My child was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two months ago. We try very hard to manage his diabetes, but his blood sugar is not stable. Very often, he has lows and highs. We were asking our doctor about pump therapy, but he said that is too early for that because, at this time, our son takes only 10 units of insulin daily. Is pump therapy better way to manage diabetes? Is it recommended for children in the early stage of diabetes?

An insulin pump can offer many advantages. When managed by a knowledgeable physician that takes care of children with diabetes, it can offer very precise insulin delivery at meals and for the child’s basal insulin needs and fewer injections (one infusion set change every three days compared to many injections per day on shots). If an insulin pump is not feasible for you, I would still recommend talking to an informed diabetes educator to learn other advantages and disadvantages of pump therapy. In the meantime, you should also focus on ensuring that you are using correct insulin dosing by reviewing blood sugars with your diabetes team frequently.

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