Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by EllasMom on September 2, 2012 at 10:15pm

You'll be tossing a lot of insulin on any pump. My daughter uses around 10 to 12 units day. I put the minimum in every 3 days. I just have my endo write the script for 60u/day which gives me 2 vials/month. This covers the extra vial for school as well as gives me plenty to spare. I'm sure you end up tossing insulin at the end of the month when it expires now, so either way you're tossing a lot of insulin.

Permalink Reply by garidan on September 3, 2012 at 1:13am

You could ask your endo to go with diluted insulin: it's not approved for pumps but it has been used before ...

Permalink Reply by garidan on September 3, 2012 at 1:25am

Diluted insulin is usually used for infants, but it is diluted in hospital daily.
You could try to ask for diluted insulin made by you parents, and reservoid/pod changed every 2 days if insulin stability is a concern.
The references I found:
link1
link2

U10 dilution of Humalog may be safe and effective in children requiring very low insulin doses. Strict parental cooperation is crucial. Further studies, assessing the efficacy and safety of insulin dilutions with compatible, stable diluents are required. Insulin pump manufacturers should consider providing software allowing easy U10 insulin administration for pumps used in the smallest children.

Permalink Reply by Jacob's mom on September 3, 2012 at 6:14am

as long as your insurance co is providing you with insulin i wouldnt worry about "wasting" some my son is 14 and now and we fill it to almost the max we may have to deal with the other issue and changing it out every two days, i would prefer he would eat lower carb and use less insulin but he is not at that state of "acceptance" yet and wants to eat what he wants and cover for it within reason! at least he covers for it, i should be greatful. the omnipod is a good choice there are pros and cons to all pumps i would imagine. the biggest adjustment for him i would say was being aware of his pod so he didnt bump it off, his fav. site is his belly (less chance of bumping it off) and we also dealt with post pod change highs if you decide to go with it i can help you work around that, best of luck, honestly the insurance co's and big industry are getting their money, so if you end up wasting some insulin that should be the least of your worries when you look at the big picture of life with D with children. best of luck and ask away if you have any more questions! amy

Permalink Reply by Steve D on September 3, 2012 at 6:40am

WOW...less thasn 28 units per day?? Really?? Including whatever "basil" they will be on? Of ccourse, you have to include that number as well. I would (like many others have suggested) just put in the minimum amount..then throw out the rest or "draw" it from the pod at the end of every 3 days. (That is a pain but so is this %$^&ing disease anyway!)

Permalink Reply by LukesMom on September 4, 2012 at 2:36pm

You will be wasting insulin...but if it is covered by insurance...I wouldn't worry about it. The benefits of the pump definitely outweigh the negatives. I would highly encourage you to use the pump. I have a 6 year old son who started Omnipod a few months ago and it has been life-changing.

Permalink Reply by JulieJ on September 4, 2012 at 3:58pm

Pods are on the way!! We are all so excited! In the long run it might be a little more expensive but SO worth it for better control and no more shots!!!

Permalink Reply by Jacob's mom on September 4, 2012 at 5:07pm

so i guess it went better than you than thought at the endo's today! it sounds like the boys are ready and know what they want that is the most important thing. the start up may a bit stressful with the extra testing at night and during school but it should settle out quickly, but if numbers aren't perfect don't sweat it there is an adjustment period, if you do find the boys go high after a pod change, which was our biggest problem, try a small bolus after the pod change with no food, it seems the pod needs to be primed but none of the trainers seem to mention this. see if you need to do this of course not everyone has the problem and supposedly with the newer pods they are fixing that problem but i'll be convinced when i see it. if your boys are super active and want to wear their pods on their arms i would recommend putting a tegaderm strip ( a clear piece of adhesive that i've placed over the canuala part of jacobs pod, with good results). best of luck and again ask away if you have any concerns, is a trainer coming out to the house? hopefully, chances are they will be more in the know about the pod than your endo. hang in there! amy

Permalink Reply by NatalieHodge on February 10, 2013 at 10:54am

We threw away lots of insulin when my daughter was in honeymoon, and we pay cash for the stuff, but we have discount cards from apidra and we pay only 23 a vial, so I just didn't mind it very much. Now that she goes through 30 units a day, that is less of a problem, but some do draw out of a failed pod if if is less than 24 hours... it works ok. But i find the insluin works less well the last 12 hours of day three, so we try to avoid that.
best of luck!