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Insulin Pump loan

gillkin

gillkin

Active Member
Messages
39
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I recently asked the Specialist Nurse at my Clinic, after completing a carbohydrate counting course, if I could be considered for an insulin pump, I have been diabetic for 43 years and for the last few years have experienced numerous unrecognised hypos. She told me that as my HBA1c was below 8.5 and I haven't been hospitalised due to the hypos it would be difficult to get approval from the PCT but I could "borrow" a pump for 3 months.
I was wondering if anybody knows how likely it is that, if I found the pump worked for me, I would have to give it back at the end of 3 months and not be able to get one for keeps.
Thanks

Gill
 
Gosh...what reasoning has a DSN got behind that?????? How can she suggest on one hand that you aren't suitable and yet give out a loan one?????

I hope that others have found that after a loan one that they got pumps...but personally I can't figure out reasoning behind your DSN's thoughts...you are either suitable or not for a pump....beyond my brain capacity...I do hope that someone can come along who has been given a loan pump and then gone on successfully with funding to get a permanent one...I just thought they were given out to patients with funding arranged before a pump of choice could be put in place permanently....
 
Hello Gill

Like yourself I have been diabetic for 45 years and got an insulin pump last year. My hba1c when I got the pump was 6.7%. I was trying to keep fairly tight control but it was at the expense of having mild hypos nearly every day.

The NICE guidelines regarding pump therapy include hypos and the anxiety caused by worrying about them. It was on these two grounds that my consultant was able to get PCT funding for me to have a pump. So you are in with a chance and your dsn is wrong in what she has said to you. Go to the INPUT website and you will be able to print out the guidelines and have a read.

Pumps will not stop hypos but they do make them less severe and most people get far better warning.

Let us know if you want more info.
 
Thanks for that, it was because of the anxiety that I asked about one. I have told them that I am a single person who has to rely on my 77 year old mother to hear from the next bedroom and help me when I have a severe hypo at night which basically paralyses me while it's happening and for up to half an hour afterwards. The ones I have during the day are less severe but not always recognised by me and it's usually someone else who has to tell me I'm acting strange (or stranger than normal to quote my sister). I would love to get warnings and not be worried about what would happen at night if I was on my own.
 
My daughter's HbA1c was well below the 8.5% and I believed that we wouldn't get a pump for her because of that but I discovered that I had understood incorrectly or was misinformed and we did get her a pump. She was suffering hypos at night, nothing serious enough to cause hospital admissions, but enough for it to disrupt my sleep, cause me stress and anxiety about worrying when the next one would happen and it caused my daughter anxiety too constantly worrying if she was going to go hypo during sports or periods of activity. She had very little hypo awareness. We had tried adjusting injected insulins and had tried different insulins but nothing seemed to help the problem. Our quality of life was not great, either I was waking myself and my daugher in the early hours of the morning to make her eat to avoid hypos, or I was waking around 4 or 5am each morning to inject Novorapid to avoid the morning high which resulted if we cut back on her Levemir at night to avoid the 2am hypo. This was enough evidence to suggest that a pump would be suitable and improve the quality of life for both of us. I think if you can show how injections are adversely affecting your quality of life, and how a pump would improve your quality of life then you don't need to have a high HbA1c to get funding. If your elderly mother is having to help you with hypos, does it affect her quality of life too? Does she suffer anxiety worrying about you and how does she feel when she's alone dealing with your hypo. This would be evidence too that could support your need for a pump. If someone else's life is being adversely affected I think you should have a letter or have them visit your next appointment with you to explain what impact it has on the people around you. I'm guessing that as your DSN is offering a load pump she may be considering that you could be a suitable candidate and if the trial improves things for you then you quite possibly will get the pump. But I think she needs to be clear about this, not fair on you to be unsure what it's all about. It would be heartbreaking to use the pump for three months, see an improvement and then have it taken away.
 
I haven't read all your replies..

Sounds like your clinic/PCT are making their own rules up concerning the NICE Guildelines.. No you don't have to have an xxx HbA1c or have been hospitalised etc... It's about how control effects quality of life... So having regular hypo's can impact on your life whether you are hospitalised or not..

Take a look at here input.me.uk you will find lots of information about pumping, NICE guide lines, what the clinics/PCT can do and not do with them... They will also answer any querries that you have and will if necessary provide you with all the help you need if you need to battle with to get a pump..

3 months loan/trail of a pump to see is it's of benefit is pretty useless in a lot of cases...

Some even after 3 months will still be trying down their basal, even if you've pinned down your basal and had a flying start with pumping, you are still very much still tucking life experiences under your belt, still building up your data... So you know which is the best bolus for what situation, when, if or best TBR for certain situations..
 
Hello Gill

Have you considered a hypo dog? I have used dogs all my life to assist with hypos. I have brittle diabetes so my control is very erratic and a pump was the only solution overall but if you are a dog lover it is another option for you to consider. Your mum must be so worried at night (like my mum used to be before the dogs) and it would take the strain off her too.

Have a look at: http://medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Hope that helps :)
 
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