injections (and lantus) vs. pump

[Boo]

Okay, so I am not a teen, and my son is only 10, but I am posting here because I'd like to hear responses from teens with diabetes rather than the parents who help care for them. I would like my son to try a pump. However, my reasons are mostly selfish. I like the idea of better control (though it is still hard for him to grasp the long term effects of diabetes, and I don't want to "threaten" him with stories of kidney problems, heart conditions, etc.). I like the idea of flexibility at mealtime. I have 3 active boys, involved in sports, and serving dinner at a regular time daily is pretty much impossible. I like the thought of avoiding nighttime lows, for his safety as well as my own good night's sleep!

However, I don't think he is ready for the pump. He is VERY private with his diabetes. I know this is his right, but I am a very open person, and feel that it would be easier for him if he were more open with his classmates. But, he's not, and I can't change that. He also has a lot of reservations about the pump, such as disconnecting for sports and discomfort with the thought of the tubing.

I don't know much about Lantus, though I've heard it gives more flexibility. I'm interested to hear from anyone regarding their thoughts about injections vs. pump and also from anyone that has experience with Lantus (particularly interested to hear from those of you who are, or were, very private about testing, injecting, etc.) Thanks!

[luco_mc]

hi

iv had the insulin pump for a year now and its changed my life i would not go bak . it does give your life alot more felixabilty. . You dont need to take the pump of while doing sports . it depends on the sport. i play basketball when im at training i keep my pump on but when i play matches i taek it off. about the infusion you simplke try them and find what one is comftable. the best thing to do is go to the confrence and try them this wae u get to see what its like to have it

hope this is any help to you

[Boo]

Thanks for the response. You get to try them at the conferences? How does that work?

[faithe113001]

I tried the pump with saline for three days before I went on it for good. My educator lent my the one that she uses to train people on.

I usually take my pump off for sports, finding that I usually don't need the extra insulin during that time.

Hope he at least gives it a chance! It should definitly be his decision though, he's the one who has to live with it everyday!

[luco_mc]

to try a pump you just book it with the pump organisation at the confrence BUT i think you need a letter from your doctor to say its ok.

its a brill wae to learn about them and see whats its like to have it on .i done that and found wat it like to have it on. about 99 percent of people on a pump wouldnd go bak to injection..

for the sports it depends on if the person on the pump need insulin while doing sport .although some sport you coouldnt were it like football for example.

wat kind of sports does he do

if your going to the confrence i would recomend trying the pumps

[munchkingirl]

I'm 18 and just went on the pump 2 months ago now. As everyone else has said: It has changed my life and I would never go back to injections.

Sports - There, as others have said, is no need to take the pump off for sports - depending on what they are. I say this because I do gymnastics and I DO have to take my pump off for that, as - i'm sure you can imagine, it's very difficult to tumble and fall and all that good stuff with a pump! :)
But, I know that a lot of people take the pump off for sports, and your son may absoltely love this - as he is only 10 and I know my 10 year old brother (1 out of 3) is a very active little boy and the pump would be a problem for him while playing baseball. Some people do find that they need to break every so often and check their blood sugar and correct for it somehow - and it's just as easy, if not easier with the pump to accomplish this. If the blood sugar is high - just reconnect the pump for a few seconds program the insulin in and make it go - and then take it off and play again. That simple. A lot of people are also concerned about the site when playing sports - but I (and most others) have not found this to be a problem, and I am rather very lean.

Lantus - I had been on lantus for the last 2 years. And it IS very flexible. i love it. However- I think your son may like that even less than the pump. As you have to take an injection for everytime you eat carbs - whereas with NPH - you really don't. You eat several times a snack and lunch and/or dinner without needing another shot. You say your son is rather private and most kids like that (i am one of them) don't tend to like to take their injection infront of people. I didn't like to either and ended up with 400+ blood sugars and in DKA a few times because of it. But with the pump, though it can be a bother for me at times, I feel WAY better about just pressing a few buttons and then back to whatever I was doing. No shots, drawing up insulin... all of that. But don't get me wrong - lantus is great! It is VERY flexible, as is the pump. So, they are both definitely things to look into. And there are also a lot of good cases out there for a pump - so your sons friends at school may not even know what the heck it is except maybe a cell phone. And it seems to me that there are even a large majority of elementary aged kids with those today!

Anways, i hope this helps!

beth

[ctwetten]

I'm also a definite fan of the pump but it was an adjustment. I don't know if everyone did this, but I had to test my bloodsugar every two hours, including during the night, which was new for my family since I had only been diagnosed 8 months before going on the pump. Once that was up, however, it was awesome. I'm not that private since most people heard about it when I was diagnosed last year anyway, but I think the pump could help with that. I've definetly been asked if I'm a doctor or a nurse already (because people think it's a pager) which is rather upsurd since I'm only 19 and a freshman in college. :)
Before the pump I was on Lantus and novolog. I ate 3 meals and one snack and had to bolus with an injection every time I ate. I've never been on anything else so I can't compare it but I did have totally felixibility as to when I ate; the flipside was that I bolused every time. I was also in very good control.
Sometimes I take the pump off to play sports, sometimes I don't. I've never had trouble with the infusion set coming out, not even swiming. The tubing going into you is super thin and you can't feel it once it's in. What you do notice is the sticky patch around it, but like most things you get used to it and don't notice it anymore. I was really scared the first time I had to insert an infusion set for a 3-day trial period but you can get this little device that just pops it right in there for you; it's very easy, although it can be intimidating at first. (I was 18 and I don't consider myself whimpy, but who does? :) ) Anyway, my point is that I was worried about it and it turned out great.
Hope this helps. Good luck making a decision!