Insulin Pumps and how do you get one?

graflynn

darlingdotty wrote: »

That's very encouraging to hear! Thanks for the update!

Do those of you with pumps think they may be suited to teenage kids rather than younger ones? I've read on the UK boards that the kids love their pumps, but I'm not so sure....

No! I think every one should have the opportunity to decline/accept a pump. Yes, children & teens may have issues but would so many of them be using the pump still if they didn't love the freedom it gave them?

You know that you could also inquire about a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System? You don't need a pump to have one of these. It's much cheaper than a pump and it would give you more information about your daughter's blood sugars.

robinph

New Animas pump on the way that works with a continuous meter:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/animas/49461/

Will be a while I guess before it's actually available, but in about 4 years when my current pump is retired I'd happily upgrade to one with the wireless meter as well.

eilo1

I wouldnt hold my breath for it Robin,

I have the medtronic pump that works with a real time sensor to give you 24h GM but the HSE wont fund the sensors. At the min they cost about 45euro and only last about 5 days.

robinph

Just hoping that they have something like that available as standard in four years, would probably only just be becoming available as standard by then really. Think I'm stuck with my model of Animas for about that long anyway, or until Animas tell the NHS they have to buy me a new pump as this one isn't guaranteed anymore.

robinph

Just rolled over in bed, reached to untangle myself from the pump, no pump. :eek:

I'd forgotten to plug myself back in earlier after a brief disconnect. Doh!

eilo1

robinph wrote: »

Just rolled over in bed, reached to untangle myself from the pump, no pump. :eek:

I'd forgotten to plug myself back in earlier after a brief disconnect. Doh!

Just woke up and realised there was no pump, Id forgotten to put it back on after a bath last night!
18.8 this morning ughhhhhhh

robinph

Must be something in the water, making us both forget to plug back in.

eilo1

robinph wrote: »

Must be something in the water, making us both forget to plug back in.

there really must be! I did the same thing last thursday only I got all the way to work and only realised as I walked in the door, had to head all the way back through rush hour traffic! lol

robinph

Bigger disconnection issue last night and didn't notice until I woke up early, ran to the loo, and then wondered why the cable was hanging loose. Must have been unplugged all night.

Not felt that bad in a loooong time.

eilo1

Thats one of the bad things about the pump you can end up very sick very quickly as there is no background insulin at all.

robinph

Yep. I'm off to Glastonbury tomorrow to miss-behave for a week, and the fact that there is no background insulin to save me from myself is a tiny bit scary.

It should actually be easier and safer though in reality as I've only got to inject once every couple of days and so can do that in the safety and relative cleanliness of the campervan. Previous years and needing to take a shot whilst out and about the site in the mud is not actually that good an idea thinking about it. Can just keep my sites safe and clean and not worry about them between changes, only needing to remember to test and press a few buttons when required.

graflynn

Hi there,

I'm just curious about this because a lot of people who ask me about how I got my pump seem to think that they won't get one so they don't bother asking. Or they blame the HSE because they can't get one.

So! My question is how many people out there have been refused a pump by the Long Term Illness Section of the HSE?

I think answers to this question might help others who want pumps to get them.

robinph

I was not refused one in Ireland, just the consultants that asked me if I was interested in one then never really gave me the information to make a decision such that I could say "Yes, I'll take one of those please". Or they just changed the subject when I then brought the subject up again at another meeting.

Turn up in the NHS system, possibly I'm then sounding a bit more confident of the idea, but make a couple of comments to the GP and specialist nurse, get referred to the hospital and within 8 months of me making the first comment to the GP I'm on a pump.

I did get the impression that they really didn't want to give me a pump in Ireland, but this is just my vague impression of it through one hospital/ consultant. I didn't push the idea fully at that stage though so can't really say if I'd have got one or not through the HSE.

eilo1

Had a hell of a day today, I got up at7 and changed my set before heading into an ICU training day on placement. At 10.30 I was 19.8, I didnt do an early morning test as I was running late and didnt eat anything so couldnt be sure if I had been high all night (I had a take away last night ).
So I took a big correction and then ate a scone (I know I shouldnt but was starving at this stage) and a generous bolus for this.

