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If you have had surgery while wearing a T1D device, did you keep your devices on during the procedure? If you have had surgery multiple times, please answer for your most recent procedure.
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My answer was “No, the medical team required …” I was told I had to remove anything containing metal. I’ve had the same procedure done in another location and did not have to remove any of my devices. I tried to argue this with them, but they insisted that if it wasn’t removed they would not proceed, so I gave in.
What is metal? I can go through metal detector with my pumpkins d it does not alarm.
Lordy: with my pump on and no alarms.
Cataracts surgery. Fast and no issues.
They thought they wanted me to remove my pump/CGM, but when their instructions on my dosage spiked my BG leading up to the surgery, they changed their minds and said it would be helpful to have it so they could monitor my BG during the procedure. I had to advocate and answer a lot of questions, but they did end up seeing light.
I went in for a colonoscopy for which I’d be out. Tried to get info on how/who would monitor by BGs: Doc said talk to the interviewing nurse, interviewing nurse said talk to the surgery center, surgery center wouldn’t talk until day of, on day of, was told talk to the anesthetist just before I was put under. I finally told the nurse that was trying to plug me in an IV it wasn’t going to happen until someone answered my damn questions! I’d set up my phone for them to access, had my pdm available, etc. But no one would talk. Finally the head pre-op anesthetist told the staff to stop, I had valid concerns and to get him answers to discuss the issue. About time!!!
My daughter has had upwards of 7 surgeries and has worn her CGM for each one. However, I do have to reassure her staff that is has been done and is OK. Usually the anesthesiologist is thrilled to have the CGM, her last surgery the Dr seemed leary, but I recommended he reach out to the diabetes on staff that day for their recommendation and of course they explained that it would benefit them to keep it on. I’ve even been able to inform the staff during an especially long surgery that she was starting to go down a little fast and they might want to switch her to the glucose saline which they did and her surgeon loved that I could assist from the waiting room as they weren’t sure what the alarms meant. (This was about 7 years ago, they have come a long way in their training since then)
A knee replacement in August 2022. Asked nurse to let me do my own bolus. Though against their policy, she allowed me to administer my own insulin for a meal in the recovery room, on the down low.
I recently had an Endoscopy/Colonoscopy, for which I was anesthetized. Before the surgery, the nurse, who appeared not to be sure, asked me if I would like to remove my insulin pump before surgery. I said “no, I would like to leave it on.” She acted surprised, and I don’t think she even knew that I was a diabetic until I showed her my pump. In the end, I went through the whole procedure with my pump on. When I came out of it, my BG numbers were within normal range ( I don’t remember the exact number).
I selected “Yes, without issues”, but that was because prior to the surgery I explained to the surgeon of the need for me to continue to wear my insulin pump (CSII).
Had Colonoscopy in August 2017 and they first said I’d have to remove the pump and CGM but after they heard my phone announce my current CGM reading and I told them that my phone would verbally announce my CGM reading every 5 minutes, they then not only allowed me to continue using my pump and CGM during the procedure, but they also insisted that I take my phone into the OR with me so they could hear the CGM readings with every update instead of someone on staff monitoring my glucose levels.
Herniated disk repair surgery in September 2017 and already at the appointment where the surgery was scheduled, they told me that there are almost no surgical procedures they’d require pump or CGM removal as long as the CGM sensor and infusion set was inserted in a location away from the surgical site but I would have to leave my phone home or with someone during the surgery, but then during the pre-surgery meeting with the Anesthesiologist, after he heard my phone announce my CGM reading, he said cell phones aren’t allowed inside any operating rooms, but he was going to demand that my phone be allowed in the OR with me so they could hear the CGM readings instead of having to do the extra steps of monitoring my BG levels.
Then this past February I had surgery to my right thumb and the surgeon aid that I could remove my devices if I wanted to, but he preferred me to keep my pump and CGM in use during the surgery.
Mark, how do you get your phone (mine’s an iPhone) to announce SG every 5 minutes?
How do you get your phone to announce the CGM reading every 5 minutes. I didn’t know that could be done.
