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Buy An Insulin Pump?

D

DunePlodder

Well-Known Member
Messages
861
Location
N Somerset
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was just looking at this page of the NHS Type 1 information hub:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/insulin-pumps/

I had thought you weren't officially allowed to self fund an insulin pump?
Has anyone done this & was it possible to get the associated paraphernalia (cannulas etc) on the NHS?
I'm doing too well to qualify for an NHS pump apparently..
 
DunePlodder said:
I was just looking at this page of the NHS Type 1 information hub:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/insulin-pumps/

I had thought you weren't officially allowed to self fund an insulin pump?
Has anyone done this & was it possible to get the associated paraphernalia (cannulas etc) on the NHS?
I'm doing too well to qualify for an NHS pump apparently..
Click to expand...

Hi,

I am totally in the same boat as you by the sounds of it. According to the NICE guidelines I cannot have a pump. Although I have been experiencing dawn phenomenon and having to object about 8-11 times approx to stay in control. I am trying to meet with another consultant outside of my own clinic to discuss as he knows my parents.

Where abouts are you from DunePlodder if you don’t mind me asking?

Thanks

Michael
 
Have you spoken to your diabetes team or are you just assuming you will not qualify based on your interpretation of the NHS guidelines?

According to my HB1AC, I will not qualify for a pump.
However, I was offered a pump based on the number of hypos I was having during exercise.
It was not stopping me from exercising but I was hypoing most times I went to the gym as my BG fell fast or going high when climbing to the extent that it limited the length of time I could climb.

Unfortunately, it is a postcode lottery.
 
I'm in North Somerset.
No I haven't - it was actually a fairly casual conversation with my GP.
I was just surprised to see that self funding was officially sanctioned & wondered if anyone had gone down this route.
I wouldn't do it until I'd exhausted the NHS option.
I think anyway that the killer would be the cost of the routine consumables - I'm already funding a Dexcom G6 which is quite expensive enough!
 
I'm aware of a couple of people that have managed to persuade the system to allow them to self-fund a DanaRS pump and get the CCG/Trust to pay for the consumables. Don't think they are members of the forum though. It's certainly worth a try if using INPUT's tips and tricks doesn't work....
 
dancer said:
I'm sure at least one person was given pump funding due to the number of times they had to inject each day to achieve good control. @donnellysdogs came to mind but it could be someone else.
Click to expand...
Might have been me. Was injecting tiny amounts (0.5-2u) up to 18 times a day to maintain control, as bigger doses would send me hypo. That was to deal with insulin resistance at certain parts of my reproductive cycle. Plus I was having to inject at 3&5am for dawn phenomenon every day. I got my pump three weeks ago and it’s completely changed my life. My HbA1c was in the forties.
 
Mel dCP said:
Might have been me. Was injecting tiny amounts (0.5-2u) up to 18 times a day to maintain control, as bigger doses would send me hypo. That was to deal with insulin resistance at certain parts of my reproductive cycle. Plus I was having to inject at 3&5am for dawn phenomenon every day. I got my pump three weeks ago and it’s completely changed my life. My HbA1c was in the forties.
Click to expand...

I don’t have to object that many times but it does really effect me, especially since I have previously had to see a health psychologist for needle phobia. Been diabetic for 30 years and still not really much further forward with it. I am like you though as I need to be up at least once at 3am basically every night to inject.

I only now have the proof of the dawn phenomenon as I have been self funding the dexcom G6. Before I had this info tho I was told by my consultant that I would not get a pump via the nhs as my hba1c was well within the guidelines.

Getting by is often tough but I just need to keep plodding on until something changes.
 
dancer said:
I'm sure at least one person was given pump funding due to the number of times they had to inject each day to achieve good control. @donnellysdogs came to mind but it could be someone else.
Click to expand...

I think @Mel dCP was also injecting many, many times a day st various times
 
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