Showing posts with label NICE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NICE. Show all posts

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Being Heard In Diabetes

A white man cups his fingers to his right ear

A curious title? Perhaps. Hang in there and allow me to explain. This is going to be a positive-in-tone blog post about our voices as diabetics and how today, in 2023, things are far different and far better than they were only a few years ago.

Living with a long term condition, such as diabetes, is a huge burden for many to shoulder. The nuances make the burden different from person to person and in some cases individuals report no burden at all. It's a long, varied, spectrum - the burden of diabetes. What many have spoken about and in some cases shared experiences of historical events is that as a patient they rarely felt listened to by their HCPs. It's something I can relate to and also something that I've noticed a change with.

When I was a lad, it was all trees and fields as far as the eye could see. And a hospital or two. At one of those hospitals, I attended my diabetes outpatients appointments every 3 or 4 months. They were terrible. From threats of visits to the "amputation ward" to a single focus on the numbers in my blood glucose diary (most of which were lies anyway) I never felt heard, never supported and was once described as "an angry young man". Little wonder, you might think, that I decided to put my head into the sand and as an older teenager and young adult I would avoid attending clinic. 

Let's jump back to today; less fields and trees but still a hospital or two - a different hospital or two in a different area. What's different? Well, the general attitude of my HCPs is outstanding. Despite what you may have read, I'm a 46 year old adult and my treatment in the last few years has been excellent, respectful and kind. Compared to my treatment in the 1980s and 1990s it is a different world. I feel delighted to have this much improved care but also a little sad for younger me who went through years of very poor care. 

It isn't just in the clinic environment where things have improved. As diabetics, even those recently diagnosed, we are seen as experts of the condition. It's probably right to suggest that some know an awful lot more than others but eventually nobody will know more about your diabetes than you do. It's very respectful to view the person living with the chronic illness as an expert and it sets a great tone for communication from then on. As experts, our views and experiences must matter. You may have noticed many conferences which focus on our lived experiences and our views on diabetes and long may they continue. As we share, as we listen, we help others and we help ourselves. 

You may have also heard of the draft guidance for Hybrid Closed Loop, recently. Our views matter there! NICE are welcoming comments until 5pm UK time on January 31st - soon after this blog is published, so head over there and let NICE know where the guidance for HCL should be focused. 

Social media has become an incredibly powerful way to be heard in recent years, too. Diabetics from around the world share experiences, knowledge and their struggles. Many have cited the #GBDoc community on Twitter as transforming their diabetes for the better. I include myself in that as you probably know if you've read much of my blog before. Because of being heard by my peers, by HCPs and by some diabetes businesses I am able to live a far less burdensome life than that of just a few years ago. I'm also able to dedicate some of my time to helping others to achieve their diabetes goals. 

Although I live with various conditions, Type 1 Diabetes has dominated my time and energy for almost four decades, but never to such a small degree as today. Things seem set to continue to improve in most areas of managing the condition, too. Technology is advancing and even the cumbersome NHS are embracing it. Peer support has been given the recognition it deserves. The diabetic voice is a loud one and heard in almost all circles. Of course, there is much more which needs to be done to provide fantastic care to everybody living with diabetes in every country and not just in certain areas of the United Kingdom. 

There is never a great time to be a diabetic but 2023 is certainly a better time to be living in the UK with a wonky pancreas than most years gone by. Let's keep talking and keep pushing for the very best care for everybody, regardless of type.

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

The Path To Pumping - Pt.9 Trials & Tribulations


Do you remember my last blog post on The Path To Pumping? I titled that one "Destination" as it appeared that we were coming in to land. We are! We still are! Please remain seated until we have reached the terminal, etc.

You may have already read on my tweets, I've had the call! The call to confirm my NHS pump funding. It was expected to go through without any problems but it was still nice to hear the words. I'm already pumping, as you probably know, since August of 2021 but my excitement was still very real. I can only imagine how MDI users must feel when they've been waiting for confirmation. My excitement stemmed from having one less thing to worry about. What if I was refused? My next avenue was to talk to my old friends in the media and that might've been a messy experience for so many - who are trying hard to open up access to technology for more people. I'm so glad that wasn't necessary but, a week after the call, I've had time to reflect on what has been necessary to get to this position. You might already know! I've documented each step on The Path To Pumping since day one. Shall we take a quick look back at the tribulations? 

