I didn't really see this coming...

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What would be your number one reason for accepting the offer?
 
A finer level of control. Because I'm so insulin sensitive, I have to work REALLY hard to make MDI work for me. Being able to use smaller amounts of insulin would make it less of a 'cracking a nut with a sledgehammer' situation.
 
Hi Becki cant really give any advice but knowing you from here and from meeting you I know you will make the right choice and will tackle any probelms head on, good luck hun xx

p.s All the pump users on here im sure will assist and help you come to some sort of desicion either way.
 
Ooh exciting! And very on the ball for your hospital! :D

I can understand why people have reservations about going onto a pump, because it's such a huge change in how in treatment. I think it would be particularly useful for you since you're on such small amounts of insulin, and you can always go back to MDI if you find pumping isn't for you!

However, I'm always in favour of making lists of pros and cons, and coming to the your own decision. 🙂 Do you have a time limit to get back to them with and answer?
 
I love my animas pump! I had a choice of all three, and I went for the animas because it looked the nicest to me, it's a little bit smaller, and it has pretty much all the bells and whistles that the other pumps have. I also have nothing but good things to say about animas customer service, they have been absolutely excellent.

Of course, I may be a little bit biased... 😛

Have you had a read through some of the other pump threads where people have been weighing up the pros and cons? It might help sway you one way or the other.
 
hey becky ...good news you've been accepted ...now for that decision ...i do remember a while back you discussing this and you didnt feel it was right for you but since you've been having difficulty with the control (hypos!) ...with your busy life it maybe a total relief to have a pump...plus you never know until you try i suppose... good luck x🙂
 
As you seem to be so insulin sensitive I would say go for it..........

If its not beneficial you can always go back to injections......

I am the opposite from you, type 1 and resistant most of the time...

You will make the right choice.....
 
Thanks for the thoughts, guys 🙂

I was impressed and surprised at how quickly they got back to me. I only saw the nurse on Tuesday, and got an email at 9:30 this morning saying yes. Probably helps that York's PCT is very well financially managed, and is safely in the black
 
For me the only perks to an Animas pump is the colour screen. Take away that and it's much the same as my Medtronic. You get a 200 unit reservoir which only tops the Medtronic by twenty units. It's also a bit bulkier than what I have. I haven't had alook at the menu layout on an Animas but on my Medtronic the menus are laid out in a logical and clearly well thought through manner. The controls on the Medtronic are very easy to use, I could get the basics without even reading the manual. The Animas runs on AA batteries and the Medtronic on AAA ones and I understand that the battery life is about the same (I get about a month to six weeks out of mine). The software that you get with the Medtronic is rather helpful. However I don't use it but it's nice to have there. I find that I can operate the Medtronic "blind" through clothing either by remote control or through using the buttons which are large and very tactile. I know that the consumeables are interchangeable with an Roche pump but not with anything else. The one upside is that the inserting devices for an Animas is that they are disposable. They seem to be well made. Medtronic's stuff is clearly well made and I've never had problems, there will be issues when you start because it takes a while to get the techniques and to find the ways that work for you. The basal increments are much the same on both the Medtronic and Animas. You can set the rate at which a bolus is delivered on an Animas. You can get it rather fast or slow. On the Medtronic you can only have it slowly. If you choose fast you can really feel it. However, should you choose to get the boluses slowly you can't even feel they are going in.

I think that's all I can think of for the moment but feel free to ask anything of me.

I hasten to add that this is all from conversations with my DSN and having a good look at the Animas 2020 pumps that are kept in my Diabetes Centre. I find it's a good pump but I'd rather have my Medtronic any day of the week.

Tom
 
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can i just ask how you meet the NICE guidelines? I actually thought you had to meet the HbA1C one or the hypo one?
 
Nope...they're just guidelines. Tom doesn't strictly meet them either, but the bottom line is if your consultant says yes, the PCT has to pay.

