I know in this acticle there are several doctors you do not understandwhat it is like being diabetic. because either they they just don’t care or are being paid by the syringe companies. I am a type 2 diabetic and I have been since 1997. I have been on the pump for a year and the insulin pumps are wonderful you no longer have to load a needle and take it with you when you go to work, to supper, to the movies, to ball games, etc. All you have to do is check you blood level, count your carbs, and the machine does the rest. Then in two hours you check you blood again and it tells you it you need more insulin or not. It is the easiest thing to do and it kids or adults do not know how to use it is because the doctor or nurse or someone did not take the time to see how the pump works or get trained on it and why would a doctor give some one a pump if they do not know how it works. The pump compaies even have nurses that you meet with and they show you hoe to use it and you have to see that nurse every 1-2 weeks for several months so you get use to using it and they give you the insulin. The insulin pump is always giving you insulin it is called a basal and every hour it give you insulin. When you eat and give yourself insulin it is call a bolus. I beleive doctors and diabetic groups should not be talking bad about the pump because it is wonderful for people with diabetes and it helps make our lives easier because it is a very tuff to deal with every day for the rest of our life. There is so much more that I could say about how wonderful the pump is but I do not have enough space.

I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 46 years and have been on an insulin pump for a little over a year. I only wish I had access to this years ago! I love my pump and it has changed my life for the better. Any Type 1 diabetic MUST check their blood sugars regularly or face high blood sugars.
I think there are some children who shouldn’t be put on a pump but there are a great many out there who can handle the added responsibility. It all comes down to the child’s ability. Many pumps also allow the parent to shut off certain functions that the child does not know how to use correctly. But testing the blood sugar is critical with or without a pump.

I have to wonder what the statistics on deaths and injuries for non-pump users per 100,000 for highly acute Type 1 teens is? I worked in the pump industry for several years and most of our patients dramatically improved their health - with proper training and support of course. Other insulin delivery methods have risks too. How do they compare?

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12. That was 13 years ago. I always used syringes to give myself insulin, and my sugars weren’t great, but they were fairly decent (averaged around 130). After ten years of doctors telling me that I’d have better sugars with an insulin pump, I gave in and tried it.

For over two years I used the pump, and had nothing but problems with it. The insulin wasn’t going into my body, thus creating consistant sugar levels in the 300-400 range. The pump would often freeze or the insulin would get “stuck” in the tubing, even after I received 4 new pumps from the company. And when it would work correctly (very rare), my sugars became extremely low. I over-compensated because I thought the pump wasn’t working, and fell into two diabetic comas in two years because of too much insulin…I had never blacked out when giving myself insulin in a syringe. My A1C levels went from low-7% to mid-9% when I was on the pump, not to mention the welts it left on my mid-section.

Finally after months of begging to my doctor, he finally took me off the pump. My body is just now starting to recover from this bad experience, as my avg. sugars are around 140 now and my A1C is slowly getting back down. I fear that I may have put my body through so much trauma over those two-plus years on the pump, that my life will become more difficult as I get older. I pray that does not happen.

Anyways, what I am trying to say is that if you are hesitant about the pump, and you are on your way to normal blood sugar levels by way of shots with the help of exercise, stick with the shots. Based on my experience, I don’t recommend the pump to anyone. Then again, we are all different (especially diabetics), so what did not work for me may work well with others.

I am 27 years old and have had diabetes since age 11. I am one who has an insulin pump. However, I did not start using a pump until I was 19. As one who has suffered through diabetes as a teen, I understand fully how difficult it is to live a “normal” life. However “common” diabetes may be, one still feels “different” from there friends. Having the insulin pump does help me feel more normal, but yet it doesn’t. I still get questions from others asking what it is. And even though I am used to it and feel that I get the opportunity to educate otheres on diabetes, I am still reminded of all of the annoyances that come with have this disease. I feel that these injuries and deaths involving the pumps are most likely the results of several circumstances, with the pump being just one of them. But a lack of proper education on the pump for not just the teen using the pump, but their family members as well, is most likely the main cause. As far as the possible suicide attempts by giving an overdose of insulin with the pump, this can be done with using a siringe just as easily. I feel that this should be noted with that point.
And proper monitoring of the patient wearing the pump is very important. But there is still so much that is happening in these teens lives, that this extra burden is just something that feels like a punishment. So many other issues arise from Diabetes, such as, Thyroid, Depression, and the chance of kidney failure and heart trouble as one gets older, that it is just too much to handle. It is just easier to not think about it. Which is the most dangerous thing one can do. In my opinion, just ignoring it is what leads to these injuries and deaths. But one needs to be very careful in reporting the possibility that there is a link to the pump to injuries and death. The pump has been a God send to so many, that adding another fear with diabetes can be devastating.
A lot of resonsibility does come along with wearing an insulin pump, and young kids and teens may not fully be able to understand this. And the fact that they shouldn’t have to at their age does come to mind, but the reality that they do is still there. So it is left to the doctor’s and parents of these young people to insure that they fully understand and are able to handle the responsibility that comes with wearing the pump. And I still hope and pray that one day they find a cure for Diabetes and change the lives of so many for the better.

