Hi everyone, my daughter was dxd on 6-29-07 and I just picked up her pump, my husband thinks that it will be the “cure all”, me…i’m scared and excited at the same time…It just seems like everything we have learned about her new way of eating is going to be thrown out the door and everything is going to be the way it use to be, I’m not completely comfortable with that idea, doesn’t she still need to watch what she eats, will she still need to have her snacks? she’s 6.
scared,
Hi Tara,
I’m guessing you went through the whole carb counting classes, pump operation, and what to do if the unexpected happens.
You don’t NEED to change anything about the way that your daughter eats. What the pump offers is more control over when you eat. If you are going to a relatives for say, Thanksgiving Dinner (or some such holiday) and the meal time gets put off for some reason, your daughter isn’t forced to eat at a specific time.
Does this mean that you throw all her meal and snack times out the window? I hope not. Keeping meal and snack times as consistent as possible helps the body to regulate itself. Can she have a piece of birthday cake? If you can figure out the carbs, she sure can. Should she eat nothing but candy? Nobody should.
The pump means many things. Two of the most important to me are flexibility and the freedom from multiple insulin injections. I hope everything works out great… please let us know.
-Bill
I’m with Bob,Tara.He said it all.I will be starting on the pump soon.You have to count the carbohydrates in her food.Measuring is also important.It will give her more freedom to eat what she wants and when.She has to be careful though not to eat sugary snacks just because she can.Good luck.
So either way food will still effect her the same as on shots…so her diet should still remain healthy and it’s not a free pass to eat what ever when ever everyday, but she could on special occasions. at the same time, we should all eat healthy, i believe that diabetics eat the way everyone should.
Actually Tara, diabetics should eat the way that everyone should. I have had issues in the past with not eating properly. However, on the pump, my blood sugars stayed close to normal; but I gained weight, my cholesterol jumped and my blood pressure rose. After getting into issues with my kidneys, I tightened my control over what I eat and have been much better health-wise.
Eating healthy should be a concern for everyone, but especially for diabetics. The sooner we get into proper eating habits, the better off we will be.
Tara, the best to you and your daughter, and if you have any more questions please ask.
-Bill
My daughter started the pump a few months before her 6th birthday. It was such a blessing. She was never a fan of getting shots (not that anyone is) but it would get to the point that after she would eat lunch, she would still be hungry but refuse to eat simply because she didn’t want another shot. There are only so many “free” foods that a 6 yr old will eat. So she would just not eat and wait until dinner, it would get so frustrating, but I had to sympothize with her.
Well, now we have the pump, and she is willing to eat more often now. Kids are constantly growing and there are those days, where the tummy is just never full enough. The pump is the best solution for those days. I could not be happier and she is back to her old self again because of it.
I hope your daughter enjoys the pump.