I know I can ask the phone and Siri will tell me but only if I ask
My phone is able to announce my CGM reading and trend direction every 5 minutes when the transmitter sends a new CGM reading update because I use xDrip+ installed on my phone receiving the CGM data from the Dexcom Share server as updated by my phone’s Dexcom G6 App.
Dexcom was too stupid to provide options for spoken/verbal CGM readings but xDrip+ provides that option making CGM monitoring much easier while I’m working doing things like operating forklifts meaning I can’t be taking anything out of my pocket every few minutes, but I can carry a Bluetooth speaker connected to my phone and let xDrip+ verbally tell me my current CGM reading and trending direction every time it receives an updated reading.
I remain hopeful that either Dexcom OR Tandem will at some point gain enough intelligence to realize that likely even the majority of their phone app users would like to have the app verbally announce the CGM reading and trend arrow direction every time the transmitter sends an updated reading instead of only being able to see the updated data by pulling the phone out of the user’s pocket to actually look at it while doing things that would be extremely more dangerous to do if you had to be holding your phone while trying to do your job!!!
Wow, this verbal option would be fantastic for someone driving across country, or a very long distance. I wouldn’t want to hear it all the time. It would also be great for me while I am running or riding a bike long distance.
This is for Lawrence S…….. you can get your SG via the car by linking iPhone to your car. I have a button on my Subaru steering wheel that is a “Siri” button so to speak. I press the button and say “What’s my glucose?” and the car’s speaker tells me the Dexcom SG and trend (up or down). SUPER Valuable when driving and eyes and hands remain on the road! 🙂 You do have to activate the Siri settings in Dexcom G6 app to make this work.
I have not had surgery to decide whether to keep it on or take it off.
I had my gallbladder removed last month, my cgm was on my arm. The nurse said I didn’t have to take it off, because she knew how much they cost. I just couldn’t bring in my phone.
Not surgery, but MRI. Dexcom says they haven’t tested sensors in MRI (why not?). I was fortunate my sensor was on the last day of the 10-day cycle so I just removed it for the MRI.
I had to remove my dexcom sensor in a similar situation. I called Dexcom and they sent me a replacement.
Yes, I kept my Tandem X2 with CIQ on and in sleep mode.
Brilliant idea. Sleep mode always keeps me 100% TIR. ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)
Had a total knee replacement a few months ago. The surgery team was very knowledgeable about my pump and sensor. My Endo also gave instructions. The hospital staff let me have complete charge over my pump. They just charted.
3 c-sections but had no devices at those times.
Yes, I kept my pump and CGM on and active. My surgery was less than 30 minutes for cataract removal. I reached out ahead of time to the surgery center nursing staff who worked with me to make a plan for high and low BG. They were very open to solutions both removing and maintaining the pump. Since the duration was very short and I was not completely out, we decided to keep the pump on.
When I had a hip replacement to fix the broken one, the cgm transmitter and sensor remained attached, and stopped working. I’ve never known when, exactly, or why, and think maybe there was something electronic involved. The surgeons were aware ahead of time that my glucose needed to be watched, so there were no problems. A year later, when I had my thyroid removed for Graves, they covered my sensor and transmitter with a lead shield, and avoided problems that way. I think….. The OR is an amazing place, but there’s so much more going on that is invisible, especially to the patient, I would much rather hand the insulin dosing over to the anesthesiologist, and not worry about having to wait weeks to get the ruined transmitter and sensor replaced. Just one more example of medicare and insurance regulations make it so hard for the patient to be anything but a problem solver wringing her hands and wondering why it all has to come down to a person in an office filling in paperwork….Someone with no real connection to the me who just wants a normal life.
Two procedures requiring anesthesia:
1. Eyelid surgery both eyes. Anesthesiologist called me a few days before and when I told him I was on insulin, he started changing all my dosing. I explained to him that I was not going to change my dosing to what he was asking due to the risk and I had done this before. He got a little huffy and threatened to cancel the surgery if I did not comply. I told him I was calling my surgeon and started lecturing me. I just asked him what he wanted my bag to be and told him that when I arrived at the center if my bag was not within his range, I would remove my pump and CGM, otherwise it stayed. Nurses would not touch me on arrival until he saw me. I was right on his number! He just said “OK, we go!” My surgeon told me, he was fine with the pump & CGM but the anesthesiologist had the authority to cancel.