More scare tactics by media with nothing better to report.

As stated, tens of thousand of users and problems are related to misuse, not faulty technology.

When used and cared for properly, these devices help maintain blood sugars much better than daily injections.

My 3 year old daughter uses an insulin pump. This is not an “autopliot” device, it can malfunction. an infusion site can kink or the wrong dosage can be given. We know that we must monitor her blood glucose levels and be vigilant that the pump is still functioning properly.

Many of the scenarios presented in the study could happen with a teenage on multilpe daily injections aswell…taking too much insulin, not bolusing for a meal/snack.

This is a bit sensational!

I wish that this story focused on the positives that Type 1 diabetes sufferers experience with their insulin pumps. I am sure that thousands of children who wear the pump are much better off than the very few who may or may have not been responsible users. My 9 year old daughter has used a pump for 3 1/2 years and she experiences freedoms similiar to children who do not have diabetes. She can go to birthday parties and actually have a piece of cake. I can not even begin to imagine how children years ago suffered from not being a part of the normal childhood experiences. Thinking of it breaks my heart. Next time, when reporting the negatives, include some good points as well as children with Type 1 have a hard enough time as it is. The last thing that they need is for people to think that their pump will have negative effects should their child be around the child with a pump.

My son has been on an insulin pump for 4 yrs. He is 11 yrs. old. He has had diabetes since he was 3 yrs. I don’t think your article was very accurate. You made it seem like it was the pump that caused the deaths and gave all these problems. You could mistreat any devise and you are going to have problems. A Type 1 diabetic should be testing their blood sugar at least 4 times a day for good blood sugar control. That is whether they are giving themselves shots or on an insulin pump. If they are doing that they aren’t going to die because if your pump wasn’t working for some reason you would be able to tell it because your blood sugar would be going up and up. My son’s pump was blocked a few times in the last 4 yrs. and it went above 600, scary! However, he threw up. That is an indication and we changed his tubing and reservoir and it started coming down right away and he was alright. It takes several hours for someone on an insulin pump to get to that point. Yes, if we didn’t do anything about it he would have been DKA and in the hospital. The key is you test your blood sugar like you are suppose to and your diabetes will be under control. For a teenager to have a problem you are right they aren’t responsible enough to be on a pump. I guess, what I am saying it’s not the pump that’s the problem it’s the kid. That’s like saying diabetes caused a person’s death. No, it’s the fact they didn’t take care of their diabetes that killed them. My son is a brittle diabetic and always has been. That’s where his blood sugar ranges from 60 to 400 easily for no apparent reason. He will be alright because he tests his blood sugar 4 to 6 times a day at least and that is the key to control. Yes, a pump makes you have more flexibility but, you still have to test your blood sugar and do something about it to have good control.

As an RN, a school nurse, and an insulin pump user, let me say that while there may be pump malfunctions and this must be addressed, the key to good health with Type 1 diabetes is good self management. The pump is just a tool for micromanaging ones insulin doses and avoiding the multiple daily injections, not a first step in treatment. If one is not on top of ones blood glucose levels and doesn’t know how ones body is to react to certain foods or insulin doses, one is going to run into complications regardless of whether or not one is a pump user. If one doesn’t understand how to properly dose ones insulin, it is not the fault of the pump. If kids are “careless or took risks” is does not follow that it is because they were wearing pumps. Like a computer, the pump only does what the user tells it to do; it is not an artificial pancreas. It is the responsibility of the pump user to be checking blood glucose levels frequently and having a back up plan for malfunction. Insulin is risky all by itself. The pump throws another variable into things that can go wrong, of course, but it is just one of the variable that diabetics who wear them must face. Thus, good self-management requires a good level of diabetes care education in both the diabetic and his/her parent/caregiver.

