Proud Parent In the Morning Newsroom
Elle had the privilege of taking a field trip to the New England Cable News studio earlier this morning for an interview about life with Type 1 Diabetes and the launch of this blog. The tediously slow trip down Route 128 was worth every minute. Elle thoroughly enjoyed visiting the newsroom, control room and meeting Matt The Weather Guy. We even heard about a news story on the floor of the newsroom as it was breaking.
Elle approached the interview with a youthful ease spurred by the thrill of getting to be on television. Even as we were told to STANDBY, she was reassuring me that my hair was not sticking up – “Mom, I already told you that there are NO BUMPS!” While it did not completely surprise me, I was unbelievably proud to see how poised Elle was during her first live interview. You can see for yourself here:
I happened to catch the segment on NECN. My soon-to-be-10 year old son was diagnosed last April. We are not on the pump currently….would be curious to hear pros and cons from a user.
It’s great that you started a forum like this. JDRF has also been a wonderful resource for us.
Thanks!
Dear Jocelyne,
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I would highly recommend the pump. There are definitely pros and cons. The pros are the ease of administering insulin throughout the day and dialing up or back depending on how much food is desired and the type of food being consumed. There is much more flexibility in this department. The cons relate to the constant connection to the device. We have also found that the basal dosing through the pump versus taking a long-acting insulin shot provides for more fluctuation with blood sugars. It seems as if the long acting insulin tended to smooth out the blood sugars over extended periods of time.
We would be happy to answer any other questions you have and wish you and your family all the best as you navigate this process.
Warm Regards,
Stefany
You both did great!! Make sure to post before you do something like this again so that we can watch live!
Jocelyne: The pros are tighter control of blood sugars because the insulin injected is more accurate. No more shots unless your BG goes over 400 and then you have to change the site and use the shot instead. Sometimes the tubing gets bent etc.., but this is rare. No more long acting insulin before bed. You can download your info onto the computer and make changes to your insulin to carb ratios based on patterns you see. Your Diabetes Center can see this and help you do this too if you need help troubleshooting.
My 7 year old daughter proudly wears hers and is bummed when she has to get a shot. We can check her BG in the middle of the night and give a correction without her even knowing. Cons: you have to use a bigger needle to put in the site area, but we use lidocaine so our daughter never feels it. There are really no cons for this family. She loves it Soooo much more than the pen or needles and her A1C level went down quite a bit once she got it.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Kristen,
Thanks for the feedback. Do you have to check your daughter often in the middle of the night with the pump? My son’s BG is relatively well-controlled right now (A1C is usually about 7.5) but he feels like he doesn’t want to “wear” something all the time. He is very active and plays a few sports. Maybe he will feel differently as he gets older?? I know the pump definitely gives more flexibility to the family as I’ve heard from others.
Dear Jocelyne,
We definitely still check Elle’s blood sugar during the middle of the night. She is also an active kid and currently enrolled in 5 dance classes. Initially, she hated the idea of wearing a pump under her leotard, but now she does not mind it at all and often feels funny without it on.
Transition is always unsettling, but I think your son will find that the flexibility outweighs the trade off of wearing this device. The good news is that these devices are getting smaller all the time!
Again, my best to you as you sort through these questions.
Warm Regards,
Stefany