I didn't even catch that, Nyadach; I had decided I wasn't interested in any of it so started moving quickly through it. Glad you complained about that concept. Control, control, control. (Big Pharmas, not ours!)
I've run across people here and in person with T2D that are using pumps. You're right, of course, about the general Medicare and insurance policy rules against T2D pump use. Somehow, at least a few people, are getting around the rules. I can't help but think that the huge T2D demographic combined with pump companies' economic incentive will wear down those regulations.
That makes sense. With people living longer we have many Type 2's diagnosed in their 40s or 50s whose pancreas stops producing after 20 or more years. Having just gone through the Medicare approval process, they never asked me for antibody testing, only c-peptide. (though I do have a type 1 diagnosis which has been "on the books" since I got back to the states in 2009.) The pump companies aren't stupid, they know where the numbers are. Might help the CGM cause so many of us (myself excluded) are concerned about with Medicare as well. Who says seniors aren't tech savvy!
Zoe, many insurances will cover pumps based on insulin and clinical needs vs for type 1 only. I’m type 2 and have been on a pump for 12 years and also have had cgms coverage for the past 4 years.
That's great, Diana, and as it should be!
I did the survey and it made me wish I could just look at the pumps and say oh that's a great idea but alas there really were no great ideas. Just more of the same only presented in a slightly different manner. I use a pod because I wanted tubeless. At the time it was the only option and as far as I can tell it is still the only option. Would I like the G4 to be integrated with my pump ? You bet, but not at the expense of tubing and not on my cell phone because that does not have a blood glucose meter.
If you can donate one
I think I know the target market for this pump. Anyone who wants a patch pump but who uses more than 200 units of insulin in 3 days. Right now the only option for tubeless is Omnipod and the maximum it will hold is 200 units. So for a teenage boy using 180 units of basal/bolus insulin every day this would require a new pod virtually every day. With the pump in the survey you could remove the reservoir piece and fill it back up again without removing the canula.
Looks like I'm in a solid minority in that I really like the idea of a patch pump you can take off. I wear a tubed pump now, and although I love that it is durable and reliable, I also think it's a total pain! I even take it off once in a while just to get a break from the annoyance of it. But When I used the Omnipod I did not like the fact that I was stuck with it (LOL) in the same spot for 3 days, and if it turned out to be in an inconvenient spot for some activity then I was just out of luck. This option would solve both problems! I also really like that the CGM integration and the bolus button would reduce the number of gadgets I carry with me all the time.
And... I agree with Mike Ratrie that it's great that pump companies are looking for feedback from PWD. Perhaps this conversation thread will send at least one of them back to the drawing board :)
Zoe, do you remember which other survey that was? If you can give me any more clues I'll tell you what's happened with it :)
It was another one on possible pump developments and it paid $50 - the name of the organization was Health Advances. I was just curious because I think a lot of people would be interested in the information in it and the $50 isn't bad either! It seamed to disappear from the forum so quickly so I was wondering if they just got deluged with participants.
Emily, you are not the only one. I absolutely loved the idea of a detachable patch pump, especially in combination with a smartphone.
Oh, if it only were already here…
Emily, would you mind expanding on your thoughts on the detachable patch pump? I'm an omnipod user, and while I too would like to be able to re-site the pump, it wasn't clear to me that the solution proposed in the survey would support that. Unless the canula/adhesive portion is very cheap, it seems to me that at least financially, moving a site has the same implications as with a tubed pump.
Other than re-siting, I am having a severe failure of imagination in thinking of other reasons I'd want to remove it -- hence my entreaty for more detail :-)
It is (in the UK) www.cellnovo.com
I tried to take the survey, and it said the survey was closed!
OMG, that thing is HUGE!!! Do you know if it is only in the UK or also elsewhere available ( mainland europe, US, australia)?