I'm seriously hoping my consultant says yes after my 10 week trial.
 
shiv said:
Nope...they're just guidelines. Tom doesn't strictly meet them either, but if your consultant says yes, the PCT has to pay.

I'm seriously hoping my consultant says yes after my 10 week trial.
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hmm, not what I've heard. They are guidelines yes, but in the end I thought if the NICE people are like "hmmmm" then it's a no go. Toms HbA1C was pretty high if I remember and I know i met the hypo ones?
It confuses me greatly :confused:

and they totally will my lovely, I actually can't see why they wouldn't 🙂
 
Nope, it's all down to your consultant. NICE guidelines can be used however the consultant wants them to - either as guidelines or, as in my clinic, as hard and fast rules. Obv I would imagine if the consultant kept saying no you and you def met NICE guidelines you could either appeal or see another consultant. But basically you can't get a pump until a consultant gives the nod.

Tom didn't quite meet the hba1c one (how do I know this stuff?!) but he has a damn good consultant, so that's what it came down to.
 
shiv said:
Nope, it's all down to your consultant. NICE guidelines can be used however the consultant wants them to - either as guidelines or, as in my clinic, as hard and fast rules. Obv I would imagine if the consultant kept saying no you and you def met NICE guidelines you could either appeal or see another consultant. But basically you can't get a pump until a consultant gives the nod.

Tom didn't quite meet the hba1c one (how do I know this stuff?!) but he has a damn good consultant, so that's what it came down to.
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Hi Shiv,
It could be different for children, but when we wanted one for Alex I investigated the NICE guidelines and he met all the criteria - so the consultant *had* to say yes to one - he didnt have an option. I think the guidelines on pumps is mandatory and therefore it doesnt matter whether the consultant doesnt agree - if you fit the criteria then they cant refuse you.

Also, I thought that part of the criteria was an improvement in 'quality of life' - so even if you dont meet the hba1c one - surely you meet the better 'quality of life' criteria if you feel that this would give you better control and more freedom etc? Perhaps things are different for adults though.🙂Bev
 
Very different for adults Bev unfortunately. Obv it varies hospital to hospital, but with my clinic you have to meet the guidelines exactly and the consultant has to say yes before you can even think about getting one. For example, my consultant said he agrees that I may need one but wants to try a few things first (eg tweaking basals and stuff). It's the DSN that has agreed to get me a trial pump - then hopefully they will be happy I have improved with it, and will go for funding for my own. The fact that I meet the NICE guidelines (hypoing nightly - with the drop in basal I'm now hyper most mornings but that's for another thread haha!) doesn't mean I automatically get one - as I say, the consultant wants me to try other things first.

Just had a look at the NICE guidelines, it states that pumps are 'recommended' for people with the hba1c & hypos etc etc...recommended, not mandatory. Unfortunately.
 
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As for the NICE guidelines, I don't really meet either.

My team seem to be very pro-pump though, and the lovely DSN (not my usual one) who I spoke to about this was keen. She said that she thought there was no reason to 'punish' me, when I'm 'clearly motivated, working VERY hard, and educated enough on carb counting to make the pump work'. and that why should I 'be denied the gold standard, when you're clearly pro-active about your health'?

I told her I wasn't convinced about it, and that I was only really there to talk about pumps in general. We talked about the fact that I'm SO insulin sensitive that I have to be thinking about things all the time, or it slips for days, and I'm then chasing my tail to get things back in line, and how I'm already showing signs of losing first hypo warnings.

She said she'd take my case to the review board. I thought they'd say no. Apparently my consultant thinks it's a good thing for me.

So like I say, it's thinking time now!
 
You're very lucky Becky to be offered one without meeting NICE guidelines. My team also said the same about me - motivated and proactive with my care - but want me to explore all options on MDI before going for a pump. I'm hoping with my trial coming up they will see the improvement and will give me the go ahead to get my own.
 
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