I’m just wired that way. I won’t ask Junior to do something before I’ve done it to myself. Before his first insulin injection (at the hospital!) I stepped outside his room with a syringe and “shot” myself (to the amusement and minor chagrin of his nurses). No way I was going to push that needle into my son without having tried it first. Same with fingersticks, glucometer, infusion sets and his insulin pump. He doesn’t ever come right out and say it, but I think he sincerely appreciates Dad “taking one for the team”. It makes him feel less like a guinea pig.
Roark - I know that if I was a kid, and all this was coming my way I would have definately appreciated my father doing the same thing. Fortunately (or not? lol.) for me I was diagnosed at the age of 23 so I was able to do all that myself.
It just shows your son that you’re with him through thick and thin, and that he doesn’t have to deal with it alone!
Roark, when I was DXed at 9 yo, I know it would have meant the world to have one of my folks do that. Your an awesome father. I like to think I would do the same thing if my kids caught the big D.
Thanks for the clarification. I am leaning towards the “animas ping” as of now. I have a friend that is on the MM and she recommended the ping as well. The integration would have been great but it doesn’t hinder my decision in the least.
I wouldnt purchase a new pancreas unless i needed a kidney as well… Do you have any ideas what the current side effects on anti-rejection drugs are? At this point they can sometimes cause the pancreas to fail again!..
Spending my life taking immunosuppresive drugs vs insulin… Really tough call…
Id wish Ping would get up to date on strips… Theres a new lifescan meter in testing now because its one of the few meter series that still require a full 1um of blood for all devices (its called the Lifescan Verio, kinda ugly too IMHO) many meters now are half to a third of that… This became an issue and by changing to a non lifescan meter, my fingers have recovered a bit from being calloused and abused with lancet holes by having to crank down the lancet continuously…
I have been pumping with the Ping for about 2 months now. This is my first pump and I think it was very easy to understand. I found the Minimed look and feel to be dated and opted for the more up to date look. I thought I would want the CGMS but once I saw the size of the needle I said forget it, and hoestly I could care less now. I thought the fodd data base would be great but now that I have it I barely use it. I wasn’t impressed by the Ping associates and argued with them frequently during the first month of ‘support’. Now that I am through sending them reports and setting the pump the way I want, my control has been great. The tubing is only an issue when I sleep and I have found that I like the longer set more than the short one. You cant go wrong with any pump you choose, they are all great and all have their plusses and minuses.
As you can see, there are strong arguments for each pump. My daughter has used 3 different tubed pumps and has been on the Omnipod for close to 2 years now. I read all of the complaints about Omnipods and wondered why people loved it so much if there were so many problems? I decided to give it a try for her because of a great deal from Insulet and because her Cozmo warranty was almost up. It was out of pocket just in case she had issues with it. Now I am fighting for her to be able to continue with it because of an insurance change and them not wanting to cover it. One big difference in my opinion is whether the pumper is male or female. Most males wear looser clothing and it doesn’t bother them to just throw a pump in a pocket. Females have a tougher time figuring out how to wear a tubed pump, especially with wearing dresses and skirts. The Omnipod only needs to be near you when you need to bolus, the basal insulin comes through without the PDM being around. My daughter does have sensitive skin and can only wear the pods on her upper arms. The sensitivity didn’t show up for about 2 months, but we have dealt with it and she loves no tubing and such an easy to use pump. She can carry the PDM in her purse or it stays on the kitchen counter or in her room at night. If we are not able to get coverage for the Omnipod after appeals, then she will go with a Minimed pump because with her disability that is the best one for her to use. I will not be happy about it, but ANY pump is better than no pump, IMHO! My son would disagree with that statement, because he is happy on MDI’s, but since he doesn’t visit these forums, he doesn’t get a vote!
As long as you do your homework before choosing and look at each pump and actually try it out by pushing buttons, etc., then you should be happy with your choice. There is a site that will come up if you google It, that is an insulin pump comparison. It gives a chart and a lot of info that you may not think of if you have never had a pump. And remember that each pump has a period that you can send the pump back to them at no charge. Make sure you know ahead of time how long that is, and also that it starts the day you receive the pump and not the day you actually start using it after training.
