Pod Funding

[Farm Mom]

My 19 year old is now on Omnipod 5 ( Wolverhampton Area)
He hates carb counting so just gives average . His DSN is now saying he needs to reduce insulin to 67 units or below total a day so his pump last 3 days as funding only for 1 box a month.

Any ideas as to how to deal with this as he just argues with me.
Should he be able to get funding for another box so he gets 4 boxes every 3 months.
Also does anyone know if you can buy extra pods?

 

[Inka]

@Farm Mom Could he get a different pump? It might be more cost effective if he’s using lots of insulin because then he’d have the pump for 4 years and just get insulin vials each month to refill it.

 

[Farm Mom]

@Farm Mom Could he get a different pump? It might be more cost effective if he’s using lots of insulin because then he’d have the pump for 4 years and just get insulin vials each month to refill it.

Problem I have is he suffers anxiety and works on a farm so a tubed pump is not a thing he wants. To be fair if he would just do some carb counting or think before putting insulin in he would be fine. I know it might sound stupid but I think he finds the carb counting etc overwhelming and he finds processing lots of info hard and so in his head easier to always give. A certain amount

 

[Inka]

@Farm Mom Tubed pumps can be put anywhere 🙂 I’m sure someone here mentioned farm work and there are certainly labourers on pumps. I’m most definitely not a farm worker but my pump has survived toddlers, young children, moving house (I did all the box moving), sports, mad dogs, etc etc. I’d actually think a pod was more vulnerable not less as the tubed pump cannulas are very low profile unlike the pods.

Would simplifying his meals helps with the carb counting? For example, always having X amount of potatoes/rice/pasta so he knows the count without thinking. Lunch - always the same brand of bread so he knows the carbs. That all makes it a lot easier.

 

[Inka]

And how is his control @Farm Mom ? If he’s just whacking in random amounts of insulin, is he having lots of hypos? I ask because I wonder whether the issue is he just needs a fair bit of insulin (which isn’t his fault) or that he doesn’t need that much but is just taking too much and then having to feed the insulin.

If it’s the latter, I wouldn’t push for extra pods. I treat it as a good starting point to encourage him to step up and carb count, with your support at first, of course.

 

[Tdm]

I've found that by eating a high veg, low fat diet, insulin sensistivity improves, and it can be quite quick to happen.

It also improves with low stress.

For example, i am on 1 to 13 carbs on workdays, but 1 to 25 on stress free weekends.

Is he getting help with his anxiety? Maybe if he felt less anxious he'd have more 'head space' for dealing with his diabetes?

Are dietry changes something he may consider (or may be subtly introduced for family)
Having said that, if he's not carb counting then any improved insulin sensitivity is just likely to lead to more lows.

If he looping? If he's not into carb counting then that may help?
Also, if he doesn't like to carb count, possibly if he works to set meals with set doses.
Best of all if he just realises that the way to a healthy life is counting those carbs. But thats something only he can do.

Perhaps its me, and perhaps its my limited knowledge of young people, but perhaps it may be useful for him to realise he has to do extra, annoying things to manage his diabetes now. I mean, yes, you could buy him extra omnipods, but that just means he continues with a sub-optimal approach to his diabetes, wacking in the insulin and hoping for the best. You can make the omnipod problem go away with money, but not all the other issues that may arise over his life if his sugars are all over the place.

Plus, can't help but think the highs and lows assiciated with no carb counting would make me very anxious indeed!

 

[Inka]

Great points @Tdm ! I’d also add that swinging sugars in and of themselves can cause a deep body anxiety which is quite disturbing. If he gets his sugars more even by carb counting and taking ownership of the diabetes, he should feel better both physically and mentally.

 

[Tdm]

Yes, a win win.

Can i say i agree you need the insulin you need,

Having said that, can't help thinking smaller injections may also be easier for the skin to deal with and be less likely to lead to poorly absorbing lumps and bumps, which over time could become an issue.

 

[Inka]

Yes, optimising insulin sensitivity is very sensible. I asked my consultant about daily insulin amounts once as there was something in the media. She gave the impression that sensitivity, ie smaller doses, was best if at all possible.