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criteria for a pump..

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ebony321

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Hello all you lucky pumpers,

i was going to post this in a different forum topic but i thought why not post it in here with the pumping experts right?

so... :)...

i've had diabetes for a year on tuesday...

i started off on two injections.. which i know works well for some people but or me big no no. my life varies just too much...

so i request to be put on 4 a day (novo rapid and lantus) ... wahey.. then the trouble starts... highs over 30 and not noticing hypos until i test my sugar and its 2.8 but i feel fine.. tweaking and tweaking....

HBA1C of 16.3 in sept :oO I KNOW!

after the hardwork and getting no where i hate to admit. i gave up.. i hardly took my insulin.. was hospitalized 3 times on thebrink of DKA

then i had an epiphany. my mum was beyond sad with my deteriation, my dad died when i was 13 of a result of poor controlled diabetes and non related heart problems.. which to be honest could be related by that stage...

so now i haven't missed an injection, i'm on anti-depressants which are working. i keep a full diary of all tests and food intake.. i keep to a healthy diet and i have more exercise. i no longer weigh under 8 stone...

i dont want to die from a disease that can be well controlled with effort and determination, i dont want to be overcome by a disease an 8 year old can do with a smile on his/her face, i want to be proud of the badge i carry called diabetes that im proud i can wear it and still hold my chin up high and say 'im just like you but with extra effort :)'

....

looking for tips and browsing on here i decided to read up on insulin pumps. oh my what the best thing i've ever laid my eyes on.

so here come the questions...


how does one come about getting one?

do i have to meet certain requirements to be considered?

will my bad past of controlling my diabetes affect my possibility?

are they alot harder than they look?

i'm afraid that if i ask my doctor i will get the look of 'you dont deserve one' i fell off the wagon.. its just hard for everything to change so rapidly aswell diabetes i had a bad break up and my stepfather of 16 years left home leaving me with a heartbroken mum and a distraught 13 year old sister a month after being diagnosed... i know its hard for everyone.. and maybe i dont deserve one but i really am trying now.. my HBA1c is in two weeks and from 16% me and my DN think it could be around 8 or 9 due to recent improving results :) fingers crossed..


i guess this was halfway between looking for answers having a rant and apologising to myself.

agh.

peace outx
 
Hiya!

I'm currently waiting for a pump, so there are a couple of things I can answer for you.

Firstly, there IS a criteria. HbA1c has to be above a certain amount (like, 8% I think) and you have to be over the age of 12, which by the sounds of it, you are both :) The tricky part is that because the pumps is pretty expensive (the reason for the criteria) you will have to get funding from your primary care trust and you have to convince your Dr and specialist nurse of your ability to cope with it.

There is also a carbohydrate counting course you need to do to in preparation. It involves looking at food groups, doing a full diary of BM's 4+ times a day to look for patterns etc. I really enjoyed mine since there were a group of us and we helped and supported eachother. Some people do the course without wanting to go on the pump. I found it's helped me already. I had the support from my diabetes nurse and the dietician throughout.

I had to have chats with my diabetes consultant nurse and my professor to convince them I would cope being a on a pump, since you're expected to do BM's 4x daily, every day. It's not something I've always managed to do, though I am getting better.
I've also had mental health problems, currently taking duloxetine. I've had numerous psychiatrists and had a few psychologists (which didn't help much). I'm now in remission and under the care of my PCT.

The machine itself, I found to be really easy to figure out. If you're handy with a new mobile phone then I'm sure you'd cope with a pump, but they wouldn't just hand it to you and expect you to figure it out. I've been shown it twice now and had the opportunity to have a go at inserting it, and wore the canula part without any tubing or actualy pump for 24 hours to make sure I wasn't alergic to the adhesive.

I hope this helps. If you do decided to go with the pump (and I'd put it off for a long time, wish I hadn't!) then speak to your diabetes team about it. They shouldn't hold you back because you had one rebelious moment, especially since you seem to be back on track now. Everyone has had a time when they just didn't want to do it anymore. When I was a young teenager, I threw my insulin pen across the living room and stormed out. We've all been there.

Hang in and get advice from all angles. You could even do your own research and take it to your team, show them how determined and dedicated you are. Ask them a load of questions, be honest. Most of all, good luck :)

Jen x
 
Hi,

wow. thanks alot for that,seems like im going through alot of what you did/are...

one thing im managing to do if not contol my sugars is i keep a diary of all blood tests (at least four) with all i eat and i even write tablet and tick it when i have taken it.. (im forgetful with things that arent a normal routine) following what you've said i think i will research points that are essentially the criteria and prove that i meet it and why i would be better with one... im also struggling to prove to the DVLA that im stable to drive so my new years resolutions was to be able to drive and not miss an injection and treat my diabetes well. and i;ve now added one to get the ball rolling for a pump... thankyou for taking time out (very late at night :)) to help with my question!!! i hope you get a pump for yourself and hopefully i may be soon to follow

all the best and thankyou very much again x
 
Take a look at the NICE guidelines on pump allocation, you seem to qualify on more than one count:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA151/Guidance/pdf/English

I was the archetypal rebel in my earlier years, but my healthcare team were just delighted that I finally engaged with the condition and wanted to do something about it. I wish I had had a pump years ago as I know it would have made a huge difference.

Desire to change cannot be instilled, it just happens, and is probably one of the most important factors in succeeding with a pump. Sounds to me like you're there already?!

Good luck, and shout if you have any questions.
 
Angelicus

Not sure where you get your information from, can only assume from your clinic, who are telling porkies...

There were several cahnges to the NICE guidelines for insulin pump therapy, some of the changes does make it easier to get hold of a pump, others perhaps make it slightly more difficult..

But yes there is a HbA1c's mentioned around the 8% mark as this was increased in last years review of the guidelines.. They also added that 'quaility of life' issuse within the guidelines and expanded it towards children...

But to use the guidelines to fight for a funded pump, you need to fit one of the critia set out, not all of them..

Your HbA1c doens't have to be above a certain point nor do you have to be over 12 years old, as for carb counting you don't have to have attended a carb counting course prior to using a pump you can learn carb counting at the same time as learning to use your pump..

These are quite often what clinics lead there diabetics to believe that they don't meet the critia, but this is a tacticle way of providing information to avoid issuing an insulin pump..

The NICE guidelines are what are to be followed, and if clinics/consultant tries to say otherwise, you have full rights to battle them as well there are one hell of a lot of clinics and PCT who are actually breaking the law
 
At the time my funding was approved my HbA1c was 6.9% but the clinic 'made' me fit the criteria to a degree. Best of luck with gettinga pump.
 
thats very interesting! may i ask how you went about asking for one and how long the proccess took?
 
I am in preconception clinic as we are trying for a baby, so asked my consultant what he thought about pump therapy. I have had huge improvements in the last year going from 14.6% to the last one of 6.9%, this has caused some background damage to my eyes. Towards the later stage on mdi I was having a lot of hypos i.e. over 10 a week. So to a large extent I did fit some of the criteria but the hospital said they would keep fighting until they got funding. If you want anymore info feel free to pm me!
 
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