Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by AngelaC on February 14, 2011 at 5:03pm

No, they were simply people I had met. The one person I met who had a pump and who worked for a pump company used and sold Animas pumps. Now, I did get a chance to meet a member of Team Type 1 (the cycling group that has won the Ride Across America 3 times) -- Matt Brooks, one of the younger members of the team -- at a Diabetes Expo in NYC. Team Type 1 and especially the type 1 RAAM are sponsored by Insulet/OmniPod, but being sponsored by a company and being employed by a company are two different things, as I'm sure you know.

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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on February 14, 2011 at 1:35pm

Well, it's like the AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educators). They are ONLY interested in training professionals who may or may not be diabetic for roles in diabetes education (and very little in the way of emotional support). My pump trainer is married to a diabetic. But it's NOT the same thing! They totally ignore the vast resources that could be offered by PWDs with lots of experience, education, knowledge and common sense.

It would be entirely possible to set up a Peer Mentor program, WITH training in all types of diabetes, and ethical behavior (there are some things that have to be left to CDEs and doctors), but which would provide the newly diagnosed as well as the burnt-out with a new lease on life. But they refuse to even consider it, although there are individual CDE's who do understand the idea.

It's why I like sites like this -- kind of doing an end-run around the institutional barriers, and talking to our own. The only proviso being that you have to be intelligent enough to know what is realistic and what is not. Pomegranate cure, anyone?

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on February 14, 2011 at 3:59pm

I agree that message boards are very useful. The transparency of the forum acts as a check and any serious disagreement about scientific issues can be resolved, or at least debated, with citations to substantiate one's position. I would like to see more effort by a large body, like the AMA, work more effectively yo develop strategies to integrate forums into treatment. I've mentioned them to doctors but it's almost like they instantly recall the meeting where the lawyer told them their malpractice insurance will cost more if they ***mention*** the internet to a patient.

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Permalink Reply by Terry Keelan on February 14, 2011 at 6:09pm

You know what really sucks about the Pomegranate cure?

I hate pomegranates, that's what. If not for that, I'd be outta here.

Terry

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Permalink Reply by AngelaC on February 14, 2011 at 8:04pm

LOL, Natalie! Pomegranate cure! Uh huh, with an orange juice kicker (since magnesium supposedly "cures" diabetes, too) ! You're right in that the AADE is interested in training only health care professionals, such as nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, podiatrists, and doctors, and secondarily training mental health professionals such as clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, and certain social workers. Medical sales, though, doesn't necessarily require you to be an RN or even a CDE. For instance, read the following description of a sales rep in Queens, NY for Lifescan:

This position requires a 4 year degree, as well as, a minimum of 2 years of outside sales experience preferred. 3-5 years of sales experience in a healthcare professional sales environment or experience in professional diabetes care or related healthcare fields strongly preferred. Candidates must have a valid driver's license issued in one of the 50 United States and a clean driving record. This position may require overnight and/or weekend travel. Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential. Preference will be given to candidates living within 30 miles of the territory, with documented history of proven sales success in outside sales, pharmaceutical, or medical products industry.

Nothing in there that says the candidate needs to be a nurse or CDE. Why not have a diabetic sell the product? Why not have someone who actually uses the product visit the endos and demonstrate the product to them? Having a for-real person who is wearing the pump, who can describe the day-to-day ups and downs, the for-real problems, such as the "pizza problem" or the infamous cat-chewing-on-tubing problems, could help doctors have greater insight into which patients might benefit more from the pump and which ones might not.

Of course, none of this negates the need for a peer mentoring program! Trainers, CDEs, Endos, and the host of other professionals are perfectly appropriate for one level of learning. However, CDEs have known for years that, in order for behaviors to become more permenant, frequent contact needs to occur. While insurance companies have duped everyone into believing that the twice yearly endo meetings and annual meetings with dietitians and CDEs consititute "sufficient" contact, the truth is this contact insufficient, and that can be seen in the percentage of poor A1cs, the lack of understanding of bg readings, heck, the percentage of people who do not have meters. Also consider there are not enough CDEs or endos (and endos numbers are declining) to meet with all diabetics. Peer mentoring can fill a need that would otherwise remain unmet.

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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on February 14, 2011 at 9:57pm

We are on the same wavelength, Angela! Just tonight I went to our bimonthly pump support group, and there was a new woman there, and all she had been told was to order her supplies, and they would show her how to insert the set. Well, WHAT supplies? No suggestion as to what set to order. She is very slim, and some of the horizontal sets are going to be too long for her, and result in a lot of problems. She finally settled on the Silhouette, but they didn't teach her to insert it at a shallow angle, so she was hitting muscle anyway, and getting lots of no-delivery alarms, and seeing wildly fluctuating BGs. No one went over her basals with her, and she's trying to figure out how much insulin to take for food and can't figure out why it fluctuates so much. Well, if her basals are screwy, then her meal and PP BGs aren't going to be manageable, either.

My heart went out to her -- is medical care really getting that negligent? The best I could do, was to recommend her getting Pumping Insulin and Think Like a Pancreas, hoping that if she read them, she would begin to get a handle on how to at least start minimizing the fluctuations. The CDE there couldn't help her all that much either, because so much depends on who the doctor chooses to manage diabetes education. And I started thinking about all the people who don't even get to a support group.

I did tell her about TuDiabetes -- I hope she gets on, and I hope she's able to navigate the site, because it's really very extensive, and might be overwhelming to a not-so-confident newbie. And I hope she comes to the next group -- she was amazed that she wasn't the only one who had fluctuations in BGs and trouble starting the pump. There is so much more for her to learn, and I hope she keeps at it.

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Permalink Reply by Cathy Jacobson on February 14, 2011 at 6:14pm

How wonderful that he had no problem with it showing, as many of the TYPE I's I know are embarassed to have the pump showing. Good for him. As for his being thin, we come in all sizes, shapes, forms and health problems. But do we know for sure that he didn't have other things going on with his health, not really without talking to him. He may eat the food at OG....just be a little more careful, than I can be in there. Karen, we are all on our own road here, and it's so neat that you and your husband can notice things like that and revel in the idea that it's just a normal thing for some. Good luck with your journey.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Craig on February 15, 2011 at 4:51pm

I always go up to people when I spot their pump and take mine out of my pocket. The other day it was a guy at Starbucks.

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Permalink Reply by Karen on July 8, 2011 at 3:48pm

Well hubby had another pump sighting, grrrr!!!

He said he treated himself to five donut holes (gave up for about 2 weeks, ha). Young girl walks by, (perhaps that is why he noticed) and he said there was her insulin pump showing to the world with the tubing flying (I hide my pump and tubing)

I said you saw another pumper, why don't I ever see one??? (he laughed)

Even when I go to endo, I don't see any.

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Permalink Reply by Julia on July 8, 2011 at 3:51pm

Lol! Too funny! I havent seen a pumper either! I guess I better start looking closer :)

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Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on July 8, 2011 at 6:55pm

Me, neither. I see lots of cell phones, though. Keep wishing one were a pump, but hasn't happened yet! LOL!!

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Permalink Reply by packrat on July 9, 2011 at 2:48pm

I have seen two or three in the past two years, was at a amusement park a few days ago with 1000s of people and kids and did not see one pump......???

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