IPAG was delighted to be asked by Diabetes UK to participate in the Insulin Pumps Event which was held on 15th June as part of Diabetes Week. Stallholders included pump manufacturers Medtronic and Animas (Roche were unable to attend because of staffing difficulties).IPAG members were there in force to man their stall and also provided two speakers – Mary Moody who spoke about how IPAG was formed, and Martyn Carr, one of IPAG’s younger members spoke about how he got his pump and the difference it had made to his life.
Martin also spoke about the Children with Diabetes Conference which he attends annually in the US and how this had raised his awareness of insulin pumps. This year for the first time CWD will be holding its Friends for Life Conference in the UK at Old Windsor in Berkshire and some of the IPAG members will be there. For further information see this link. We also welcomed members of the Yorkhill Parents Group and the young people were very interested in the pump technology.
Other speakers included Fiona Jamieson who is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse from Fife who told us about how her healthcare team approach insulin pumping and Dr Vicky Alexander, Paediatric Consultant from Tayside. Both these speakers emphasised how beneficial insulin pump therapy can be for patients, but also emphasised the care that must be taken to ensure that the therapy is delivered safely.
Gail Park, a pump user from Tayside talked about her experiences and how much her life had improved since she started pumping five months ago. Jane-Claire Judson, Scottish Director of DUK wound up the meeting by re-iterating DUK’s support for the Insulin Pump Campaign and IPAG. DUK have chosen the title “Pump up the Volume”.
