pumps v injections?

[bev]

Hi everyone, after reading some of the posts it appears that pumps are the way to go? My son is 10 and 6 weeks diagnosed so still very new to all this, but could anyone explain to me what are the advantages of having a pump? Thanks Bev

 

[sugarfreerach]

Advantages:

Better blood sugar levels
Better control- quicker to make a correction dose
One needle every three days rather than 4 needles a day
Generally feel better due to control and stable sugars
You forget you're wearing it after a day

Disadvantages:

Its attached to you all the time ( i only notice it at night though)
You have to carry more emergency things (cannulas, insulin, tubing etc)
More blood testing at first
Takes longer to change over insulin and bubbles in the tube are the bane of my life lol!
The cannula's are a bit tricky at the start and i have to psych myself up

ive been on the pump for 3 months and i can honestly say its changed my life, i love it. it does take a bit of adjusting and i remember the first day i was overwhelmed with everything but now its brilliant. i think your pct would wait until your son had it a while longer and if he has good control over his sugars he may not meet the critera (depending on where you live of course)

 

[malky]

Hi Bev ,My daughter who is 9 has been on the pump for about 2 years now and it has helped her a lot ,Before she was on the pump she was prone to very bad night time hypo's but now thing's are a lot better. It is hard work at the start to get your basel rates etc correct but it does get easier once you work these out ,you also have to check your blood more often because if the cannula is blocked or not inserted correctly you risk your blood sugars running very high.I hope this helps.Cheers, Malcolm.

 

[bev]

Thanks for all that info - it seems there are pros and cons for both, but its still early days for us, and it seems its hard to get funding? I dont understand why you need funding but this is all probably a little time away yet for us. Bev