How to use insulin pump + juvenile diabetics

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Hi---

Can you list a good website re how insulin pumps work/adjusting doses?

Will have 6 diabetic children @ Summer camp --owned by a Pediatrician + daughter director who is diabetic --they will take care most issues. Pumps have come out since I'm no longer doing bedside work. My adult geriatric diabetics don't use. Have rudimentary understanding along with reading school nurse board re need carb counting --scant experience too. 

Thanks for any websites and advice!

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My kids all use OmniPod Dash.  They have great Youtube videos: https://www.Youtube.com/channel/UCgwZ9hRegg6DZXqY4ji60vQ

It's really easy to use.  They can be programmed to have different basal rates at different times of the day along with different carb ratios at different times of the day.  I am assuming the parents will already have that all done when they drop the kids off.  So all I'm doing is typing in the exact grams of carbs for each meal/snack and then typing in BG level.  The machine does the math for me and I press submit to get the bolus going.  I can also put in a bolus of my own choosing if appropriate. Right now all I really help with for the kids is finding grams of carbs for food items and double checking that they've typed in the correct numbers.

The only hard part is putting the pods for the insulin pump on.  It can be tricky, and I actually have never done it.  The few times we've had a disconnect we either ditch the pump for the day and use back up insulin or parents will come put a new pod on.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Thanks will watch videos

 

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Any Carb counter apps recommended?   Sleepaway camp so kids will be with me 8 weeks.  Other infirmary staff 2 nurse interns informed yesterday. Sure to be an interesting Summer w/ covid added value.

Glad I've become addicted to this forum to keep me updated w Peds issues as no grandchildren---yet.

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Specializes in kids.

Joslin Clinic in Boston has lots of resources geared to school nurses

https://www.joslin.org/patient-care/pediatric-care/pediatric-educational-programs/school-nurses-education-program

 

Good Luck!

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I've found that I generally need to Google the specific pump to watch their video.  They all seem to have pretty complete and educational websites.  Older kids are generally great resources.  I have definitely used an older child to help explain to a younger child or new pump recipient some helpful hints and procedures.  They seem to have a knack for explaining things in terms that will be more understandable than my medical jargon.  

There's a camp for diabetic children in my state: https://www.campnejeda.org/  THey may be a helpful resource.  

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Thanks for all the advice.  Lots to review in next 2 weeks!

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For me, the trickiest part to having a type 1 diabetic at Summer camp is overnight. The activity level at camp is so much higher than at home plus there's different food, snacks all the time, and the excitement of being around friends all day/night. During the day, the fluctuations are relatively easy to manage but at night they'd end up bottoming out. 

The first year we had a camper with diabetes, the overnight on call nurse was in her cabin 3-5 times a night for the first week and the camper was almost sent home. In the end, her endo adjusted her basal rates and we would send her to be running a little high (180-200) and that helped. 

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