Did you get to choose your own insulin pump?

agold said:

Hi there,

Could those of you who were given an open choice about the type of pump you wanted, and especially those people who chose the Omnipod pump, please let me know which PCT & clinic they are under as I'm trying to build a case up for my being funded for the pump of my choice as opposed to that dictated by my PCT. It would be sooooo helpful for my case if I could show evidence of other PCTs that approved funding of the Omnipod pump, or clinics that gave their patients a choice of any.

Thanks so much in advance you lovely people! :thumbup:

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The Omnipod cost one heck of a lot more over a 4 year period to fund than a tubed pump. So if your pct is objecting that's the reason why.
Basicly what it means is, if they let you have an omnipod then another person would miss out on a pump.
Knowing that info I know which pump I wouldn't choose or want on principle.

Some PCT's also have a contract with pump companies which allow bulk buying thus a lot cheaper and more pumps to go round.

yes, we were lucky enough to get to select our pumps and we have 2 omnipods! Our PCT don't budget longer than a year, so although long term the Omnipod is more expenisve than a traditional pump, our PCT only work with their yearly budget and see it as a cheaper option!! In fact, since we got ours, my DSN has been so impressed that she has actively encouraged other families who qualify for a pump to get an omnipod.

I'm not sure how you could put a case forward, but hopefully tubeless pumps should become cheaper especially as new players are entering the Market. Check out http://www.cellnovo.com/.

leggott said:

yes, we were lucky enough to get to select our pumps and we have 2 omnipods! Our PCT don't budget longer than a year, so although long term the Omnipod is more expenisve than a traditional pump, our PCT only work with their yearly budget and see it as a cheaper option!! In fact, since we got ours, my DSN has been so impressed that she has actively encouraged other families who qualify for a pump to get an omnipod.

I'm not sure how you could put a case forward, but hopefully tubeless pumps should become cheaper especially as new players are entering the Market. Check out http://www.cellnovo.com/.

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Hi Leggott,
No idea how your PCT says it cheaper over a year when
An initial order per patient would consists of;



1x ‘Starter Kit’ which is the PDM (personal diabetes manager) and user manual £360.70 ex VAT, with a four year warranty. .

1x Box of ten Pods, which is approx 1month supply subject to daily insulin usage £251.50 ex VAT.



Cannulas are about £120 per box but less in some cases depending on the cannula type used
So supplies are less than half for a tubed pump.

yes, I know. What I mean is, they don't take into account that over a 2/3 year period, the omnipod is more expensive. We were told that the pods were less than the amount you quoted and I think that possibly with our PCT they have ordered many PDMs so would qualify for a discount. They look no further than a year and consider it still cheaper than paying several thousand pounds in one go. When budgeting they are only looking at the current years budget - not the best financial approach I agree. I'm not sure why my PCT are allocating more omnipods, I'm assuming they must have negotiated a reasonable price, as like you say, they could supply more traditional style pumps. Our biggest hurdle was getting a pump rather than the specific pump itself. I'm very aware how lucky I am to have my kids on these pumps and am fortunate to have a fantastic DSN and GP.

agold said:

Hi Leggot,

Could you tell me which PCT you're under? I've got a dilemma, because my diabetes clinic is under one PCT (which is where they applied to) but where I live comes under another! I'm just wondering whether I should now apply to my local one.

Thanks!

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The PCT that pays is the one that your GP comes under. It doesn't matter which hospital you go to, as the bill is sent to your GP's PCT. They pay for your prescriptions plus all other medical needs that your GP sanctions. Which includes all outpatient/clinic apt etc.

I was lucky and got the pump that i wanted - the Animas Vibe. It was important to me that my pump would be waterproof (keen swimmer) and also have CGM (contemplating a triathlon)

I did get to choose the colour myself though...

my daughter is in the process of being set up for her pump... we are not given a choice though???
the one we were given is the ACCU-CHECK AVIVA EXPERT

Has anyone else got this and how did it work for them???
thanks

I had a real job getting funding for an omnipod - but according to the NICE guidelines you should have access to any one of 6 devices currently approved for use. I even phoned them up to check this was the case. There isn't meant to be a postcode lottery - but we all know there is. Fight the power!

lisamariebrankin said:

my daughter is in the process of being set up for her pump... we are not given a choice though???
the one we were given is the ACCU-CHECK AVIVA EXPERT

Has anyone else got this and how did it work for them???
thanks

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Hi Lisa

That is the name of the remote handset/blood tester, the pump is the Accu Chek Combo.
My daughter started using one last Monday, i'm happy to answer any questions you have

Hi spearmint... thanks for your reply...

I have been using this handset for a week and a half now and i love it... hated the whole diary keeping thing but now its all on the handset it is so much easier!! Apart from having to go back to the old machine to do ketone readings.

I i have been given my handset training, and i have been carb counting since diagnosis nearly 6 months ago, i have learnt how to put in cannula and change it... what other training is there??? Obviously because ava is only 18 months old i dont need to do the exercise bit and my dn hasnt wanted to do the health bit on it either... i was just unsure what the hold up might be lol (im very impatient lol).