Let's start with the positive refusals. Positive refusals?! Perhaps you've experienced the "You're doing great, you don't need a pump" line? You may have even responded with a counter-argument as to why you need a pump. Did the NICE criteria wall then appear? Yeah, same. And that happened on a couple of occasions. I have a lot of sympathy for HCPs who are under pressure from all angles. I'll even open my own blog to them to allow their voices to be heard by a greater audience. I want the bridge between them and patients to be a strong one. However, I'm rarely accepting of situations which I know are wrong, could be changed or improved. My use of MDI was a far inferior therapy compared to pumping, I had the hard data to prove it and a long, long list of QoL reasons to back that up further. Positive refusals were not going to wash.

The New Year was a busy period of pump "chasing". I spent countless hours writing emails to MPs, charity advocates, commissioners and even spent some time talking to a rather senior chap in Westminster. Following my emails, phone calls, meetings and letters the response from every avenue that I explored was sympathetic and understanding of my necessity to be NHS funded for a pump. It was encouraging and, looking back, I suspect a great number of influential people will now know a lot more about Type 1 Diabetes than they once did.

Finally, a new hospital, a new consultant, a new attitude and a new outcome. The best Diabetes appointment of my life because I was listened to. HCPs might be reading this and thinking "We all bloody listen". I wish that was true. Despite my visual impairment, I am very tuned-in to body language, responses, and general tells of disinterest which can come down to a simple change in voice tone. I played poker with some incredibly bright and successful people. In time, beyond the game, it teaches you things about human beings. Some of those things, when you learn what to look for, are obvious. Humans give away information all the time without needing to talk and the stressed and tired HCP isn't great at disguising their truths. So, the greatest appointment ever? I was listened to, asked questions which were relevant, noticed I was being observed carefully and understood when I offered my experiences and views. It must feel incredible to know that you've improved the life of your patient, that you're both on the same page, that you facilitated the progress in their care and use of technology. That is surely the job of an HCP; to improve or maintain the health of a patient? Are you really doing that if you block access to technology?

And here we are, some 9 months after putting a foot on The Path. Approved. The tribulations are seemingly over and the trials are starting. The photo at the top of the page is some Omnipod gear which my lovely DSN sent to me. She was kind enough to offer to squeeze me into a pump start-up appointment. I declined because I know how busy they are right now. I'll take my turn and that'll probably be later in summer. I'm already pumping, after all! I think it's fairer to give that space to somebody who needs to start on a pump more urgently than I do and fairer on the HCPs who are struggling to manage with the demands of patients. 

I'll try out the Omnipod stuff, probably breaking it along the way. I have also been approached by other pump companies to try out their stuff. That's likely because I have some social media presence - I get it. And I'll try it! I've already played around with a few new things. The future looks very bright. 

During The Path To Pumping, I have been approached by many Type 1 Diabetics who were in similar positions or simply interested in how to start the conversation in clinic. I can't count them all, I didn't keep a tally, nor am I interested in open praise, but I do know that several are now approved for pump funding or still pushing for it. That makes my heart happy because I know the huge improvements to my QoL that pumping has brought. I hope that you guys experience a similar improvement. Still being refused? Well, you know your own health better than anybody. If you're sure that a pump is the way to go then do not accept "No" or any other bullsh*t refusal. There are ways. It can be done.

To close this blog post; The battle for access should not have happened. The "cliff notes" above only touch the surface of the work I have put into obtaining pump funding. Pump funding which was right for me, a person living with T1D, a person who probably should've been listened to more carefully, situations and health considered better, evidence read and believed, and above all an acceptance of what the future holds. Diabetes care is evolving and technology is playing a bigger part than ever before. If you're pushing tech as the next step in Diabetes care then refusing it at any point cannot be without good reason. Patients are not guidelines or criteria.

