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Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

blog.lauramichet.com

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Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#81

Post by cadr »

MengerSponge wrote: post #49
tronicdude wrote: post #39

I’m also a type 1 and I force myself to use pens every few months so I don’t get jumped like this. We need implantable insulin pumps again so bad. Also fuck tandem, I’ve moved to Omnipod (which has its own issues, but better than tandem).

Pro tip: get a Rx for your pens sent to a national pharmacy that your insurance supports, but don't fill it. That way, if you have this issue while traveling, you can just walk into a pharmacy and walk out in half an hour with what you need

Or just bring a bunch of disposable needles with you and draw from your vials that you already have for filling your pump.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#82

Post by cadr »

bdcravens wrote: post #79

I had an X2 (and before that, a couple of Minimed pumps), then I switched to the Omnipod. The Omnipod is a disposable pump you swap out every 3 days, so less of an issue. However every time I've gotten a new pump, the diabetes educators always instruct you to have a backup plan, whether that's your insulin vial you may have already brought (even non-disposable pumps require you to swap out the reservoir every 3 days,…

Omnipod for the win. But, yeah, I have a bunch of disposable needles in my kit as a backup.

Even so, travel is stressful. My carry on is full of backup pods/sensors. But now that my insurance is being annoying and only filling a month at a time, I don't always have an extra...

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#83

Post by bdcravens »

indrora wrote: post #26
1123581321 wrote: post #4

I’m diabetic and found this strange for a few reasons. There’s a postscript in the blog post wishing death from diabetes on any diabetic who tries to point any of it out—so I’ll leave it at that.

The author isn't talking about you. The author is talking about the people who will inevitably email with explanations about how she's doing something wrong or things are not as bad as they seem or any number of other options. I have asthma in a particular form, and when people hear that I get triggered by extensive exercise and hill climbs and that I have to take things slow (it's gotten progressively worse in the l…

I have Cystic Fibrosis, with a lot of the same issues as COVID infections (scarred lungs and lost capacity), as well as additional fun things like a scarred pancreas (so I have both diabetes as well as difficulty digesting food without supplements). I could write a book with all of the unsolicited "advice" I've gotten over the years.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#84

Post by bdcravens »

cadr wrote: post #82
bdcravens wrote: post #79

I had an X2 (and before that, a couple of Minimed pumps), then I switched to the Omnipod. The Omnipod is a disposable pump you swap out every 3 days, so less of an issue. However every time I've gotten a new pump, the diabetes educators always instruct you to have a backup plan, whether that's your insulin vial you may have already brought (even non-disposable pumps require you to swap out the reservoir every 3 days,…

Omnipod for the win. But, yeah, I have a bunch of disposable needles in my kit as a backup. Even so, travel is stressful. My carry on is full of backup pods/sensors. But now that my insurance is being annoying and only filling a month at a time, I don't always have an extra...

I'm fortunate to have the income to support buying backups when I had insurance issues. During the Dexcom G6/G7 switchover and the switch to the Omnipod, I had just filled a bunch of G7s but the Omnipod didn't support it yet, so I ended up having to buy G6s out of pocket. Even with coupons from the manufacturer, it was still costing me $200/month.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#85

Post by cucumber3732842 »

bonyt wrote: post #32
antasvara wrote: post #28

Reading this, my takeaway was less about the pump and more about how every part of the medical system is disconnected from every other part. There were some mistakes made but they were all pretty reasonable decisions. But the situation that caused this in order: 1. The support line for the pump won't suggest sending it to where you are because you say you have a backup plan. 2. The support line also isn't a doctor; t…

> Each issue is reasonable by itself... The problem of many hands - when responsibilities in a group that collectively does harm are divided between many people, who can be held accountable when each person individually acted reasonably? I think organizations are, more and more, siloing roles in this way intentionally (or at least emergently), such that blame can only ever be collective if they do harm. Since it's so…

>The problem of many hands - when responsibilities in a group that collectively does harm are divided between many people, who can be held accountable when each person individually acted reasonably?

"You can't justify hanging us all from the overpass" is the magic of the system.

And not just the medical system.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#86

Post by bradleyy »

This is literally the reason I'm still on multiple daily injections (MDI). I'm sympathetic to the author, I spent 50+ years without Type 1, and a few with it.

Just this morning, I ended up bolusing correctly, but then an emergency caused me to perform a lot more exercise than I had planned on. Then, bam, I'm paralyzed in bed, thinking about calling the ambulance, eating sour patch kids.

And believe me, when sour patch kids are an effective medicine, you have a disease that must just exist for spite.

So yeah, I feel like I can control conditions better with MDI, and can't seem to make the jump to a pump, even though it'd almost certainly improve my health and long-term survivability.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#87

Post by officialchicken »

MengerSponge wrote: post #49
tronicdude wrote: post #39

I’m also a type 1 and I force myself to use pens every few months so I don’t get jumped like this. We need implantable insulin pumps again so bad. Also fuck tandem, I’ve moved to Omnipod (which has its own issues, but better than tandem).

Pro tip: get a Rx for your pens sent to a national pharmacy that your insurance supports, but don't fill it. That way, if you have this issue while traveling, you can just walk into a pharmacy and walk out in half an hour with what you need

Pro-pro tip for T1d's: If you relocate (or visit) the EU and get a Rx - IMMEDIATELY FILL it once as soon as you get it - otherwise it could be invalidated after 15 days - and it won't be valid when you try to use it the first time.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#88

Post by FireBeyond »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #80
bonyt wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Each issue is reasonable by itself... The problem of many hands - when responsibilities in a group that collectively does harm are divided between many people, who can be held accountable when each person individually acted reasonably? I think organizations are, more and more, siloing roles in this way intentionally (or at least emergently), such that blame can only ever be collective if they do harm. Since it's so…

Liability laws incentives play a big part. Good faith effort and patient care increase the surface are for attack.

Potentially. However, depending on the nature of the interaction, abandonment is equally a concern for a provider. If I'm treating or begin care of a hypoglycemic patient (and I'm not saying that in this case, such a thing has happened), then legally, I can be found guilty of abandonment if I don't transfer care to a higher level provider or conclude the course of treatment or intervention planned. I can't just say "I can't do anything for you, you're on your own."

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#89

Post by je42 »

I always have a backup, when i travel even a 2 hour drive away from home.

I take a spare sensor, spare pump (Omnipod), spare insulin, and an insulin + dextro.

On vacation, I take a spare phone, in case my phone that manages pomp and sensor breaks down.

It happened already twice on vacation in the past 5 years.

Re: Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

#90

Post by diob »

I have a fear that my CPAP machine will die one day while I'm away from home, such as vacation overseas or during a business trip. I literally no longer can sleep without it, I have anatomical sleep apnea (perfectly fit), but it's quite severe (79 AHI).

I once forgot it on a trip to a different state, and tried to sleep in the hotel but basically just had insomnia, as I could no longer pass out when I woke up from the apneas. Terrifying to think I did so earlier in my life.

Anyways, I lucked out as I went to craigslist and found one during that trip the next day.

But even if I was home, I'm no longer eligible for a CPAP since my last sleep study was roughly 13 years ago. Apparently they think my anatomy is magically improved since then, aka the US medical system wants their cut of my time / money to keep living.

So even my recent new purchases are from folks on craigslist.

It's wild they would rather me go through another sleep study when during my initial one they cut it short because I had such severe apnea (of the sort where I could have a heart attack without it). They hooked me up to a machine within around an hr or so. Now that I'm older, the risk is even worse.

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