August 30, 2001
Insulin Pumps
Question from Fort Worth, Texas, USA:
Our nine year old daughter, diagnosed at 16 months, is profoundly deaf in her left ear. Both my husband and I are also hearing impaired, and we are trying to find the right pump for all of us. Our concern is that he won’t be able to hear it when she is asleep.
She has already tried the H-TRON plus with saline for two days, but it beeped often, and we couldn’t figure it out. We have found out that the 508 insulin pump vibrates. Will this pump be good for hearing impaired people?
Answer:
You should discuss your specific needs with your diabetes team since they can give you best advice. I would imagine that a pump that has a vibrating alarm would work well for hearing impaired people.
You might also meet directly with the representatives of the three pump companies (Animas, Disetronic, and MiniMed), have them demonstrate their pumps, and let your daughter have a saline trial of each. That way, you be better able to decide which one works best for your family.
SB