There are many variables that go into insulin dosing. There isn’t one chart to go by for all diabetics. Just to name a few variables:

- We all don’t metabolize food at the same rate.
- We don’t all take the same amount of bolus insulin (the amount of insulin one gets when one eats carbohydrates).
- We don’t all take the same amount of basal insulin (the baseline low dose of insulin).
- We don’t all take the same amount of insulin to correct for a high blood glucose level.
- Insulin doses will vary based on how active a person is. Even day to day.
- In women, the menstrual cycle can wreak havoc on glucose levels.
- Stress causes the release of adrenaline which can lead to hypoglycemia.

When dealing with children and teens, not only are you dealing with the personal levels of metabolism and insulin sensitivity, but you also have the factors of growth and exercise. Kids hit growth spurts which lead them to using though their glucose a lot faster. Exercise also burns up glucose. Both lead to a lower need for insulin. Kids in sports don’t always practice everyday. So they may have two hours of intense exercise one day, and on their off days be playing video games. These two consecutive days are going to have very different carb and insulin requirements. Just to make it more complex, the body to can react to the exercise even as much as 24 hours later. You can see why one had to be very self-aware when managing ones diabetes. This is also why frequent testing of blood glucose levels (finger sticks) is very important. Not only do diabetics have to know what “normal” is for themselves, they have to be aware of when they are outside the norm.

The suicide issue as it relates to the insulin pump is a non-issue. If a teen is going to overdose on insulin, he/she can do it just as easily with an injection as he/she could do this with a pump. The real issue there is the high rate of depression in Type 1 diabetics. It’s tough enough to be a kid - diabetic kids have a double whammy. If they don’t care about managing their diabetes, they won’t manage their diabetes. Kids strive so hard to be “normal” - a tag like Type 1 diabetes in a world where the majority of people do not have a clue what it means to manage it is a big weight for a kid to bear. Add that the majority of the diabetes news out there is geared toward Type 2 diabetes and it’s unfortunate label of being associated with being overweight, and there is another stigma with which these kids have to deal.

Are these kids going to make mistakes? Yup. We are humans, not machines. I think one of the hardest things for diabetics who are doing the best they can is convincing those who care about them that they aren’t necessarily “doing it wrong” when things don’t go perfectly. They will seldom be perfect. It’s a constant state of checks and balances. As I mentioned above, adding a pump just adds another variable. Education and self management are the keys to good care.

The majority of the students and their parents I have worked with are on top of the students’ diabetes. We work very hard with them and the kids who aren’t to get them where their health care providers would like them to be. I’m very proud of all those kids and their parents. Being diabetic is not for sissies. If you’re not tough - you will get tough. There are no vacations, no days off, not even an afternoon off from diabetes management. Many times these kids have to wake up at night to check their blood glucose levels. It’s hard to be spontaneous because one always has be sure to have glucose available (juice, hard candy…). If they go into a state test where no food is allowed, they probably have to make arrangements to have their snacks, juice or hard candy with them. They have to hope they have teachers who understand that when they say “I feel low” it’s not something that can wait 5 minutes.

With apologies to Ginger Rogers - we do every thing that people who make their own insulin do, but we do it backwards and in very very high heels.

Thank you,
Kris, RN, BSN

This is ridiculous, dont you think?
Ive been a diabetic for twelve years (since I was six years old) and I have had my pump for six of those years. What teenager wants to carry around a syringe and bottle of insulin? What parent wants to have to worry about carrying insulin and syringes everywhere?
Let these poor kids go to birthday parties and eat cake. Its horrible to have to explain to other kids why you cant eat cake, its not fun either. Checking blood sugar is key. If your blood sugar is high, learn your body’s signs of telling you that and then give yourself an injection if you think the pump wont fix it quickly enough. Being a diabetic on a pump is like being in a healthy relationship. Communication is key. Know your bloodsugar, know what you’re eating, know how much insulin you need. Its not hard, even for an irresponsible teenager.

