My son was dx last summer as a T1. He is 10 now, turning 11 in the fall. We are finally about the order the pump. My concerns are around starting him during a season when we are doing lots of things like swim team, camping at lakes, going to the beach, kayaking ect… all of which are not the most pump friendly. We are getting the Animas Ping which is water proof but still.
I am anxious to get him on a pump just for the convenience but I wondering if it might more sense to wait until the school year. He is super active in general, going from our trampoline into our pool at home is a typical way for him to spend time.
Just do it anyway?
At the risk of sounding a bit flip, YES, just do it anyway. Why? Because, when the school year starts he will be meeting new teacher(s), kids, subjects, sports and other super active in general stuff, and it might be better to wait until Christmas, when there will be other stuff getting in the way and it might be better to wait until school starts, etc, etc, etc.
IOW, no time will be the perfect time, so if the pump will ultimately improve his control (yes, there will be hurdles), the sooner you start, the better.
Huh. With all that activity the first thing I wonder about is how many hypos does he run into? Do they just not happen for him or is his doctor running him intentionally “high” to provide a buffer against going too low? (My own personal experience makes me think this is a fairly common management approach by MDs.)
The thing about the pump is that it gives you more control over your basal insulin. In that way a pump provides more flexibility to adjust to different amounts of exercise/activity than the fixed basal of MDI does. A pump is more than “just for the convenience”.
Of course, the big problem I’ve run into is thinking ahead to setting a temp basal rate so I don’t go hypo.
I would get him on the pump during the summer while he is not school. It’s much better to get used to the pump before he goes to school. He home all day and you can monitor him much easier.
He can take the pump off for water sports even though it’s a Ping. My son has the Animas Ping and he doesn’t like wearing it when he goes swimming. So I hang on to it. I don’t like leaving a $7,000 pump in a locker.
He will really love the pump but it still takes a lot of work to manage Diabetes but the pump gives them more freedom as to when and how much they can eat. For growing boys, a pump is great thing.
In response to the hypo question. He doesn’t have many hypos. His doctors/clinic have his daytime goal at 120 which is normal but they are very presciptive about carbs for exercise. Typically they would recommend 15 gram for 1/2 hour of intense exercise. A lot of times I will give him a snack before a game, meet whatever. I usually like to see his level around 150-180 before starting. I also make sure he has something like skittles in his pocket or backpack so if he feels low he has something on hand.
He will usually notice feeling low in the 78-80-90 range which is good.
As noted by @Thas, the ability to set a temporary basal rate (TBR) should be a real help for intense exercise. My ability to exercise without worrying about my basal insulin has totally changed my ability/desire to stay active.
[quote=“tommy6, post:7, topic:46026, full:true”]
In response to the hypo question. He doesn’t have many hypos. His doctors/clinic have his daytime goal at 120 which is normal but they are very presciptive about carbs for exercise. Typically they would recommend 15 gram for 1/2 hour of intense exercise. A lot of times I will give him a snack before a game, meet whatever. I usually like to see his level around 150-180 before starting. I also make sure he has something like skittles in his pocket or backpack so if he feels low he has something on hand.[/quote]
Ah, the Insulin/Exercise Catch 22: having to consume carbs in order to exercise to burn carbs. For a kid, of course, it’s more about something called “Having fun” than burning carbs per se, but the principle’s the same. One benefit of the pump is that you’re dialing down your insulin intake instead of having to raise your carbs to match the insulin you’ve already got aboard, which means that you end up taking less of the stuff over all, which helps your BG stability. Also, when you feel a low coming on you can turn the darn thing off, whereas that shot of Lantus you took at breakfast is going to be with you all day no matter what.
Adjusting to life on the pump takes a few days/ weeks regarding getting the levels right for him. He does not want to be going high all the time or low all the time when he first starts back at school. It would be very difficult. Getting him on the pump as soon as possible is the first thing I would recommend. Furthermore, getting him on the pump when he is doing things like swim team and kayaking will help him to understand how sport affects his body and blood sugars and thus will mean that he learns how to deal with these on the insulin pump. It is a grand opportunity.
With all that activity the first thing I wonder about is how many hypos does he run into? Do they just not happen for him or is his doctor running him intentionally “high” to provide a buffer against going too low? (My own personal experience makes me think this is a fairly common management approach by MDs.)