"We can’t imagine having to deal with tubing and carrying around the traditional pump–that just wouldn’t work for us knowing how much easier using an insulin pump can be when you’re using the OmniPod."
When Emmabella was diagnosed with diabetes she didn’t want the shot that came along with each meal or snack, so she wouldn’t eat. Her parents looked into different insulin pumps, but couldn’t imagine their little girl carrying around all of that equipment and they couldn’t handle the restrictions that came along with the tubing. They decided a pump was not right for Emmabella–until they discovered the OmniPod System. With the OmniPod, Emmabella no longer has to take a shot every time she eats, she can have snacks when her classmates have snacks, and she has re-gained the flexibility and independence her family thought she lost when she was diagnosed.
In 2006, Emmabella celebrated her fifth birthday and started kindergarten a few days later. It was an exciting time in her life and she loved every minute of it. Little did we know how quickly things would change.
That October our nightmare began. Our once vibrant, bubbly little girl just wasn’t herself. It was like she went to bed a normal healthy kid and woke up the next day sleepy, moody and sickly. She began consuming bottle after bottle of water, using the restroom every 45 minutes and was ravenously hungry. I took her to the pediatrician and was shocked when she told me Emmabella had type 1 diabetes. Nothing could prepare us for what was to come.
Emmabella started out on insulin injections, often receiving up to six a day. At times she wouldn’t eat so that she wouldn’t have to take a shot. It made everyday activities so complicated. Snack time at soccer practice turned into a moment I would dread. Emmabella wanted the snack, but didn’t want the shot. How do you explain to a five year old that in order to eat she had to endure a painful injection?
Emmabella’s endocrinologist suggested we start her on an insulin pump. She showed us different pumps, but as I looked at all of the wires and tubes, I thought, this is not for us. How is Emmabella supposed to be a normal five year old with tubing hanging from her? She plays soccer, swims, dances and runs – I was not going to limit her in any way.
Then I found out about the OmniPod System. This was the answer we were looking for. No tubes or wires, and automatic insertion (site changes with traditional pumps scared me to death). The small Pod and separate PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager) was everything we needed. The OmniPod changed our lives.
After three months of being on the OmniPod, Emmabella’s A1C dropped a full point. Her blood sugar was much more stable with fewer highs and lows. Being able to also choose several different basal rates and adjust them to the precision of .05 really made a significant difference in her overall blood glucose levels.
For me personally, the stress has been lifted from the daily pressure of giving insulin injections. I used to worry about inaccuracies when drawing up insulin or in my calculations, but the OmniPod has given me the peace of mind to know that Emmabella is getting exactly the amount of insulin she needs when she needs it. She just enters the carb count into the PDM, doses the insulin and is ready to go in less than a minute. I no longer have to be with her each time she eats and she can go to school, play dates, birthday parties, soccer and swimming, and be like every other child.
Now Emmabella is 9 years old and has the independence she had before she was diagnosed. She has the flexibility to eat what she wants when she wants and the OmniPod keeps up with her busy schedule without missing a beat. The Pod withstands hours in the pool, soccer games, cheerleading–everything. We change it every three days, which just takes a few minutes and “doesn’t hurt at all,” as Emmabella says. She keeps the PDM in the nurse’s office at school, tucked in her purse when she is on the go and on the kitchen counter when we’re home.
We can’t imagine having to deal with tubing and carrying around the traditional pump–that just wouldn’t work for us knowing how much easier using an insulin pump can be when you’re using the OmniPod. It has made it possible for Emmabella to be herself again.
Visit www.emmabellasbelievers.org to learn more about her story and her involvement in the diabetes community.
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