Juvenile Diabetes

My brother was diagnosed with JD (type 1 diabetes) in October 2006. He's only 13 and does very well with his testing and shots. My mom would like to get him a pump. Her insurance will cover 80% but she needs to pay 20% of its cost upfront. From what she told me, it was be around $5000 for the pump. That means her out of pocket is around $1000. She can barely afford the expense of his diabetes supplies right now, much less any extra supplies needed when you have a pump. What are the benefits of a pump? Is it worth it to switch? Does a pump eventually become necessary anyways?

I have type 1 diabetes and use a pump. No, using a pump does not eventually become necessay always. It's just another way to deliver insulin. Other ways include by syringe or insulin pen.

Benefits:

Precise delivery of insulin, way more precise than you can ever get by injection. My pump measures to within a 10th of a unit.

Changable basal rates. These are a huge bonus if you have an active lifestyle, as you can adjust your basal rate down before exercise, thereby avoiding hypoglycemic reactions

Calculations. You program your insulin to carb ration etc. into your pump, and it can do all the math for how much insulin you need to correct a high bgl reading, or how much insulin you need to cover the food you're about to eat.

CGMS. Some pumps (like mine) have continuous blood glucose monitoring features. You are alerted to high blood sugars or low blood sugars.

There are lots of other great reasons to use a pump. I would suggest you check out tudiabetes.com where there are quite a few pump users that can answer your questions.

"CGMS. Some pumps (like mine) have continuous blood glucose monitoring features. You are alerted to high blood sugars or low blood sugars."

Toby, what kind of pump do you have?  And how long have you had it?  Does this mean you never have to prick your fingers anymore?

I've had an Animas pump for 3 1/2 years and it seems so outdated to me.  I want to get a new one but I don't want to ask my parents to pay for it!  I would love to not have to prick my fingers 8 times a day.

My brother, too, is a Type 1 Diabetic and has been since he was 11  (he's 17 now, so it'll be six years this January). He eventually made the switch over to the pump--he was very, very reluctant because his medical team, while encouraging him to try it, warned him that getting used to it would be almost like being diagnosed with diabetes all over again, with the constant adjusting and checking and relearning how to take care of it.

But now he LOVES it, and doesn't regret for a minute making the switch. He's, as I said, a teenage boy, so he eats like a heifer, and it makes his life so much easier to just be able to dial in what he ate rather than give himself a shot to cover it. He has to carry less around with him and eating is less of an ordeal. It makes him feel more normal, and able to be more discreet.

That said, a pump is certainly not necessary--it's just the most up-to-date treatment.

I know several people who have Type I diabetes since childhood successfully using the pump. They only got it as adults however. Here is some info from the Mayo Clinic, I hope it helps: