Julie and Tom Costakis
The diagnosis turned our lives upside down. We went from the happy-go-lucky family that went everywhere and ate anything to being completely scheduled. Everything had to be done according to the clock. Our whole family – we have two older sons – revolved around Grant's shots, Grant's mealtimes, Grant's dietary needs and Grant's fluctuating blood sugars. The poor little guy didn't want this; he didn't even know what was going on.
My parents moved nearby to help us face our ever-increasing challenges, especially to hold Grant steady during the many painful injections. I was in tears at least once a day. I never slept more than an hour at a time. I was constantly worried about his blood sugar; concerned that I'd made a mistake with his insulin.
Six months later, when Grant was 18 months old, we were approved for insulin pump therapy. I was nervous at first. Grant was the youngest patient ever to use an insulin pump, so there was no one to talk to, no one else's experiences to draw from. It took me a couple of months, but eventually I realized that the pump would be a much more effective means of managing his diabetes. Instead of injecting Grant four or five times per day, the pump required only one "stick" every three days. So on his second birthday, we put the syringes away and began using the MiniMed insulin pump.
It was very important that we were vigilant for Grant's first month of insulin pump therapy. We watched carefully to be sure that the basal and bolus rates were right, that his blood sugar wasn't dipping too low or jumping too high. As we grew accustomed to treating Grant's diabetes with insulin pump therapy, our lives returned to "normal" and Grant finally began to experience the freedoms a toddler should enjoy. We were able to travel again. We were able to be flexible with mealtimes. His Hba1c improved significantly and he had fewer "highs" and "lows." The pump allowed us to better manage his blood sugar during illnesses, such as the stomach flu. At last, Grant was able to visit his friends' houses. We found that while most people, such as teachers and parents, wouldn't give Grant an injection, they were willing and able to help manage Grant's blood sugar through his insulin pump.
While Grant sometimes gets frustrated that he has diabetes, he has never resented the insulin pump. He recognizes that it makes his life better, and the only time he takes it off is when he plays an entire quarter in basketball, which the insulin pump allows him to do.
This year an older boy at school thought Grant's pump was an mp3 player. Grant, who's usually very quiet around older students, proudly shared with me that he responded, "This is no mp3 player -- it is much more important! It's my insulin pump!"
