My son's doctor, as part of her protocol, requires one parent to wear a loaner pump with saline for at least 24-36 hours. She then requires the potential pump patient to wear it for a weekend. This is a good exercise in finding out what it feels like etc....I purchased a few products from Unique Insulin Pump Accessories to make the experience a very positive one for my son. See their URL below. Additionally, we use either EMLA Cream (EMLA Anesthetic Disc) or ELA-MAX to numb the area of the site before inserting the infusion set.
DiabeteSource Articles (http://www.paddocklabs.com/Glutose%2015/diab12.htm) Read this article and copy it for anyone you think would benefit. It's the third article so scroll down:
Who? When? Why? How? Where?... Children & The Pump by Jo Ann Ahern, APRN, MSN, CDE Coordinator of the Yale Program for Children with Diabetes
Questions I often encounter... Who is the right candidate for the insulin pump? How old should he/she be? These questions are always difficult to answer. Past history (DCCT) indicates there is no way to predict who will do well on a pump. Before initiating pump therapy, it is important to know the child well enough to be confident they will have the necessary support and motivation to be a successful pump user.....
A Primary Care Approach To Insulin Pump Therapy - This is an excellent article from Clinical Diabetes that was posted at the Islet Foundation message board.
Insulin Pump Therapy better than MDI for Adolescents
http://www.disetronic-usa.com order all free materials and videos about the Disetronic Pump. The Spring '98 News features "Kids and Pumps" . They also have a Disetronic Pump Chat one night per week at their site: Monday nights at 9:00 EST.
http://www.minimed.com order all free materials and videos about the Minimed pump. Explore their website as well. Get the book Teens Pumping It Up (http://www.minimed.com/teenbk/files/tb_00.htm) Insulin Infusion Pumps: Teens Pumping It Up!
Don't Be Afraid of Insulin Pump in Children
Unique Insulin Pump Accessories. Order a catalog or look at their online catalog today. These women provide wonderful ways to wear the pump comfortably and discreetly.
Insulin Pumpers Homepage has a wealth of information. Sign up for a mailing list or message board access. All your answers can be obtained here from other pumpers or parents of pumpers. Be sure to check out the kids stories here too. This is the quintessential pumping website - a tremendous resource.
And here's a recent post from the mailing list from Renee to Leann:
"LeeAnn:
Thank YOU for letting us all know success stories like this. What keeps me coming back here ( aside from Sam & Sara's wit, Randall's sermons, Barbara's expertise, etc...) is knowing what a difference we can all be making in a child ( or an adult)'s life by encouraging, by empowering, by supporting those who seek a better life with diabetes. I had lunch yesterday with 7 other moms with diabetic kids- sort of a "free group therapy" session ( other than paying for our lunch!!!) 4 of us had kids on pumps & the other 4 were relating scenarios that we pump-moms no longer had to confront ( like watching your child be excluded when a classmate's mom brought in cupcakes for a birthday an hour after lunch). I turned to one of them & said "THIS is the critical INTANGIBLE that the doctors never see when they're scrutinizing bg records.....they never see the tears held back, the haunted & hunted look in the mother's eyes, the wear & tear from the unrelenting constancy of living by that @$#%* CLOCK, etc etc. Even if pump therapy WAS harder than MDI ( which I don't believe it is), it would be worth it if for no other reason than to LIBERATE a child from that UNNATURAL way of life. Yes, many children with severe chronic illnesses do not lead normal lives - nor does anyone expect them to, when they are clearly handicapped or physically limited in some way. Our children, fortunately, CAN act & look normal......why then shouldn't physicians be encouraging them to benefit from "state of the art" options which deliver a life style more in keeping with their capabilities?
Ok..off this morning's soapbox!! Hugs to you and Alex!!!
Regards, Renee"
Here's another:
[IP] With the pump, most things are possible.....
•To: Insulin-Pumpers@bzs.org • Sun, 11 Jul 1999
23:36:06 EDT •Reply-To: Insulin-Pumpers@bzs.org
For many people on the pump, you have already discovered the joy of the freedom it gives you. As the parent of a preteen (but not much longer!) on the pump, it gives me great joy to watch Amy do all she does, eat what she wants, and then some!! She survived diabetes camp -- remember I said she wasn't going to let them run her high? Well, she had only 1 high and that was a post sight change high, and 2 lows. We are very happy with that! She is now detasselling, something I know I would not have allowed her to do on MDI. It involves 12 hour days, walking up and down row upon row of corn, picking off the tassels. There is 1 half hour lunch break, and frequent water breaks, but still, all day long, away from home at age 12, working -- no way!! Today was her 4th day -- her lowest bgs was a 78 today, which she just popped glucose tabs in her mouth as she went along. I can truly say she is learning to live life to the fullest with her pump, even if it is an exhausting, muddy fullest!!
Next Sunday she is off for a week at church camp, also a 1st for her. I will call in advance, just to make them aware of her needs. This one I'm a bit nervous about, but Amy has shown great maturity and self discipline, that it's the others I'm more concerned about!! What a great feeling!!
Sue
Michelle Spaulding's has a post about how she fought an HMO about the pump and WON. Go to http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com and search for Michelle Spaulding.
Children with DIABETES - Chat Rooms Put in your name and choose the Parents Chat or Pump Users room. You'll get lots of direct answers from parents with kids on the pump or adults using and considering the pump. . I'm often in the parent's chat room as are many parents of pumpers these days. The Pump Users room is new and is just taking off ...These chat rooms are open 24 hours a day. If someone isn't there, type in hello and soon someone else will show up. :-) Try the various rooms.
Pump Girls These girls have a website and a cd !
Pump comparison This is Bob's website. . Gives you food for thought.
Additionally, on AOL, there are the message boards at keyword All Health , All Health Diabetes Message Board . Check out Kids on the Pump and the Meters/Pumps lists.
http://www.diabetesnet.com the book Pumping Insulin by John Walsh is comprehensive and outdated, a bit daunting in scope, but really lets you know what pumping is all about. Also at his site is an important article about Pumping Humalog.
Personal Health: Small, Convenient and Flexib... - 8/10/99 NYTimes article on pump therapy - begins with a 9 year old pumping.
Insulin Pump Therapy (Vanessa - and Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, GA)
Jessica's Page (precious)
The best possible therapy for a child (at least 8-10 year of age) with diabetes is the external insulin pump. The external pump is a computer, approximately the size of a credit card, that can be programmed to introduce a small amount of insulin into the body, at more frequent intervals. The pump holds a defined amount of insulin that it pumps into the body through short tubing. Glucose control with the external pump is superior to any other treatment. Now is an ideal time to learn about the pump, because a new pump has been introduced by MiniMed.
Having an insulin pump is the greatest thing I've done for my diabetes care. I used to have high blood sugars 80% of the day. Now, some days I'm not even high at all. Not only that, the pump is so easy to use and it doesn't hurt. I'm never using needles again.
Matt D., age 12
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Very sincerely yours,
Ellen H. Ullman
Mom, Advocate for children who have diabetes and their parents, Friend, Webmaster...http://members.aol.com/CamelsRFun/index.html (KidsRPumping)
Please support funding a cure for diabetes. My favorite charity is the Diabetes Research Institute in Miami, Florida: http://www.drinet.org
Please send me any and all information you have regarding prevention of diabetes in someone who tests positive for islet cell antibodies. I'm determined to delay the onset in my daughter or - more importantly - to reverse the autoimmune attack that is beginning. Thank you!