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 10, over the past 16 years i have had many troubles but always kept pretty good control. Looking at the comment that people have tried to commit suicide by using the pump seemed shocking until i thought about the things that i did. Many terminal children have depression and suicide rates are much higher. Since type 1 diabetics are “terminal” they naturally fall into that category. I once said that if God wanted me to live he would take away diabetes if not i would die. It took less than 24 hrs of no insulin before i was hospitalized (still less painful than 6 injections a day and the 6-9 times pricking a finger is). Pump or no pump kids will try to take away the pain in their life. The pump for me has been a blessing. My hemoglobin a1c (a test used to measure control over a period of time) was under 6.5 (the goal for most diabetics is 7)since age 19. Since having the pump i have been below 5. That means i have been a non-diabetic levels since i started with my pump. I would encourage all parents to be supportive of their kids and know that with good planning th epump can reduce much of the pain in a childs life.

My nephew is one of the leading ‘pump’ salesmen in the US. He’s been on the pump for a number of years, his brother also,- it has made their diabetes much easier to control- when they were first diagnosed, my sister made it THEIR responsibility to manage their disease- sound like more parents need to do the same- life is not risk free!

I am a 44 year old father of a Type I diabetic. My daughter was a little under two when diagnosed, she is now nine. She has been on the pump for a couple of years now. One comment I would like to make is that the people pushing/selling the pump downplay risks and go as far as to neglect telling you the risks of having the device. As a matter of fact, in our case, when the pump rep was questioned about risks, she tried to pass over them with generalized statements such as “risks are low in comparison to…” but when pressed for statiistical/empirical quantitative or substative detailed information on contraindications or morbidity or infection rates etc. she was clueless and unfortunately, to be honest, she is in the company of many if not most general practitioners as pertains not just to insulin pump efficacy and in the understanding of Type I diabetes care. Regardless of the therapy - DIABETES IS A DISEASE THAT MUST BE MANAGED every single minute of the day - every day for the tenure of that patient’s life. The better the hands on management the better the health of that person. Another thing that the pump pushers and physicians really lack in is in COMMUNICATING at all or at an effective level for the person who is going to be a the primary caregiver of a child diabetic. I have a degree in biology and my wife is a college grad so she and I were a little ahead of the learning curve - but to be honest, you would have thought the physician and pump pusher were selling carburetors to a mechanic. I could go on but I am going to write a book.

My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 when she was 4. Such a tramatic situation to be in as a parent let alone a child. She will be 9 in June and on the pump for 3 years now and we love it.
She is very active and we have good control of the diabetes. I would recommend it and would be a good sales person for the pump. The parents and caregivers really need to take an active role in the pump therapy routine. I still worry for her but know that we are better able to control her numbers.

As a mother of a 14 year old Type 1 diabetic that wears an Insulin Pump for three years now, the pump has been a gods send. It literally gave our family back our freedom and gave our son the most possible normal life he could live. We appreciate and respect the technology and have educated ourselves on not only the positive but the negative short-falls. Both my husband and myself know more than our Pediatrician about the technology and what to look for. Our specialists at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh made sure we knew what we were doing and in turn we made sure our son knows as well. Parents need to monitor their children continually and there is no other excuse. Monitor them Every day - Several times a day and do not make the excuse there is not enough time. As a professional commuting two hours every day and my husband being Active Duty Army - there are no excuses! It’s the parent’s responsibility and don’t blame the technology. We have had malfunctions but we have caught them because we are constantly checking with him - something diabetes educators make sure you understand when you go through the educational process of getting a pump.

Pay attention to your children and remember you are the parent.

My daughter has been a diabetic for 7 seven yrs. She has been on the pump for the last 2 years. I feel that the insulin pump has greatly improved her life. She is now closer to “normal” than when she had to carry around 2 bottles of insulin (she had fast-acting & slow-acting insulin requirements) and syringes everywhere she went. She also enjoys a more relaxed diet, including the option to eat “snacks” whenever her friends are enjoying them. The article makes it appear that we, as parents, are risking our childs lives by letting them have an insulin pump. When, in fact, if the researchers would have worked a little harder, they would have found that the pump, in most instances, improves a Type 1 diabetics live greatly. And, has no more or less risk than those Type 1 diabetics who continue to take insulin shots.

What I find most appalling is the number of “general practitioners” who are allowed to diagnose & treat diabetics, mostly Type 2, without any formal training in the field. My mother has been a Type 2 diabetic for over 20 years. She has NEVER been required to see a trained endocronologist, even though she has been on insulin shots for over 10 years. Before my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1, I did not fully understand how the body uses insulin and the many factors which can affect blood sugars. Afterwards, I strongly suggested to my mother that she make an appointment with an endocronologist and cease getting her prescriptions from her local doctor - because he has no idea what he is doing, he has never tested her A1C, never run thyriod or any other type of test to determine if there are other factors affecting her blood sugar. But, when she contacted her insurance company, they told her they would not pay for a “specialist” unless her regular doctor referred her to one. Of course, he would not as he was under direction from the insurance company to only refer “critical” patients to specialist.

