Hello
@elsalisa,
Having been on an insulin pump for 7 years of my total 52 years on insulin I would certainly quail at the thought
of going back to MDI !
But how is this relevant to an 11 year old?
I was diagnosed at age 13 (sounds like a 'once upon a time 'story )!! - and in the following years, with no blood glucose monitoring and only using the basic insulins, I had to deal with
the time of growing
- at some point my urine tests started showing more sugar - I learned that I had to increase my insulin doses sometimes to twice normal per day and then
- after 2 weeks or so the hypos would start and I had to bring the insulin doses down quick smart. Why ?
My doctor explained that I was having
growth spurts - hormones were at work and these particular growth hormones made my insulin less effective hence the need to increase insulin doses. Once the 'spurt' had finished my insulin was more effective again and hence the hypos and my need to drop the insulin doses back down.
So i am guessing that one question to ask yourselves and your health team is
what is going to be better for dealing with these 'growth spurts' in future? ? Pump or MDI ? And with CGM ? Or not ??
And I cannot be categoric about when such growth spurts might start as we are all individuals and our bodies will decide when that all starts.
If I was 13 now with recently diagnosed diabetes I know what my personal answer would be.
But as the Americans say: Hindsight is 20:20 vision!!
Other things that I would wish to be informed about as a new 13 year old T1D by my health team would be:
what is the best current , non-surgical treatment program in the world to keep diabetic children/teenagers BSLs under the best control ?
One possible answer is under
https://www.drdavidludwig.com/type1-diabetes "Is exceptional control of Type 1 Diabetes possible on a low-carbohydrate diet?
For background, reading Dr Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution" would be required (book or e-book).
I am not saying that this approach is easy, or well-known but I would expect my health team to mention it as part of all the options -
as patients we are entitled to receive all the information relevant to us in order to make informed decisions.
Low carb diets are not readily accepted in many countries and moreso with children/teenagers (but see Dr Ludwig's blog).-
partly from possible ignorance and sometimes interference or concerns about that fact that low carb intake means higher protein and fat intake. That has been my experience at least.
I found such concerns can be readily repulsed by subscribing to zoeharcombe.com who has analysed much of the literature about fat and low carb diets and debunked a number of false claims.
I have used her writings in my discussions with my doctors, for example.
What is more, dietitians do prescribe low carb/ketogenic- type diets for children with epilepsy? So my question to doctors is: What do you do about a child with epilepsy AND diabetes? It is possible for them to be on a low carb diet is it not?
If so then it is possible for a child with diabetes alone also ??
The other piece of information I wished was available when I was 13 and in those early years of diabetes was the results of a particular trial called the
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (or DCCT if you google it) - started in 1982 to 1993 and then continued under a different name ever since.
As well as googling it, you can use the question box right upper section of the forum page and type in DCCT - ignore the reference to blood test units and look at the DCC trial threads.
Please ask your health team about this trial as I reckon it IS important for every new diabetic to know about - even if the low carb thing is not your 'cup of tea' !!
The question is really about what will give the best means of keeping BSLs under best control over the next number of years - the trial results give the reason why.
I hope that this has not been too much of a diversion but after all knowledge is power !!
About finger..........Ask for help rather....Read and learn...........It is all about.......... Nothing is...........remember to
pricks/injections... ....than guess.............all you can....................balance..................impossible..........enjoy life !
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