I used to be on an insulin pump for a year, but was taken off. Then, on February 24, 2004, I started using it again. I am in a residential treatment center and the nurses and staff are frustrating me because they don’t realize that I know what I am doing. They aren’t even following all the orders right.

Many people are afraid of technology, so that may be one of the reasons the staff is finding your pump difficult for them. In addition, many people who live in a residential treatment facility are there because they have engaged in unsafe behaviors for a long time, and outpatient therapy has not been helpful. Therefore, staff who work in residential treatment centers are more concerned about their client’s safety than staff in other places, such as a regular high school might be. You know better than any one that pumps can become dangerous if they are occluded, or if you have a site infection, since DKA can occur very quickly.

I would recommend that you ask the staff at your facility to consult with a diabetes expert who can help them learn more about pump therapy. I would also ask for a meeting with the staff so that you can work with them to prove that you are engaging in safe pump behaviors. Perhaps, the longer you show them that you are making safe decisions, the more freedom they will be willing to give you around your own diabetes care.

JWB
Additional comments from Dr. Donough O’Brien:

It is difficult to help since you didn’t give us any details of what the problems are. In any case, the person who must give instructions to the staff is your doctor and it is to him/her that you need to express your concerns.

DOB