Hi My name is Kaiya I am 17 and have had T1D for 5 going on 6 years. I am a T1D Mentor and I am looking for people my age to connect with.
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Hi Kaiya,
I am Haley. I am 16 and was diagnosed with T1D almost two years ago. If you want we talk with each other.
hi im lexi im 13 i recently was diagnosed
Heyo! Iām 15, just recently diagnosed (almost 3 months now), but itās been a journey nonetheless!
Hiiii
Iām Lise, 16 years old, T1D for 3 years.
Random question for those of you who have responded. How much of your diabetes care do you do on your own and how much do your parents do for you? Like pump or CGM site changes, shots, carb counting, dose calculating, etc.
I just went to the friends for life diabetes conference in Seattle and I was surprised at the difference from teen to teen.
I do pretty much everything (carb counting, pump and dex changes, moment to moment treatment decisions for highs and lows, all of that stuff) on my own but my parents follow my dexcom and they still know whatās going on. (just now my mom asked me if I remembered to eat the snack I bolused for 10 minutes ago). My parents are the ones making the doctors appointments and insurance stuff. But I do the day to day things.
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Hi there! My name is Makena, Iām 16 and I was diagnosed a little over a month ago. I have been looking to connect with people my age so this is rly great! Iām also going to an event tomorrow and hopefully will connect there as well. Also to answer your question Lise, even though I am newly diagnosed, I have been taking care of most of the stuff on my own. My parents support me and are there to help but I have been doing my site changes, dosages, and carb counting on my own. Itās helps me to feel in control even though diabetes makes you feel so out of control. Anyway, would love to hear more stories here and canāt wait to learn more. 
Hi Makena! Welcome to the āclubā! Hopefully you can connect with some more teens in person at your event!
I also like making the decisions because it helps me feel more in control. As Iām sure youāve already figured out, with diabetes a+b= x, y, k, or j. Donāt freak out if your BG is an angel one day and a devil the next! Oftentimes a little patience (and growling at your CGM or meter) goes a long way.
In other words, donāt get a bad case of diabetes OCD!
Do you have a CGM or a pump? Im currently using the dexcom g6 and tandem t:slim. Out of the two, I love my CGM most days and have a love-hate relationship with my pump.
Landen @REESEScups07 you were also diagnosed recently- are you interested in getting a CGM/pump?
Yeah I currently have a g6 and am waiting( not so patiently) to get a pump. Iāve been considering my options and I would love to know about how the tslim works for you with the g6 especially. Thanks for replying I really appreciate the connection since Iāve never really know anyone besides more distant family that has T1D. Sending smiles:)
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What pumps are you interested in? I know teens who love the omnipod because they like the tubeless option and the omnipod 5 algorithm works better for them.
I chose the tandem pump 2 years ago because besides Medtronic it was the only one that had AID/hybrid closed loop system. The control iq worked great at first but I havenāt used it in a while because it doesnāt seem to work well for my body/lifestyle (Iāve complained about that on this forum beforeā¦. 
). I have 4 teenage friends who are using control iq and they love it and it works great for them so Iād still totally recommend it! I donāt mind the tubing very much but it can be a pain sometimes.
As with any device, thereās always pros and cons. In my mind the pros are:
- more convenient than taking shots and you donāt have to pull out a needle in what could be an awkward situation. my family does a lot of sailing and I donāt like trying to take shots on a rocking boat!
- You can set different basal rates so if you tend to go higher/lower at certain times of day you can use those settings to minimize that.
- If you change your mind about what you want to eat after you bolus, as long as itās not too late, you can cancel the insulin your pump is delivering and adjust for what you actually are going to eat.
- Awesome in school not to have to leave the class and go to the nurse for everything!
Cons/ things I didnāt realize when I got my pump:
- Itās another device thatās stuck to you all the time- when you sleep, use the rest room, go to a movie, etc.
- there are kind of a LOT of alerts. Any alerts you get from the G6 are multiplied 2-3 times because you get it from Dexcom, the pump, and control IQ. Iāve set almost everything to vibrate otherwise itās just too much.
- Itās not a pancreas. It doesnāt do everything perfectly and it does malfunction.
- You do have to be mindful of where you put your site. Like with MDI you can inject into spots where you wouldnāt be able to put your site because of pressure/friction. For example, belt line or but. There are some areas where itās easier to put an omnipod and others where itās easier to put a tubed pump.
- Itās another thing you have to remember to charge. Small thing, but if you forget to charge it youāre in trouble!
