pumps

[Chase's mom]

what do you think about the pump

[nantomsuethom]

Thomas started pumping 3 months after he was diagnosed. He had to use Lantus and Novolog 1x due to pump failure, and hope he never has to do shots again.
He loves the idea that he doesn't have to be on a schedual and can eat as much as he wants.

[faithe113001]

I think the pump is great! It gives you so much more flexibility. I can sleep as late as I want, eat when and where and what I want without worrying about sticking to a schedule. I can go out late with my friends, go to the 5pm movie and not eat dinner till 9! It's great. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Tamara Gamble]

Hi Kathy, The pump has transformed our lives. I have an eleven year old son diagnosed almost a year ago. What a difference the pump has made. Everyone's right. They can sleep in, eat when they want, disconnect for swimming. Alter the insulin recieved when exercising etc. It's scary at first but it becomes second nature. I think it is really nice when they can do what their friends are doing without restriction on food etc. I also like our pump because the carb ratio, correction factors and basils are all preentered. His glucose monitor is attached as well so the readings go straight in. For me it means when he is away all he has to do is test, the correction is in there so he hits enter. He enters in the amount of carbs and the unit calculates the insulin he hits enter and it delivers it. I don't have to worry that he will get it wrong. If he is exercising he can reduce the amount of insulin received so he doesn't get as many lows and when he's high it's already calculated so we just have to deliver. You're not stuck with whatever is being time released into the system like with the shots.The pain factor for infusion sites is minimal (bug bite) as long as you use a 90 degree with inserter. This is a much shorter canula and we haven't had any kinks and it has stayed in well. Ty's really thin so they initially said we would have to use the other. Painful and unneccesary. It's done manually so it's tough. We tried the 90 degree and it has worked like a charm. You can disconnect for swimming and test in one hour. They would need to hook up for about 15 minutes if they are high. My experience has been if anything Ty will get low but he usually stays in normal range and needs no hook up at all while swimming but every child is different. We had to do shots for a day and a half after Ty got water in his unit and it stunk. I did realize how dumb I had gotten about configuring everything and was relieved to get a new pump the next day. We use the Deltec Cozmore system. It is so kid friendly. The others are great too but for us Ty can use this with ease. Not so complicated. Any new pumps or updates are free for the life of the warrenty which is four years. Most companies offer free replacement pumps but not upgrades for free. Staff is available 24/7 and we have used them from time to time. I think mimimed has the new 24 bg monitoring system. My understanding is that it has been approved for 18 and older although I have read that some parents are using it on young children. I know that smiths medical will give me all of the updated stuff for free so I am looking forward to this. Also the cosmore system can be upgraded with components from other units so it's flexible. You're not stuck with infusion sets you may not like etc. Call all of the companies and have thier reps come out. Play with the units. You may be confused by all of it at first but I think you will figure out what is best for you. This is what I did. That's how I found out I wanted a 90 degree canula with inserter. Poor Ty. Anyway, good luck to you and God Bless! Tami

[charlenebusch]

hi i think the pump is great i am new here but i have had diabetes for 15 years and i love my pump i have been on it almost for a year. it is a pain at first but u have alittle more freedom with the pump. :p i think it is wonderful since i am a mom to my 4 year old and a manager at wendys i dont have time to draw up insulin in a syringe all the time , anytime u wanna chat im here