Myth:

My child is too active to have something like an insulin pump attached to them all the time.

Reality:

With a sturdy design and the ability to be tightly secured to the body or even detached, insulin pumps allow your child to participate in the physical activities they enjoy. In fact, because you can easily stop insulin delivery before your child begins exercising—something you can’t do with basal injections—your child will have greater flexibility and greater protection from dangerous lows when they’re active.

Myth:

If my child wears a pump, everyone will immediately know they have diabetes.

Reality:

With insulin pumps becoming more and more like cell phones in both size and appearance, wearing a pump is very discreet. Your child can even completely hide their insulin pump by wearing it underneath their clothes.

Myth:

Wearing an insulin pump would be too painful for my child.

Reality:

The infusion site for your child’s pump should cause them no pain, and it usually doesn’t take long for pump users to get used to wearing their device. In fact, most even forget they’re wearing it until they need to deliver a bolus of insulin. What you and your child will notice, though, is the dramatic reduction in needlesticks—from 3 to 4 daily with injections, to only one every 2-3 days with a pump.

Myth:

My child’s coaches won’t even let them wear jewelry so I shouldn’t consider a pump

Reality:

Many athletes report better performance after going on a pump and their lifestyle becomes much easier to live with. For contact sports, your child may disconnect the pump for games and practices (for up to two hours). Your child may need a snack with a small bolus before the game—your diabetes clinician will help you and your child determine the right routine to keep blood sugars stable while they enjoy sports!

Myth:

My child can’t swim if they’re on a pump

Reality:

Disconnecting from the pump while swimming for up to an hour is normal. Just make sure to monitor your child’s blood sugars while disconnected from the pump.

Myth:

Pumps are too expensive. I’m afraid my child will accidently break it

Reality:

It’s hard to place a price tag on improved glycemic control and prevention of diabetic complications, but Medtronic works hard to make it affordable for all people with diabetes. Medtronic also provides all pump purchasers a no-hassles product warranty that protects them against accidents and malfunction.

Myth:

Inserting an infusion set and having a needle always stuck into my child will hurt and cause infection

Reality:

Inserting an infusion set needle feels about the same as inserting an ordinary syringe needle. Fortunately, no needle remains in your child. Instead, a small flexible tubing called a cannula helps to deliver the insulin right under the skin. After a couple days, your child will usually not even notice the infusion set is there. If proper cleaning techniques are followed and the infusion set is changed every 2-3 days, infections are not common.

Myth:

My child must be in good diabetes control (have a normal HbA1c) before starting a pump

Reality:

Good diabetes control is often hard to achieve with injections. Having the motivation to control diabetes is more important. If families are motivated to achieve better control, the child usually does great on pump therapy, regardless of their current A1c.

Myth:

My child can now eat anything they want.

Reality:

While it is true that using an insulin pump gives your child more flexibility in terms of when they can eat and the types of food they can enjoy, good nutrition is still key to avoiding weight gain and maintaining glucose control. With the help of your healthcare team, you can help your child on a pump incorporate their favorite foods within their eating plan.

Myth:

Even though my child is good with computers, I don’t think he should get a pump because I won’t be able to understand the technology.

Reality:

Helping your child to successfully manage their glucose with a pump is often as easy as entering the blood sugar and meal information—then pressing enter. Your child’s pump will even do the work of keeping track of insulin, so there’s no need to write anything down.

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