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Can some one help please ?xx

L

lauren_gee_x

Well-Known Member
Messages
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Hi guys I have been looking at getting a pump for a while, but I haven't got a clue were to begin I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking at.

Do all health boards supply them or do you need to purchase it your self, do you need insurance ?

I'm completely lost as to what to look at I've seen the Omnipod one which looks awesome as it seems so small and unnoticeable. Has anyone used this if so what do they feel ?

I would be glad of any information that you guys can pass on :Dxx
 
Lauren,
There is a world of difference between "looking at getting a pump" and actually getting one - in my experience anyway.
I spent a lot of time reading about insulin pumps for several years but it was not until I completed a DAFNE course two years ago that the possibility became a reality. My health authority policy was such that successful completion of a DAFNE course was a fundamental "must have" before offering anyone an insulin pump.

If I were you, I would discuss pump therapy with your DSN or Consultant and find out what your health authority criteria are before you do anything else - get the show on the road asap - it can take ages. (Waiting times for a DAFNE course in my area were in the order of at least 12 months and that was 3 years ago). When it comes to which pump - you may not have a choice, you may have a wide choice - its all dependent on the Health Authority who fund your care.

Hope this helps,

Alan
 
Alan is right. I'd start by discussing it with your DSN that you would like an insulin pump and they will be able to advise you. It's a bit of a postcode lottery at the moment, I was able to get funding for a pump within a week, but I know other people who have been on a waiting list for several years. You need to be able to carb count, and sometimes they won't consider you unless you have tried everything possible on normal injections and still fail to get your readings under control.

When it comes to the type of pump, you might not have the option to choose. My hospital can only get funding for Medtronic Paradigm Veo pumps, so I didn't have a choice. Omnipods are also more expensive than most other pumps on the market at the moment, so it might be even more difficult to pick one of them up because a lot of hospitals won't be able to get the funding.

I love my Veo and it's also unnoticable. I usually keep it in the pocket of my jeans or I wear a sports bra over my normal bra and pop it in there. Nobody has ever noticed it unless I take it out :) I never even notice it's there.

Hope this helps. Good luck with everything!
 
Thanks guys

theres no chance of my getting on a daphne course as my health board doesnt offer it.

If i dont get funding from the nhs then i will be buying one on my own.
Im currently on 4 injections a day and i feel that my sugars aren't under control as their away upto 23 at times even after taking a correctional dose.

I liked the omnipump beacuse theres no canular which would be difficult in my job as im often luggin boxes etc about and i would be frightened that it would get caught and pulled out.

Thanks again :D xx
 
Hi Lauren,

You can do the DAFNE course online. The guys who have commented are right, you will struggle to get a pump funded without being able to show you can successfully carb count and to be honest the pump won't work unless you can either. It's fundemental in the pump being a success.

Many different hospitals have different ways of going about the pump proccess. The only way you will know is to ask!

The pump is quite expensive to fund, so if you are planning to self fund one, you will need to research the costs to know you can afford to do so. Of course this hopefully will be a very last resort.

Not all hospitals demand that you have to exhaust every avenue with multiple daily injections and not succeed to get a HBA1c below 8.5% alot of people get pumps to help with hypo's. Lots of hypo's will give a lower HBA1c so that isn't always a factor.

On the NHS they only offer a select amount of pumps, i'm not sure if the omnipod is widely available although i have read of a few who have got an omnipod on the nhs, again the only way you will know is to ask.

I've caught my cannula on stuff and ripped it out, quite annoying! there are many ways going around tubing etc. I was very nervous about my pump at first and as in the mind frame it was made of glass! but their made to be durable!

As said before, waiting times can be over a year, so the sooner you get the ball rolling the less you'll have to wait! :)

good luck!
 
Thanks

The carb counting isn't an issue my dn is amazed that i took to it so quickly had been doing it 2 weeks and she was amazed ive only had one time were ive miss counted. I see them on Tuesday so will get the ball rolling then, ive had rumors that there's people in my health board with the omnipump so will be interesting to see what happens.

I would be quiet nervous to get the other ones because of the cannula as ?I have a very hyperactive dog who constantly jumps as its her only way of telling us what she needs/wants.
Does it hurt inserting them or is it painfree ?xx
 
That's excellent then. Your consultant will have be the one to give you the go ahead for the pump, so i'm sure if you DN is pleased with your progress then your consultant will be too.