If the media wants to find out why complications from diabeties is so common - they should talk to the insurance companies, and the FDA, and find out why unqualified doctors are allowed to treat these patients.

As for me, I will continue to allow my child to use the insulin pump. With proper care - which I make sure she is performing on a DAILY basis - she is no more at risk than if she was taking shots daily.

I have been a diabetic for 42 years. I have been “on the pump” for just over a year. I would like to suggest that mistreatment of insulin with a syringe is just as likely as with a pump, i.e., anyone can over shoot with a syringe, too, and blood glucose levels can get very high with this method also. I believe this AP article to be attempting to make an incredible story, where one really does not exist. In fact, the pump affords much greater control and will ultimately increase the lifespan of many more people than it will kill as children.

The biggest problem with the pump is the FDAs negligence in approving a mechanism to monitor blood glucose, as well as pump insulin, all with the same insert. This would be a true, external pancreas, with the pump constantly monitoring and making recommendations.

My daughter has had IDDM for almost 21 of her 22years. She use syringes until the pump became available. It worked well for about a year and suddenly it became unstable and acted very erratically at times. We went back to syringes and her sugars stabilized. It only takes a few hypoglycemic episodes from too much insulin to destroy all trust in electronic insulin dispensing. She has continued to control her sugars the “old fashioned way” since then. Yesterday she graduated Suma Cum Laude and her doctors report zero sequella of diabetes at this time.

I was struck by the tone of AP article - sensational headlines and over the top comments from physicians.

My 6 year old daughter was diagnosed a year ago with Type 1. We moved her to the pump approximately 7 months ago and we believe it was the best, most well informed decision we’ve made to date. We work with doctors at Columbia in NYC and the care, advice, training and oversight they provide is phenominal.

The impact this disease has on the life of a 6 year old is unbelievable. Things normally taken for granted - school, after school activites, sports, sleepovers, and even simple dinners at a restaurant - become extremely difficult to manage. The use of the pump has changed all that, and while my daughter’s life will never quite be the same, moving her to the pump has allowed her to feel “normal” again.

Of course, I understand that there may be risks. However, there are risks associated with manual injections and dosaging as well. I’m not sure that the article contained sufficient content to justify the tabloid type headline.

I think it is important as a parent of a diabetic to be in control of your child’s illness. My daughter is 20 and away at college now. She is on an insulin pump and has been for six years. She was diagnosed at the age of 5 and even though it is important that you teach them how to manage their illness you as a parent must take responsibility and make sure they are doing what they should in order to remain healthy. I can’t be with her while she is away at school but I hope that what was taught to her while growing up with this disease will carry over into adulthood.

Also, knowing the symptoms whether you are on a pump or on insulin shots is key. I know there are some children that can’t tell when they have hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia so constant monitoring is important.

I think all of us who do have children with Type 1 diabetes can tell you that we all want our children to lead a healthy life. It definately think the advantages of having the pump outweigh the risks. Depression is definately more prevalent in children with a chronic condition but who is to say that these children (sadly) would not have been depressed or committed suicide if they did not have diabetes and a pump.

I have to agree with the person above that commented that when you do an article like this there are two sides. There are many more advantages to having the pump than not having the pump and in all fairness those positives should be listed in this article as well.

This is a perfect example of a reporter out for personal gain. Notoriety of an statistically empty, inflammatory article and their personal fame is placed above the truth and much greater good. What has happened to journalism?

My nephew was on the insulin pump from 2003 to 2007. He also thought it was a God send. He was a type 1 diabetic from the age of 4. Twelve days after his 35th birthday he died. He had been having a lot of hypoglycemia episodes in the last year but his doctor kept telling him his A1C levels were great. After his death I surfed the internet and if you go to the FDA site and check the adverse events for 1/1/07 thru 12/31/07 you will find that there were 84 deaths 603 malfunctions and 1670 injuries all from one insulin pump manufacturer. These were all incidents on adult insulin pump users. Why hasn’t the FDA been concerned over these figures, to me one death is too many. The same response from the manufacturer on most of these reports is” Currently, it is unknown whether or not the device may have caused or contributed to the event as no product has been returned. No conclusion can be drawn at this time, we therefore consider this report complete to the best of our knowledge.” All I can say to everyone is do your research and be very cautious. After all these are your children and I do not want to see another mother cry everyday as I see my poor heartbroken sister cry for her son.

