Pump?

[butlergrad]

My daughter was diagnosed Type 1 three years ago at the age of 23.  She has been, in the words of her endo, a model patient.  She works out religiously at the gym, eats right most of the time, has stayed trim, and never seems to have a problem with her control.  Her highest A1C has been 5.6, most around 5.4 and even one at 4.9 (endo thought that might be a little too low).  Even with all this, her endo has suggested she think about the pump.  She has a very active lifestyle, a job she loves, will be married next May, and like most diabetics (despite what most people think), doesn't mind her four shots per day (lantus and humalog).  She is not really interested in going to the pump but has agreed to meet with her diabetic educator to learn more.  What would be your thoughts about her situation?

[JDRF-Team-wak]

I am not a physician, but the mom of a type one diabetic.  I can tell you that our daughter was very happy being on shots- she was on 2- 3 shots a day.  She did not want to go on the pump, and then one day she decided she wanted to try it and we have not looked back.  
  
Being on the pump gives you a much more "normal” lifestyle, you can basically eat any thing you want as long as you count your carbs.  Most pumps now figure out your dosages and take into account your blood sugars to avoid severe lows.

The pump is not for everybody, at first it can seem overwhelming but my daughter never wants to go back to shots.  

I think that it is good that your daughter is exploring her options, I wish her luck.  She should go to the web site

www.childrenwithdiabetes.com that have a section that compares all the different types of pump.

Good luck

[stephen99]

i have had a pump for over 5 yrs and in a month after recieving it I felt 1000000000 times better. Both mental and physical. I use the minimed pump. I am 36 now and I feel great. I would much rather get one "shot" every 2-3 days than 4 shots a day. its much easier and less of a hassle. THe only thing I didnt like was getting used to it in the beginning, but you get over that fast.

[JasonVP]

I was a lot like your daughter all through my 20s.  Ultra-tight control with injections.  Heck, I was even using NPH instead of Lantus because I could never get Lantus to work right for me.  Even so, my two NPH shots plus sliding-scale Humalog worked very well.  And I work out (aerobic and weight lifting) religiously.

The tight control changed as my metabolism changed in my early 30s.  I'm 32 now and things just went a little whacky, for lack of a better word.  I tried (like hell) to get things back under control, but I just couldn't do it.  So I 'gave up' and signed up for the pump.

And I'll never look back. :-)  The single best health decision I've ever made.

jas (30 year type-I veteran. :-))