Tuesday 14 May 2013

DBlogWeek Day 2 - We, The Undersigned

Todays prompt: Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change? (Thanks to Briley of inDpendence for this topic suggestion.)
We, the undersigned People with Diabetes (PWDs) and caregivers and loved ones of PWDs (Type 3s) do herby petition to increase the availability of pumps and CGMs in the UK:

Today the first ever insulin pump audit for the UK was published and surprise surprise we are 'lagging behind' the rest of Europe. Only 7% of Type One Diabetics currently use insulin pumps in our country.

Seven.

I realise that both pumps and CGMs are incredibly expensive both initially and also to maintain, but don't we deserve to have access to them like the rest of the world? Right now the thought of a pump is still a little scary to me, however if MDI doesn't doing the trick for me in the future I'd like to be able to go to my Dr without being dismissed. I read many blogs of people who use pumps and CGMs, who admittedly have their struggles but find in the long run their control is far better, leading to better BG/HbA1c results and less chance of complications.

Granted that any improvement on pump use figures is a good one, but when technology is rapidly evolving it just feels like we could get left further and further behind.

If a patient meets the necessary NICE criteria then they should be given every available option, whether it costs a penny or a thousand pounds.

0 comments:

Post a Comment