{"id":835,"date":"2012-10-12T17:52:08","date_gmt":"2012-10-12T17:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=708"},"modified":"2015-02-07T10:39:59","modified_gmt":"2015-02-07T18:39:59","slug":"occlusion-detected-occlusion-detected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/?p=835","title":{"rendered":"“OCCLUSION DETECTED, OCCLUSION DETECTED”"},"content":{"rendered":"

For diabetes caregivers, friends, family members and, of course, T1 AND<\/span>\u00a0T2\u00a0diabetics<\/strong>, this article regards one of many operational defects involved with having to wear an insulin pump.\u00a0 Let me [try] to familiarize this phrase for you: “Occlusion Detected.”<\/p>\n

Occlusion plainly means “blockage” – something has been blocked. “To close or shut off” is the printed definition in The American Heritage Dictionary<\/span>.\u00a0 In this case, the delivery of insulin through the tubing (infusion set) of an insulin pump into\u00a0a subcutaneous (just beneath the skin) area of the body has been stopped.\u00a0 The reasons depend upon a number of variables that I will momentarily address.<\/p>\n

I began wearing a name brand insulin pump, Disetronic<\/em>,\u00a0in 1996.\u00a0\u00a0Much to my dismay, approximately four years later, the\u00a0Disetronic Company\u00a0was\u00a0‘bought out’ by another insulin pump provider known as AccuChek<\/em>. \u00a0(https:\/\/www.accu-chekinsulinpumps.com\/ipus\/<\/a>.)\u00a0 In a state of mourning, I did not want AccuChek.\u00a0\u00a0I was being forced into using\u00a0their product.\u00a0 I did not like the aggressive attitude of the sales person whom was assigned to my case.\u00a0 Therefore, negative plus negative equals zero in my book.\u00a0 However,\u00a0because I\u00a0had a multiple-year warranty contract in existence with Disetronic, I had to get an AccuChek brand,\u00a0initiating another contract, or<\/strong> purchase one on my own for $5k without medical insurance assistance, or<\/strong> submit to their rules.\u00a0 I submitted.<\/p>\n

The transfer\u00a0from the usage of one pump to the other was quick.\u00a0 I\u00a0learned the machinations of this new pump and smoothly glided along in heels.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0a few years\u00a0of use, this pump failed.\u00a0 I did not aggravate it on purpose!\u00a0 We actually befriended each other, so to speak, and I used it night and day\u00a0caring for it as directed.\u00a0 A replacement was sent to me.\u00a0 Occlusions\u00a0continued.\u00a0 And continued.\u00a0\u00a0These repeated occlusions decidedly and ultimately cancelled the contract.\u00a0 With the immediate assistance of an endocrinologist at the time, the MedtronicMinimed<\/em> brand and company was highly recommended\u00a0(http:\/\/www.medtronicdiabetes.com\/products<\/a>) and replaced the AccuChek.\u00a0 The year is 1998.<\/p>\n

I conceded with the fact that my medical insurance would pay the expenses.\u00a0 Initial adjustments went along smoothly, once again.\u00a0 After all, wearing an insulin pump 24\/7 was better than having to physically inject insulin multiple times per day.\u00a0 Or was it?\u00a0 Hmm…<\/p>\n

Oh, about ten days into wearing this particular pump, one early morning about 7:00am, I was washing my face, getting ready for the day.\u00a0 Well, a drop of water – a single drop – landed on the pump.\u00a0 I wiped it off and proceeded with my day.<\/p>\n

MANY hours later, just before 10:oopm, my blood sugar was irregularly high for no apparent reason.\u00a0 I bolused\u00a0and continued to bolus until 4:00am.\u00a0 My blood sugar measurements were now past\u00a0the 400mg\/dc mark!\u00a0 Yes, highly alarming, frightening and sickening.\u00a0 There was no Occlusion alarm – or any other type of alarm!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Confused and vomitous, I drove myself to the nearby hospital.\u00a0 I was checked in with ketoacidosis<\/em> and remained there for four days with the precise goal of stabilizing my blood sugar levels.\u00a0 (http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Diabetic_ketoacidosis<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

In my numerous decades of living with diabetes, I have NEVER had ketoacidosis.\u00a0 I NEVER want to be in that state again.<\/p>\n

While I\u00a0recuperated in the hospital, my attending physician had expressed alarm at not being able to get through to a MiniMed representative.\u00a0 He adamantly wanted me to get back on the insulin pump, being familiar with\u00a0an insulin pumps’\u00a0best-diabetes-control-practices.<\/p>\n

