Hey Samantha, we've been away for awhile so I thought we'd drop in to say HI. He's such a cutie! Well we have good news, after having multiple phone fights with our ins. carrier and so on. We FINALLY received Syeda's Animus Ping pump. Got it on Monday, We start pump training on Tuesday. Wish us luck!! Hope you guys stay blessed!
I know its a challenge for anyone with Diabetes but for a child so young it must be hard. The only thing I can compare it too is my youngest son Pete has severe allergies as a baby till about age 8. He was allergic to wheat, oat, barley, rye,milk, and most fruits. One by one he was able to start eating them as he got older. But people would give him food not knowing and I had to live with the reactions. Lots of love and luck thru this challenging time.
Hey hows everything going?Things have been going great here! Sophia's sugars are getting better and better. Her dad leaves in 4 weeks and its going to be hard but since she and I are strong I think she and I will be fine for the next 10 months. Hope your day is going better than mine.
Yeah my friends sons feed my daughter all sorts of bad things. Sigh... but yeah i get the same thing its like it takes longer for her rear to absorb the insulin. The doc had the nerve to say her little chunky theighs were cause to much insulin, but my friends son has the same size theighs.
yeah sophia went up a little and I had no clue how! Then I realized she was getting into things in the kitchen. So she was eating things when I would do house work.
Congrats on the new home! I hope everyone is enjoying there new enviroment. That's good to hear that the pump is going well! We have yet to receive Syeda's pump. I don't know what's taking so long... Any hoo thanks 4 responding and you all take care. I'll keep you posted!
Hi Samantha, I seen your comments on Vicki's page. Go figure my daughter Syeda was dianosed three days before your son (January 9th). One of my worse days till this day!!! We're looking into the pump option at this moment (Animas Ping). Unlike your son Syeda's body seems to gobble up insulin. I havent gotton her b/g levels where me and her Endo really wants them! How do you cope when they start askin for more food than they should be eating? Nice to chat with more mothers with young diabectics!
Hi, Samantha,
Great to hear from you. Glad you're getting the ball rolling on the pump. I don't use the CGM system that goes with the minimed pump. Do you mean the CareLink or the CGM? I was told we can't do CGM until she's 7. There's a glucose meter associated with Minimed, but i wasn't crazy about it, as it timed out too quickly for me when doing a blood check.
No, Elisabeth doesn't mind her pump. She runs with it, sleeps well with it, just doesn't like site changes, which i don't blame her. Other little kids sometimes try to touch it, and I get a lot of questions from big and little people, but I just tell them it's a medical device and they usually look sheepish or embarassed. I tell little kids that it helps to give her medicine so she'll feel good. I tell them that everyone has a pancreas but not everyone's pancreas works, so they need medicine. I use the Medtronic IV 3000 to cover the sites to help it stay on better with lots of activity, sweat, in the bath, etc.
We put the sites in her stomach, in fact my Endo told me specifically to start doing the belly as she was building up scar tissue in her upper thighs. The scar tissue is gone now, thankfully, and we rotate between her thighs/hips/upper gluts/belly.
We're happy to answer any questions we can to be a help. Keep us posted & blessings to your family,
Jessica
We've been handling Eric's diabetes now for over five months, and to be honest I can barely remember anything different. I don't know if it's because the change came in such a traumatic circumstance (we lost our prize filly to a broken leg less than a day before the diagnosis, so we were pretty shell-shocked) or if that's just the way it goes for everyone.
I haven't really done much investigating--I've been looking at the comments other people have made about their pump experiences and sort of calculating the pros and cons in my head, but until I know for sure that we can obtain one for him--either because my insurance company agrees to support it or because I find some kind of assistance--I just haven't given it serious consideration. One of these days I'll have to sit down and make a spreadsheet of all the comments so I can make an informed decision :)
Sounds like you have everything under control. The only thing I don't understand is why do you give two shots of Lantus. Lantus is a 24 hour, long acting insulin. Normally, it's given once a day, either at night or first thing in the a.m. Why twice a day?
The OmniPod gives a basal rate by programming it into the PDM. Your endo will figure out what the right basal rates are and help you with tweeking them as you see patterns emerge, etc. We chose the OmniPod because of the no tubing but I did look into other pumps, specifically, MiniMed and Animas. I wouldn't worry about the size of the pod, it's funny that traditional pumpers always make an issue of the size of the pod but they have both an infusion set dangling off their bodies and the actual pump, which is the size of a pager hanging off them. With the OmniPod, you have just the pod on your body and carry the PDM separately, perfect for those of us with toddlers. My biggest fears for traditional pumps were Will pulling at the tubing and also him messing with the actual pump and accidentally bolusing himself. I don't have to worry about either using the OmniPod.
