What Now?

It's time to talk. Talk to your child's health care team to find out their attitude, experiences, and guidelines for kids and pumps. Here are some questions you might want to bring up.

• What have been your other patients’ experiences on the pump?
• What has been your experience with insurance covering the costs of a pump?
• Are there benefits of using a pump over shots?
• How will continuous insulin affect diet and exercise?
• What kind of training will I and my child get?
• How often will blood sugars need to be checked?
• Does it hurt?
• What is involved in switching from shots to a pump?
• How will we determine how much insulin to use with a pump?

Talk to your insurance provider. If the cost of an insulin pump puts it out of your reach, put your efforts into other intensive therapies, such as a basal-bolus combination of insulins that offers some of the same advantages as an insulin pump.

Most importantly, involve your son or daughter in the decision in a way that's appropriate for their age. They're the ones who'll wear the pump, control the pump, and ultimately determine whether this treatment works or not.

And remember, managing diabetes is a lifelong challenge. So take your time. Stay open to new possibilities. And keep searching for medicine's best treatment -- the one that works for your child.

Resources

• Learn more about insulin pumps and how they work.
  
• Our Resource Guide is a great source of information about insulin pumps, syringes, and other insulin delivery devices.
  
• Check out this list of 5 things to know before you start pumping.