Comments on: Insulin Pumps for Diabetic Teens Linked to Death, Warns FDA

By: robin

robin — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:46:40 +0000

I want to know what brand of pump “malfunctions” and overdoses you with too much insulin. As far as the pump cord kinking, you won’t die if your blood is 500 for a few hours. So, I think it is your fault if you don’t know your own symptoms for high blood sugar. Or if you are young, its your parents fault for not testing your blood over an extended period of time. If your pump does miraculously overdose, unplug it, and go on shots until you get a replacement pump.

kendyl – what pump did you have?

By: Terry L. Hopkins

Terry L. Hopkins — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:29:28 +0000

My 17 yr. old granddaughter, who had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of

twelve died suddenly in September of 2007. We thought the pump would help her live a closer to

normal life than she’d come to resent and hate so much. She had begun to manage so well after

years of struggle with her illness, then became ill and slipped into a coma. She celebrate her

18th birthday May 16th, five days from today if she’d have lived. She is unimaginably missed by

us all. I cannot attest to the fact that it was necessarily the pump or the severity of her illness but,

I would like more information. I suggest all families and endocrinologists, work very closely

with all of the patient whenever possible. Listen closely to what they say and watch very carefully

when they get tired of trying; the behavior that results can lead to death so suddenly.

By: Carol Bealor

Carol Bealor — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:42:14 +0000

I think your conclusion is faulty–teens have trouble regardless of whether they are on a pump or a shot regiment. If you don’t take good care of your diabetes, having a pump won’t make a difference. Also, what are the stats for deaths for kids without the pump–I bet it is a lot higher than the numbers given for pumping kids. Your story says 13 deaths over a decade but doesn’t indicate which are from the pump and which were from carelessness on the part of the user. Our daughter has been on the pump now for 3 years–she is 11 1/2. She has had diabetes since she was 2 1/2. My daughter never got good control over her diabetes until she started pumping. The pump has been a lifesaver.

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:40:51 +0000

I have been a type one diabetic diabetic since 1989 at the age of sixteen. For the first 14 years using shots and thinking that because I was young that nothing bad could happen to me complication wise ( stupid…very stupid thinking )I alot of the time ignored the management issue altogether. In 2004 my new endocrinologist decided that after a serious infection was further complicated by really high A1C levels…Hey lets get ya’ on a pump and see how you do with that. Admittedly a pump to start with makes you think that you dont have to keep up with the diabetes as much as with injections. This is wrong and you need to test frequently! I do think the pump has made my life alot better and has given me the chance to set some personal goals for myself that I did not think I would achieve otherwise. The one downside for me is that on injections with a slight case of hypoglycemic unawareness I was really aware when I’d have a drop and take action immediately. With a pump when a really bad hypo kicks in it seems like the effect of the low comes on fast and almost without warning….It usually happens when I’m asleep and not when I’m awake. All in all its great because A1C’s that were genrally very high over 10 are now down to 7 or less…The pump as has been previously mentioned is a device that is used in combination with good control methods and not a stand alone device that requires no other monitoring. That is dangerous !However because of the benefits that would far outweigh the risks in treating type ones who are kids and need all the “normal” they can get. IMO the pump is at this point the next best thing to a cure !

By: Kendyl

Kendyl — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:00:54 +0000

I am a type one diabetic and have been for the past 6 years. I had great A1C the first 4 years. It was uusually between 5.1 and 6.1. I did not go low often and I never had high sugars. A year before I moved off for college my dr wanted me to get a pump so I did. It work well for the first year and a half. Then all of a sudden no matter how much I bolosed or up my basal I just couldnt keep my sugars down. I changed insulins but still nothing. I lost 30 pounds and ended up in the hospital 4 times. 3 was for DKA and once for a low sugar. My pump would stop giving insulin all together and not tell me anything was happening till my blood sugar was greater then 600. Or it would dump the entire amount of insulin in me and I would end up w/ a horrible incedent. I felt horrible and looked horrible. The infusion set would ALWAYS kink up in a mater of hours. I went through 4 different types of infusion sets and 8 different pumps in a mater of 2 years. I almost died in the middle of the night from it dumping all the insulin on me (90 units were given in a matter of 2 hours). I would not recomend this to anyone. It was not misuse on my part it was faulty manufactioring. Also when you send in your broken pump they send you back a refurbished one. So if you are on shots and dont mind it stick w/ it. I would not recomend this to anyone.

By: Neila

Neila — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:54:40 +0000

I have been a diabetic since 1981. I was taking at least 3, 4 and sometime 5 shots per day. I have been on the insulin pump since last June. I have had a couple of scary times. I changed the injection site to a new one. My blood sugar kept getting higher and higher. I changed the sight again and everything was just fine. Last week I have the same problem with high blood sugar. Somehow the hose had come loose. I took a couple of shots and got everything under control before serious problems occured.
You have to be careful with your sights, check your blood sugars at least three to four times a day. If you check it regulary you can prevent a problem.
I love my pump and would not like to go back to injections.

By: Eliza

Eliza — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:03:56 +0000

As a 22 year veteran of type 1 diabetes and a pump user for the last 4 I agree with other commenters that the key to living healthfully with this condition is self-management. The pump allows for greater flexibility in life and in my experience has made keeping control of my diabetes much easier. However, technology is not perfect and infrequent malfunctions do occur. Without vigilant blood glucose monitoring several times a day and corresponding dosage adjustments whether one is on a pump or shots, a “normal” life is not possible. It is a daily struggle but one that I am reminded is well worth it after an uneventful pregnancy and the healthy birth of my daughter 8 months ago.

By: Kel

Kel — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:58:23 +0000

I’m a type 1 for 13+ years, dx’d at 11. Moral of the story is: don’t blame the pump, blame the people who misuse it.

By: sylvia schoenung

sylvia schoenung — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:43:30 +0000

First you state Juvenile diabetes equals type one diabetes. This is untrue. Juvenile diabetes is diagnosed between the ages of birth and approximately 25 years of age. There are hundreds of thousands of diabetics insulin dependent diagnosed later in life. They are not considered as junvenile diabetics. The only true statement is type one diabetes is insulin dependent. The later life diagnoses can be from: pancreatic (alcoholic’s dease) , gull stone, automobile accidents, war, weapons abuse, etc. The list goes on. (Not considered Juvenile diabetes). I live with someone who is on a Medtronic pump. (pancreatic-alcholic). This pump is a life saver. I can’t say enough about MiniMed and the Medtronic pump. Suicide is do to misunderstanding and depression. The key to using any insulation pump is education………MiniMed has a 24 hour hot line. Everyone who answers questions about the pump is a user. What more can anyone ask from a company? Their education is outstanding……………….

I think a lot of Fox news, however, do your research first. Negativity destroys. Truth educates.
Juvenile diabetes doesn’t equal Type 1 diabetes……………….

By: jennifer

jennifer — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:05:09 +0000

I am a mother of a twelve year old girl who was diagnosed with diabetes at six, she was on shots until December of 2007 we moved her to the pump. She has had two incidents where her needle was bent she did not get any insulin all night and went into ketatosis. I now get up five to six times a night to check her sugar and make sure her pump is working right. I do agree that the pump has given her alot more freedom than what the shots did, but i will say anyone that gets on the pump must and i mean must keep a good eye on it and monitor it very closely.