Hello,
My daughter is 2 and was diagnosed at 8 months with T1 Diabetes. Our endocrinologist suggested we start the process to get her on a pump. Just wondering how young your child was when starting on the pump and did you have any problems with them wanting to play with it or detach it from their body. These are my main concerns at this point, but I guess we won’t know until we try.
Well… mine was diagnosed at 15 and went on the pump just before 16. I have seen pumps put more on the back. and I have seen some cool shirts w/ pockets to hold the pump in so she wouldn’t pull on it… Maybe even velcro pockets? My son is on the Omnipod so it has no tubes…but it has some issues…but I think all pumps do…but being able to correct and dose w/out a needle…or to extend a bolus…or do temp basal changes…priceless! I would say… it is worth a try at any age and it would depend on the child’s willingness to deal w/it. Good luck whatever you do.
My son was diagnosed at 4. He turned 6 in July and we started on the Omnipod in March. The pump has meant freedom. No more schedules, no more eating at a certain time, no more strict amounts of carbs. If he wants a second helping of something we have it and just bolus for it. No shots 4 times a day. We just change the pod out every 3 days( unless he happens to knock it off before, which does happen) It does take some getting used to and a learning curve, but it’s so worth it. The omnipod doesn’t have any tubing to get caught on things, and you can’t see the needle. My son did have to learn to watch for it when getting dressed and playing so as not to knock it off, but it becomes a part of him and usually stays put for the three days. Omnipod is coming out with smaller pods in the spring. YEA!!! I love being able to turn his insulin down or off for a while if needed. Our lows have become much less frequent. The were an everyday occurance on the shots. There was some anxiety in the beginning when changing pods very similar to being first diagnosed when it was time for shots, but that has lessened with time. We let him push the button to inject the needle to give him some control. He also picks his sites with Mom’s approval over rotating. It was a good decision for our family. I’d think it would make life easier having one so young. It would give you more control over the insulin rather than just injecting it and not being able to turn it down it need be later. There’s a lot more to learn with a pump. I’m still learning. When we came home from our pump training I felt kind of like I did right after diagnosis. I’d say it’s worth a try. Omnipod will let you try a trial pod to see if you like them before jumping in. I agree with Katsz, it’s worth a try. Good Luck.
My son was diagnosed at 23 months of age and had a pump by the time he turned two. It’s a lifesaver. (I had one already, so they were willing to let him start immediately). He never tried to play with it or detach it, and he’s almost 6 now. You can lock the buttons so they can’t accidentally give themselves insulin, and we always do that, still. We use animus for the smaller basal levels.
My daughter was diagnosed at 25 months and was pumping by 27 months. She adjusted to it easily and much preferred it to MDI. She has never tried to detach it nor could she. We use the Contact Detach infusion set which has an extra adhesive area for security plus we tape down the set with IV3000, so there is no way she could get it off. We keep the pump in a band and lock the keys so there is really nothing she could do to mess with it. She finds it comfortable and it has made her BG control (and our lives) immensely better.
Be aware that it’s a new set of stuff to learn and that’s an adjustment but if you do the work you’ll find that it is well worth it. I would start preparing now by watching YouTube videos, etc to start getting familiar with the pump of your choice. My husband and I did a lot of “homework” in advance of getting our pump and it really made our transition a lot easier. Good luck!
Payton was diagnosed 10/14/2009 at 3 years and 2 months. I pushed for the pump but they wanted me to learn needles first. It took almost a year of proving myself but I got into the program and he started the pump less than a year later on 08/24/2010.
The Animas pump has a lock on it. You have to push two buttons at the same time to lock it so little fingers cannot get at it. You should not be concerned. My child just doesn’t touch it. We had the pump in the box for awhile so he could touch it and then we let him wear it NOT connected for a couple of weeks and he was bored of it and never touched it again.
I got the Animas Ping and use the remote ping all of the time. I let him push “go” on the Ping for his insulin delivery so perhaps he feels he IS touching the pump and is satisfied with that. I never touch the actual pump on his waist either so I guess it doesn’t occur to him to do it.
Incidently. I love the remote. My husband and I both agree the pump would be a lot harder if we had to dig into his spibelt everytime we wanted to give him some insulin. I have bolused him in a snowsuit, in the carseat, in a stroller at disneyland, and while he is carrying on his normal activities and never have to stop him and pull out the pump. I think it is more important for a girl. Who wants to hike up a skirt all of the time to get at it?
You will find the pump hard to live without once you get it. It is kind of like pausing live TV. How can you ever go back?
10 years, 6 weeks after dx.
Riley was 3. We did not have any problems with him trying to play with it or pulling on it. He understood not to do that.
my son was diagnosed at 12 months he was pumping by 18 months... really with the pump packs and what not that you can buy at pumpwear.com we havent had any problems that older kids don't have as well... he loves his pump and is super protective of it... its kinda cute actually!!! but Id say set your worries aside and give it a try... you can go through a trial period where you wear a pump with salin in it and continue to do MDI but with having the actual pump on you will know if its something your child is going to be able to deal with... I know the medtronic is working on getting a pump out with lower basal rates although Im not sure what the release date is on that one... the Animas ping is handy for parents with young children because it is controlled by a hand held remote that can reach approx 10ft and it currently has the lowest basal rates...
