Living with a Child Who is a Type 1 Diabetic: Part 2

Again, being able to manage you diabetes with as little fluxuation as possible is what is all about to ensure your complications will be minimal and you will be healthy in the long run. Exercise, proper diet, refraining from smoking and limiting alcohol will go far to enable you to manage your diabetesand help you to live a healthy life.

My son's being able to make the switch from the syringe injections to the pump has made a world of difference not only for him, but for friends and family members as well. The pump does come with its drawbacks and limitations, however, the pros far outweigh the cons. The pump can be expensive though most insurance plans cover them, can cause weight gain, can cause Keitoacidosis if the catheter comes out of the body for longer than an hour, need to be trained on how to use the pump usually requiring a lengthy training seminar, and the last drawback often complained about is the fact that the pump is continually attached to you with the catheter remaining in your body except for those instances where you would remove it, such as swimming, showering,exercise or site change.

The benefits as I stated, by far, outweigh the cons of the pump. Able to better manage your blood sugar levels, help improve your quality of life, allow you to exercise without first eating large amounts of carbohydrates, decrease the chances of low blood sugar levels, and allow you to be flexible with what a person with diabetes eats. Not to mention the numerous injections with a syringe that you are eliminating by switching to the pump, where you are talking about 3 infusionsets/site changes as oppossed to a syringe/injection after every meal and in the event that you have a high blood sugar level!