Information about insulin pump

Bicky

Hello,
My girlfriend has type 1 diabetes and is currently researching insulin pumps. She is especially interested in the omnipod. Can anyone give information about the availability in Ireland and the cost of the sytem?
Thank you very much.

chilli_pepper

The Omnipod is not available in Ireland , I myself would also like to use this pump. There are lots of other pumps available here but all of them have tubing attached unlike the omnipod which is disposable and has no tubing. She should speak to her diabetes centre about getting one , where does she attend ?

Bicky

Hi,
Thanks a lot for the reply. She is Hungarian but has been living in Ireland for more than three years. During that time she has travelled home to Hungary for her check up. She is in the process of finding an Irish GP and is very interested in getting an insulin pump.
Can anyone please give your opinion about the reality of wearing a pump day to day and the best products available now on the Irish market?

The_garbage_man

I'm not sure you can buy one yourself outside a hospital, and given the cutbacks everywhere I've heard the waiting list for pumps has gone from around 6 months to 18 months. I'm on injections myself but know a good few people on pumps (there's a few models but I couldn't tell the differerence) personally they're not for me and I know others who wouldn't like one but those that I do know on them say they're the best treatment they've had and would never switch back to injections...

LegacyUser

im waiting for one with about 9 months now - with dr. firth in dublin. the waiting list in long. at first i thought the pump will be great - but now im not so sure - like it will always be attached to me, and people might be able to see it through my clothes. but you have to be referred to get one by your GP if he/she thinks your suitable, as far as i know.

katiemaloe

Hi!,
Well Ive been diabetic for 17 years and wore an insulin pump for the last 3 years. I recently took it off. I feel threre are certainly pros for the pump but it can be hard going too. Its great that you can snack and count carbs and have a little insulin top up if you fancy some sweeties. You can bolus for literally everything, like if you have an apple. Whereas you wouldn't normally bother to take an injection for just an apple. The model I had (Minimed 512) has a feature called bolus wizard that works out exactly how much insulin you need to reach your target Blood glucose. Very useful!

It is hard goin wearing it constantly though. Especially if your wearing a dress with no pockets. I came up with so many ways of hiding the pump under clothes etc... I always hated wearing it in bed. If you don't wear pyjamas then you have nothing to clip it onto. Its not the prettiest of things either!!

The reason I took it off and went back to pens is because I got fed up of worrying about if it was inserted properly. The odd time, the cannula bends under the skin and blocks the flow of insulin. If this happens, your sugars can fly up quite quickly and you feel so yuck because the insulin is completely running out and your not taking any long acting to cover the background. Not a nice feeling! A few times, I pulled the cannula out by accident, catching it in tights, waistband of jeans etc... This is a rare occurance but annoying, esp if you are busy in work and can't put in a new cannula straight away.

I'm back on the pens now. I might go back to the pump at some stage but I'm enjoying the break and still carb counting and checking my sugars to keep things as tidy as possible.... working out grand! Though i do miss the bolus wizard feature of the pump.

There are pros and cons as with everything.... please feel free to ask me anything if you have any questions.... I'm well used to diabetes and the pump! Hope this helps

elliottkennedy

Hi

I am currently on the OmniPod and have been for around a year. I am 18 years old and moved to Ireland around september from Switzerland. I was told no one in Ireland is on this system and was surprised as it works so well. Its so small, and does not interfere in any sporting activities or day to day stuff. The only way i am able to receive the pods is by ordering them from Switzerland where i still have my Insurance. Ive heard that there are some similar patch pumps out, so see if any are available in Ireland.

niamhsligo

Hi
I got a pump last year. I was lucky to get it through my hospital as one of their first three patients. The pump I got is the Medtronic and as far as I was told thats who HSE have atender with to supply pumps. I think you can get some of the others if theres a specific reason eg. some of the children involved in water sports have got waterproof pumps. I find it good because I was having a lot of hypos and am very sensitive to insulin. The fine tuning I got with the pump has reduced my hypos greatly. It can be a pain to wear at night though!! I toss and turn more than I realised !!

graflynn

Bicky wrote: »

Hi,
Thanks a lot for the reply. She is Hungarian but has been living in Ireland for more than three years. During that time she has travelled home to Hungary for her check up. She is in the process of finding an Irish GP and is very interested in getting an insulin pump.
Can anyone please give your opinion about the reality of wearing a pump day to day and the best products available now on the Irish market?

Here is some information on the availability of Insulin Pumps in Ireland on Page 12 of this book: http://www.diabetes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/T1-Starter-Kit.pdf

For more information on the practical issues of wearing a pump this is a really good book: "Insulin Pump Therapy Demystified: An Essential Guide for Everyone Pumping Insulin" By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer & Gary Scheiner
Available from www.amazon.co.uk and Easons