Pump Question

Hi Fletch

A lot really depends on your consultant/clinic and PCT, Yes there is very clear guidelines to what quailifies a diabetic to insulin pump funding... But some clinics and PCT's seem to read these guidelines very differently to us...

Youu can get a basic pump such as mine the Accu-Check Spirit, along side newer pumps that include several different wizards that work out from your BG and carbs what bolus or correction bolus to use.. CGM can come as a stand alone unit, or a lot of the newer pumps do have a CGM combind into the pump unit..

There isn't any guidelines concerning who may or may not have funding, and so far what I've heard funding for a stand alone or the sensors for the combind unit if very rare indeed and entials a major battle to get funding...

The CGM's are good in many respects, but they do have there problems and still require finger prick testing with a normal meter, to calibrate each sensor and also if any warnings are given, these need to be doubled checked to whether the warning is correct and whether actions needs to be taken or not...

I think that you really need to speak again to your nurse, and ask what pumps support your clinic provides and what pumps are they using... And if you'll lucky enough to be able to consider self funding then ask you should have more options, but pumps do cost from around £2000 - £4500 + depending insulin pump, the running cost you are looking at around the £100+ mark, with replacing the pump every 4 years... As to the cost CGM's the stand alones I think start from around the £800ish mark, and the sensor cost between £50-£80 each, and each one will last for a max of 72 hours (3 days) and then would need changing...

The new Minimed Paradigm has a built in BM monitor but (I believe) it is only designed for a few days use at a time. It is however slightly on the pricy side!

It all comes down to what your PCT has budgeted for. It also makes the consumables more expensive.

I did use a CGM a four years ago to investigate night time hypos. You still have to finger prick as the CGM needs to be calibrated. Also the CGM sensor was inserted in a similar fashion to the infusion set on a pump. I believe, but could be corrected, that the CGM sensor has to be inserted separately to the pump infusion set and they have to be far enough apart not to interfer, e.g. avoid getting a false low because the insulin affects the local BG levels.

I have been using the Minimed 512 for over 2 years. There is a newer version, but I prefer the wizard that comes with this. You can get BG meters that send the BG reading to the pump. I am seeing the DSN in April and will be asking if I can get a new meter.... Generally now I only test 3 times a day, i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner. Frequency goes up when ill, or eating out :wink:

My daughter has a minimed paradigm pump with continuous glucose monitor paid for on the NHS. She got the CGM because she really could not recognise hypos and was on the tiniest dose pumpable as a basal, so we needed to see what dose she needed. It is fantastic to be able to keep an eye on her BS but there is a 15 minute delay between what you read on the pump display and what her BS really is. She needed to fingerprick4- 6 times a day and calibrate twice a day. It involves inserting 2 devices - one for the pump and one for the sensor, every 3 days. Hope that helps.

I live in America and have been on a pump for 16 years. I was recently interesed in getting a CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR. This is not actually part of the pump. It is a competely differnt unit. Its pretty small about the size of a 50p. Although a lot of the infusion sets have a plastic canular at the end the CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR has a needle which is inserted into the skin and stays in. I developed an allergy to the plastic on the canulars on the infusion sets I was using so have to use a Sure T which has a needle which stays in all the time.. the needle on the CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR is substancially larger than the one I am used to using on my infusion set.
I hope some of this info is useful to you.
Good Luck

Jugster said:

I live in America and have been on a pump for 16 years. I was recently interesed in getting a CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR. This is not actually part of the pump. It is a competely differnt unit. Its pretty small about the size of a 50p. Although a lot of the infusion sets have a plastic canular at the end the CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR has a needle which is inserted into the skin and stays in. I developed an allergy to the plastic on the canulars on the infusion sets I was using so have to use a Sure T which has a needle which stays in all the time.. the needle on the CONTINUOUS BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITOR is substancially larger than the one I am used to using on my infusion set.
I hope some of this info is useful to you.
Good Luck

Click to expand...

CGM is actually available as an integral add-on for one pump in the UK - the Medtronic Paradigm - so no need for a separate control unit. Also the sensors are only introduced with a steel cannula, which is removed almost immediately leaving the plastic sensor in place, this does not remain in situ during normal operation.