Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Words For Wednesday....The Insulin Pump

If any of you has taken a quick moment to read my statement to the right you will see that a portion of every sale from my Esty shops, is donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (click here). This is very important to me because my son was diagnosed with Juvenile or Type 1 diabetes when he was 12 1/2. He is 18 1/2 now. Over the past 5 years alone there have been TREMENDOUS strides made in advances for Type 1 diabetics with new insulins and the PUMP. The pump is a very high tech device which, through an infusion site that is attached to Edward's body, gives him tiny drips of insulin all day and all night. It is programed to give him different amounts of insulin depending on the time of day. When he is more active during the day, he receives more insulin than when he is sleeping. These settings can be changed and tweaked according to how active he is. He has to count every carb that he eats, and with calculations that he plugs into the pump, it then gives him the proper amount of insulin to 'cover' what he has eaten. The WONDER of the pump is that he needs no shots, and the control of his blood sugars is much tighter. This brings the level of complications further on down the line, WAY down. He must change the infusion site every couple of days, so yes, that may hurt for a moment. It has all sorts of bells and whistles if anything is wrong, but that is rare. It is because of research dollars that this pump was invented and has become so extremely sophisticated. There are new pieces that can be added to this, but he is not ready to put another infusion into his body every couple of days. It's been a long haul, but he's doing GREAT. He just finished his Freshman year at college and did an EXCELLENT job of managing his diabetes. He's a great kid, he's funny, he's a gifted artist and we are very, very proud of him.

12 comments:

The Muse said...

I am so in tune with the problems that your family faces...with our family having been hit by diabetes it all too quickly brings back the memories...

I am so intrigued by the new technology at our fingertips now, compared to just several years ago!

You know that I wish and pray for the best for your son, I know one thing...he has a GREAt MOM!

Amy Lilley Designs said...

Thank you for your kind words, as I pray for your family as well...

Unknown said...

That is amazing, Amy! What a great idea, and it has to take some of the worry off of you. My son will be 17 next month, and he has Asperger's Syndrome (falls under the autism spectrum) so one of my worries when he goes to college is that he might not take his meds. Being a mom just never stops does it?

Thanks for including me in your Etsy mini too :-)

Amy Lilley Designs said...

The pump takes away ALOT of the worries...I SO empathize w/ you, as a Mom, (always a Mom) and your son's situation...I pray the very best for him!!!

I will keep you current in my etsy-mini..I love your work!!!

Deb DiSalvo said...

Amy-
great info on the pump. I know I told you my youngest brother has diabetes, and to be honest, I'm not sure if he uses the pump or not (last I knew, he was still doing the shots). I'm off to call him now about it! Thanks, Deb

Amy Lilley Designs said...

Yes, Deb,you did tell me about your brother a while back...the pump is a wonder...PLEASE, if you or he have any questions, ask away...hope he's doing well!!!

Neva said...

What a great post and your son sounds like a very mature young man. I hope a cure is founod in his young lifetime.

Amy Lilley Designs said...

Thank you Neva...WE PRAY that cure is just around the corner.....all the best...

kml said...

They have come a long way for this disease - and for a young man he seems to have a good grasp of controlling it. I hope for all the best for him - and for the rest of his supportive family!

hugs,
K

Amy Lilley Designs said...

THANK YOU KML!!!..I'm soooo glad that you read this...your story about your Mom was what inspired me to post this about my Son...w/ my prayers for you and your family...AND A CURE!

all the best....

James said...

alt + 171 = ½

this can be nice to remember,

alt +172 = ¼

james

April said...

I think that's wonderful that you donate sales from your Etsy shop to the JDRF! I do the same thing with a CafePress store (www.cafepress.com/dillonsdawgs).

My 15 year old son was diagnosed with JD when he was 8 and he's been on the pump for about 4 years now.

Let's just keep hoping they can find a cure!