We have been lucky with Will regarding his highs and lows. In the beginning of his diagnosis, the first 6 months or so, we had many highs at night - into the 350-400 range but we couldn't dose him with Humalog because he often needed way less than 0.50 units (1/2) that you can do in a syringe. That changed with the OmniPod. We can now correct him with as little as 0.05 units so his nightime numbers are great. We have been extremely fortunate that his BG are pretty stable - we try to keep within the 100-200 range that the Drs. want and have been successful with that.
Regarding placement of the pods, the best place, or sweet spot for us is the back of the arms and the legs. Absorption seems to be very quick in both those places, probably due to the smaller amount of fat, etc. We do still use the top of the butt. However, absorption there is sometimes a little slower. You'll find that there are certain areas that absorb the insulin better than others and I think that's just trial and error. I've never torn a pod off Will accidentally or anything. They stay on pretty well unless you are doing alot of swimming and their are solutions for that too.
I would not move from shots until you are completely comfortable in diabetes care. Learning the pump is a whole new ballgame and you should have all the fundamentals under your belt before making the move. Make sure you are keeping logs of his BG and how certain foods react. Once you move to the pump, you'll find that you won't keep such diligent records because you can download the pump information and see the trends on charts, etc..
Will just turned 3 in January and totally understands his disease. He knows that if he wants to eat, he must be tested. He'll often go to the kitchen and bring us his "kit" and asked to be tested. He likes to lancet himself and also hold the PDM for his BG checks. I feel fully confident that by the time he goes to Kindergarten he'll be able to test himself and just need the assistance of a grownup to read the numbers. I'm sure our kids will be amazing at math and totally healthy because they'll know every carb count of every food they put in their mouth.
Don't worry, kids are amazing and your child will take all this in stride. The parents are the one's that go through all the agony!! :+) But believe me, it seriously becames your new "normal" and you'll look back and laugh at what a basket case you are right now - it's true!! :+)
Avery is a cutie! Gosh, these first few months have been hard, esp. since we're not in a position to get Eric on a pump, but that should change in the next few months. Eric's a real trouper, does pretty well with the shots.
We love our OmniPod. We have absolutely no issues with the size of the pod. We started out putting it on his upper butt, rotating both sides. We did that for many months and then went to Mexico on vacation. Will wanted to be in the water all the time and the only way to let him would be moving it to his arms. I explained it to him and he wanted to try so we moved it to his triceps and we used a Coban wrap (like an Ace bandage) around the arm and he was able to swim all day. We have another friend whose daughter is tiny (she's 2.5 years old) and she puts it on her legs (upper thigh). Will saw her at a party and wanted to try the legs so now we use that site as well. It's nice because now we have lots of space to use. We currently don't use a CGM but have enrolled in a study at Stanford to use the Navigator. The study is supposed to start the end of March, depending on funding. I want to be involved because I would like to see how different foods affect Will's BG. After almost 2 years of this, we have a good idea regarding foods but it would be nice to see the actual data.
That said, we love our pod. It's great because Will doesn't have anything to carry around with him, just wears his pod and that's it. I have all his supplies with me and I never have to worry about him accidentally getting caught up in tubes, etc. Also, he looks like a regular kid when he's wearing his pump. Unless you see him without clothes, you would never know about his T1D.
Getting started on the pump takes patience. It will take a good 3-6 months to get all your basal setting right. That said, we haven't had to do much tweaking after those first few months and we're a year into it this past January.
Feel free to ask specific questions. So far, we're loving it and A1c numbers just keep heading down....
We are on week 2 with the pump and loving it. I will say that the Animas Ping is not the simplest pump, there are several steps to go thru for almost every function. But I really like how thorough it is. We chose the ping mainly bc of the meter remote which I LOVE!!! but I think all the pump companies make great products. We have had a pretty smooth start. We are still tweaking her basals but I love that we can get much more precision than we could with MDI. We used to have to wait for her bg to rise so that I could give her a 1/2 unit without it bottoming her out. It is nice that I can give really small increments.
MDI has it's place. . .and I am glad that we have the basics of MDI in the event that we need to take a break from pumping for whatever reason. HOpe this helps you make a decision.
Hi, Samantha! Thanks for sharing your story with me. I'm glad to hear you're adjusting and things are improving. I'm glad I was on shots for 3 months so I know how to work everything should the pump break, or I need to do a shot for a pump problem.
Elisabeth wears the Medtronic minimed pump and we're happy with it, although we have nothing to compare it with really. There is a Pink Panther Diabetes book for basic care, but my Endo just gave me a Pink Panther pumping book that is excellent. I'm only half way through it, but they have a whole section about pumps, comparing the various brands to help you make a more informed decision on his pump.