As you might have seen, a conflict has broken out in Ukraine as Russia has invaded that country. The scenes on TV and on social media are horrifying. What can we do? Well, I don't think there is a wrong way to help if you donate to charities who are active in helping the people of Ukraine. I support many charities but one which has always had my heart is MSF. Medecins Sans Frontieres translates as Doctors Without Borders. When it comes to the health of others in disaster areas, war zones and the like then I think we all have a duty to do what we can to help and help those who directly help! such as MSF. With that in mind, all donations to me via Buy Me a Coffee and all the pennies generated through the ads dotted around my pages will be donated to MSF. I will make up the difference for the fees taken by PayPal and Buy Me a Coffee. That will run until further notice, no time frames and possibly until Ukraine is a free country again. Thank you for reading my blog. 

BUY DIABETIC DAD (MSF) A COFFEE HERE

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BUY DIABETIC DAD (MSF) A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL 

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Diabetes HCP Anonymous 1 - DSN Guest Blog



Post-Covid, the demands on HCPs in the UK have grown to unprecedented levels and Diabetes care has not escaped the turmoil. As an active member of many Diabetes circles, I have been fortunate to learn about the current situation faced by many of our hardworking HCPs within the NHS. Some of their stories have horrified me and given me a new perspective on life "on the other side of the appointment". I have offered my blog space to my HCP friends as a safe space for them to air their views anonymously. 

Welcome to the first of these Guest Blogs, written by a Diabetes Specialist Nurse.

Dad.

I love my job - I just need to get that out there before I open up to you about the current climate for people like me, working for the NHS. I work with some incredible people and the PwDs who I've met have been the most amazing, strong and stoic individuals. 

It's hard. Being a DSN right now is becoming really tough and some of us are at breaking point. The issues are complicated and come from many directions but the main one is Covid. You've probably felt the delays or a shift in your care due to the pandemic, as a patient. We understand your frustrations and we are trying our best to get through the backlogs. Many of us have been faced with very distressing issues, as really poorly people with Type 2 Diabetes are coming through to us following two years of seeing nobody. As you might imagine they need urgent care and referrals to other areas, all of which take up lots of time and resources. We're getting through things but it's going to take a while to until we see some sort of normality again.

I know that Paul has a large following of PwDs with Type 1 Diabetes and that you're all excited about the new availability of technology and the new NICE guidelines. I also know Paul to be a great champion of technology and an advocate for better access but I must offer some hard truths. Despite what you may have read, simply asking for a CGM will not result in you getting one immediately. 

Some of you are asking for Libre 3 which hasn't been released on to prescription yet, to transfer a patient to that requires the filling of a 10 page document - a very time consuming process when the demands come from hundreds of people. There is also no iPhone option for Libre 3 and no reader so it's only suitable for Android users. 

Elsewhere, I've seen requests for Dexcom 1 which has no sharing function, no predictive alerts and isn't yet available to prescribe. The Dexcom G6? That's still not happening unless the patient is hypo unaware. If you want a Dexcom and you have hypo awareness then you'll be directed to Dex 1 which is much inferior to a G6. Other options have been brought forward but there are huge question marks over quality and a lack of sharing with HCP options means the patient is left to manage their own data without our support.

Despite what you may have read on Twitter, the new guidance is a mess for us. It would've been helpful if these stumbling blocks were addressed and fixed long before the changes were announced to allow us to make changes easier. There is a push to bring these changes forward quickly, an undertone of "it's easy, NICE guidance, etc" but each device which isn't on prescription requires us to fill out 10 pages of information in a form called an IFR. There simply isn't the staff to cope with the current levels of demand much as we want to help everybody right away.

 Some of you, like Paul, have been fighting for access to pumps. The same issues are true in that area. Demand has increased because of the Looping trials and increased positive exposure through social media. Of course, to Loop you'll need a CGM and a Pump and the training. That's a lot of time and staff resources for us when we're already at breaking point. It feels like we're moved too quickly, tried to run before we can walk, and the result is going to be huge delays for patients. I'm working my socks off, I promise, because almost without exception I believe you guys deserve the very best care and technology that we can offer.