Come lunch time two hours later I was 28.4 :eek:. So I went straight to my locker and changed my set. The canula was in a V shape as it came out!!! :mad::mad:

Only I was in a bit flustered and didnt realise that I had forgotten to fill the line.........:o

Anyways after another 2 hours my meter told me I was HI as in over 33 :eek:!

So at this point I was so annoyed with Medtronic I wanted to throw the pump out the 6th floor window of the conference room.
My tongue was literally stuck to the roof of my mouth. It was horrid!

Anyways I left the training day and let my senior know I was legging it home.

When I got home I checked ketones (small amount present) injected 6 units of novarapid, reset the pump for the 3rd time and headed to bed with a pint of water.

Was back down to 3.4 by 7pm! Im seriously thinking of taking a pump holiday. I keep making silly mistakes and ending up in a heap.:(

CramCycle

graflynn wrote: »

So! My question is how many people out there have been refused a pump by the Long Term Illness Section of the HSE?

I'm asking again in September to get one and I plan to be civil but ignorant till its agreed. There's a young one in the house now and my minor f*ck ups as rare as they are have to be gone by whatever means possible. I've kicked the control into overdrive as much as possible but if it helps I'm all for it.

uli84

great, informative thread. to anyone on medtronic pump (or any other probably)-do you know if it is possible to upgrade to a newer model of a pump either by paying for it or in any other way?

robinph

I think that the pump companies only guarantee them for 4'ish years to the heath service, so after that time they would be pushing a new one in your direction. Doesn't mean it would be the latest model though, just they would be trying to get rid of the old unit that you have. As they are in the region of €4,000+ for the unit, plus the costs of the supplies, you really need to have the health service on your side as far as the funding of it goes.

How long have you had your current pump, and are there any problems with it?

robinph

Was a couple of us at the pump clinic this afternoon and at one point during the chatting we both said things along the lines of the health service not getting the pumps back from us, they were ours, we liked them and they would have to take them from our cold dead hands...or words to that effect.

The nurse said that she often gets people saying things like that to her about the pumps. But there is never any suggestion from her that they would be taken back. It's just once you have the pump, it becomes part of you, you learn how to use it to make your life better than it was before on the MDI and there is no way you want to go back.

I guess we get a bit emotional about them after living with it so closely.

robinph

They went and got me to change the ISF setting on my pump from 3.0 to 2.0 the other day after deciding that the corrections were not bringing me back into range quick enough. I'm not convinced by the maths that they used to figure that out though as she just took my total daily dose and divided that into 100.

I'm failing to see how the total daily dose determines how sensitive I am to insulin when other things such as reduction in dose due to exercise, or how much I eat were not taken into account as effecting that daily amount. Seems to be a very crude way of picking a number out of the air.

Have to keep going with this setting a bit more yet, but so far I think it is actually now overdosing me for the corrections. I'm may just change it to 2.5 or something in a few days if it keeps on having the same effect, and isn't just down to other factors sending me low. Anything I'm finding on the interwebnet so far is all in US numbers as well so have not yet decoded them.

Anyone able to explain the seeming bluntness of that 100/ total daily dose calculation to determine your sensitivity? I

ciarabarry

signed up at the start of the year to get one in the CUH..they have only started giving out pumps this year, and I was told that they were giving 2 a month in january, turns out they still have only done one or two I am 16 and I have good control (hba1c 7.2 last time) they said if i start carb counting and really fine tune it i will get a pump..but how long will that take! ugh sorry rant over, just annoys me that in the US kids get them straight away when diagnosed and here they start everyone on injections when pumps are definitely the better way to go...and I know they are extremely expensive..but wouldnt they eliminate diabetes related health issues in the future as they allow for better control..just a thought :rolleyes:

robinph

You definately need to start on injections first, just so that you know how to if something goes wrong when on the pump.

