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Worried about NHS refusing insulin pump?
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<blockquote data-quote="pwzero" data-source="post: 1385209" data-attributes="member: 379169"><p>Hey there,</p><p></p><p>It is really hard at first and I feel for all your going through. I was diagnosed about eight years ago.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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) <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> 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.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>I hope you feel better about it soon. You musn't let diabetes stop you from doing want you want to.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pwzero, post: 1385209, member: 379169"] 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. [/QUOTE]
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