PUMPING SCHOOL TIPS

I am a mum of a 5 year old very energetic boy who uses an insulin pump. To help alleviate some of your potential fears, I wanted to share with you some of our “pumping” school tips.

Educate – Try to set up a meeting at school with all teachers and Teaching Assistants (TA’s) involved with your child’s care. Perhaps try to invite the Diabetic Nurse Educator (DNE) so that they can go through the Paradigm Veo™ or MiniMed® 640G teaching and care plans with the school.

Do your Homework – Work with your DNE to provide a Care Plan for your child detailing all of their needs including what to do when your child is Hypo/Hyper and also in an emergency situation. Include all Emergency contact details and agree this care plan with the school.

Provide Information – Share details of your child’s blood testing schedule, general information on the insulin pump and things that can occur when your child is pumping. Note: we provide our school with a user guide for the MiniMed 640G and step by step instructions on testing and using the pump.

  24 Hour Global Helpline 0800MEDPUMP (6337867)

Don’t forget your Supplies – Compile a list of all of the supplies needed for your child (a simple check list). Note: we laminate this and there is a copy in the classroom and also in the office. We provide the school with two boxes containing all of our son’s supplies, some of the items that you may wish to send to school can include:

• Test strips x 2 Boxes
• Lancet Device and Lancets
• Spare Bayer Contour PLUS Link Meter
• Batteries for Pump and Blood Glucose Meter
• Hypo Treatment -  Glucose Tablets, Lucozade etc
• Infusion Sets
• Reservoirs
• Pen, Needles and Insulin Cartridges (if appropriate and in case of pump failure)
• Glucagon Emergency Kit (if appropriate and check expiry regularly)

Remember you can order your supplies from your distributor or from Medipost
Medipost Contact +27 11 426 4560 or diabetes@medipost.co.za

Home/School Book – Keep in contact with school through your child’s home school book.

Top tip: we include details of Hypos/Hypers that have happened at home that could potentially have an effect at school and any other important details such as hospital appointments. School record all blood glucose levels, the time they do this (break time, lunch time, afternoon break and any other time when symptomatic), the amount of insulin given by the pump and also the grams of carbohydrate eaten and what is eaten. School also writes in when they need more supplies.

Food – If you provide a packed lunch for your child then include a list of the carbohydrates contained in each item. Note: we write these on an index card that is kept in the lunch box. We can add items to this if we wish and it acts as a food reference list. This way the carbohydrates can be counted for each item eaten and then put in to the pump.

This has helped us a lot in our School Journey.

Please share your school experience and advice with us Here.