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May 28, 2001

Daily Care

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Question from Hewitt, Wisconsin, USA:

Our six year old daughter has had type 1 diabetes since she was 18 months old, and we are still having problems controlling her blood sugars, years later. Her levels are like a rollercoaster, up and down constantly. So much, that she has to have an aide while she attends morning kindergarten, and we are looking for an aide when she starts first grade.

We are looking for anyone that had the same problems with their children. The last resort is the pump, which are seriously considering. Can you offer any advice? I should also note that both my husband and myself are working full time plus, and any changes with our daughter affects not only us, but the school, the babysitter and daycare which we use as backup.

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

You are certainly not alone. Managing blood sugars in a six year old can be quite frustrating. Your child indeed may benefit from some of the flexibility an insulin pump offers. In addition, the pump may allow a little more ability to micromanage blood sugars which some of the intermediate and long lasting insulins have difficulty doing.

In my practice, the next step after struggling for so long would be to try an insulin pump.

MSB