I'm sorry to have disappointed any of Paul's readers. What you read on social media, highly praised "Gods of technology" don't live up to the hype very often despite the roles they hold in regards to tech access at various orgs. If the senior HCPs won't or can't bend the rules to allow easy access then how are we mere mortals supposed to?

Thank you for reading my Guest Blog. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

DSN.

As you might have seen, a conflict has broken out in Ukraine as Russia has invaded that country. The scenes on TV and on social media are horrifying. What can we do? Well, I don't think there is a wrong way to help if you donate to charities who are active in helping the people of Ukraine. I support many charities but one which has always had my heart is MSF. Medecins Sans Frontieres translates as Doctors Without Borders. When it comes to the health of others in disaster areas, war zones and the like then I think we all have a duty to do what we can to help and help those who directly help! such as MSF. With that in mind, all donations to me via Buy Me a Coffee and all the pennies generated through the ads dotted around my pages will be donated to MSF. I will make up the difference for the fees taken by PayPal and Buy Me a Coffee. That will run until further notice, no time frames and possibly until Ukraine is a free country again. Thank you for reading my blog. 

BUY DIABETIC DAD (MSF) A COFFEE HERE

Prefer PayPal?

BUY DIABETIC DAD (MSF) A COFFEE THROUGH PAYPAL 

Friday, January 7, 2022

Gotta Wear Shades


I don't HAVE to wear shades but doesn't everybody look cooler while wearing sunglasses? That's me, in the photo, outside the Bellagio in Las Vegas, almost 8 years ago. This blog isn't really about sunglasses, I promise.

Firstly, huge thanks to everybody who supported my December charity blogs. They raised £90 for Diabetes charities - all the money has already been sent, take a look at my Twitter timeline for a detailed breakdown. Perhaps I'll do something like that each year because it's good to give.

I'm doin alright, gettin good grades, the future is so bright, I gotta wear shades. Do you remember that song? It still gets thrown around from time to time when things are looking promising. In the world of Type 1 Diabetes, in the UK at least, things do seem to be looking up. On a personal level, things are pretty good as well.

I'm doin alright

The numbers suggest as much. My eA1c is floating around 6.6% and my Time In Range is in the low 80% area. Numbers are just data so, that aside, I'm happy to confirm that I actually feel pretty good, too. Better levels of sleep because of fewer Diabetes related interruptions is certainly a life changer. That and no feelings of being overwhelmed by injections have certainly put a shine back into life. Those things are down to me using an insulin pump, of course and you know that because you've already read of my gushings for the last 4 months. If you want to switch to pumping then I encourage you to start the conversation with your Diabetes team. At this point, I am still refused NHS funding for pump therapy and I've taken my foot off the throat of decision makers in that regard - I'll explain why at the end of this blog, keep reading.

Gettin good grades

TIR, eA1c, Hours slept... there are probably others, too but the numbers are looking good and if T1D is judged on such things then the grades are looking pretty nice.

Future is so bright 

Possibly. A bright future involves access to all available technology to all who can benefit from it. My data shows the benefits to me but that's not enough to satisfy the current NICE criteria for pump funding. I've written about why the criteria isn't fit for purpose and is causing individuals to self harm to achieve an A1c which would make them eligible for pump therapy. That's not a route which I'm going to explore but I will keep talking about it because it's obviously very wrong and potentially very damaging to the health of people living with T1D. 

A bright future involves the scrapping of the current NICE criteria for pump funding. Good try, folks but delete that and start again. You can do better. Aaaaaaand it seems that might be happening. I await the news of NICE criteria changes, later this year. March, perhaps. Of course, if it still pushes individuals to self harm then my noise will increase and I will submit to the requests to talk about it through more public sources than my little corner of the Internet. The coming months will be very interesting indeed and I do hope the future is incredibly bright for everyone living with T1D and not just for some, for some things.