Sounds like you are on the course to a pump though. Keep going with the carb counting as that is essential for the pump, and it will make a whole lot more sense when you are on it too.

graflynn

ciarabarry wrote: »

signed up at the start of the year to get one in the CUH..they have only started giving out pumps this year, and I was told that they were giving 2 a month in january, turns out they still have only done one or two I am 16 and I have good control (hba1c 7.2 last time) they said if i start carb counting and really fine tune it i will get a pump..but how long will that take! ugh sorry rant over, just annoys me that in the US kids get them straight away when diagnosed and here they start everyone on injections when pumps are definitely the better way to go...and I know they are extremely expensive..but wouldnt they eliminate diabetes related health issues in the future as they allow for better control..just a thought :rolleyes:

Here, here! I hope you and all your friends and relatives logged on to www.diabetesaction.ie to fight for your pump? The more support this group has from you and everyone who knows you the sooner it will happen.

xxshebeexx

graflynn wrote: »

Here, here! I hope you and all your friends and relatives logged on to www.diabetesaction.ie to fight for your pump? The more support this group has from you and everyone who knows you the sooner it will happen.

I didn't realise pumps were hard to get Every time I go to the hospital, they're practically pushing me to get a pump, even when my control was very bad.

ciarabarry

a pump really sounds great, so much more freedom and I think it would be so much easier to control! thanks graflynn i sent it off there

robinph

Someone just came into the office with some sticks of rock, but assumed I wasn't allowed any. Took one anyway, stuck it on the office scales used for weighing the post and then had a bit of the stick of rock.

I was looking at it a bit nervously before hand as I couldn't remember the last time I had any. Feel a bit daft saying so, but was almost a bit emotional eating that bit of rock.
Pressed some buttons on the pump, job done.

tbh

robinph wrote: »

Someone just came into the office with some sticks of rock, but assumed I wasn't allowed any. Took one anyway, stuck it on the office scales used for weighing the post and then had a bit of the stick of rock.

I was looking at it a bit nervously before hand as I couldn't remember the last time I had any. Feel a bit daft saying so, but was almost a bit emotional eating that bit of rock.
Pressed some buttons on the pump, job done.

nice it's mad, I'd eat six mars bars in quick succession but I would refuse a glass of full-fat lilt "because I'm diabetic"

CathyMoran

tbh wrote: »

nice it's mad, I'd eat six mars bars in quick succession but I would refuse a glass of full-fat lilt "because I'm diabetic"

I am the same...

Serously thinking of starting the process for getting the pump - I know that I had said that I would feel that I was never away from diabetes when I had it but it is controlling me now and I want what is best so that I can be a good mummy.

robinph

CathyMoran wrote: »

I am the same...

Serously thinking of starting the process for getting the pump - I know that I had said that I would feel that I was never away from diabetes when I had it but it is controlling me now and I want what is best so that I can be a good mummy.

That is one of the things that was making me feel a bit hesitant before getting the pump, the feeling that you are always going to be attached to the diabetes thing from then on. It has only been 8 months or so that I've been on it so far, but I'm not feeling like that at all. Well apart from when it falls off my belt and I get a tug on my belly.

Of course I had also read other people saying the same thing about it not being an issue before hand, and know that you will never believe that it isn't an issue until you have a pump and are doing it for yourself.

ElBarco

CathyMoran wrote: »

I am the same...

Serously thinking of starting the process for getting the pump - I know that I had said that I would feel that I was never away from diabetes when I had it but it is controlling me now and I want what is best so that I can be a good mummy.

I've been on a pump for about 8 years now. It's quite disturbing to realise it's that long! I've been up and down with results over the years but that's been because I've been lax about management and I feel the fact the pump was always there stopped me going completely off the wall.

Having a son now has motivated me to really get to grips with the whole thing. Latest results are in (6.8 A1C!) and I fully attribute this to the pump. It gives (for me) an incredible level of control. Takes some time and some skipped meals to get the basals right but I would wholeheartedly recommend it. In fact I've just enjoyed some popcorn and a couple of beers and I know that I've a better than good chance that my readings will be ok in the morning.

Fire up some questions if you have them - I'm sure people would be happy to answer them.

Coletteh

If you want to know all about pumping there's a great book called "Pumping Insulin by John Walsh". Also a great website for information is www.tudiabetes.org. It's American but really good