To\u00a0shorten this part of the story, this doctor told me that he had to threaten the MiniMed\u00a0company with a lawsuit in order to get me an immediate (same-day-air) insulin pump delivered to the hospital.\u00a0 Finally, it was done.\u00a0\u00a0It arrived.\u00a0\u00a0You might have thought it was Christmas in July!\u00a0 \u00a0Once he excitedly brought it to me, I knew exactly\u00a0what to do as he watched me go through the processes of initializing, programming and inserting the infusion set (a stainless steel needle\u00a0thinner than the\u00a0stainless steel head of a thumb tack) into my tummy area.\u00a0 That night, I was watched closely, carefully taken care of\u00a0and\u00a0grateful to not only be alive, but especially\u00a0to the efforts of my attending physician.\u00a0 I was\u00a0released that fourth day.<\/p>\n

Reviewing all this drama with my endocrinologist, I practically begged him to get me off this thing.\u00a0 Get me another pump.\u00a0 I no longer trusted the MiniMed\u00a0brand name.\u00a0 Asking me what I preferred, I answered “Disetronic.\u00a0 I had been on their pump for four years without a problem.\u00a0 I want to go back.”\u00a0 “You can’t,” he said.\u00a0 “They are no longer in business.\u00a0 You’ll have to use the AccuChek again with their updated model.”<\/p>\n

Okay, this scenario didn’t last too long.\u00a0 I ended up with an Animas model that I utilize to this day – when it works.\u00a0 You see, in the past 2 1\/2 years since I began with this model, it has been replaced 7 – yes, seven – times!\u00a0 It has occluded at least every three days.\u00a0 Once it starts there is no stopping it.\u00a0 Changing the infusion site, nor changing the cartridge, nor changing the battery has helped.\u00a0 Over and over and over again.\u00a0\u00a0June, 2012, was the last replacement.<\/p>\n

All in all, I\u2019ve used four different brands of insulin pumps over the last sixteen years.\u00a0 Initially paying out-of-pocket for my first insulin pump,\u00a0the followers were\u00a0cost-effective and covered through my medical insurance, each\u00a0with a\u00a0four-year\u00a0warranty\u00a0contract.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s all fine and well for the company, but it screws up my mind, body and routine horribly when such chaos strikes. You see, without the pump, I have to resort to six injections per day, the same time every day, using two different insulins\u00a0\u2013 a short acting type and a long acting one \u2013 in order to maintain my life.\u00a0 I have since learned to\u00a0travel with these insulins whether I am attached to the pump or not.\u00a0 \u00a0It is my \u201cPlan B,\u201d my emergency back-up plan.<\/p>\n

The insulin vials with syringes are packed in a cooler of ice along with juices and crackers. I am no longer shy about bringing the cooler with me wherever I need to be, conducting business as usual.\u00a0 My blood sugar readings tell me what I need to do: take insulin or get juice.\u00a0 I test my blood sugar 8 \u2013 10 times a day. Discretion is always used.<\/p>\n

For instance, recently re-attaching myself and wearing the thing for three days, after being without the pump for three weeks due to my bad attitude that leads to depression and awaiting replacement product from the company, the pump is presently alarming once again with a reading \u201cOcclusion, Occlusion.\u201d This means the insulin is stuck and can\u2019t deliver through the tubing (aka: infusion set). Such instances ALWAYS happen in the wee hours of any morning or during a speaking engagement. It happened yesterday afternoon at\u00a0a book signing. The alarm is LOUD and attracts attention! Alas, fatigue, depression, no energy, ho-hum, bad attitude.<\/p>\n

When in public, I discreetly excuse myself, go into the restroom \u2013 or my car \u2013 and fix the situation. Fixing entails one of three decisive procedures: either (a.) \u201cpriming\u201d the pump (pressing one of the buttons to pass about 10 units of insulin through the tubing to clear it) or (b.) removing, then re-attaching the infusion set to another body site or (c.) completely removing the darn thing and resorting to injections.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a machine. I am a cyborg and take care of it and me as time and circumstances avail. Ugh. Often embarrassing and often uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Contacting the various company(ies) about problems has been frustrating. You see, the technicians on the other end of the line ALWAYS blame me for the machines\u2019 malfunctions.\u00a0 Either I didn\u2019t tighten the screw heads on one end or the other, or I put in the wrong battery, or I didn\u2019t expirate the cartridge, or (and this is the best one that I have repeatedly been told) \u201cyou have too much scar tissue.\u201d Duh.\u00a0 No kidding.\u00a0 I’ve been diabetic for 53 – yes, fifty-three – years!<\/p>\n

The variables are non-stop.<\/p>\n

2012 – Please pray for a cure.\u00a0 This expensive disease is chronic, baffling and tiring.<\/p>\n

Truly, A. . Buckroth (at Amazon.com).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For diabetes caregivers, friends, family members and, of course, T1 AND\u00a0T2\u00a0diabetics, this article regards one of many operational defects involved with having to wear an insulin pump.\u00a0 Let me [try] to familiarize this phrase for you: “Occlusion Detected.” Occlusion plainly … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[77,17,23],"class_list":["post-835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-insulin-pump-problems","tag-juvenile-diabetes","tag-responsibilities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=835"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1118,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835\/revisions\/1118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mydiabeticsoul.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}