- you have to carry backup sites and cartridges in case your pump fails.
wow 6 cons- Iām not trying to dissuade you from getting a pump! Pumps are great! I think most Pump companies have a loaner program where you can try out a pump for like 30 days before you decide if you want that pump for certain.
Integrated diabetes services (just google it) has a spot on their website under āresourcesā where you can compare different pumps and cgms. Iād recommend checking that out!
there are also diabetics on youtube who film pump reviews, site changes, and other videos that can be helpful. for example nerdabetic has an omnipod and t1dlindsey and michelle lord have tandem pumps.
feel free to direct message me if you want to chat more about pumps or anything else. I LOVE answering questions/swapping tips and experiencesā¦ evident by this miles long post. sending smiles
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Wow! Thanks so much for all of this I rly appreciate it! I was thinking that a tubeless pump would work better for me personally since I am a dancer and a performer so thatās the direction I was thinking to go in with the pump. Thanks for taking the time to write that post all about pumps and donāt worry, Iām so excited to get a pump!! I would love to talk more but Iām not sure if I quite trust anyone in the internet fully so Iām hesitant, sorry. But Iām sure youāre a wonderful person and these responses have been so helpful. Thanks again 
Donāt worry, I totally understand the hesitancy to private message someone online.
Omnipod would probably be better in that situation. Iām pretty sure that omnipod has a setting where you can raise your target BG when youāre exercising or doing a lot of activity to try to avoid lows. One of the more frequent posters on this forum switched to omnipod this summer and posted frequent updates on a thread about her experience. She switch from tandem to omnipod so not the same thing as MDI to pump, but you might find it informative! (You have to scroll down a bit to get to her posts)
Omnipod 5
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Heyo! Sorry for the late response, HOWEVER, I currently have a Libre 3, and I just switched over from my Dexcom G6 (Insurance reasons and I hate to say it, but while their customer service was incredible and they are always super kind, the constant issues with their servers or having to calibrate added up a bit for me) so while I have looked into a bionic pancreas or even just a pump, Iām extremely skeptical of the G6-7, because from what Iāve heard, the same issues can occur, which means it could mess with the pump a bit much, so unless those issues get worked out (which Iām 100% sure they will) then Iām a bit cautious on getting a pump incase my G6 is wrong, or something like that happens, but so far both the CGMs are incredible tech! And besides I do love being able to tell people Iām a cyborg/bionic
I was talking to a mom of a T1D the other day and she said that once a little girl asked her daughter what her cgm was, her daughter answered āIām a robotā and starting moving as if she was a robot and the little girl actually believed her!
What issues were you having with the G6? Besides the insurance thing. Just curious. Calibration isnāt required for the G6. I usually calibrate once if my readings are 35 or more off but otherwise calibration just messes up the readings.
What are the biggest differences youāve noticed between the libre 3 and the g6?
Also Iām pretty sure that omnipod and tandem either are working on libre 3 compatibility or already are compatible with libre.
Iāve stopped using CIQ on my tandem pump because I couldnāt trust the CGM readings 100% of the time and the auto blousing for highs at the wrong time or not the right amount drove me nuts. It wasnāt bad, per se, just super annoying. Iāve have gotten pretty good at tweaking basals every few days and using temp rates. I love my CGM but it has to prove itself first before I will trust it!
Basically, if you want to (and are able to) get a pump, get a pump and donāt worry about the CGM thing. Especially if you think the issues will be solved soon. Thatās my opinion, youāre free to take it or leave it 
My mom thinks my pump is awesome, Iām a little less enthusiastic. I think pumping without any algorithm and MDI are pretty equal as far as pros and cons go. Cgms on the other hand are pretty amazing. Even when they mess up.
I donāt know if youāve heard of DIY looping but you should research it. (Even if you donāt do it, you seem like the type of person who also loves to nerd out about everything diabetes related )
hi how are yall i just got a dexcom the newist one
The G7!!?
How do you like it? Have you had a CGM before?
yes i love it and no i havent what about you do you have a dexcom or a pump?
Iām currently using the tandem pump and the dexcom g6. I appreciate my pump, love my dexcom.
Iām trying to persuade my endo to get me the G7 because the upgrades from the G6 look awesome!
Btw, I love your profile picture!
thx me and my friends where being funny in art class
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How have your friends reacted to your diagnosis?
some but ik who my real friends are now some made fun of me and posted it on tiktok