Worried about NHS refusing insulin pump?

Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I'm recently diagnosed type 1 diabetic, a month ago but spent 2 and a half weeks in hospital on a feed so I have only had one week of treating it by myself, and I feel as though insulin injections just aren't going to work out for me, they are affecting my day to day living, I'm yet to go back to college until I can get myself into a healthy routine, I rarely leave the house because I'm scared of having a hypo, my blood sugars are always high, like in the 20's no matter what time of day it is, I'm on novo rapid 3 times a day (10 units) and lantus once at night (12 units) and I'm worried the NHS will refuse to pay for an insulin pump and all the accessories because I'm so newly diagnosed but as I'm only 17, I feel as though a pump would give me the best chance of having some form of normality, if anyone could give me advice or tell me about their own experiences with pumps/injections and doctors that would be great
Hope to hear from someone soon
 

catapillar

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,390
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I think you probably are too newly diagnosed for a pump to be of use to you. You are on fixed dose of novorapid and not carb counting? To use a pump you need to be able to carb count and adjust your insulin doses.

To learn about pumps, have a look at inputdiabetes.org.uk

What healthy routine is it you are trying to get yourself into? The only healthy routine you need is: 1) give injection; 2) get on with it. If your blood sugars are always in the 20s you aren't going to hypo. Hypos are nothing to be scared of or stop you going out, just have dextrose tablets with you

Have you told your diabetic nurse you are aren't going out? That your scared of hypos? She might be able to give you some reassurance on establishing normalcy on mdi.

It is worth getting used to effectively using mdi before transitioning to a pump, in early diagnosis you will be honeymooning, that is you will be producing some of your own insulin which makes it a bit tricky to establish your insulin needs.
 

tim2000s

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
8,934
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Other
Hi @theprettysideofugly , when you're first diagnosed, it's pretty tough, and we can all sympathise with you. Whilst you can ask for a pump, the concerns you're having now don't go away with a pump as it's just doing a similar job to injections.

As @catapillar has said, you really need to talk to your DSN about your worries, and about getting some help dealing with them. It might be worth contacting Diabetes UK and asking them if they have any type 1 meet ups near you so you can gain face to face advice from other T1s who would be able to help reassure you.

As has already been stated, if you're running high all the time, the likelihood of hypos is very low. Your best course of action is to speak to your DSN and explain all of your concerns. They should be able to make arrangements to help you with this stuff.
 

genix

Well-Known Member
Messages
83
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Prettysideofugly gee it's a rough start for you isn't it and you're thrown in at the deep end. I have had type 1 for 40 years and was diagnosed at age 3, in many ways this worked in my favour because I never knew any difference. You sound like and would be advisable to have a support group to help ease you into your new life with a chronic illness, and to teach you about managing your diabetes. I think you need to get yourself a certified diabetic educator (CDE) and get some regular appointments with him/her as soon as you can, this will have several benefits for you including being able to get you onto an insulin pump, help you learn how to control your diabetes and of course get over your fear of hypos. I think your interest in pumps is a good a reason as any to start on that modality of treatment as enthusiasm can have a very powerful effect on motivation. I understand your fear of hypos as they can be truly terrifying and I at times can remember being scared to sleep! This fear must be overcome though, even if very present, as insulin isn't going away. ( the only way around fear is through it). I found the insulin pump much better to avoid hypos as using only one type of insulin for me didn't seem to have quite the same powerful effect as it does when using it with a long acting insulin. Also I find the pump all round a much easier and more precise way of controlling diabetes than MDI. You are very right in that you need to get your health sorted before going back to University, without your diabetes in control everything will be mush, you need to get sorted physically and mentally. Another benefit of getting yourself a CDE and learning the ropes of type 1 control is that they have enormous sway with your GP and the NHS in that their pump recommendation will have much weight. In summary, get yourself some appointments to see a CDE and with him/her learn to manage your diabetes and start the process to try out an insulin pump because they truly are great.
 
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himtoo

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
4,805
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
mean people , gardening , dishonest people , and war.
why can't everyone get on........
Hi @theprettysideofugly
welcome to the forum:)
the first few weeks are totally SH*T in terms of feelings.:(
what others have said is true -- you won't get a pump immediately.

it is important to try and slow down and remember that you have this for a very long time -- so looking longer term helps with the day to day issues............

do keep posting xxxxxxxx
 

pwzero

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Basal testing
Hey there,

It is really hard at first and I feel for all your going through. I was diagnosed about eight years ago.

Getting used to a new routine and having to remember to inject, learning about how exercise, stress, alcohol and all sorts of other things affect your blood sugars is hard.

It's in our nature to look for fixes, or things to make it easier for ourselves so I'm not surprised to see you considering technology but, trust me, having a pump is twice as complicated and not the easy fix it sounds like you're looking for. I've had my pump for eight months now and while I wouldn't go back because injections don't give me the background control I need to maintain a good HBA1C, it is definitely harder day to day than pens.

Whereas before I needed to carry pen tips, pens, a glucose metre and some form of sugar for hypo's, I now have to carry far more and be far better prepared for medical emergency. Spare canulas, spare insulin in a vial, spare pens in case the pump stops working, pen tips, a glucose metre, a keytone metre and strips and sugar in case of hypo. I'm also permanently wired up. Normal day to day things such as going to the toilet and sleeping when essentially I'm wired to what's the size of an old Walkman (look it up) :) is not fun. I've also worked out that I'm so sensitive to background changes that I don't really have the luxury, as some do, of taking it off for activities such as swimming. At least I've not taught myself how to inject for pump free periods yet.

I've been hospitalised twice since being on the pump with borderline hyperglycemia, and keytones of 9.4 on once occasion, partly due to my trust in the technology and not wanting to part with it and return to the pens when clearly it was going wrong. Thankfully I've learned my lesson and follow the protocols set out. Overall my control is better but I've had far more serious episodes of hypo and hyper glycemia since using the pump.

I don't want to scare you off. I'm just concious that you wrote about a pump giving you the chance for more normalcy and in my experience it's far from it. I had more freedom on the pens.

My advice is to take it one step at a time. Take your time to learn about how your normal routine affects your blood sugar, which you can only do with regular testing. Learn about how what you eat affects your readings. If long term you want a pump you'll need to do this anyway so use it as an incentive as a previous poster said.

I hope you feel better about it soon. You musn't let diabetes stop you from doing want you want to.