I gotta wear shades

Because, as established already, shades are cool. It's important to remain cool and calm in most situations. If you're fighting off a hypo or struggling to reduce a hyper then I've always found things seem to move more smoothly if I just take a breath and stay calm. Perhaps stress and anxiety can affect BG? Of course it does! as it can affect other areas of your life. So, rather than press harder for pump funding I am going to do nothing apart from wait. I'm going to put my faith in the decision makers to level the playing field, faith in HCPs to facilitate access to technology and look for reasons to make it happen rather than reasons to refuse and faith that the current use of a donated pump will hold out long enough for me to not be worried about the day it dies - because I'll be granted NHS pump funding and a warranty for the tech I'm using. The shades are on despite it being January, freezing cold and dark at 4pm. The shades are on because I'm cool and calm and patiently waiting for the right things to happen.

Happy New Year.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!
 

Thursday, November 25, 2021

The Diabetes Technology Revolution


Welcome, Comrades. It's another blog about Diabetes tech because you haven't been inundated with news of it through your socials. Of course you have and it's been fantastic news! If you've missed it, in short, T1Ds in England and Wales are set to be given NHS funding for CGMs and some T2Ds (on insulin) are set to be offered NHS funding for a Flash Glucose Monitor.

The gates aren't being kicked down just yet. The above seems likely to go through in the March of 2022 because the behemoth that is the NHS and NICE aren't exactly agile in directional changes. Cool, fine, okay. 

The news doesn't really impact upon me. I'm one of those lucky social media types who are offered CGMs in return for reviewing and talking about functionality. I'm delighted for my peers, especially those who don't get along with Libre because of accuracy issues, adhesives, etc. I do hope that the CGMs on offer are varied, however. Having used several in the last 4 - 5 years and having spoken to probably thousands of other users, it seems apparent that different systems work better for some than others. I don't know why that might be but I've certainly noticed some monitors aren't within my personal parameters of acceptable accuracy and comfort. Recently, how environmentally friendly these devices are have become more of an issue - I've been talking about that since the summer of 2020 so, that's nice to see and it will be fascinating to watch how the different companies react.

Type 2 Comrades on insulin, how happy are you? I really hope that this news is the start of a more level playing field for you guys and you're offered equal respect and reduced stigma because of this and future developments. 

Are we really now heading into a full on Diabetes tech revolution? I saw Libre as the first step on that ladder when I first began using it, despite it's questionable accuracy, a few years ago. And now we're here - on the verge of total CGM access, no need to be under 18 or pregnant or both. Looping trials are seemingly progressing well. Type 2s are now at the party. Perhaps there'll be a cure in 5 years!? Hahaha. Sorry.  I think we are and we're right in the middle of it. The drivers of change must be thanked for that because even if this is as far as it goes for the next 10 years it will be a huge advancement in care and undoubtedly improvement in the long term outcomes for Diabetics.

Vive la révolution!

Where next? You've read this far without me mentioning NICE pump therapy criteria. But! budgets, tax payers! but there are people who need it more than others! but this, that and the other. I'm done with buts. If I wanted buts I'd be a colorectal doctor. Where there is a problem, there is a solution. If the problem is money then the solution is to obtain more or reduce spending to balance the books. But where from!? - Read the above about "buts". I'm happy to work on that solution for a very reasonable salary. If the problem is the current NICE criteria, and it REALLY is, then revise it. Just today, I've been told of others who have purposefully let their blood glucose run high to obtain pump funding because of the NICE criteria. Let that sink in. I know that I've briefly spoken about this before but now others are openly approaching me to tell me of such occurrences. That's self harm. In the short term, you risk DKA and possibly death. In the long term, you increase your risk of Diabetes related complications. Self harm and risking awful health problems to obtain something which should reduce those horrible things happening in the first place. 

So, today I'm calling for the scrapping and revision of the NICE criteria for NHS pump funding. It is not fit for purpose. Not only is it unfair and far too stringent, it is resulting in real harm in the real world and that is shameful.

 Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!

Sunday, November 21, 2021

90 Days on an Insulin Pump



The 90s were definitely "my era". At the beginning of that decade, I was a schoolboy. Ten years later, I was engaged to be married. Everything in between was magnificent; the friendships (some of which still exist today), the nights out, the loves, the football, the TV, the Internet became a big thing and the music... Wow! the music. Of course, many reminisce about their teens and early adulthood and remember things through rose-tinted spectacles. Why not? Holding on to good memories can't be a bad thing. So, the 90s were important to me but you didn't come here to read my autobiography. 

