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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

#131

Post by Projectiboga »

bradleyy wrote: post #121
Trasmatta wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm on a pump but always take backup insulin pens and needles when I travel, so that I can switch to MDI if needed. My QOL with a pump is so much better than it was with a decade+ of MDI.

I'm trying to convince myself. But then it's just one more thing that the medical community is gatekeeping (you didn't book your followup appointment in time, so you're treated as if you're no longer in life-threatening danger of hyperglycemia is a reality for me, because I have a hard time with medical appts). We really need some version of "permanent prescriptions" for insulin. Not OTC, because then insurance doesn…

Yes, I used to carry scripts for insulin and needles in my wallet just in case. NY implemented all bbut mandatoery eprescribe so I feel I have to use a national chain so my script can be seen if I'm traveling. And yes the notion a script for Insulin can be stale is truly insane. Of course regular checkups are best especially with being insulin dependent, but with 2 million T1D just in the USA this is just bad for everyone.

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

#132

Post by Projectiboga »

tick_tock_tick wrote: post #106
cperciva wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One issue here which is obvious to me is that access to insulin should not be gated on paperwork . I can walk into any pharmacy in Canada and say "I'm diabetic and need insulin" and the pharmacist will sell it to me. They'll ask questions of course since this is not the usual path but my doctor's office being open will have no influence on whether I get it -- just on whether it's a 5 minute process or a 15 minute pro…

You can in the USA too. Every Walmart in the country (and by god there are a lot of them) caries OTC insulin for $20-$25.

True but that is the old Human insulin which is in some way not a drug the way the current modified insulins are. Thanks for giving people this heads up.

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

#133

Post by s1artibartfast »

UomoNeroNero wrote: post #122
UomoNeroNero wrote: post #119

Friend, you’re diabetic. Your survival is ultimately your own responsibility. Prepare yourself for a few hard truths. No one — including nurses and doctors who are not specifically trained in diabetes management — truly knows your situation. I had a TIA. I was barely functioning, hospitalized, semi-conscious. Not a single person in the ER, nor during the entire week I was admitted, stopped to think that maybe I wasn’…

Oh, and one more thing. I always keep a blood glucose meter in my backpack. You know, that medieval-age stuff with the finger-pricker and test strips. (You can buy one for about €10 in pretty much any pharmacy in Europe, but it’s better to already have one with you.) And pen needles, too.

Re access:

You can also walk into any pharmacy or walmart in the US and by rapid acting insulin for about $20. no doctor, no insurance, and no Rx necessary (unlike France). Also, they had a massive supply of insulin. If they bothered, they could have bought some needles and looked up the conversion.

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

#134

Post by vidarh »

diob wrote: post #90

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 th…

I found it weird to realise CPAP machines requires prescriptions some places. In the UK you can just order one next delivery from Amazon.

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

#135

Post by codingdave »

> The woman on the other end of the line asked me, "Do you have a plan to continue your insulin pump therapy?" I said, "I guess. I will have to call my doctor and get my prescription for long-acting insulin moved to a pharmacy in Santa Fe." I don't know what she would have done if I'd said "no."

Just a PSA for anyone dealing with medical support lines of any kind in the USA. When they ask whether you have a plan, no matter what topic you are talking about, they are not just making small talk. They are at a decision point in their script - a nice little diamond on a flowchart with different paths for "Yes" vs. "No." Your answer will change path of the conversation.

The best move is to give a thought out, honest answer to that question.

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

#136

Post by sgentle »

Unfortunately this is my broad experience of medical systems across multiple countries and, weirdly, it strikes me as one of the few problems that isn't caused by rent-seeking in the healthcare industry, or at least only very distantly (minus the "don't want to remortgage my house to go to emergency" element, obviously).

Medicine has a curious form of parochial paternalism: doctors, endowed with complete responsibility for your body, bodies in general, and anything that might affect a body, will confidently make claims and assumptions far outside their expertise, and completely ignore the factors outside their purview. Their role is to be the calm and reassuring face of medicine, even at the expense of a necessary humility about the complexity of the systems outside their office.

The bulk of the actual care is done by various non-doctors with a dizzying and overlapping matrix of responsibilities, all but guaranteeing that important things get dropped or missed. But all of that is meant to be fine, because the doctor is the single responsible person who will catch whatever the patchwork misses. Only they don't, because they're doctors, not social workers, not healthcare administrators; they rarely see the full picture.

This leaves only the patient, who, while suffering and with no particular expertise, has to become their own doctor, pharmacist, technician, administrator and patient advocate if they want to receive the best care.

Of course, the best care usually isn't necessary for a good outcome, and if you have an uncomplicated problem with a standard solution, chances are the medical system works just fine for you. But when you slip off the beaten path you very quickly realise that the facade has so many cracks that it's as much cracks as facade.

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

#138

Post by decademoon »

One thing I learned when I switched from manual injections to an insulin pump: the pump does NOT eliminate the need to carry injection pens, needles and a glucose meter with me when I leave my house unless I know I can get back quickly in case of an emergency. I always need to think about the worst case scenario, especially when travelling overseas.

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

#139

Post by 1123581321 »

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…

Some people are sure they have a magic case of a chronic disease that can’t be helped by anyone’s shared experiences. I used to think that about myself. It’s usually not true.

Anyway, I thought the curse was funny and I’m glad 1-2 of the other replies got that.

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

#140

Post by Nk26 »

This is a very large fear of mine but we've been lucky to have extra supplies in almost every T1D category. People seem to forget that most diabetic supplies in the US are gated by insurance who make it extremely difficult to create a small stash. We bring extra ( most that i had to cash pay for ) insulin, long acting , CGM's, multiple blood glucose monitors. We also recently were able to bring my sons old X2 with us on vacation. So we have backups for everything.

Also use facebook groups if your in a situation like OP is in. I could post on my local T1D group looking for long acting and could get 5-10 offers.

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