I became a Type 1 diabetic in 1985 due to an illness. I am also allergic to the additives they put in long lasting Insulin. For 9 years I suffered Neropathy, pain and other effects of my condition. In1994 I heard about the pump. When I asked my Endrocrinologist about it he would not recomend it because he wasn’t trained on it. I found another Doctor who was and received a Pump. The change was unbeleivable. My pain went away and I was able to resume a much more normal life style. Today after 14 years on the pump I am pain free and have not developed any further problems associated with the Disease. I travel quite a bit and am amazed by the number of other diabetics I meet whose DR.”s will not put them on the pump. The Insurance Co.’s are more than happy to pay for the pump as they know that Pumper’s have far fewer medical problems than those not on the pump. Sure there are problems from time to time but the Pump Companys provide 24 hour Technicle Support. I highly reccomend the Pump to anyone who has to take Insulin Injections.

Concerning the suicides, a child can use a syringe to do the same thing. The pump is a blessing, and just because some use it irresponsibly does not mean it should be “exposed” as something possibly dangerous. Give me a break. I love “Fox and Friends”, but when I heard the report this morning, I was so dissapointed. My 12 year-old has been on the pump for 4 years and her A1C tests are typically at the non-diabetic level. The doctors do help to determine who should be on the pump and who should not. Let’s not make a huge case out of this and make some who would benefit from the pump become afraid to use it.

Hi my name is Jennifer, I am a mother of a 12 year old girl who has had type 1 diabetes since she was 6. She was on shots until December of 2007. We did not have any problems with the shots. Since she has been on the pump we have had 2 incidents to where she went into ketoastis. I now get up 5 or more times a night and check her sugar and make sure her pump works right,the needle at the end had bent she did not get any insulin that night. I will agree that she has had alot more freedom with the pump, but anyone who gets the pump must and i mean must watch it closely.

I am a mother of a twelve year old girl who was diagnosed with diabetes at six, she was on shots until December of 2007 we moved her to the pump. She has had two incidents where her needle was bent she did not get any insulin all night and went into ketatosis. I now get up five to six times a night to check her sugar and make sure her pump is working right. I do agree that the pump has given her alot more freedom than what the shots did, but i will say anyone that gets on the pump must and i mean must keep a good eye on it and monitor it very closely.

First you state Juvenile diabetes equals type one diabetes. This is untrue. Juvenile diabetes is diagnosed between the ages of birth and approximately 25 years of age. There are hundreds of thousands of diabetics insulin dependent diagnosed later in life. They are not considered as junvenile diabetics. The only true statement is type one diabetes is insulin dependent. The later life diagnoses can be from: pancreatic (alcoholic’s dease) , gull stone, automobile accidents, war, weapons abuse, etc. The list goes on. (Not considered Juvenile diabetes). I live with someone who is on a Medtronic pump. (pancreatic-alcholic). This pump is a life saver. I can’t say enough about MiniMed and the Medtronic pump. Suicide is do to misunderstanding and depression. The key to using any insulation pump is education………MiniMed has a 24 hour hot line. Everyone who answers questions about the pump is a user. What more can anyone ask from a company? Their education is outstanding……………….

I think a lot of Fox news, however, do your research first. Negativity destroys. Truth educates.
Juvenile diabetes doesn’t equal Type 1 diabetes……………….

I’m a type 1 for 13+ years, dx’d at 11. Moral of the story is: don’t blame the pump, blame the people who misuse it.

As a 22 year veteran of type 1 diabetes and a pump user for the last 4 I agree with other commenters that the key to living healthfully with this condition is self-management. The pump allows for greater flexibility in life and in my experience has made keeping control of my diabetes much easier. However, technology is not perfect and infrequent malfunctions do occur. Without vigilant blood glucose monitoring several times a day and corresponding dosage adjustments whether one is on a pump or shots, a “normal” life is not possible. It is a daily struggle but one that I am reminded is well worth it after an uneventful pregnancy and the healthy birth of my daughter 8 months ago.

