Pump or no pump

After our rollercoaster day, I made an appointment with the diabetic educator. It had been a few months since we last checked in. Her response to Nathanael's rollercoaster was we need to think about a pump. This of course made his day. She explained that a pump would better keep him regulated especially since he is heading into puberity. She explained that a pump would give him insulin continusously helping him to keep his blood suger more stable. I resumed my research on pumps. Trying to figure out costs and which was is the best for Nathanael. Insulin pumps are like anything else. There are so many models with a lot of features. The price range varies from $800 to $8,000. The cheapest I have found on the internet is the Omnipod. This is a tubeless system. The insulin goes in a pod which the person wears and carries a remote. The nice thing of this one is that its tubeless. The pods are $85 for a pack of 10. Our insurance does help cover the cost of a pump and supplies. Pumps are considered durable medical equipment. What that means is that we pay 100% of the cost until we reach our deductible. Then we pay 25% of the cost. Our cost per month is going to just about double each month if we choose to get a pump. I am struggeling with the idea of getting him a pump. Not just for the increased costs but I want to make sure Nathanael really truely knows how to manage his diabetes. This is still really new to us and I want him to manage on his own first. He tends to not think about what he is eating or isn't counting correctly (if he counts at all). He is too much of a free spirit. He figures he can correct later. This makes me crazy! Today he had been home by himself most of the day. By the time I got home and made supper, his blood sugar was in the 400's. He just doesn't realize what he is doing. Sometimes he needs constant supervision. This is our first Christmas with diabetes and so far it isn't going so well. He just doesn't have self control. It's hard to expect him to have self control when we adults don't have self control when it comes to food. The only difference is, is that our pancreas does its job. Nathanael's doesn't.