. She showed her 3 different options and let her have a fiddle around with them. Teddy even got to try them out


Ellie has now decided she wants a pump as soon as she can and she has chosen the omnipod based on the fact it was small and has no tubes.

Having the opportunity to see/feel the different pumps in her own home has certainly made the decision easier for Ellie, hospitals can make things seem so scary at times.

Very happy daughter right now
 
DN is so on the ball! She'd already pre booked an appointment with the psychologist for October half term in the hope that Ellie would decide to go ahead with one! If that goes well then Ellie looks to be starting the pump in December just as schools break up for Xmas
 
Really glad that Ellie getting good care. Omnipod is discrete as well...
 
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