yes, ezekiel gets one unit of nr for every 40, 30 or 50 carbs depending on the meal. sometimes it means he gets only.5 of a unit (if we are having steak, potatoes and veggies since he doesn’t like potatoes, he is only getting for dessert unless he has milk) and some meals are 5 units (especially if we are at a birthday party with pizza, chips and cake:)
we were looking at the minimed with the built in CGM too, but then we realized the cost of the sensors which are not covered. at first we thought that it would be good for occassional, but then we started looking at the animas ping which is slightly cheaper. since the animas is waterproof, we thought that might be a better feature than the CGM anyway (he loves to swim and in the summer at the lake we would be taking the pump off, putting the pump on all day). have you asked about lowering the insulin to lower the carbs?
As for family camps, they are put on by the CDA and i believe BC, SK, MB and Ontario have them, but i am not sure about anywhere else. it is great because he is too young for the kids camps and even when he is first old enough we would have to get him all the way down there.
I looked up where in NWT you are, and wow, you are way up north! I thought we had to travel far for our appointments (I think it is 650kms to wpg), but you have us beat. where are you from origninally. okay, i gotta go, my boy is calling…
Julie,
When you missed out on receiving a pump for Emma through the Ontario government initiative, you may also have missed out on receiving a $2,400 annual grant toward pump supplies. You should look into an annual pump supply grant for Emma through your endocrinologist.
In Ontario the ADP will provide $600 quarterly toward pump supplies that could be used for a transimitter and CGMs for Emma. The ADP grant process requires an annual update from your endocrinologist to show that BGs are stable, that DKA episodes are pretty well non existent and that appointments are attended. Four visit minimum per year.
David was not keen on wearing a transmitter and the accompanying sensor, so the first transmitter has expired (re-chargeable battery dies after about two years with use or without). He just now decided that perhaps he should use one for at least a few days a month to see if he can get a better understanding of when we need to make a basal or bolus ratio adjustment. So it looks like we will be forking out dollars for a new transmitter and 4 pack of CGM`s. We applied ADP dollars last time, which was totalling acceptable to our insurer. Once the ADP dollars were shown to be applied toward pump supplies, they picked up 100% of all other pump related costs.
Cheryl
Thank you Cheryl,
Luckily I do get the 2400. annual now, but it wasn’t right away. I forgot that part about the sensors expiring, I remember throwing out $400.00 dollars worth, because Emma wouldn’t cooperate at all, at that time.
I’ve considered getting the upgraded sensor and a 4 pack as well, several times over the past couple of years, but Emma is extremely resistant to using it, so I keep delaying the decision.
I suspect by now my Insurance company might be more up to date on the sensor equipment. Because of these conversations, I think I will revisit looking into the whole thing and try to persuade Emma into giving it a try once again.
Thank you so much for your information. I sure do wish I was a part of something like this group 4 years ago.
Most Sincerely,
Julie
Hi Maureen,
Once our daughter gained back the weight she had lost prior to diagnosis (and then some) we cut back on her carb intake (which was very high for awhile - 70g, 15, 70, 15, 70, 30) after speaking with her dietician and endo. She’s evened out since then and now she more or less eats the amount she wants (within reason) and we bolus accordingly (she’s now on the pump which allows for more flexibility around when to eat and how much). We talk about how hungry she is or isn’t, figure out the carb amount and bolus. When she was on injections NPH/Novo Rapid we did not have this flexibility at lunch or snack times. That said, we’ve cut out most desserts, candy and limit eating out for the most part and focus on healthy eating as much as possible. It’s certainly easier to count carbs at home than at the chinese food buffet dinner. I can see going lower carb at some point in the future.
Sounds like you guys are doing great - congratulations.
I don’t think my daughter would be into a CGM and I feel that there is plenty of time for that in the future but the pump is an improvement over shots for sure. More flexibility with eating, timing of eating, lower A1C, more independence…the list goes on.
There are a couple of other good resources out there you might find useful:
This is a great QandA weblink: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/dteam/d_0d_000.htm, also www.childrenwithdiabetes.com holds Friends for Live conferences and one is coming to Vancouver in August. Looks very good - we are going. Would be an expensive trip for you I’m sure but worth looking into. And there is a small conference in Edmonton on May 1 - http://www.kidsnus.ca/.
Your son is too young for diabetes camp yet but it is a wonderful opportunity for kids to have fun, get the classic camp experience and learn about D while their parents get a break and don’t have to worry about their health needs. My daughter has been once and is going again this summer to the one in BC.
Our daughter is also the only type 1 child in our village and so feels alone in her challenges at times (as do I) but this website and others do help as does time and experience. Keep up the good work.
Karen
Hi Karen, thanks for all of the valuable information you gave me. I’ve checked out the Friends for Life Vancouver 2010 conference. It looks like it would be very helpful, but it would cost so much to get there from here. Another person mentioned that there are scholarships available so I have to find out more information on that. Also thank you for your words of encouragement. It’s scary path, but feels even scarier when there is no one you can talk to who understands. I’m so happy I found this website!! You guys Rock!
Jacob is 6 and is not interested in going on a pump at all. Yesterday he told me when he’s ten, he will, tonight at supper he said when he’s eight, this was after begging him to eat all of his carbs!!! We haven’t even discussed the possibility of a pump with the endo yet. Our next follow up is in March in Edmonton. We’ve been doing pretty good so far with trying to avoid the lows and highs and keep his BG in the range. Sometimes it seems no matter what you do or didn’t do, it’s either high or low. We are very lucky that he eats everything!!
Anyways better run, my almost 5 year old is having a mini crisis over something. Diabetes is affecting his life too! Take care and we chat again soon.