LIVINGLIVING
Pump feel
At the time of this interview Stefan had
been on a pump for just three months. She
uses the Dana RS which she says is, "small
and light." At this point Vincent asked, "Can
I feel your pump?" and concurred.
Stefan also used one of Abbott's
FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor
ontop of which she uses a device called
a Miao Miao. Clicked on top of the
sensor, this sends data into an app on
her smartphone. The Dana RS pump also
has its own separate app which can be
used to direct the pump to do anything
that can be done on the pump itself,
including delivering a bolus or changing
a basal rate. She says, "Using the pump
with Libre-plus-Miao Miao and my phone
has been life changing. After a month of
having my pump I began doing DIY APS
- what's often now called looping, as 'do
it yourself artificial pancreas system' is a
bit long-winded. For the last two months
all these bits of kit have worked together
as a closed loop system and it's been
amazing."
Regarding getting a pump, Stefan
admits she "did have to fight to get it".
Turns out that meeting other diabetics as
part of a peer support group run by the
hospital prompted her request to go on a
pump. "I'd ended up attending a meeting
with other people, all of whom were on
pumps. But at that stage no one had ever
suggested I have a pump. Around that
time I'd left my job and really started to
get into the diabetes online community,
where I found YouTube videos about
looping. The fact was that my HbA1c was
at 7.7mmols/L before going on the pump,
but I was having to take something like 15
injections a day as well as do blood tests.
It was my mother who found the Freestyle
Libre and bought one for me. That really
helped me to gain better control. Then,
once I heard about looping, I had to get a
pump. I managed to get a Dana RS through
the hospital and I have never looked back.
My last HbA1c was 6.3mmols/L. I am so
happy with that result."
There were a few changes involved
beyond using new diabetes kit. Stefan
recalls, "In order to loop I had to 'cross
over to the other side', and went from
using an iPhone to an Android. I was
much more worried about changing the
phone than starting DIY looping. But I'm
really happy with it all now. I still do blood
tests too, as backup. I use the Freestyle
Optimum Neo which has slightly fiddling
strip wrappers, but I also have an Accuchek mobile which is much easier to use."
Limited access
Vincent's sister still lives in Suffolk where
she says there is very limited access to
diabetes technology with only one pump
model available as the staff are only
trained on that one, so no actual choice.
For herself, she went on a Cosmo
pump at the age of eleven. "It was apple
Above and opposite: Rosie Vincent
working on her degree presentation.
continued over