How stressful was it when your child started pumping??

KylesMom · #1 08-10-2012, 11:46 AM

We have been going through the process of getting a pump for Kyle this summer.

I was surprised when he told me he was ready to try it because he has not wanted anything to do with the pump up until this summer. He attended a diabetes camp and saw how much easier it was for the kids that were pumping. We did the saline trial last week and he thinks he will really like it (so do I!) We are going with the Medtronic. They just looked up our insurance coverage and now we are waiting for his Dr. to sign the order.

I am concerned about the timing of starting. Kyle starts middle school this year (which he is nervous about) and his sister is leaving for college for the first time in a couple of weeks, so lots of changes already going on. I realize this varies but I am just wondering how stressful you found the transition to pumping to be for you and your child. I don't want to throw too much change at him at once and completely overwhelm him, especially with him starting middle school. Because of this I am considering waiting until he is settled in school to actually start. (he doesn't start school until after labor day though). And I guess there is no "perfect" time to start...life is always a little crazy! Just wondering what you found the first couple of months to be like. I have read on here that it can be very difficult for a while. I know experiences vary, I would just like to hear some experiences to help us decide what we feel would be best. Thanks!!

KatieSue · #2 08-10-2012, 11:53 AM

I thought for us it was easier to start during school. We started pumping in April though. Her schedule is more set during school. Getting up at the same time, eating etc than it is during summer or holidays.

I might wait a week or to after school gets going so he gets into the groove of that first.

hawkeyegirl · #3 08-10-2012, 11:57 AM

I won't lie. It was stressful. But for me it would have been more stressful to do it during school than when I was around to keep an eye on things. (He was only 4 at the time, so school wasn't an issue for us.)

In your shoes, I'd start before school starts. It was only really rough for us the first 4-5 days or so. It got a LOT easier once we figured out that he needed more basal on the pump than he needed on Lantus.

Good luck! I hope you (and he) love it!

maciasfamily · #4 08-10-2012, 12:07 PM

It's actually been relatively easy for us (almost 4 wks into it), however our son is 3 and he's still honeymooning. The biggest change is all the checks we have to do, which is exhausting.

I agree doing it now to get the majority of the settings right is ideal. And then to tweak once he's in school.

congrats on the decision! For us it has made things so much easier!

Charliesmom · #5 08-10-2012, 12:52 PM

Oh, it was stressful but my son was 3. Since your son is older he will have a better understanding so I think it would be a tad easier or maybe just a different kind of stress, lol.

If your office is like ours you may have the pump for a bit before he can start pumping. We got the pump in the middle of December and couldn't get an appt. for a pump start until the end of January. Something to consider anyway.

MelissaAL · #6 08-10-2012, 02:29 PM

Reading along... we are looking to start pumping this fall.

Tigerlilly's mom · #7 08-10-2012, 02:43 PM

I found the most stressful part of pumping was the site changes (I laugh now about how stressed I was because I could do a site change in my sleep or walk someone through one without having a pump with me)

Anyways, I think you son will enjoy the freedom that pumping will give him during school. I know for my son, it was much easier for him to just test in the classroom and give himself his lunch bolus before heading down to the lunchroom....I am not sure if the school would have been rececptive to him carrying syringes or pens to independantly manange his diabetes.

Of course there was some tweaking with the basals in the beginning to help get tighter "control", but when he first started we just used his lantus dose as his total basal and divided it throughout the day.

Good luck!

nanhsot · #8 08-10-2012, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KylesMom

We have been going through the process of getting a pump for Kyle this summer.

I was surprised when he told me he was ready to try it because he has not wanted anything to do with the pump up until this summer. He attended a diabetes camp and saw how much easier it was for the kids that were pumping. We did the saline trial last week and he thinks he will really like it (so do I!) We are going with the Medtronic. They just looked up our insurance coverage and now we are waiting for his Dr. to sign the order.

I am concerned about the timing of starting. Kyle starts middle school this year (which he is nervous about) and his sister is leaving for college for the first time in a couple of weeks, so lots of changes already going on. I realize this varies but I am just wondering how stressful you found the transition to pumping to be for you and your child. I don't want to throw too much change at him at once and completely overwhelm him, especially with him starting middle school. Because of this I am considering waiting until he is settled in school to actually start. (he doesn't start school until after labor day though). And I guess there is no "perfect" time to start...life is always a little crazy! Just wondering what you found the first couple of months to be like. I have read on here that it can be very difficult for a while. I know experiences vary, I would just like to hear some experiences to help us decide what we feel would be best. Thanks!!

It was a very difficult, very stressful time for us. It took a full 6 weeks or so to level him out, his basal needs were just so off from how it was on mdi and he spent at least the first month high, and he's mean when he's high!

I wouldn't say the first couple of months, but definitely the first month was tough.

I think it would be easier to do it before school starts though, rather than during, that gives you more freedom to make changes when you are around and able, vs him having trouble in school.

Mimi · #9 08-10-2012, 05:19 PM

We started in October.

For dd once she was past the initial fear of site changes it hasn't been stressful for her at all.

Now me...that's another story.

For me there was a big learning curve. Mind you we started CGM at the same time.
I thought that after reading about pumping on this site for 3 years, I'd pick it up quickly. Ummm...not so much!

I found the routine of the school day to be helpful because I knew what she'd be doing each day...there was no guessing to that.

Good luck!

KylesMom · #10 08-10-2012, 06:43 PM

Thanks for the replies. We have our 3 month endo appt. on Monday so I will talk with him about it, and I will schedule the pump start then too. I may not have a choice anyway based on their schedule so we will see. I was hoping it would work so that we could start him before the summer ends and get the doses settled before school starts. Its hard to say how long it will take for him I guess though. I just think starting it during the same week he starts at a new school is not a good idea, if thats the way it will work out. But I can't wait to start and Kyle is still very excited about it after doing the saline trial...I don't want his enthusiasm to wear off!