The only way to know is to ask, great that you don't have to wait long to see them then! There may be some conditions to you getting a pump, HBA1c targets or carb counting for a period of time, or they may just say yes straight away, you never know. I was told i had to get a HBA1c below 9% and do the DAFNE course and keep a diary of at leaast 4 BG results a day.

I keep my pump in a pocket or bra. The cannula is always in my stomach and i simply tuck the tube into my jeans or bra so it's not hanging out able to be caught on anything. It takes some getting use to remembering to tuck it back in when you go to the toilet or get changed.

The cannulas you can get are different, steel ones or teflon ones. some are inserted and a 90 degree angle and some are inserted sideways. depends what works for you. I use a 6mm steel cannula inserted at 90 degrees. Mostly the insertions are painless, just like injections sometimes they sting a little but i wouldn't say it's painful at all. the cannulas are a little thicker than needles but not much difference at all. The teflon ones are thicker than steel ones as you need an 'introducer' to be able to insert them because they are designed to be flexible under the skin. An introducer is a steel needle within the teflon cannula so you can insert them into the skin, after you've stuck it down the introducer is pulled out with the insertion device.

It's harder to explain and makes it seem more complicated, there are some youtube videos by accu-chek that show you digitalized videos of how to use cannulas, i watched them before i decided which cannula i wanted to use.

I originally chose a teflon cannula because the idea of a steel one sort of freaked me out, but two weeks in the cannulas were re-called as there were complaints the cannulas were kinking under the skin and people werent received insulin correctly. After that i chose the straight foward one i use now (rapid D-Link) they are much easier to insert that teflon ones, you can get a device with teflon ones that fire them into the skin using a device but i never used one myself.

Teflon cannulas can be kept in up to 3 days and steel ones up to 2 days, this is because you are more at risk of infection with steel ones. Although i have never had any infection and i once left mine in for 3 days accidentally.

You can also get tubing in different lengths so you could choose a short length if you are worried about catching the tubing. i use 30cm length and im happy with it as it allos some room for it to be in my pocket and going to the toilet. sounds weird i know but i thought of everything before i chose mine, i cut a peice of string to a certain length and carried around, and tested it to see if it was better long or short.

Probably best if you wait see which pumps are available then you can look into the different types of tubing and cannulas that the manufacturer of that pump offers.

Hope all goes well on tuesday, let us know how you get on and good luck :)
 
No problem at all, very long post wasn't it:)

Looking foward to hear how it goes:)

good luck!
 
Most infusion sets connect/disconnect at the cannula, but some have the connector about 10cm from the cannula, along with a second adhesive patch. The idea being if the tubing gets pulled it disconnects at the 10cm point instead of pulling the cannula out. Saw these in my Paradigm Veo brochures but other pumps probably have something similar, ideal for children who do lots of rough & tumble. Something to ask about when deciding which pump to go for.

Here's the paradigm example: http://www.medtronic-diabetes.co.uk/product-information/infusion-sets/sure-t.html
 
Here take a look at this site www.input.me.uk

Here you will find all the information that you need..

Such as the verious pumps available on the NHS (funded) and the NICE guidelines concerning who is entitled to recieve funding etc..

You don't have to sucessfully completed any carb counting course it's a myth, generally used by clinics as a stall tactic... Same as demanding that you fit the HbA1c's criteria you don't have to fit all the criteria set out in the Guidelines just part of them...

Also input are able to help if you find yourself in the position of having to battle either for your pump and/or choice of pump..

As to the Omipod..

It isn't as good as it looks..
 
jopar said:
You don't have to sucessfully completed any carb counting course it's a myth, generally used by clinics as a stall tactic... Same as demanding that you fit the HbA1c's criteria you don't have to fit all the criteria set out in the Guidelines just part of them...
Click to expand...

That's true I never took a course either but you do need to be able to count carbs :) I had to prove to my dietitian that I could do it before they would consider me.
 
Hi guys

Jopar why do you say the omnipod isnt as good as it looks ? Is there a reason for this ??

I got a hang of the carb counting on my own without any guidance from my dn, I had started counting before i had even been given my ratios my DN is super pleased with my carb counting she said ive took to it really well :d xx
 
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