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Pump for a newly diagnosed 6 year old

T

toyahsam

Newbie
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4
Hi,

My 6 year old was diagnosed about 8 weeks ago and has adapted quite well really, his sugars are very iratic and as such his SDN keep putting his insulin up and then back down to try and level him out, currently he is suffering a hypo at least twice a day, but more adjustments have been made this morning to try and sort that out.

Obviously I have done nothing but read about treatments available since he was first diagnosed, I have become more and more convinced that a pump would be the way to go forward, he hates the injections (like most kids I guess), his school are quite good, but he feels isolated having to sit in the sick room every time he needs to do his blood sugars or when having a hypo.

He sits with me quite often when reading about pumps and various treatments and is getting keen on the idea of using one, not just for the reduced injections, but also for the better control it would give him and more flexibility around meal times.

I have mentioned our interest to the SDN and she has agreed to put it to their monthly meeting for comments by the consultants etc.

But I have loads of questions - I read that it can be really helpful to kids still going through the honeymoon period - anyone got any experience of this? Another thing, I realise I could have a major fight trying to get him one, apparently in our area on 7 kids out of about 200 have got one currently. Is this something I could fund myself? If I do, can the DSN still support him in the same way? Is there any major negatives to having a pump, other than wearing it 24 hours a day and more frequently bloody testing?

I would be really grateful to any comments - good or bad?

Thanks

Nicola
 
Dr Katharine is probably the best person to advise you, as a GP and mother of a diabetic son.
 
Hi,
Both my daughters are on the pump (aged 7 & 14). We would not want to go back now to injections. It is hard work at the beginning setting it all up etc, and you have to be extra vigilant as they have no background insulin, so the risk of DKA is increased if you get a cannula blockage or whatever. Still, it is 1 needle every 2 days instead of 4-5 per day, and much more discreet to bolus. You do need to test often - why do your son's school make him go to the sick room for this? Wearing it for 24 hours a day is a non-issue for my girls, they don't even know it's there, even in bed!

Also, as you have realised, it is possible to achieve much finer control - some pumps can make tiny adjustments (the Animas 2020 does quarter of a unit).

The pumps themselves cost around £3000 I believe, but the big cost is the consumables which I think I was told are over £1000 a year. I stand ready to be corrected on that though. I can't see why the DSN would not support you if you self-funded a pump, a family where we are did just that a few years ago before pumps became more readily available here. But I would push to get it funded by the hospital first.
Hope this helps.
Sue
 
I'm pretty sure if you speak to your doctor or diabetes nurse they can recommend you for a pump. i read a diary on a website of a girl who went through the motions of getting a pump and it was very up and down not wanting to give her one then wanting to but she got one in the end and it seems like hard work but a very good thing for a child to have expecially at the age of six. i was diagnosed in jan and i went through 2 months of the honeymoon period. going as low as 2.3 for no reason i could see whatsoever. but it seems like your son is well looked after by you and his school when this does happen. honeymoon periods can last for weeks to months or rarely a year or more. apparently (if you didnt know) its because when your body has insulin again your pancreas excretes a little insulin every now and then because its under less stress. they warned me it could happen but said they assume my pancreas had 0% function but no actual way to tell. i hope all goes well for your son and i hope you are able to get a pump as im sure itll help him by far. especially if at six hes showing interest about one. and seems like a good idea if his sugar is very erratic. all the best x
 
Something that could help right away is for your child to be able to test blood sugars and treat hypos wherever he is at the time rather than having to go to the medical room. Provided he puts the used test strips back in his kit, he is not posing any risk of any kind to anyone.

My son tests whenever, wherever, injects in the canteen for meals and eats jelly babies if he wants to correct a hypo. Can you speak to the headteacher to see if they would be willing to be more helpful about this?
 
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