I've never fallen in the right bucket for a pump. My Hba1Cs haven't been bad enough to qualify, I've historically not had an issue with injections and I've not really suffered from too many hypos (and overnight ones when on Lantus, if I've had them, haven't been bad enough to warrant calling out ambulances or left me incapacitated). The first time a pump was raised for me was when I changed clinics earlier this year, and there is still the issue of "Structured Education", which I feel is a waste of time, but is a box ticking exercise.
For the month prior to the clinic this time, I'm documenting everything I'm eating, in terms of carb content and protein content, all my insulin shots, blood tests/scans and giving the clinic a raft of documentation on the meet up that demonstrates:
- I know what I'm doing with carb (and protein) counting and;
- I don't need to spend five days on DAFNE learning how to do this - the time is better spend on someone else.
I'm sure I'll be greeted with "You manage so well on MDI you don't need a pump" when what would be the right response would be "You are so responsible that you're an ideal candidate for the pump".
The fact that I've taken my own responsibility for monitoring (with Libre) and managing my injection sites (with injection ports) seems to not be a factor and if anything, seems to go against me. That I'm interested in participating in early trials for Bionic Pancreas type technology as someone who thinks they can probably contribute something useful also seems to be ignored (or I am not talking to the right people).
[RANT]Due to the ludicrous way the NHS works, I can't get a form of medical insurance to pay for a pump. There's not really enough money in the system, but if I want one outside of the system, I have to go to a private GP to get the approval and then pay for all the supplies, and while I can cope with £150 per month for Libre and Injection ports, a pump is more like £1,000 with all the required supplies, which I can't do. This is why i think there is an issue with the way the NHS funding works.[/RANT]
Sorry about the rant, but it does frustrate me rather that if I was to compromise my care and condition, I'd be more likely to accelerate onto better therapy!