In the beginning I only did her hips and upper thighs for site locations, but then she started to have some scar tissue, so the Endo told me to use her stomach also. I had been nervous to use her stomach, but when I started using it, I realized how many locations I can rotate among. We use her upper thighs, hips, upper gluts/love handle section and her belly. She does well pretty much everywhere, although she seems to prefer the belly. We've been potty training, so I've been avoiding the thighs so we don't have to pull pants up and down past the site location. I put the pump on her pants on the side that's closest to her site location, so it's alwasy rotating. We just clip to her pants, but I'm looking for the pump belt I bought and didn't use since I think she's ready for it now and then we won't have to unclip for each potty break. However, the belt is lost somewhere in my house! I'll have to keep looking. Some people use pockets in their shirts, but we've been fine as I described. They also have little pump carriers that can attach to belts when you need them.
Elisabeth does great with her pump, she doesn't bother it at all, sleeps well with it and doesn't try to pull it off in any way. Some people use numbing cream for the site changes, but we don't and she seems to manage that pretty well. She went thorugh a time when she didn't mind at all, then she fought it, and now she's back to just closing her eyes and being quiet while I change her. So, I'm thankful she's adjusted pretty well, in fact she'll have had the pump for 2 years this May! Her sites are all very good, no scar tissue, etc. and her BG control is very good.
Let me know if this answers all of your questions, and feel to ask any others you may have.
Above is a photo of Diabetes Hands Foundation’s own Manny Hernandez with the stars of the Diabetes Co-Stars Video, “Strength in Numbers.” In case you haven’t heard the news yet, there is a new video making it’s way through the … Continue Reading
The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were … Continue Reading
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Robyn
XX
Just wanted to say a quick hello and ask how your child is doing? I sent you 3 long messages, did you receive them?
Blessings,
Jessica
Great to hear from you. Glad you're getting the ball rolling on the pump. I don't use the CGM system that goes with the minimed pump. Do you mean the CareLink or the CGM? I was told we can't do CGM until she's 7. There's a glucose meter associated with Minimed, but i wasn't crazy about it, as it timed out too quickly for me when doing a blood check.
No, Elisabeth doesn't mind her pump. She runs with it, sleeps well with it, just doesn't like site changes, which i don't blame her. Other little kids sometimes try to touch it, and I get a lot of questions from big and little people, but I just tell them it's a medical device and they usually look sheepish or embarassed. I tell little kids that it helps to give her medicine so she'll feel good. I tell them that everyone has a pancreas but not everyone's pancreas works, so they need medicine. I use the Medtronic IV 3000 to cover the sites to help it stay on better with lots of activity, sweat, in the bath, etc.
We put the sites in her stomach, in fact my Endo told me specifically to start doing the belly as she was building up scar tissue in her upper thighs. The scar tissue is gone now, thankfully, and we rotate between her thighs/hips/upper gluts/belly.
We're happy to answer any questions we can to be a help. Keep us posted & blessings to your family,
Jessica
Susan
The OmniPod gives a basal rate by programming it into the PDM. Your endo will figure out what the right basal rates are and help you with tweeking them as you see patterns emerge, etc. We chose the OmniPod because of the no tubing but I did look into other pumps, specifically, MiniMed and Animas. I wouldn't worry about the size of the pod, it's funny that traditional pumpers always make an issue of the size of the pod but they have both an infusion set dangling off their bodies and the actual pump, which is the size of a pager hanging off them. With the OmniPod, you have just the pod on your body and carry the PDM separately, perfect for those of us with toddlers. My biggest fears for traditional pumps were Will pulling at the tubing and also him messing with the actual pump and accidentally bolusing himself. I don't have to worry about either using the OmniPod.
We have been lucky with Will regarding his highs and lows. In the beginning of his diagnosis, the first 6 months or so, we had many highs at night - into the 350-400 range but we couldn't dose him with Humalog because he often needed way less than 0.50 units (1/2) that you can do in a syringe. That changed with the OmniPod. We can now correct him with as little as 0.05 units so his nightime numbers are great. We have been extremely fortunate that his BG are pretty stable - we try to keep within the 100-200 range that the Drs. want and have been successful with that.
Regarding placement of the pods, the best place, or sweet spot for us is the back of the arms and the legs. Absorption seems to be very quick in both those places, probably due to the smaller amount of fat, etc. We do still use the top of the butt. However, absorption there is sometimes a little slower. You'll find that there are certain areas that absorb the insulin better than others and I think that's just trial and error. I've never torn a pod off Will accidentally or anything. They stay on pretty well unless you are doing alot of swimming and their are solutions for that too.
