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According to his family, a tubeless pump that gave 11-year-old Ash Anderson more freedom and independence should be more accessible to people with type 1 diabetes. But the device isn’t supported. supported by the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). It is not funded by private health insurance and is not accessible through the public hospital system. So it costs Australian users more than $400 per month. “It’s a ridiculous amount of money, but it was the price I was willing to pay for our mental health and a better quality of life for my son,” said Libby Anderson, Ash’s mother. “But it’s just not sustainable.” The NSW Hunter region family faced a steep learning curve when Ash was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five years ago. Essentially, the carbs raised his blood sugar and the insulin lowered it – but it was a delicate balance. “If he stays high for long periods, he could have complications later in life, like nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage,” she said. “If he drops too low it’s more immediate – he’ll be confused, dizzy, have a seizure and it could lead to death if it’s really bad.” The Newcastle family needed to learn how to balance the amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins Ash would eat at each meal with his blood sugar levels, while taking into account whether he would be active or sedentary afterwards, to determine the amount of insulin to give. Occasionally, Ash has needed up to 10 injections a day to keep his blood sugar within a safe range. “I felt bad every time I had to tell him, ‘I’m sorry, we’ll have to do another injection’ because he wanted another taco for dinner or his friends were going for ice cream after school,” Ms. Anderson said. . “We knew we could get better control with an insulin pump because he wouldn’t have to weigh whether something was worth an injection every time he did something. But the only pump the hospital offered had a long plastic tube attached to a controller that looked like a pager from the 90s. It was very medical, and I was worried that the tube would get caught in something while he was playing with his brother or playing sports. IN OTHER NEWS: Ms Anderson discovered a tubeless insulin pump known as the Omnipod DASH which was small and waterproof and had been approved by the TGA for use in Australia. “It was small, discreet and tight. And that made it easier for Ash to manage her type 1 at school and at night. While living in the United States for 12 months, the family discovered that the pump was covered by private health insurance, but it was a another story in Australia, which couldn’t “keep up with the times”. “In the US, Omnipod is covered by both private health insurance and Medicaid, and in the UK it’s covered by the NHS,” she said. “People with type 1 have no choice but to use synthetic insulin – I just don’t think we should have to fight for choice and access to technology that makes a huge difference in quality of life. People shouldn’t have to assess whether they can afford it.”

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According to his family, a tubeless pump that gave 11-year-old Ash Anderson more freedom and independence should be more accessible to people with type 1 diabetes.

But the device is not supported by the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). It is not funded by private health insurance and is not accessible through the public hospital system.

So it costs Australian users more than $400 per month.

“It’s a ridiculous amount of money, but it was the price I was willing to pay for our mental health and a better quality of life for my son,” said Libby Anderson, Ash’s mother. “But it’s just not sustainable.”

The NSW Hunter region family faced a steep learning curve when Ash was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five years ago.

Essentially, the carbs raised his blood sugar and the insulin lowered it – but it was a delicate balance.

“If he stays high for long periods, he could have complications later in life, like nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage,” she said. “If he drops too low it’s more immediate – he’ll be confused, dizzy, have a seizure and it could lead to death if it’s really bad.”

The Newcastle family needed to learn how to balance the amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins Ash would eat at each meal with his blood sugar levels, while taking into account whether he would be active or sedentary afterwards, to determine the amount of insulin to give. Occasionally, Ash has needed up to 10 injections a day to keep his blood sugar within a safe range.

Pump push: Ash Anderson, 11, who uses a life-changing tubeless insulin pump to manage his type 1 diabetes. They lobbied to make the device more accessible. Photo: Max Mason-Hubers

“I felt bad every time I had to tell him, ‘I’m sorry, we’ll have to do another injection’ because he wanted another taco for dinner or his friends were going for ice cream after school,” Ms. Anderson said. .

“We knew we could get better control with an insulin pump because he wouldn’t have to weigh whether something was worth an injection every time he did something. But the only pump the hospital offered had a long plastic tube attached to a controller that looked like a pager from the 90s. It was very medical, and I was worried that the tube would get caught in something while he was playing with his brother or playing sports.

Ms Anderson discovered a tubeless insulin pump known as the Omnipod DASH which was small and waterproof and had been approved by the TGA for use in Australia.

There was no tube. It was small, discreet and tight. And it made it easier for Ash to deal with his type 1 at school and at night.

While living in the United States for 12 months, the family discovered that the pump was covered by private health insurance. But that was a different story in Australia, which was failing to “keep up”.

“In the US, Omnipod is covered by both private health insurance and Medicaid, and in the UK it’s covered by the NHS,” she said.

“People with type 1 have no choice but to use synthetic insulin – I just don’t think we should have to fight for choice and access to technology that makes a huge difference in quality of life. People shouldn’t have to assess whether they can afford it.”