Withdrawing the funding for my pump - please help!!!!

[Hyoung2207]

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2004. After the birth of my daughter who has congenital heart defects my diabetes went. 9 months later it came back and I was Putin 4 injections a day. My control was not great and I have to admit I was not the best diabetic patient. Thankfully I have not suffered any major complications.

I have since fell pregnant again and I am booked in to be induced this Monday fOr an induction at 37 +2days. I was put on a medtronic pump at approx 11 weeks and have since achieved hba1c of 6.6 from over 11!!!

I knew the lump was funded during pregnancy but was under the impression that with good control I may be given the opportunity to keep it. I have been toldit is being taken the day I give birth.

I have cried every day for a week from being told this Sai have no idea what I will do with a newborn a d trying to maintain good control. I am under pressure to breast feed by the same hospital who are pulling the tug from under my feet. The pump workout correction doses, I am not good with numbers and have never been on the daphne course. I have no idea what to do.

I am going to write an email this weekend to the head of endocrinology, dsn etc prior to my admission. I really need advice on how to fight to keep this pump. I also have 3 months worth of equipment here at home that will go to waste. I am told my pump will go to another pregnant lady????

Please someone help me, the emotional impact this has had is unbelievable. To take this pump away from me immediately after birth is shocking, I would of thought I would be given a grace period? Especially as breast feeding is so important?

 

[catherinecherub]

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2004. After the birth of my daughter who has congenital heart defects my diabetes went. 9 months later it came back and I was Putin 4 injections a day. My control was not great and I have to admit I was not the best diabetic patient. Thankfully I have not suffered any major complications.

I have since fell pregnant again and I am booked in to be induced this Monday fOr an induction at 37 +2days. I was put on a medtronic pump at approx 11 weeks and have since achieved hba1c of 6.6 from over 11!!!

I knew the lump was funded during pregnancy but was under the impression that with good control I may be given the opportunity to keep it. I have been toldit is being taken the day I give birth.

I have cried every day for a week from being told this Sai have no idea what I will do with a newborn a d trying to maintain good control. I am under pressure to breast feed by the same hospital who are pulling the tug from under my feet. The pump workout correction doses, I am not good with numbers and have never been on the daphne course. I have no idea what to do.

I am going to write an email this weekend to the head of endocrinology, dsn etc prior to my admission. I really need advice on how to fight to keep this pump. I also have 3 months worth of equipment here at home that will go to waste. I am told my pump will go to another pregnant lady????

Please someone help me, the emotional impact this has had is unbelievable. To take this pump away from me immediately after birth is shocking, I would of thought I would be given a grace period? Especially as breast feeding is so important?

Can anyone help this poster, poor lady sounds really upset.

 

[CarbsRok]

Can anyone help this poster, poor lady sounds really upset.

Well there's not much to say is there?
The lady was given the pump for the durration of her pregnancy, so the team want it back for the next lady. If this is the case one must assume that the lady before her was treated exactly the same.
I do find it hard to believe though as she has 3 months supply of pump consumables. So just wondered if there was a misunderstanding. Seems odd to be allowed to order 3 mths worth of stuff if not going to be used due to the cost of the consumables.

 

[abi k]

I'm sorry this is happening to you
It sounds like your PCT are only keen to fund pumps for pregnancy but seems very wrong that this is ceasing when your HbA1c has decreased so dramatically. However, perhaps some of this improvement was due to better education and more input generally due to the pregnancy. I think you need to think of strategies either to persuade them to continue to fund the pump ( or consider doing so yourself if you can but this is not cheap) but you may have to do your best with mdi for a while until ( if or when they can be persuaded) Have you actually spoke to consultant/ DSN as it seems surprising that in your circumstances funding is being withdrawn?
Probably worth contacting input- the insulin pump organisation which campaigns for better access to pumps- they may have tips on how to persuade the powers that be to continue funding
In the meantime if you have to go back to MDI have you thought through how you can make this work as much like a pump as possible?. If your basal rates don't vary hugely across a 24 hour period you may get once or twice daily lantus or levemir to work quite well for you. I assume you are proficient in carb counting now- you should be if you were pumping and went through a pregnancy ( in fact any one using insulin should be able to carb count but this is another area where the nhs sometimes falls down. If your basal rates are very variable this is more ammunition to keep the pump- worth skipping some meals and seeing if your basal rates are correct either on the pump or on mdi if the pump is already returned- but you need to read up on how to do this properly/ safely. There is an excellent book called using insulin by John Walsh which you can order on amazon-it is American and so some of the terminology is a bit different but it really is an in depth guide to how to get the best from mdi
Lastly- if you are really struggling with your diabetes don;t be made to feel guilty if you don;t breast feed Do what you feel is best for you and the baby

 

[abi k]

PS I am not sure how safe fasting basal tests are while you are pregnant-may need to wait until after birth
You must have some idea of carb counting to achieve a good HbA1c by any means
There was an online course- not sure f it's still available but try googling b-dec ( it's run by the Bournemouth diabetes centre)
There are blood glucose meters which calculate doses according to bg and carb count and also insulin on board- i.e. a bit like the bolus wizard on a pump but you inject manually. I'm not overly familiar with these- perhaps someone else can enlighten I think one of them is made by Abbott -

 

[CarbsRok]

PS I am not sure how safe fasting basal tests are while you are pregnant-may need to wait until after birth
You must have some idea of carb counting to achieve a good HbA1c by any means
There was an online course- not sure f it's still available but try googling b-dec ( it's run by the Bournemouth diabetes centre)
There are blood glucose meters which calculate doses according to bg and carb count and also insulin on board- i.e. a bit like the bolus wizard on a pump but you inject manually. I'm not overly familiar with these- perhaps someone else can enlighten I think one of them is made by Abbott -

Abi, not to sure if I read the op post correctly but from what I understood she had the baby on Monday (induced)

 

[Scoop4]

I cannot understand why they would give you a pump for such a short time as the pumps are thousands of pound to buy and they cannot re use them. I know when I went on my pump I was told it was for a 3 month trial and was given the impression it would be taken off me that was 5 years ago. You really need to speak to the diabetes consultant. Good luck.