I would not move from shots until you are completely comfortable in diabetes care. Learning the pump is a whole new ballgame and you should have all the fundamentals under your belt before making the move. Make sure you are keeping logs of his BG and how certain foods react. Once you move to the pump, you'll find that you won't keep such diligent records because you can download the pump information and see the trends on charts, etc..
Will just turned 3 in January and totally understands his disease. He knows that if he wants to eat, he must be tested. He'll often go to the kitchen and bring us his "kit" and asked to be tested. He likes to lancet himself and also hold the PDM for his BG checks. I feel fully confident that by the time he goes to Kindergarten he'll be able to test himself and just need the assistance of a grownup to read the numbers. I'm sure our kids will be amazing at math and totally healthy because they'll know every carb count of every food they put in their mouth.
Don't worry, kids are amazing and your child will take all this in stride. The parents are the one's that go through all the agony!! :+) But believe me, it seriously becames your new "normal" and you'll look back and laugh at what a basket case you are right now - it's true!! :+)
Hang in there!
Susan
We love our OmniPod. We have absolutely no issues with the size of the pod. We started out putting it on his upper butt, rotating both sides. We did that for many months and then went to Mexico on vacation. Will wanted to be in the water all the time and the only way to let him would be moving it to his arms. I explained it to him and he wanted to try so we moved it to his triceps and we used a Coban wrap (like an Ace bandage) around the arm and he was able to swim all day. We have another friend whose daughter is tiny (she's 2.5 years old) and she puts it on her legs (upper thigh). Will saw her at a party and wanted to try the legs so now we use that site as well. It's nice because now we have lots of space to use. We currently don't use a CGM but have enrolled in a study at Stanford to use the Navigator. The study is supposed to start the end of March, depending on funding. I want to be involved because I would like to see how different foods affect Will's BG. After almost 2 years of this, we have a good idea regarding foods but it would be nice to see the actual data.
That said, we love our pod. It's great because Will doesn't have anything to carry around with him, just wears his pod and that's it. I have all his supplies with me and I never have to worry about him accidentally getting caught up in tubes, etc. Also, he looks like a regular kid when he's wearing his pump. Unless you see him without clothes, you would never know about his T1D.
Getting started on the pump takes patience. It will take a good 3-6 months to get all your basal setting right. That said, we haven't had to do much tweaking after those first few months and we're a year into it this past January.
Feel free to ask specific questions. So far, we're loving it and A1c numbers just keep heading down....
Take care,
Susan
MDI has it's place. . .and I am glad that we have the basics of MDI in the event that we need to take a break from pumping for whatever reason. HOpe this helps you make a decision.
Vicki
Elisabeth wears the Medtronic minimed pump and we're happy with it, although we have nothing to compare it with really. There is a Pink Panther Diabetes book for basic care, but my Endo just gave me a Pink Panther pumping book that is excellent. I'm only half way through it, but they have a whole section about pumps, comparing the various brands to help you make a more informed decision on his pump.
In the beginning I only did her hips and upper thighs for site locations, but then she started to have some scar tissue, so the Endo told me to use her stomach also. I had been nervous to use her stomach, but when I started using it, I realized how many locations I can rotate among. We use her upper thighs, hips, upper gluts/love handle section and her belly. She does well pretty much everywhere, although she seems to prefer the belly. We've been potty training, so I've been avoiding the thighs so we don't have to pull pants up and down past the site location. I put the pump on her pants on the side that's closest to her site location, so it's alwasy rotating. We just clip to her pants, but I'm looking for the pump belt I bought and didn't use since I think she's ready for it now and then we won't have to unclip for each potty break. However, the belt is lost somewhere in my house! I'll have to keep looking. Some people use pockets in their shirts, but we've been fine as I described. They also have little pump carriers that can attach to belts when you need them.
Elisabeth does great with her pump, she doesn't bother it at all, sleeps well with it and doesn't try to pull it off in any way. Some people use numbing cream for the site changes, but we don't and she seems to manage that pretty well. She went thorugh a time when she didn't mind at all, then she fought it, and now she's back to just closing her eyes and being quiet while I change her. So, I'm thankful she's adjusted pretty well, in fact she'll have had the pump for 2 years this May! Her sites are all very good, no scar tissue, etc. and her BG control is very good.
Let me know if this answers all of your questions, and feel to ask any others you may have.
blessings to you & your family,
Jessica
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Above is a photo of Diabetes Hands Foundation’s own Manny Hernandez with the stars of the Diabetes Co-Stars Video, “Strength in Numbers.” In case you haven’t heard the news yet, there is a new video making it’s way through the …Continue Reading
Congratulations Diabetes Advocates Scholarship Recipients!
The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were …Continue Reading
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