Are there T2 diabetics who use insulin pumps? I’m a T2 and have been on insulin for a while (on Lantus, and just started Humalog). Does the Endo make the call as to when you go on the pump?
Depends on the insurance company. My insurance company made me go through an endo. I have been trying to get on a pump for about a year now. I finally got an appt with an endo. last month and the insurance company denied me because she did not attach my history. I see the endo next month again and I am going to ask her to reapply for my pump. I am going to have her reapply everytime I see her until I get a pump. Please make sure that you have letter of necessity, medical records and the paperwork from the pump company go to the insurance company all at the same time. Do you know what pump you want? You can contact the pump company and they will do the leg work for you. Good luck with getting a pump. I too am a type 2 diabetic.
For Medicare you have to meet certain lab requirements as a type 2 diabetic. That is where my problem is at. My labs don’t qualify so they won’t cover it.
We were under the understanding that if the dr precribed it then they would cover it. Boy, were we wrong. I have had to jump through hoops every time something new is prescribed for me. This makes you not want to go to the dr just so that you do not have to deal with the hassle. I had the insurance company try to deny covering needles for my syringes. I wanted the cheaper needles because they were smaller. They said they would cover the syringes but not the needles. The needles were not name brand. The needles and the syringes were the same brand. Go figure.
my a1c right now is ranging from 7.6 to a 9.4. I just started Humalog and we are still trying to find the right dose to take care of my after meal highs. I would love to just not give shots anymore.
how did they expect you to give yourself the insulin??? i hate insurance companies they think they know it all. Why do we have doctors:??? if the insurance companies know it all??? 
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My A1C is anywhere from 6.5 to 7.6 and I am not liking it. I would like not having to stop my life in order to give myself the shots. I hate having give myself shots in bathrooms or my car. They tell you to stay active if your a diabetic but they do not make it easy. I would like to be on a pump so that I have the freedom to do the things I want to do when I want to do them. I would like the freedom to be able to eat what I want to eat and not having to worry about having my sugar levels drop to low because I did not feel like eating very much at that meal.
I have come to the conclusion that if you work in the medical field or the insurance field that you are not allowed to have any medical problems. I am not a vegitarian but I do not eat a lot of meat. I was told by an endo that I just needed to eat more meat so that would even out my blood sugars. That was the last time I saw that dr.
I am not a Type 2, but I had a friend who was type 2 and pumped for many years. She is now off the pump and off of insulin, due to a drastic amount of weight loss, but it is okay and becoming more common for type 2’s to pump. Good luck with that!
Thanks
to pump or not to pump?
i am injecting 4 xs a day now, should I go to the pump?
what are the pros and cons ?
thank you.
Getting a pump, Angela, doesn't mean you don't still have to figure your I:C ratios to determine dose. I:C ratios, basal and ISF are all important skills you need to figure out to make use of if you get a pump.
There are a couple of threads on this very topic, David, that you might want to read. There are advantages and disadvantages and pumps aren't for everybody, but most people who start them love them. You still need to count carbs, figure I:C and ISF's, but then you program them in to your pump so you don't have to do math each time you eat. Pumps are more expensive and there are more objects to keep track of. But they give you the freedom to go wherever you want and not have to worry about taking shots. They also let you dose accurately to decimal points which helps most people get better blood sugars. Also to set different basal rates for different times a day and for exercise. But you do have a steep learning curve with the pump and have to deal with infusion sets.
Yes there are and provides some excellent choices and control for T2's as well.
See Jan Chait at DiabetesSelfmanagement blog.
thank you. I have yet to count carbs and I have no idea what ISF's are. thank you for your input.
thank you.
I am T2 and have been on a pump for 5 years, with excellent results.
-Lloyd
You can make a request to you Dr. because he/she has to approve it along with your insurance.
I am type 2 and have been on a pump for over 2 years. I would have big problems if I was on shots and did.
I am on a pump for 2 main reasons: exercise is impossible on MDI and long acting insulin can’t keep up with the rapid changes I go through daily. I often make around 4 pump adjustments during one night. I have my CGM alarms set to 70 and 120. On MDI I used to have to wake up and gorge on candy.
My doctor suggested a pump soon as she saw all the problems I was having and being on Medicare insurance was a non issue. No coverage so I had to buy the pump and supplies. My C-peptide was about 3.5 when I had to go on full insulin.
Luckily my c-peptide goes up and down so I was eventually able to pass the Medicare test (c-poptide below 0.8) and now have insurance coverage.
I’m a type 2 with private insurance through work. I asked my old endo if he thought a pump (Medtronic 630) and CGM (Dexcom G5) were good for me and he agreed. I’ve been on it for a little over a year, and at first they didn’t teach me how to count carbs, do I:C ratios etc but use it as a glorified way to hit a button and inject a bolus vs a shot. I have a new endo now and in 2 weeks I’m getting trained on all of that. Pumps are WONDERFUL even for Type 2s and are becoming increasingly more popular.
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Please realize that while the pump does make food choices easier when on the pump, it does not give complete freedom to eat whatever you want. I have been pumping for 8 years and still have to be careful that I estimate carbs correctly. Due to miscalculation I have had delayed highs and lows, sometimes from ‘stacking’ (resulting from giving insulin several times, close together because of spread-out eating). Also, I think the insulin action time of pump vs injections may be slower.
Also the balance of basal, bolus, and correction bolus needs to be considered.
All things considered, the pump is the way to go. Although it does take some ‘smarts’ and thinking, it is a more natural insulin delivery system, very helpful for the prevention of side effects.