Advice on insulin pumps

[Lucia1]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some more info on the pump. I am looking into having one and dont know if its the right choice or not. Im worried about having it on my constantly. Any advice please

 

[claire1991]

Hi @Lucia1

I was the same as you before I went on my pump.
The idea of being attached to a machine for the rest of my life was really off putting.
However, going on my pump was the best thing I ever did. My control has tightened and I'm achieving hba1c levels that I haven't had since childhood.
My injection sites have greatly improved and I'm feeling much happier as a person now that I'm more controlled.

With regards to having it attached to you all of the time you barely notice it, I clip mine onto my bra or wear it in my pocket.

There are lots of ways you can attach it to your clothing so you can easily hide it.

Before I committed to having my pump I got the chance to wear one for a week with just saline solution in it so you can get used to the feel of it without jumping whole heartedly into it so that'll be good for you. If you wear it for a few days and don't like it you simply take it off and that's the end of it.

There is lots and lots of support on this forum with regards to pump therapy if ever you're stuck.

I don't know your age or situation but if you every wanted children and got pregnant the pump is brilliant for control with that too.

All the best!
Claire x

 

[zoze_j]

Hey @Lucia1

I was the same for YEARS - really wary about having a pump/wearing it all the time/clothes etc. But I can honestly say it's the best thing I've ever done. I don't know about yourself, but I had dreadful control before, and now after just over a year with Percy, I actually feel like a normal human being again! Plus, I'm lazy so it's great not having to manually work out how much insulin I need for the carbs I'm eating!

But as I said, it really is the best thing I've ever done. At first it did taken me a while to get used to the canula - I was dipping & diving all over the place trying not to bump it or anything, but I soon realised they're pretty tough!!

 

[zoze_j]

Also, I wear mine in a special band that goes around my waist, makes it eay to whip it out to use & also carries it discreetly

 

[Lucia1]

Hi. Thanks guy. Im 29 and ive got 2 children so thats it for me. Ive always had really good control and HBA1C but since having my daughter a year ago im finding it hard to keep good control and Hba1c has gone up to 7% highest its ever been. My injection sites are so sore and its so painful to inject now. Only thing is everytime i mention it to my nurse she doesnt seem to want to put me on it. How did you guys get one? Im having high levels alot more now and im struggling.

 

[Lucia1]

Also ive heard with a pump the area can get infected is that true?and does it ever just fall out?

 

[claire1991]

It can get infected from what I've heard but I've had mine for two years and it's never happened to me. It has fell off once or twice but only if I've moisturised the area before putting it on!

Funding is the hard part.

I got mine because my hba1c was really high but it wasn't quite high enough to get one so for a short while I made it slightly worse on purpose in order to get it approved. (I'm not recommending anybody does this!!)
Have a look online for the NICE guidelines and that will tell you what qualifies for a pump. I'm sure if you lay it on thick about how much you're struggling that will go in your favour.
It did take me two years to get funding approved though, that's the hard bit unfortunately.

Claire x

 

[noblehead]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give me some more info on the pump. I am looking into having one and dont know if its the right choice or not. Im worried about having it on my constantly. Any advice please

Have a look at INPUT , it has some really great information and advice on insulin pumps:

http://www.inputdiabetes.org.uk/alt-insulin-pumps/is-it-provided-by-the-nhs/

 

[Sarahkylie88]

Hi lucia1

I was exactly the same, I was on pens for years, have only just changed to the pump. I knew exactly where I was with the pens and although I had a few highs, it was manageable and my hba1c was 6.6-7.2. I had a difficult pregnancy with my diabetes when j had my son 5 years ago. They tried to put me on the pump when I was pregnant and it freaked me out! A girl I work with got the omnipod about a year ago. I really liked the thought of this as it wasn't attached by wires and you could still have your "freedom" without being attached to it as it is only a small pod that it connected to you. I have been on this 4 weeks now and already I absolutely love it! I had a rocky start but now I think it's brill! I think it can be quite difficult to get funding for these, but it may be worth enquiring about. I feel it has given me the ability to do achieve what I couldn't on pens whilst still not using tubes! That's just me personal preference but I think u sound similar! X

 

[Diamattic]

Hey @Lucia1 - I worried the same thing - about always having it on - and i can say that it sucks lol BUT having a pump is MUCH better then MDI even with great control. The pump has freed me from having to keep my pens close by, and remembering to take lantus every night.

It sucks that you have pump attached to you at all times, but after a few months you learn to tuck the chord in and just clip it to your pocket/belt, or grab it when you get up in the night. When you think about it, you probably always have your phone in your pocket anyway so its nothing really that new.

Bottom line - It sucks, but its totally worth it and gets better over time. I would recommend a pump to everyone who has the ability to fully understand how they work.

 

[Lucia1]

Thank you everybody. I only see a diabetic nurse at my gp for my diabeties. But i spoke to her the other day and she has got me an app to see a specialist at the hospital so once I get to see her ill ask her about the pump. I just feel like i would be much better with a pump as having 2 little ones running around it is hard to keep up with injections etc.

 

[liverdie]

what about the costs involved with the pump? I presume the NHS would only find low income earners

 

[misswhiplash]

I was also a bit iffy about wearing something all the time, but, having got my sweaty little hands on a lovely Omnipod a bit more than a year ago, I wouldn't give it up!
As @noblehead says above, Input have some good advice on the NICE guidelines for funding (no @liverdie - it has nothing to do with income in the UK - in fact, I believe it's not completely straightforward to self fund pumps even if you wanted to) but they seem to be becoming increasingly available to more and more people, which is good.
I didn't strictly fit the hba1c criteria when I asked for mine, so I went to my appointment armed with all kinds of data and arguments about the alternative criteria which were much more relevant to me. In fact, when I got there, I just said "I'd like a pump, please" and she basically just said ok