looking at pumps - advice wanted

[JeffGoodwin]

I hope this is the correct forum it is well over a year since the last message was posted. I am looking at pumps now, mainly because I have had a good few hypos at night mainly in bed but some while watching TV that I did not see coming, It seems more and more difficult to get on top of them. In fact I normally go to bed high now just to be on the SAFE side. My HBA1c is great and has been for many years, so I know I am doing something right, but the hypos are quite distressing for my wife who has to bring me around from them. One of my problems is if I go for a pump will this affect my driving.licence, I drive almost every day and could not be without a car. Just to let you know I have been a type 1 diabetic since 1974. Any advice ??

 

[Juicyj]

I hope this is the correct forum it is well over a year since the last message was posted. I am looking at pumps now, mainly because I have had a good few hypos at night mainly in bed but some while watching TV that I did not see coming, It seems more and more difficult to get on top of them. In fact I normally go to bed high now just to be on the SAFE side. My HBA1c is great and has been for many years, so I know I am doing something right, but the hypos are quite distressing for my wife who has to bring me around from them. One of my problems is if I go for a pump will this affect my driving.licence, I drive almost every day and could not be without a car. Just to let you know I have been a type 1 diabetic since 1974. Any advice ??

Hello Jeff, it would be a good idea to create your own thread on this so you will get some support from other members, if your are ok with this I can move this into it's own thread ?

 

[JeffGoodwin]

Thank you juicyj. Will you inform me of the details please after you have done this. Jeff

 

[Jellybaby98]

If you are looking to get a pump on NHS, ask your consultant what pumps your hospital offers. I am in Wales and am looking at going onto a pump. I done so much research and chose the pumps i thought would be good for me only to be told by my consultant that they cannot get funding for those pumps they only offer certain ones.
Very dissappointed as i am not a fan of the pumps they have, they seem out dated

 

[Dia-Casey]

I've been busy trawling through the mass of NHS sites to find some clear info on what pumps are available. I know this question has been asked, and answered before, but I wanted to see some definitive info.

On my travels I came across the Centre for Evidence-based Purchasing (CEP), which is the department of the NHS which publishes recommendations on the use of medical devices. They have produced 'buyers guides' for a number of devices, including insulin pumps.

The guide covers all the aspects of choosing a pump, and also includes ratings based on the opinions of diabetics using the devices. I have provided a direct link to the guide as I feel it would be invaluable to anyone deciding on what they need from a pump.

This is publicly available information, so I hope that there is no issue with posting it here.

http://www.pasa.nhs.uk/pasa/Doc.aspx?Pa ... P08004.pdf

 

[Dia-Casey]

Hello! I'm a new member here and live in the US. I go through Minimed Medtronic. I hear your first insulin pump is free. I use the 630g CGM pump. Check it out sometime and best of luck to you. The insulin pump changes my life for the better.

 

[JeffGoodwin]

I have found the list of pumps from icarusman above on this page http://nhscep.useconnect.co.uk/CEPProducts/Catalogue.aspx but it was written in 2008. More pumps are now available.

 

[himtoo]

Hello Jeff, it would be a good idea to create your own thread on this so you will get some support from other members, if your are ok with this I can move this into it's own thread ?

following a response from @JeffGoodwin agreeing to the move -- I have moved this to it's own new topic on behalf of @Juicyj

 

[Deleted Account]

One of my problems is if I go for a pump will this affect my driving.licence, I drive almost every day and could not be without a car. Just to let you know I have been a type 1 diabetic since 1974. Any advice ??

There is no reason why a pump would affect your driving license.
To be honest, regular hypos that require your wife to help you come around is the thing that could affect it.

As @Jellybaby98 suggests, I would talk to your consultant about the options before doing too much research on which pump: you don't want to get your hopes up about a particular pump only to find it is not offered in your area or you have to join a 6 month waiting list.

 

[Chas C]

I hope this is the correct forum it is well over a year since the last message was posted. I am looking at pumps now, mainly because I have had a good few hypos at night mainly in bed but some while watching TV that I did not see coming, It seems more and more difficult to get on top of them. In fact I normally go to bed high now just to be on the SAFE side. My HBA1c is great and has been for many years, so I know I am doing something right, but the hypos are quite distressing for my wife who has to bring me around from them. One of my problems is if I go for a pump will this affect my driving.licence, I drive almost every day and could not be without a car. Just to let you know I have been a type 1 diabetic since 1974. Any advice ??

Hi @JeffGoodwin

I've been IDD since 1970, I too drive with a pump and it causes me no issues.
I had similar issues to you with reasonable HBA1c's but struggled with night time hypo's causing morning rebounds. Moving to a pump improved my already good HBA1c's and helped me to stabilise my night time BG's.
Being able to set your pump to give you the right amount of insulin you need on a hourly basis rather than using a 12/24 hour long lasting works really well for most of us, you do have to put in a bit of work to get it right.

 

[catapillar]

Having an insulin pump has no impact on driving licence.

But having hypos that you do not see coming or hypos requiring third party assistance may impact on your driving licence. Do discuss your severe hypos and your hypo awareness with your medical team @JeffGoodwin .

 

[CJOtter]

Hypos that require third party assistance might even mean that you qualify for CGM.

 

[jemmaedias]

Hi Jeff - I cannot claim to know anything about the driving! But I had the same problem with nocturnal hypos and in the evening, every night! I slept through them and I would wake up with migraines and it was only when I invested in Freestyle Libre CGM (which I highly recommend for monitoring nocturnal hypos - you may even qualify for NHS funding for it) that I realised I was at around 2 for hours each night. My hypos were used to gain my pump finding and I've now been on my Medtronic MiniMed 640G for 2 months. My nurse was able to decrease my basal insulin between 6 pm and 5 am compared to the rest of the day. Everything has settled down nicely and I haven't had a night time hypo since. I can't speak for other pumps but mine is a miracle. It's also so easy to use and makes everything much less stressful!