Mary,
I also had skin sensitivity problems that revealed themselves after 2 months. It was so bad that I thought that I had to switch back to MDI. SKIN-PREP and UNI-SOLVE eliminated the issue. It took another 2 months for my skin to desensitize. Now I have zero skin issues.
Omni Pod is the best I think. I have had it for five years and I have loved it. It has a food diary and the PDM blends in so well, people think it is a pda. Also, you can wear the pods pratically anywhere on your body and the PDM does not have to be on your belt the whole time so your so can keep it in a pocket, a back pack or a duffel bag. Also, Omni Pod has great customer service.
We have literally tried EVERYTHING and are now using 3M Cavilon barrier cream and Uni Solve or another remover and taking great pains to remove it slowly. Even then we can only put it on her arms. The itching is immediate and nonstop. She has very dry skin, so I don’t want to make it out that a lot of people have these issues. She did not have any problems with regular infusion sets, but did have problems with the Navigator leaving marks, actually more like scabs on her arms. We used the barrier cream and baby oil or adhesive remover to get that off as well, and got pretty good with just taking a lot of time with removing it.
You must have found a solution that works. Otherwise your daughter could not have stayed with the OmniPod for 2 years. My first step was UNI-SOLVE. I took my time to remove the pod. When I started using SKIN-PREP the pod fell off from it’s own weight after applying UNI-SOLVE. Somehow UNI-SOLVE dissolves SKIN-PREP very effectively. Maybe this is because both products are made by the same company.
This is a tough question to answer - but the best way to find out what is best for your son is to try them all - - - most endocrinologists have samples of all the available pumps - my advice is to find the one that is most comfortable and discrete for your son. I am of the belief that all available pumps in the U.S. will have the features and functions to make his life manageable - so go for comfort and usability first, the company you select and the diabetic educator you engage with with help him and you become educated on how to best manage his specific needs with what ever device he choices.
Also, if cost is not an issue, be sure to have a CGM system included in his management treatment. In my opinion, a CGM will allow him to become engaged with the management of his diseases with real-time data to guide him - - - not guessing, but knowing where his blood sugars are and who to adjust them. Without being too off point, using a pump without a Continuous Glucose Monitor is like flying a plane without instruments to guide you - it can be done, but is safer to know where you are all the time.
We used Unisolve on the first Dexcom sensor, and it fell right off when she took her first shower, They did replace it because the trainer was the one that said that it would be a good idea to use it. I tossed the rest of what I had after that so that we wouldn’t make the mistake of trying it again. We only use alcohol under the Dexcom sensor now and even after two weeks, remove it with baby oil and you can hardly tell it was there. When I see people saying that the adhesive in the pods and Dex are the same, I always speak up, because it may look the same, it is NOT the same at all.
The adhesives must work differently for different folks. I find that I need to cover the Dexcom sensor with a transparent thin film dressing (generic Tegaderm) in which I cut a hole for the transmitter. Even this only lasts about a week so I replace it weekly. I wish I did not need the dressing. I have seen some post saying that they use a Mastisol glue but have not tried yet.
> We used Unisolve on the first Dexcom sensor, and it fell right off …
Isn’t this what you would expect? I apply SKIN-PREP before I attach the DexCom sensor. Alcohol irritates my skin. I don’t use alcohol. I use UNI-SOLVE to remove the sensor.
Dick, We do use something OVER the Dexcom tape, but nothing under. The edges will start to come up after about 5 days. Mastisol works well, but it is pricey and hard to get off. We like Flexifix much better than Tegaderm. It comes in a huge roll that would last you forever and is less than 20 bucks. Sometimes I do have to trim the edges of the tape, and add a couple of strips of it to get her through the next week. When we used Tegaderm I was always replacing it. The parent’s on CWD are the ones that told me about Flexifix and everyone that I have told about it is now using it. Send me your address and I will send you a couple of pieces to try.
