Hi- we are 5 months after diagnosis of type I with our 7 year old son. We managed to start school with a new teacher (type 2 herself!) and an aide who is funded by Health and Education departments. (We live in Israel).
My son has said he doesn’t want a pump until next year. He is good about getting his injections (5 a day b/c he only wants with the pen so we can’t mix insulins)/ At first I thought the pump gives so much frredom but nmow that we’re in a routine that mostly works! I feel that it may complicate everytihing again. Would love to hear from experience of others.
Thanks for that QUICK response. I don’t want to push him at all on this (there are so many more things he now HAS to do). I am trying to check if I am not more enthusiastic because of MY comfort zone , rather than keeping his preferences at the forefront . (Though I recognize that at his age our preferences are also imprtant to keep us sane.) As he gets older and does most of the managing “on his own” he’ll be leading more of the decisions.
My son was diagnosed at age 8. He had no interest in a pump, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it either. We decided it needed to be his decision (which is also how his endo felt) but I also thought it should be a well educated decision. So when it had been about 9 months and he started experiencing some of the situations that would have been better with a pump, I pointed them out. Like at a birthday party, instead of getting a shot for the meal, the snacks, the cake and the afterthought drink - we let him know that he could have four shots - and eat the same things as his friends at the same times, he could figure it all out at once and get one shot - or he could think about having a pump, in which case he would just have to push some buttons when he ate something. After some of those conversations, I asked him to at least try wearing one. I didn’t care what he decided but I wanted him to feel like he had some control. He tried two - hated one, but loved the other and we haven’t looked back. It’s been the best decision for him - we never could have imagined what we could do with a pump that we couldn’t do with shots.
I have a 9 year old son that was diagnosed when he was 2, and did not start on a pump until he was 5. Any treatment plan you choose will have its pros and cons, its good days and bad. There isn’t a magic bullet. We chose to start our son on a pump because injections were not working for him. We never had any consistency, and could never accurately give him the small doses that he needed. His BG readings were like a roller coaster of lows and highs all day long. We didn’t give our son a choice of whether or not to start on a pump. He wasn’t totally on board with it at first, but we felt it was medically necessary and therefore, not up for discussion. I can sum up our experience with pumps by saying that when it’s good, it’s really good, and when it’s bad, it’s really bad. Fortunately, the good times far outnumber the bad times.
I think it’s important for you to remeber that, if you have a routine that works for you, that’s great. Really, what matters most is that you find what works best for you and your son. It sounds like you are doing amazing and you both should be very proud.
My son was dx at 20 months and had no interest at all in a pump for many years. He is now nearly 11 and started pumping 3 years ago - we had been doing MDI for about 6 years. While I did not want to be ‘forced’ into a pump, I knew that as he got older it would allow him more independence. It also allows more freedom in his basal rates (they can be turned down during heavy activity, etc). He would not entertain the idea of a tubed pump. It is interesting that he has no issue telling anyone who asks about T1D and showing how he tests, etc., but having a tubed pump was not a possibility in his mind. So his CDE showed him the OmniPod, he tried it and liked it.
I am a firm believer of doing what works best for you and your family. If he feels comfortable giving himself shots (the being more independent factor for things like parties and sleepovers), then great. if he doesn’t, there nay come a time where he decided to give a pump a try. You will know if/when it is right for your family.
Our daughter, R (11), was diagnosed just over a year ago. She started on the pump a few weeks ago. Like Allie’s experience, R had very poor control despite every effort. Her A1C was consistently around 9% and we were all exhausted from it. She was on 5 injections in the end and had tried several different regimes to no avail.
For us the pump was a very hard fight so we were elated to finally get it.
Though you may think it too early to pronounce, we have found it very good. We are still up and down chasing basal rates and trying to find what settings work best for her. I think puberty has thrown a spanner in the works but we feel that much better control is around the corner. As a crude statistic, her average BG was nearly always over 10 (180). Now it’s 7.8 (140). While we still have hypos (we used to have 2-3 each day), we feel that we’re in control and that we have the tools to rid them entirely.
More that all that though, R’s spirits have turned around and she is so much happier. Despite many other travails (she also has celiac and school isn’t very supportive of her needs), there has been a step-change in her outlook.
You’ll likely hear of the usual benefits of the pump - eating whenever you want, accommodating exercise and other events etc. - but for us, the practicalities of pump-wearing are nothing compared to injections. I revel in not saying good morning to my daughter wielding two injections and a BG meter. That’s progress!
J
Somehow the second part of my answer got left out . . .
Just like others have said - I also believe that you have to do what works for you, your child and your family, and especially with a younger child the disease can be pretty manageable with shots. Just as he’s gotten older the pump has been the best fit for my son. For him - as a growing boy about to hit adolescence, the freedom to eat what he wants when he wants without feeling or looking too different is crucial. I am pretty sure it’s just as possible to have good or better control with MDI - but the psychological effect of having control is worth the effort of the pump for us.
I was dx at age 8, and to this day I have not been on a pump.
I started in injections with syringes and didn’t switch to pens until I was 12 (I think)! Today I don’t know why since pens actually made things easier, 'm a lot faster now because the insulin’s already at hand and not in a vial, but despite several changes I stayed with MDI. Going on pens meant 6-7 injections instead of 4-5, that may have been one of my reasons.
Never wanted a pump. I’ve been offered one several times and always refused vehemently.
“Pump” is not an upgrade of “MDI”, it simply is a different regime.
Reasons for not wanting a pump are individual. My main reason was and still is that It would always be “on me”. Night and day. There would be a needle in my body 24/7! Horrible imagination for me.
Yes, there a moments I wish I had a pump but afterwards I always remember that, for me, a pump takes freedom away.
So if your son is doing fine with MDI, and does not want a pump, there is no reason forcing it.
Or maybe there is a way for you to try it out?