Hi there. My son, Jude was diagnosed at 9 months. He began pumping at 1 1/2. He is on the Animas Ping because it has the smallest basal rate, which usually keeps him from having any significant lows. The problems we have had: an infected site because the inset has to go in his buttocks, it is impossible to keep it 100% clean all of the time since he wears a diaper; tubing that gets tanged on everything from toys to cabinet knobs, sometimes it pulls the inset out completely; he chewed the buttons off of his first pump while he was teething, luckily it was replaced for free; sometimes he tries to chew on the cord, out of boredom, I guess (lol); occassionally he falls down and his inset is dislodged or the cap comes off where the tubing hooks into the cartridge/pump and the strangest incident was when he spent the night at his grandmother's, where the dog sleeps in the bed with him and the DOG chewed through the tubing. UGH! I know! BUT...after telling you all of this negative stuff, I want to you to know that I am unbelieveably thankful for the pump. It has made our lives and his so much easier. No MDIs anymore! No carrying syringes and insulin in the diaper bag. All in all a wonderful experience. I would recommend it for sure. My son is now 2 1/2 and he is beginning to recognize that the pump is just another part of his daily wardrobe, just like his shoes! Best of luck. I'm here if you need any help. I am also on facebook and have a few other friends that have diabetic toddlers that could also give you some great input.
Katie Smith
The revel by minimed was released in early 2010. the basal increments are .025. that is the same as animas… the minimed is a great pump. but there is an integrated sensor which says the blood sugar every 5 minutes. the animas ping communicates wirelessly. but there is no integrated sensor
My son was dx’ed 2 mo after his 2nd bday…was pumping shortly before his 3rd day!
NO OTHER PUMP HAS ISSUES LIKE THE PIECE OF CRAP -OMNIPOD. After being hospitalized nearly 27 my doctor no longer prescribes the pod. it is a dangerous pump it rarely alarms when it fails. tubing is WORTH THE SAFETY. If I were you I would not even consider the pod it is simply not trust worthy. yes every pump fails BUT minimed and animas fail maybe 1nce in a few years- the 7 IN 10 PODS FAILS. I have been through 39 PDMS. they just don’t EVER work right. It is NOT A SAFE PUMP. TUBING IS WORTH SAFETY. I met someone last summer at diabetes camp who’s little sister suffered a dangerous seizure from the pod that delivered WAY MORE than it was told to. that is why fidelis care does not cover the pod.- because of Anna. Anna is currently in many types of therapy recovering from the seizure- it caused a lot of damge to her brain. my friends family ended up sueing omnipod and they got very little compensation.
minimed has the same basal increments! 0.025
My little girl was diagnosed at 2 and she’s now 3. We are thinking of using the pump but nervous!! If she were my only child I think it would be a lot easier but I have a 7 year old boy and a 20 month old boy, I just worry about learning something new while I have a toddler to keep track of!
Hello. I have 2 type 1 daughters out of five kids. We demanded our team start our youngest on the pump when she was 2. Dx at 20 months. My 13 year old will have nothing to do with the pump-not cool dad! Anyway. They seem to be starting kids as young as infacy. It is proven safer then MDI as the research asserts it prevents nocturnal hypos(which was our biggest issue) Cheers!
hi
I would tell your daughter if she wants to be around in 20 years she better get on a pump. its good to start in teenage years because they are the hardest. I reccamend you make her trial a pump for 7 days see how she likes it. I bet she will ask you why she did not do it sooner. The bottom line is unless there is a cure within the next 5 years she is going to have to go on the pump eventually you simply cannot maintain a healthy A1C on shots. To prevent complcations she has to go on the pump. At the same time maybe she just does not have enough info. I would take her to a pump class. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT REPEAT DO NOT GET THE OMNIPOD now there is a pump that could kill anyone. It has nearly killed me 29 times. Animas and Minimed are pretty much the only choices. Asker her what is “cooler” 2 arms and 2 legs and seeing or no toes or feet or hands!! that is what opened my eyes.
my doc pretty much told my mom either start pumping or get ready for a funeral. she said that pre omnipod and now she is saying that to the pod LOL. I have no choice but to go on a minimed or animas.
hope this helps
ella
Hi There! We initiated the pump with our younger Type 1 when she was 18 months. We were so relieved and it was life changing. I talk about her story here http://three2treat.blogspot.com
I have three in the family with type 1, Myself, 2 out of my five daughters. Cheers!
Our daughter was diagnosed at 25 months and she was on the Omnipod by 35 months - now she is just over 4 years old. We love it but I wish they would include food bolus in their insulin on board calculations - it would help with daycare if they were able to correct when they take her reading off schedule. We have had some pod failures but with the automatic insertion they are very easy to replace and they have been good about replacing them. We have just started with a CGM (minimed) but it is pretty invasive - I hear the other brands are better - keep that in mind if the linked cgm is a selling point for minimed (though I think they are coming out with a smaller sensor - but with these things - who knows when). No matter what pump you choose I think you will love it - it really makes our life much more normal. Our daughter is a slow eater and some times she eats next to nothing at a meal - now meal time is much less stressful because if she doesn’t eat - we don’t bolus her and if we are worried that she might go low - we can lower her insulin rate. If she is hungry later - she eats - much easier with a preschooler. She never played with her pod but her now 2 yr old sister pulled it off her in the tub once.
It does take a while to get used to using the pump and getting the levels set(took us close to 4 weeks) - we started around Thanksgiving - I would not recommend that. You will have to be testing alot at night until they are set - so if you can pick a couple of weeks when you won’t be busy - I would recommend it.
There are some good forums on here under each of the pump brands - you can probably get some good ideas of what you will encounter on them.
Best of Luck
Celeste
My son was diagnosed at age 5. He wasn’t ready for the pump until recently. He is 8 now and we’ve been pumping for about 7 months. We had a rough start - that first set change was traumatic for him! And despite tons of support from our CDE, his numbers were crazy high for the first few weeks. That said, we ABSOLUTELY LOVE the pump now! So much more flexibility, and really a lot easier. We don’t have any problems with him detaching or pulling it out (though the tubing did snap once while he was roughhousing at the park). He is older so he gets that it’s a part of him now. He almost feels funny without it. I think it is definitely worth a try. Good luck!!