How is your daughter getting along with using the pump?? Every1 has said that it is quite hard work to begin with and you have to test alot but i am already testing 6 times per day and since she was diagnosed she has never had a night where she has slept through (up atleast 4-5 times each night but hypo... running at about 10-15 ish which is pretty normal for her).

thanks )

Hi again Lisa

Other training, erm....do you know how to fill a cartridge with insulin? insert it into the pump? prime the tubing? get rid of air bubbles? what to do about high levels? what to do incase of pump failure? how to adjust the basal rates?

She's been fine wearing it all the time, had no problems at school, fine using the handset, fine doing cannula changes.
I'm enjoying not having to remember which ratio is for which meal and having to do loads of calculations all the time!!
We have had a couple of small problems, a cannula wore out before it should have but once changed was fine and when we did a full cartridge, tubing and cannula change loads of air bubbles appeared a couple of hours later but no idea where from cos all was clear but we dealt with it fine.
Testing, i am still testing her 2 hourly overnight to adjust the basals as they still aren't set right for her yet, during the day she tests before breakfast, at morning break, before lunch, after school, before dinner, then i go 2 hourly from dinner til she wakes. We went completely carb free for the first 5/6 days to make setting the basals easier and added in 1 meal with carbs at a time.
I am making progress, the daytime is almost sorted out!! Night time is getting there but that was always the hardest time to control on injections so am not surprised it isn't quite right yet.

WOW... I guess i still got quite alot left to learn yet then lol... i know how to adjust balsal as we have already had to do that but everything on the actual pump and tube itself still to go.

Yes avas ratios are non stop changing lol... she has no patterns what so ever so the dn has been doing it all by trial and error lol.

Do you have to go carb free for a set amount of days when starting out? I dont even know how i would do that with Ava :/

Guess i have just been getting to ahead of myself, HOPING it will be soon lol... im just desperate for things to settle themselves out!!

I hope everything continues to go smoothly for you and ur daughter ))

I was given a 250 page training manual to read, a computer based training disc which took about 4 hours to complete but i skipped about a quarter of it as it was stuff i already knew, had an hours training when she started the saline pump trial and the actual pump start up took just under 3 hours. I have also spent 9 months reading and reading!

I don't know what they suggest to do for children so young, it was suggested to us that we fasted in time blocks to set the hourly basal rates but i took full advantage of it being half term and did the whole 24 hours in 1 go - i am also a bit impatient!!!!
Her going back to school has had an effect on the day rates but she is mostly stable during the day now with a few adjustments and tends to be between 5 and 8, overnight is a whole different story - that was always her main problem area but i am slowly making progress with adjustments and last night she stayed between 7 and 9, that was with small 2 hourly corrections though so still need to make adjustments.
I'm not 100% sure her meal ratios are right atm either but i have a feeling that i am almost there.

HI Spearmint

Looks like you are on the right road and seem to have grasped the pumping very well. Already James seems to be very confident with it although our consultant does not like his HbA1c being 6.3 which I have explained in an earlier post.

Best of Luck and may it continue

Thanks Yvonne

I have been quite confident in changing things, her DSN hasn't told me what to change rather asked what i wanted to change, she rang every day to get her levels in the 1st week and then has left me to it! She did ring Monday to see how the weekend went and her 1st day back at school and had a slight fit when i told her i'd changed 16 of the hourly rates in 1 day :lol: but then when she knew what her levels were and how often the pump corrected she said i was right to have changed that many.
They even agreed to let me change to the advanced menu so that she can extend all her meals over 15mins as now she is eating her usual amount of carbs she is feeling the insulin rush in and doesn't like it!

She is dropping too much after breakfast and after changing the basals i am trying a different breakfast ratio tomorrow, during the day is fairly ok, after dinner is a bit variable but leaving that for now, overnight 10pm-2am is still a bit high but otherwise she is fairly stable.

Sometimes, getting control of bg levels using a pump can seem at times as though you are going around in circles.... trying to achieve perfection but not always able to get it. A pump makes people test their bg levels a lot more than using bolus/basal regime.

A good bit of advice that my friend was given by her consultant was if bg levels are high or low 2hrs after bolusing for food - change the carb ratio. and if bg levels are high or low 1hr after eating, then change the basal rate 1 or 2hrs before eating. If bg levels are high or low 3hrs after eating.... change the basal rate. This won't always give correct basal rates for every hour but will get people somewhere near being ok....

Another thing to think about is that wherever an infusion set is placed on the body, if basal testing is done for that area, if another area is chosen on the body, then basal rates will more like need to change as insulin is absorbed differently. It is all very mind boggling at times as pumps make people very sensitive to insulin.

i think i have completely underestimated how much there is to learn

Same as before Ava was diagnosed, the lack of knowledge about diabetes in general.

thanks x