2. Endoscopy & colonoscopy with full anesthesia. Nurses got huffy when I refused to give my pump and CGM. My bg started a down trend and I told them I needed glucose. They said nothing to eat as my bg was still within limits. I just told them “no glucose, no procedure!” They ran off to my doctor and came back to tell me “He said to let you handle it and you know what you are doing!” Before knocking me out he asked “How’s our numbers?” I told him and he smiled, turned to “Nurse Ratchett” and said “Like I said, you know your numbers!” I had no issues under anesthesia.
You have to stand up for yourself!
I had no problem leaving it on. The surgeon was talking to me, waking me up telling me, “You have something beeping on your device .”
He dis not seem at all concerned.
My surgeon said the cauterizing involved with the surgery might possibly damage my equipment so he suggested I remove the pump and Dexcom sensor.
Jane has 5 hand surgeries for duputrens. Talked to my doctor and anesthesiologist prior to first surgery. Both were supportive of my devices. Talked to my nurse too. Asked that she make sure I didn’t go to low and showed her how to check my Dexcom on phone. By the second surgery we were all on same team. Made me feel
Valued and comfortable
I’ve come to the conclusion that most doctors, nurses, techs know nothing about diabetes. If they’re good at what they do, they will listen and learn. My experience has taught me to talk with the surgeon before the procedure to get an agreement on how they’re going to manage my BG while I’m under. Once I’m awake, I insist on taking back control. After all, nobody understands my “condition” as well as I do.
I was able to keep my pump on, but I changed my settings to run a little high (150). I taped it to my body in case the medical team had to move me. BUT, I had to remind them not to give me Glucose in the infusion. All went well.
I do not trust myself to operate the pump post surgery while intoxicated in pain meds
i had surgery which required an overnight stay. The hospital administration insisted that i go off my pump even though
The hospital cde said I should stay on the pump. The issue was resolved when I agreed to have cde called if my bs went over 200 and I would not adjust my basel rate . Insane experience
At my last surgery I didn’t have a CGM and was in MDI at the time due to absorption issues. I did have to advocate for dosing by carb counting and not using a sliding scale though.
When I last had surgery, I took my pump and cgm off because I couldn’t get a hold of the surgery team to find out if I needed it taken off or not. When I got to the hospital, the anesthesiologist said she was familiar with the pump and cgm so I could have left both of them on.
The night before my emergency appendectomy, the nurse practitioner on duty did not want me to use my pump. There was no one else to intervene. I tried to insist on keeping it on, but she insisted on sliding scale. Fun night of high blood sugars and no sleep.
In 2017 I had open-heart surgery to replace a failing artificial aortic valve that had been placed years earlier. I assume the Dr.s compelled me to remove my CGM sensor so that they could sterilize all my abdomen skin prior to the operation, but I certainly would have done so myself if not compelled. I did replace the sensor as soon as I got out of the ICU, but I recall that the CGM did not work properly in the hospital environment — probably too much interference with all the other electronic equipment.
I only had communication issues (between CGM & pump) in certain ares of hospital’s, usually where there is a lot of other radio frequencies were.
A “yes, no issues” for me! 🙂
Through 4 surgeries from the first to the most recent, my experience changed dramatically. The first one, I had to advocate heavily to keep my devices attached. I eventually told them that, if they took anything off, they would cause DKA and a trip to the ER for very high bs. The rolling of the eyes by the nurses was not appreciated by me.
Fast forward 5 years to my most recent experience, the anesthesiologist took my CGM receiver and seemed very happy to do so! The nurses were fantastic! Everyone was receptive and, maybe they didn’t know how to handle all the bells and whistles, but they got the most important-in-the-moment parts. I could not be happier.
I had endoscopic spine surgery in April at Harborview in Seattle, WA. Went there because they have written protocols for people with T1D and their insulin needs. Surgery went very well and my blood glucse was controlled. Could not wear my Tandem pump or Dexcon G6. Pump and sensor were put back on immediately after I was awake and able to do that. My friend who also has T1D was with me and assisted me. Always check to see if there are written protocols for insulin if you are having general anesthesia.