90 days on an insulin pump has become incredibly important to me, too. I'm not sure I would swap the entire 1990s for this experience but it's up there with life changing events. 90 days is often the window used to monitor T1D management. Your HbA1c, TIR, hypo events and all the usual MOT bits and pieces get the once over by your HCPs for that period. I have some data because of using a CGM, some of that looks like this:

- Time in range: 82%

- Estimated HbA1c: 6.8%

- Hypo events: 7

 How does that compare to Multiple Daily Injections? I have some data!

- Time in range: 63%

- Estimated HbA1c: 7.5%

- Hypo events: 9

I am delighted by the improvement in the numbers, of course but they are a second, a distant second, to something more important. Something which, once we've accepted that Type 1 Diabetes is here to stay, becomes something we might strive for; a good quality of life.

QoL will differ from person to person because we all lead different lives. For me, it means reasonable levels of sleep, to not feel overwhelmed at the prospect of another injection, to wake up without Dawn Phenomenon ruining my morning, to be able to bolus for meals in comfort in public, to have more confidence in so many ways... to feel, dare I say, a step closer to being a person who does not have Diabetes. A baby step, perhaps given that I look like Robocop. Your move, NICE.

Ah, yes, NICE. Guidelines, criteria, a tax funded system. I know, I get it. Tax payer funded healthcare must have a criteria for various things which could impact upon the purse. So, unless you meet the current insulin pump criteria, you're going to find NHS funding hard to come by. Your health and wellbeing is secondary to the bottom line, sorry. That's the harsh reality of where we are with insulin pump access in England. All the noise and enthusiasm about Looping trials is super but you can forget Looping unless you're on an insulin pump and for that you need to meet the NICE criteria. A1c under 8.5% and on MDI? suddenly all the exciting Looping headlines don't look so... exciting.

"Keep asking"

"Keep making noise"

Oh, I will. Earlier this month, I reached out to my practice nurse and GP in regards to my switch to pumping and the barriers I am facing in getting full NHS support for it's long term use. We did have a nice exchange and I feel very supported by primary care but, of course, there is little they can do to change the decision of secondary care. Secondary care are understanding to a degree but their hands are tied by NICE criteria and a limited budget. Frustrating, eh!? This isn't a Path To Pumping blog, it's a little overview of the last 90 days, so I'm going to stop this particular subject in this paragraph. Needless to say, we are not done.

A few things have cropped up in other discussions, lately. Some questions which I can actually answer!

How does long acting insulin work in the pump?

It doesn't. The pump continually "drips" fast acting insulin. That becomes your basal. You don't notice it happening as you might not if you've ever had a drip in hospital. Your pump is programmed to give you the insulin you need, hour by hour. For a bolus, you ask it for more!

How are you rotating sites with your pump and CGM?

Legs! Although I have plenty of abdomen to work with. The CGM is a "set and forget" thing for 2 weeks, the pump cannula can then be moved around that. The pump works perfectly well on a thigh, by the way.

Are you going to Loop?

Once I have obtained NHS pump funding and Looping is embraced across the board, maybe! I know some are Looping and have more lows than me but similar numbers in other ways. I will, undoubtedly, try it. It seems inevitable and I expect numbers to be the same or better but the more important QoL will be ramped up another notch.

One of my patients mentioned your switch to Fiasp and Pumping in their appointment!

Good! Apparently, I'm an "Influencer" but I don't try to be. 

It seems that my switch to pumping has gained a lot of interest from my peers and various HCPs. As always, what works for one does not necessarily work for all. However, if you think that pump therapy might work for you then please do start the discussion. Noise will change things for the better for us all. The squeakiest hinge gets the most oil.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I do appreciate your visit and your support. As you might know, I LOVE COFFEE! So I've teamed up with a thing called Buy Me A Coffee. If you enjoy my content and appreciate the time it takes to create such things then you can buy me a coffee! If you leave your Twitter @ name when you buy me a coffee, I will personally thank you. If you'd rather be anonymous then that's totally cool. Thanks for the caffeine!