Mam to type 1 son to

[Pumper_Sue]

The hospital are talking to him about pumps but he’s quite set on staying on injections. He will be 12 in July so they’ve said that after that it may be more difficult to secure funding.

Can you ask Mathew what his worries are regarding a pump? Hopefully we can answer his questions and also reassure him.

Perhaps his hospital team will be good enough to let him trial a pump for a week so he can see what it's like.

 

[J7BLE]

Can you ask Mathew what his worries are regarding a pump? Hopefully we can answer his questions and also reassure him.

Perhaps his hospital team will be good enough to let him trial a pump for a week so he can see what it's like.

He just doesn’t like the idea of something being attached to him all the time. We know a couple of people who do have a pump so we are planning to meet up with them so he can see what they are like and talk to them.
To be honest, like I’ve said to him, a pump isn’t always better than MDI. It would obviously give him more freedom to tweak things a bit and hopefully better control over highs.
Originally he was dead against a Libre but he came round to the idea and now wouldn’t be without it

 

[Pumper_Sue]

He just doesn’t like the idea of something being attached to him all the time

I can assure Mathew in that dept that after a few hours he will look to see if the pump is still there 🙂 I did this for quite awhile after starting to pump and that was after 42 years on injections.
There is the omnipod which is tubeless https://www.myomnipod.com/en-gb/home so just like the sensor he is wearing.

 

[J7BLE]

I can assure Mathew in that dept that after a few hours he will look to see if the pump is still there 🙂 I did this for quite awhile after starting to pump and that was after 42 years on injections.
There is the omnipod which is tubeless https://www.myomnipod.com/en-gb/home so just like the sensor he is wearing.

Thank you for that. His nurse did come out a while ago with 3 different pumps and that was the one he said he wouldn’t mind trying. Pump therapy is another minefield that I need to look into. Everyone she showed us had different good features but there wasn’t one that combined them all. He is managing well at the minute on MDI but he is 12 soon and we are aware of the funding issues after time.
Once again thanks for your advice

 

[Bronco Billy]

Good Morning! Thank you for your comments. Wow two children.....that’s mind blowing! I joined a Facebook forum page too and there are also parents on there who have two type 1 children. Matthew is a twin so that has been a concern to me since he was diagnosed. We are obviously watching Oliver like a hawk and smelling his breath regularly for “fruity keyones” bless him.

Matthew is so good at dealing with all aspects of his diabetes although we do have to remind him to scan his Libre from time to time. We are so proud of him. He actually missed his first 2 weeks staring comp as he was diagnosed the day before he was supposed to start. He is doing so well academically and socially, nothing is a bother to him. Obviously this might change when teenage hormones kick in!

Yes the control freak in me is quickly learning it’s not going to happen .
We are still struggling with running high at night and are trying different things to see if we can get things a bit smoother. He’s always peaked about 1am but he seems to run high all night some nights then perfect other nights. He’s always back down to 5/6 by morning so I’m reluctant to increase his levemir.
The hospital are talking to him about pumps but he’s quite set on staying on injections. He will be 12 in July so they’ve said that after that it may be more difficult to secure funding.

Are you children on pumps or MDI ?

I’m currently reading the Ragnar Hanas book that was recommended to me and I’m finding that very informative. My husband and myself are pharmacists so we already know a lot about the medication and physiology of diabetes but the actual day to day living and the emotional aspect of it all have totally floored us.

I’m so grateful to you all for your help and comments. I was feeling very down the day I posted on here and reading everyone’s replies really did help me.

Thank you to you all x

Mind blowing is a pretty good way of describing it. We are very used to it now, but it was just as big a shock the second time as it had been the first time. On the plus side, we saw it coming a long way off, so our son wasn’t as ill as our daughter was when she was diagnosed. She was in severe DKA and we nearly lost her! We have another, younger daughter who we keep a close eye on. So far so good, but she has had a few finger prick tests over the years.

