Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Having your insulin pump die while you're on vacation

blog.lauramichet.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 203 posts

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

#181

Post by Neywiny »

ninjin wrote: post #159
Neywiny wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You didn't bring glucose tabs or glucagon with you or get more when you ran out? Was it an overconfidence in your ability to feel low?

As a type-1 diabetic, in my experience it is perfectly possible to end up in a situation like this even if you are responsible. Remember, type-1 diabetes is a condition that requires your attention tens if not a hundred times per day. This is not just on good days, but also on your very worst days when you are juggling everything else that life throws at you and you may not have slept properly for days. So, maybe you…

Yes but there has to be a reason why the nightmare scenario existed. For example in the article it was because the author had hubris over 20+ years of the pump never failing. It's a good admission of cause. I certainly can't blame them for it. They also admit they didn't have a backup plan packed. It's a humble article if you see through all the anger. Your scenario was caused by trying to do the right thing and it was still wrong. Again, great reason. Was the other commenter exhausted and overslept before the trip? We don't know. Did somebody steal their supplies? Did they fall in a vat of toxic waste? All we know is that they were on a trip with no packed way to increase blood sugar and I think we all agree that's not the expected plan. But they also say they're usually very good at feeling their blood sugar and were bait-and-switched by the trip organizer, so it's not unreasonable to assume they assumed they could catch anything early and just go buy something. Which isn't really a plan, again as we learned from the article.

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

#182

Post by darth_avocado »

cperciva wrote: post #94
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…

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…

Also, to people in the US worried about having to go to the ER, Urgent Cares are the way to go with the kind of time the author was working with. You’ll be immediately seen, and not break the bank like an ER even if your insurance doesn’t cover it. They also should have all kinds of insulin at hand.

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

#183

Post by smcin »

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…

You don't understand the context: the issue was not that the pharmacy software somehow innocently can't (automatically) find a pharmacy farther than 25 miles away from the current location. It was specifically CVS prevented this since 2023 arising from their opioid settlement, to prevent "pharmacy-shopping", and to comply with with "Good faith dispensing" legal requirement under the federal Controlled Substances Act (insulin is a non-controlled prescription medication but the PBMs and pharmacies seem to widely apply these restrictions on search (and prescription transfer), which seems silly). Here's [0] one 2024 article (from RI, but whatever) listing all the new controls they imposed on pharmacists and doctors (among other things, transferring prescriptions across state boundaries triggers alarms). As you read this insanity, remember that the Purdue Pharma execs convicted didn't go to prison [1], at most got 400 hours of community service + fines. The Sackler family were still sponsoring the NY Metropolitan until 2019, and none of them were even criminally charged. Anyway, there's your root-cause. It should not affect insulin or other things but clearly the knock-on effect is it does.

[0]: https://www.risehealth.org/insights-articles/article/justice...

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Pharma

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

#184

Post by UomoNeroNero »

Neywiny wrote: post #149
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’…

You didn't bring glucose tabs or glucagon with you or get more when you ran out? Was it an overconfidence in your ability to feel low?

As the saying goes, "The graves are full of hindsight."

In twenty years of living with diabetes, I've made an unbelievable number of mistakes — enough to fill a warehouse.

Every one of them became a lesson, provided it didn't kill me first.

One of the biggest lessons, in fact, was learning to be extremely organized and always prepared.

Yes, in that particular case I had already used up my supplies (and during a three-day trip I hadn't thought about bringing a refill), and, rather stupidly, I wasn't carrying glucagon with me.

I've never claimed to be smart — just a survivor of my own stupidity.

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

#185

Post by UomoNeroNero »

kotaKat wrote: post #180
chopete3 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly my question. Something is missing in this story. We carry a bag of sugar, juice mix, biscuits and candy

DR doesn't just stand for 'disaster recovery', it's 'didn't realize'. It'll always be the one day you didn't realize you forgot the kit...

Yes. Really

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

#186

Post by Neywiny »

UomoNeroNero wrote: post #184
Neywiny wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You didn't bring glucose tabs or glucagon with you or get more when you ran out? Was it an overconfidence in your ability to feel low?

As the saying goes, "The graves are full of hindsight." In twenty years of living with diabetes, I've made an unbelievable number of mistakes — enough to fill a warehouse. Every one of them became a lesson, provided it didn't kill me first. One of the biggest lessons, in fact, was learning to be extremely organized and always prepared. Yes, in that particular case I had already used up my supplies (and during a three…

A perfectly cromulent answer, thanks

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

#187

Post by superxpro12 »

bradleyy wrote: post #86

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 patc…

why not skittles...?

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

#188

Post by codingdave »

kelnos wrote: post #162

Ooooof. I don't want to be too critical, because I'm not the author, and not in their situation, but two things: 1. Your insurance will pay for an ER visit wherever you are (in the US; the author mentions having a California-based ACA plan). Assuming your plan covers emergency services, they're required to cover ER visits at in-network rates wherever you are in the US, even if the hospital/staff are out-of-network fo…

Your insurance will not necessarily pay the full cost of ER visits. Some plans have co-pays in the range of hundreds of dollars. High deductible plans might make you eat the full cost if you have not already had a lot of medical expenses this year. Just having insurance does not mean you won't get destroyed by bills... all it means is there is a max limit on the destruction.

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

#189

Post by cm2012 »

gusgus01 wrote: post #160
cm2012 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US every CVS had rapid acting insulin for $35 for one month supply. This is not special to europe.

Are you talking about the Lilly Insulin Value Program? If you're uninsured, you do need to get the savings card but it's mostly a matter of filling out the form. And that's only since they started the program in 2020.

Yes, the manufacturers coupon. Savings card takes 2 min to fill out, I have done it on my phone at a CVS
Post reply on HN