I have been a diabetic since 1981. I was taking at least 3, 4 and sometime 5 shots per day. I have been on the insulin pump since last June. I have had a couple of scary times. I changed the injection site to a new one. My blood sugar kept getting higher and higher. I changed the sight again and everything was just fine. Last week I have the same problem with high blood sugar. Somehow the hose had come loose. I took a couple of shots and got everything under control before serious problems occured.
You have to be careful with your sights, check your blood sugars at least three to four times a day. If you check it regulary you can prevent a problem.
I love my pump and would not like to go back to injections.

I am a type one diabetic and have been for the past 6 years. I had great A1C the first 4 years. It was uusually between 5.1 and 6.1. I did not go low often and I never had high sugars. A year before I moved off for college my dr wanted me to get a pump so I did. It work well for the first year and a half. Then all of a sudden no matter how much I bolosed or up my basal I just couldnt keep my sugars down. I changed insulins but still nothing. I lost 30 pounds and ended up in the hospital 4 times. 3 was for DKA and once for a low sugar. My pump would stop giving insulin all together and not tell me anything was happening till my blood sugar was greater then 600. Or it would dump the entire amount of insulin in me and I would end up w/ a horrible incedent. I felt horrible and looked horrible. The infusion set would ALWAYS kink up in a mater of hours. I went through 4 different types of infusion sets and 8 different pumps in a mater of 2 years. I almost died in the middle of the night from it dumping all the insulin on me (90 units were given in a matter of 2 hours). I would not recomend this to anyone. It was not misuse on my part it was faulty manufactioring. Also when you send in your broken pump they send you back a refurbished one. So if you are on shots and dont mind it stick w/ it. I would not recomend this to anyone.

I have been a type one diabetic diabetic since 1989 at the age of sixteen. For the first 14 years using shots and thinking that because I was young that nothing bad could happen to me complication wise ( stupid…very stupid thinking )I alot of the time ignored the management issue altogether. In 2004 my new endocrinologist decided that after a serious infection was further complicated by really high A1C levels…Hey lets get ya’ on a pump and see how you do with that. Admittedly a pump to start with makes you think that you dont have to keep up with the diabetes as much as with injections. This is wrong and you need to test frequently! I do think the pump has made my life alot better and has given me the chance to set some personal goals for myself that I did not think I would achieve otherwise. The one downside for me is that on injections with a slight case of hypoglycemic unawareness I was really aware when I’d have a drop and take action immediately. With a pump when a really bad hypo kicks in it seems like the effect of the low comes on fast and almost without warning….It usually happens when I’m asleep and not when I’m awake. All in all its great because A1C’s that were genrally very high over 10 are now down to 7 or less…The pump as has been previously mentioned is a device that is used in combination with good control methods and not a stand alone device that requires no other monitoring. That is dangerous !However because of the benefits that would far outweigh the risks in treating type ones who are kids and need all the “normal” they can get. IMO the pump is at this point the next best thing to a cure !

I think your conclusion is faulty–teens have trouble regardless of whether they are on a pump or a shot regiment. If you don’t take good care of your diabetes, having a pump won’t make a difference. Also, what are the stats for deaths for kids without the pump–I bet it is a lot higher than the numbers given for pumping kids. Your story says 13 deaths over a decade but doesn’t indicate which are from the pump and which were from carelessness on the part of the user. Our daughter has been on the pump now for 3 years–she is 11 1/2. She has had diabetes since she was 2 1/2. My daughter never got good control over her diabetes until she started pumping. The pump has been a lifesaver.

My 17 yr. old granddaughter, who had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of

twelve died suddenly in September of 2007. We thought the pump would help her live a closer to

normal life than she’d come to resent and hate so much. She had begun to manage so well after

years of struggle with her illness, then became ill and slipped into a coma. She celebrate her

18th birthday May 16th, five days from today if she’d have lived. She is unimaginably missed by

us all. I cannot attest to the fact that it was necessarily the pump or the severity of her illness but,

I would like more information. I suggest all families and endocrinologists, work very closely

with all of the patient whenever possible. Listen closely to what they say and watch very carefully

when they get tired of trying; the behavior that results can lead to death so suddenly.

I want to know what brand of pump “malfunctions” and overdoses you with too much insulin. As far as the pump cord kinking, you won’t die if your blood is 500 for a few hours. So, I think it is your fault if you don’t know your own symptoms for high blood sugar. Or if you are young, its your parents fault for not testing your blood over an extended period of time. If your pump does miraculously overdose, unplug it, and go on shots until you get a replacement pump.

kendyl - what pump did you have?