Pump failure hits Uk news

[MushyPeaBrain]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... -died.html

 

[phoenix]

(she) has come to rely on an insulin pump to regulate her blood sugar levels
The pump attached to Miss Fitzpatrick's leg slowly drips feed insulin into her body at a steady rate and means she doesn’t need to inject herself or test her blood sugar levels throughout the day

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z2b6Ab4ycX

Well that's a big misconception, I sincerely hope that's the Mails mistake and not hers. I know some people can go very high, very quickly but I do wonder when was the last time she tested.

 

[hale710]

(she) has come to rely on an insulin pump to regulate her blood sugar levels
The pump attached to Miss Fitzpatrick's leg slowly drips feed insulin into her body at a steady rate and means she doesn’t need to inject herself or test her blood sugar levels throughout the day

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z2b6Ab4ycX

Well that's a big misconception, I sincerely hope that's the Mails mistake and not hers. I know some people can go very high, very quickly but I do wonder when was the last time she tested.

I cringed at that line too!

 

[amberzak]

I was thinking the same thing. Sensationalistic journalism


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[Giverny]

(she) has come to rely on an insulin pump to regulate her blood sugar levels
The pump attached to Miss Fitzpatrick's leg slowly drips feed insulin into her body at a steady rate and means she doesn’t need to inject herself or test her blood sugar levels throughout the day

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z2b6Ab4ycX

Well that's a big misconception, I sincerely hope that's the Mails mistake and not hers. I know some people can go very high, very quickly but I do wonder when was the last time she tested.

Well it is the Daily Mail... :lol:

 

[Hooked]

Sensationalist journalism at it's best. :roll:
Or perhaps she has one of those monitors attached that continually check?

 

[amberzak]

Even if she does, one night with no Insulin, while would make you ill, wouldn't put you in a coma. I've been without insulin for nearly two days (long story and it wasn't my fault) and I was very very ill, but certainly not nearly dead.

It's the way it said 'woke up very thirsty, a very dangerous sign for a diabetic'. People are ill for days, even weeks, before diagnoses. I highly doubt this girl was close to death. And if she really was, why had she left it than long and not done anything about it? Surely if your pump is broken long enough to risk coma you would notice it long before.


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[ConradJ]

I was advised to resort to insulin via injection if I discover that my BG's are rising significantly after a couple of hours whilst using the pump... there are a variety of possible issues that can occur with pumps.

Pump users should always take a backup precaution with them when they're more than a short walk from home.

 

[sw11bloke]

I agree. Surely after having diabetes for all those years, she should have felt that her sugar was high! I believe that she never tested her BG.
I have read articles before where people allow themselves to run high so that they shed weight. Being a beauty queen, could this have been the case?
I have had a medtronic pump before and I know how mine beeped when the insulin supply stopped or if the tube kinked!!!
She may have turned her alarms off? After about 5 years of wearing my pump, I got to a stage where mine beeped too much which is what made me stop wearing it.

Glad she survived.

 

[Switch2501]

Scaremongering dramatisation at the top of the article followed by the facts right down the bottom.

While I'm glad this article raised awareness of pumps, I'm disappointed it was this sort of story that did it.

The sceptic in me feels this is a publicity thing...


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[amberzak]

The sceptic in me feels this is a publicity thing...

You know, I think you might be right


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[Cupcaake32]

I have had ketoacidosis twice and it took about 3 weeks for hospitalisation (i was 18 and in denial and reduced my insulin to barely anything) so surely if she was that ill she would have beeping noticed it wouldnt have happened over a day unless she was having a lucozade iv drip

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[Cupcaake32]

Have you seen the comment from someone its diabetics own fault they should have not eaten so much sugar and only drink water yh coz im sure thatd stop my body trying to kill itself stupid idiot but i do love the 161 dislikes on that comment and all the diabetics up in arms wanting him to appologize for his ridiculous comment

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[Debloubed]

Sensationalist journalism at it's best. :roll:
Or perhaps she has one of those monitors attached that continually check?

Even if you have a CGM you stil need to test regularly 8)

 

[iHs]

I think there have been some nasty comments made regarding this article but what this has done by being a newspaper article is make people think that insulin pumps are dangerous and so many might be a bit dubious of ever asking for one.

Its true to say though that no one using a pump should get too laid back on controlling their bg levels taking everything for granted as some people suspected. The person did test as that is how she found out just how high her bg levels had gone but at least she got hospital help and is all ok. People should also note that the insulin pump that she was using at the time, was suspected of being faulty and has now been replaced. Whether the faulty pump was the Spirit Combo as shown in the photos or whether the Combo pump is now the new one, needs to be clarified as not sure if Accu chek will be all that pleased.

 

[ingrid]

Hi all, not sure you're all on pumps, but IT IS possible to go into a life threatening ketoacidosis on a pump WITHIN A FEW HOURS because e.g. If a pump malfunctions you can have NO INSULIN whatsoever going into your body. Since there is no long acting insulin around for back up, DKA can come on very rapidly, especially if say, you've eaten and thought you'd bolused for it, but actually no insulin's gotten into your body. Or if it happens overnight, you could be asleep for several hours without realising the symptoms of high BG were appearing.

It's something you're warned about when put on a pump. It is very dangerous and can easily happen in a very short space of time. I'm glad if no one here has experienced it, but diabetics on pumps do, it does happen. Please don't say 'because X hasn't happened to me, it can't happen to someone else'...we're all different for a start, and in this case DKA can come on rapidly.

And if she were intentionally mis-running her BGs to lose weight, her diabetes team would remove the funding for her to continue pumping. You have to initially fulfil and continue to fulfil strict criteria to be on a pump.

I think this is typical Daily Fail sensationalist **** personally....would they have written an article about a middle aged, overweight, relatively unattractive pumper who fell into life threatening DKA to highlight the dangers?! Nah!

NB re the BG testing bit, most pumpers test MORE OFTEN once on a pump!! And that's because it is more dangerous and necessary to catch potential DKA (or lows) before it gets to a dangerous level (as well as striving for the better control which is possible on a pump). As for 2.9 million diabetics in UK, why don't they distinguish between Type 1s & 2s - it is Type 2s which is dramatically on the increase and costing so much, and often (though not always) lifestyle related. More bad journalistic misinformation through omission resulting in ignorance and slandering about Type 1 diabetics!

Rant over

I love my pump btw ))

 

[Sarahfergo]

Some of you seem to have lack of knowledge on the insulin pump this article got it spot on, I have been dka with the pump because it leaked out my canular and I went very ill with in hours I was rushed to hospital, on the pump if you don't get your basal rate it's down hill from there! Very negative people you should do some research before judging !!!


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[Sarahfergo]

Once dka I was informed if not rushed to hospital I would slip in to a diabetic coma, I was diagnosed extremely ill I was in intensive care and only had an hour left to live


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[Sarahfergo]

And one of you who said she doesn't test how the hell do you know when I went HI I didn't feel it but I test 6 times a day you people frustrate me!!!


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[Switch2501]

I'm on a pump and I test 8+ times a day. I change my set in the morning before breakfast so If there is a problem I'll know about it.

I understand you are frustrated but each diabetic is different (with some similarities).


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