About the author
Abdul Jaleel PT is the General Secretary of the Type 1 Diabetes Welfare Society, a socially organized platform to club together all parents and children affected with type 1 diabetes.
About type 1 diabetes
For people with type 1 diabetes, keeping blood glucose levels within normal range is the ideal way to prevent or delay future complications, but tight control can increase the risk of hypoglycaemia occurrence. When a pump is used effectively it can help keep tight control without increasing this risk because of its adaptability and versatility. Once long-acting insulin has been injected, its action in the body cannot be controlled, but basal insulin delivered by a pump can be slowed, stopped or increased according to its requirement. It is easily manageable by the parents, or even the individual themselves. Pumps deliver insulin much more precisely than any available pen or syringe. Basal rates are adjustable down to lower than a tenth of a unit per hour, depending on the pump. The tiny doses of Insulin from a pump are more consistently absorbed than a larger amount from an injection where it may sometimes not be absorbed properly causing glucose levels to fluctuate leading to hyperglycaemia for several hours. Injected long-acting insulin may be absorbed differently each day due to varying factors, which leads to variable control. With the use of a pump, absorption is much more reliable and blood glucose levels can be brought under control.
Abdul Jaleel, residing in Wayanad, is the parent of a 10-year-old son who manages diabetes with the use of multiple doses of insulin injections. Type 1 diabetes, an organ specific auto immune disease, is chronic and brings with it various complications if not managed properly. Since it affects children of all ages, the proper involvement and support of the parents is as important as appropriate medical care in the management of this disease. Since insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas are affected, external insulin has to be administered to the child. This generally means multiple pricks to check and monitor glucose levels, and the number rises when insulin injections are considered as well. The number averages to about 5 shots a day, along with 6 to 10 pricks to check blood glucose level. The monthly cost of insulin and glucometer strips alone is around Rs. 8000/- to 12,000.
But injecting insulin every three to four hours not only got more difficult as the child got older, but also did not provide the desired results or control. This resulted in him getting into frequent hypoglycaemic episodes where his sugar levels would fall down way below normal. As a solution, his doctor recommended using an insulin pump, but pumps are very expensive. The cost of an insulin pump is around Rs: 3.5 to 7.0 lakhs, excluding the monthly expenses for the pump accessories, which is around Rs:11,000/- to 22,000. This is more than we can afford without comprising a comfortable life for our child. The lack of awareness in the society in general adversely affects children’s confidence. Intentionally or unintentionally, people treat them like they aren’t ‘normal’, like they cannot do anything a normal functioning member of the society can. The Kerala government launched a scheme ‘Mittayi’ in November 2017 to provide free diabetic treatment to children below 18 years of age. The scheme includes insulin pumps, medicines and financial assistance. So, my humble request is to please provide insulin pumps to needy kids (brittle diabetes).
