As a pump user and retired teacher, let me offer a few comments. Being that your son is recently diagnosed (you did not mention age), it is important for him first to understand his individual's body reaction to insulin. Sounds like he is early on in that process. It is essential to determine basal insulin needs as well as bolus need per grams of carbs. It sounds, also, that he is in process of doing that as you indicate he is gradually bringing his BG levels down. (Let your ophthalmologist know he is in the midst of that process. (I am certain that he is well meaning but not as informed as he should be.) As long as he is able to achieve his goal BG levels with injections decided jointly with his endocrinologist or primary care doctor that is a great and necessary accomplishment. Dr.B understands that often well meaning physicians automatically assume an young Type I will go on the pump for convenience.
My teaching experience of many years with the occasional Type I student suggests that often a pump is a personal embarrassment for a young person particularly if in adolescence the student is active in sports....locker room scenarios. Every school that I have ever taught in make arrangement for discrete injections as needed. I have known many students abandon pump usage mainly for such personal reasons. As a teacher, the pump was a great convenience. However, understand that is the value of a pump. Insulin dependence can be handled effectively with appropriate injections and that is why Dr.B "doesn't think much of the pump".
