Insulin Pump for My 6 Year Old

Hi B.! I have an 8 year old son and a 4 year old daughter who both use the Medtronic Revel insulin pump. My husband has a Medtronic pump that is the model previous to the Revel.
The pump has changed our lives!

We are very happy with our Medtronic pumps but I have heard great things about the OmniPod and the Animas Ping.

The Ping and OmniPod are waterproof. The OmniPod is wireless and controlled remotely which has pros and cons.

We are looking into CGM's for the kids pumps. They transmit to the Medtronic device, which is handy and we also have the One Touch blood glucose meters which are compatible with the pump.

I could go on and on. If you want to call me, private message me and I will message you my phone number.

Good luck!

my husband has been type 1 since he was 12, now 31 and he just got on the pump when he was 29. He is one that doesnt like change but everynight since we got together I would wake up at least once to check on him and had about 2 paramedic calls a year, countless times of getting him juice or strawberry milk followed by cooking eggs at 2am. I have not had to call the paramedics once in the past 2 years of him being on the pump. He actually knows what it feels like to feel normal and can feel his sugars fluctuating. I LOVE the pump it is awesome!!! if there is a chance of getting it I suggest doing it i wish we didnt wait so long!

With proper training the CGM is a good tool although its another port to stick in your body. My husband has one but doesnt use it. I thought it would be really helpful since he is a cop and he cannot suffer a low when he is needed but it really got irritated by all of his equipment, vest belt etc. He has done so well with just the pump though. But if it was one of my children I would probably have them use the CGM.

I work in a pediatric diabetes center. We offer our patients the choice between the Medtronic, Animas, or Omnipod. It really depends on your childs age and needs as to which one will work best. They all have great features. The Animas gives the smallest increment of insulin and has the One Touch Ping meter with a remote bolus option, the Medtronic has the One Touch Ultra link meter that is awesome AND it is just an excellent pump, the Omnipod has no tubing so it is like a pump with a remote control. You just have to keep up with that remote control! PM me if you have any questions or if you need some more information for these pumps. I will be glad to mail you whatever we have. Good luck!

EDIT: If you are taking your child to a diabetes center that does a lot of their own education, then they may have "loaner pumps" so that you can use them and see if you like a particular pump. Just a thought...

As a fellow outsider I will tell you my experiences.
I have two friends who has diabetes. One with a pump (Ashley), one who had to test and give himself shots (Collin).
Ashley, I never had to worry about her. She never had to tell me how to give her shots in case she had a crash. She never had to stop a rehearsal (we were in theatre) to test and give a shot. She lived her life as normal as possible.
Collin on the other hand, I had to learn everything. I even kept a piece of paper with his normal sugar level along with what was to high and low in my wallet. He crashed in front of me several times (he was very good at keeping track of everything too) so I or others would have to either call 911 and give him shots. It's a pretty scary thing for a friend to see.

A coworker's grandson had to be put on an insulin pump at about 18 months old. She said that the Juvenile Diabetes Association (http://www.jdrf.org/) was immensely helpful & supportive to her son's family.

My daughter has had diabetes since she was 12 and is 28 now. Shes had a couple insulin pumps and it is wonderful what a difference they make. It may seem overwhelming to start but you get used to it just like a new computer and pretty soon its just normal everyday stuff. I highly recommend it and wish you and your son the best.