Re: Insulin pump
Dear hale710,
Thank you for your comments, my young friend. You MAY need to do some further reading as although NICE is supposed to cover the whole of the UK, there MAY be some differences for those who live north of the border.
It's good, my friend, that your consultant has already brought up the fact that you could have a pump if you meet the criteria ... pregnancy in this case, in his/her estimation. (I'd been diabetic for more than 20 years before pumps became available in this country, so it's reassuring that more doctors/consultants are appreciating the value of them in blood glucose control. Even now, there are still only 38 of us in the area where I live that have pumps. Initially, this was due to cost, and the reluctance of Primary Care organisations wanting to fund the ongoing cost of replacement set changes (reservoirs and cannula sets). I can say, with my hand on my heart, that pump use has kept me out of hospital much more than MDI ever did.)
Discuss it, my friend, but don't let on that you're not planning on getting pregnant just yet. That would give him/her the opportunity to say that you can't have one yet, until you're reading to become pregnant.
I'm reasonably sure that you understand that good blood glucose control is imperative during pregnancy, and pump use offers this. In fact, pump use offers greater, more accurate blood glucose control for every diabetic. You can make tiny adjustments to the amount of insulin that you infuse, and you can control when you want to eat, and the amount you eat to suit your needs. This is where it differs greatly from MDI (Multiple Daily Injections).
You do, of course, need to have your pump connected to you 24 hours a day as pumps only use fast-acting insulins, which gets 'trickled' in at a very slow rate 24 hours a day. i.e. you don't use a long-acting insulin, such as Levemir, Insulatard, or Lantus. Without being connected to your pump your blood glucose levels would very soon rapidly rise, which can be extremely dangerous. (I'm sure you probably already know about Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), which often leads to the sufferer being admitted to hospital as an emergency patient for urgent medical attention. This occurs when insufficient insulin is available. i.e. if you miss injections or don't take a sufficient dose of insulin to cover the amount of carbohydrates that you imbibe ... either eat or drink.)
Strictly speaking, there are times when you can remove the pump, such as when taking a bath or shower, when going swimming, when having sex, etc. but you need to be aware that you've been without insulin for a while so you definitely need to check your blood glucose levels. Remember? You have no long-acting insulin acting in the background. (There are a few pumps that are water resistant, but there are also ones that are not.)
It MAY seem strange that you need to be connected to a machine all the time, and you MAY wonder where to put it, either during the day or when you sleep. To be honest, this is not a major concern. There are several ways you can wear your pump ... and hide it away from display if you're worried what others might think. There are straps, pouches, clips, etc. that enable you to wear the pump around your body. As for sleeping, pop it under your pillow, or do the same as me and let it 'float around' the bed. If you wear pyjamas or a nightie, clip it to your nightwear. (Give me a shout if you'd like to discuss it more.)
I wish you well, my young friend.
Lots of Love and Light.
Mick
x x x x
x x x
P.S. Please don't be offended or alarmed at the "x's". It's simply a logo, of sorts, that I've used for some 30-odd years now.
I don't think I have seen any negative points about the pump at all yet.