I have had several surgeries in the past 5 years (2 wrist surgeries, a carpal tunnel surgery, gall bladder removal that ended up lasting 6 hours due to complications, and a total hysterectomy) and have kept my pump and cgm on for all of
them. I simply had to ask and was allowed to do so, which was a relief as I was expecting to have to fight for it.
The endoscopic sugery used procedures that would have harmed my pump and dexcom sensor. In previous surguries for carpel tunnel and trigger fingers I have worn my pump and sensor if I had one at the time.
My pump and cgm were removed when I had anMRI before surgery for a spinal abscess. I was very, very weak afterward and would never have been able to take charge of my pump. When I was capable again of taking care of the diabetes, I insisted on controlling it myself but had to fight for it everyday. Medical staff are almost completely uneducated about type 1. Also, they ALWAYS wanted to treat me like a type 2 because of my age (72). One nurse told me one morning that my glucose was good that morning and I wouldn’t need any insulin!. Yikes!! Those sliding scales are useless!
I had a short surgery and I just made sure my pump settings would keep me closer to 150 rather than my usual 100.
What kind of pump do you have ? Thanks
Thankfully it was at a medical university/hospital campus that try to keep up to date on T1D. The anesthesiologist remembered me from my last surgery & asked if I had my “cool” diabetic equipment on again. It made their job a tiny but easier.
My pump/cgm came off for the multiple hour surgery $ recovery time after. Once back in my room I went back on the device. It all made good sense to me..
I gave in this last time, and took pump and cgm off for my heart bypass (CABG) last year. Always before I had been able to wear them, the actual surgeons and anesthesiologists had always agreed, even for heart stents, though probably every time the pre-op people had initially said I had to take them off.
Their insulin-glucose-drip with frequent testing and elaborate calculations worked very well, as well or better than me and the t:slim x2 could do. (of course, there was no food involved, during this time, so a lot easier).
I had to remove my pump at the time, for brain surgery. Was on an insulin drip during and after, until I was able to eat and preform all actions of the pump on my own. I was on a Medtronic pump at the time & sensor, so even then I felt better off it than waring it during.
Per my request, I was allowed to keep my pump and CGM on during partial hip replacement but had to sign a very detailed “contract” that allowed them to adjust my settings. No problem during surgery but during the 3 day delay beforehand, I had to promise I wouldn’t bolus until they did a finger prick and told me how much insulin to take. It was horrible because they aimed high and didn’t address bGs over 200. They caught me once after I bolused a correction on my own. Even though it brought my bG down to a perfectly safe number, they scolded me, saying I was jeopardizing their jobs and that if I did it again, they would take my pump away. The hospital endocrinologist came in to say it was all for my benefit and offered medication to calm my nerves or a visit from a counselor. I declined. All I wanted was to be able to control my own blood sugars.
The medical did not require me to take my device off, but asked me to pause delivery while in surgery.
Never been on pump. Have had local surgeries while on CGM. Hospitals & clinics fear malpractice suits, e.g., patient having low bg seizure while under their care. This may explain their erring on slightly high bg regimens, esp. in past, when patient is on general anesthetic. But if bg is too high, healing is delayed and infection a greater risk. My CGM does interfere with my AM radio reception if both on same circuit.
Multiple surgeries. The biggest battle I have is over unnecessary sedation/general anesthesia. I cancelled the last surgery when the surgeon insisted on general (even though I had the same type of surgery a year prior without general at a different facility).
With prior surgeries I usually get great response from anesthesiologists who are more than happy to be able to see BGs from the Dexcom.
Most recent surgery was a trigger finger release. Some were baffled by my refusal of sedation, but the fact is I need to be the one fully in control of my insulin and BG – not a nurse or doctor without adequate knowledge of my disease and devices.
Trust must be earned. Control is better.
i just had surgery in september
I took my CGM off the day before, as it had expired, and didn’t put a new one on, figuring I’d just manually check until after surgery.
I did have to get all the way to the anesthesiologist before getting an answer about my Omnipod. He said I could leave it on, and I did, and had NO problems during surgery with sugar levels.