Both of mine are on a pump. Our son was put on it first because his honeymoon period meant his numbers, especially at night, were very unpredictable. One of the advantages of the pump was that he was on a zero dose overnight as his pancreas would ‘wake up’ and do its job. I wouldn’t be surprised if your son is still in his honeymoon period, given what you say about his night-time levels. Our daughter was put on a pump as she became very needle phobic and it became very difficult to give her injections. They both have the Medtronic 640G

I understand your son’s concerns about having a pump, but there is no harm in trialling it, he won’t be forced to keep it. In a beautiful sense of timing, my daughter just entered the room, so I asked her if she feels the pump is there. Her firm answer was (after a face pull) “no, I don’t notice it.” It has become a part of her now and I’ve no doubt my son would say the same. The big advantage of a pump is the flexibility it offers. If your son fancies a snack, he only has to press a few buttons to deliver his insulin rather than go through the process of an injection. Background insulin can be adjusted to suit needs at different time of the day. My children have about eight different background rates. A pump doesn’t suit everyone, but when people try one, they realise that it’s not as bad as they feared.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thank you for that. His nurse did come out a while ago with 3 different pumps and that was the one he said he wouldn’t mind trying. Pump therapy is another minefield that I need to look into. Everyone she showed us had different good features but there wasn’t one that combined them all. He is managing well at the minute on MDI but he is 12 soon and we are aware of the funding issues after time.
Once again thanks for your advice

It sounds to me as if Mathew has the same condition as most of us pre-pump 🙂 It's called fear of the unknown. Very understandable imho he has also had an awful lot take in within a very short period of time.

As to pumps and their different features, basically they all do the same thing regarding delivery and if you don't have another pump yo compare to ie it's a first pump, you haven't missed out on anything you might think you want. Omnipod has a handset and no tubes which your son will probably like better that's about it really.

 

[J7BLE]

Mind blowing is a pretty good way of describing it. We are very used to it now, but it was just as big a shock the second time as it had been the first time. On the plus side, we saw it coming a long way off, so our son wasn’t as ill as our daughter was when she was diagnosed. She was in severe DKA and we nearly lost her! We have another, younger daughter who we keep a close eye on. So far so good, but she has had a few finger prick tests over the years.

Both of mine are on a pump. Our son was put on it first because his honeymoon period meant his numbers, especially at night, were very unpredictable. One of the advantages of the pump was that he was on a zero dose overnight as his pancreas would ‘wake up’ and do its job. I wouldn’t be surprised if your son is still in his honeymoon period, given what you say about his night-time levels. Our daughter was put on a pump as she became very needle phobic and it became very difficult to give her injections. They both have the Medtronic 640G

I understand your son’s concerns about having a pump, but there is no harm in trialling it, he won’t be forced to keep it. In a beautiful sense of timing, my daughter just entered the room, so I asked her if she feels the pump is there. Her firm answer was (after a face pull) “no, I don’t notice it.” It has become a part of her now and I’ve no doubt my son would say the same. The big advantage of a pump is the flexibility it offers. If your son fancies a snack, he only has to press a few buttons to deliver his insulin rather than go through the process of an injection. Background insulin can be adjusted to suit needs at different time of the day. My children have about eight different background rates. A pump doesn’t suit everyone, but when people try one, they realise that it’s not as bad as they feared.

It changes your life totally in a way that others can not understand.
I think Matthew might actually be coming to the end of his honeymoon. He used to be quite stable over night but recently he’s been flying high. I had a total melt down last night when I uploaded his readings to Diasend and saw the sea of red later in the day!! I’ve changed his lunch ratio as his tea readings are starting to creep up and it doesn’t really drop much between lunch and tea. He actually had a perfect night last night so I’m assuming his basal levels are ok. See if that helps. We are at hospital next week so I’ll see what they say about trialing a pump

 

[J7BLE]

It sounds to me as if Mathew has the same condition as most of us pre-pump 🙂 It's called fear of the unknown. Very understandable imho he has also had an awful lot take in within a very short period of time.

As to pumps and their different features, basically they all do the same thing regarding delivery and if you don't have another pump yo compare to ie it's a first pump, you haven't missed out on anything you might think you want. Omnipod has a handset and no tubes which your son will probably like better that's about it really.

Yes that’s exactly right.....he’s just got his head around injecting and now they are asking if he wants a pump! We are at hospital next week for HbA1c so see what they say.

 

[trophywench]

Have a look at the profiles of various long acting insulins - unless your son's bodily needs for it match the insulin's action - so you can time the dose(s) correctly to match the bodily needs - you'll never get it right no matter how many times you adjust it. Even with a pump it isn't easy.

Roche have an algorithm which enables clinics to start people off at rates Roche think should be near enough correct for them. Not for me and my body ! LOL

 

[Bronco Billy]

It sounds like you are really on top of it and being very pro-active. When you see all the highs, it can be demoralising and feel as if you aren’t doing anything right, but it’s important to remember that success can’t always be measured in the BG numbers. It’s sometimes about how you are managing them and how you react to what is happening. If you keep doing your bit, you will get your reward. This won’t always happen immediately, but it will happen. The ending of the honeymoon period will make management easier as you have more certainty about what you are dealing with.