Jannet Storm (61) works three mornings a week as a support assistant in a group of toddlers with physical disabilities. She has had diabetes for more than thirty years, and for about half of that time she used an insulin pump from Roche — until last November. “I do like new gadgets,” Jannet says, “but it was still something I had to take in when I heard that Roche was going to stop.”
Fortunately, in her search for an alternative she received good support from her diabetes nurse. When several pumps were compared side by side, Kaleido almost immediately stood out to Jannet. “The Kaleido insulin pump is very small and can be worn on the abdomen.” That, in particular, was a big change compared to what she was used to. With her Roche pump, she clipped it to her waistband or carried it in her trouser pocket. “It happened regularly that my pump fell straight out of my pocket onto the floor. The tubing was quite long. The toddlers I work with also got caught on it more than once, pulling out my infusion set completely.” With Kaleido, that is a thing of the past. The pump sits securely on her abdomen, the tubing is short and hardly visible, and the infusion set has never come loose.
Maintaining control herself
Unlike many other pump users, Jannet does not use a Hybrid Closed Loop system. She uses the FreeStyle Libre 2 as a sensor, but calculates her insulin doses herself. “I’m so used to managing it myself. With an automated system, I feel like I’m giving up control — and that’s something I don’t really want.”
Good support
When Jannet had just received her new pump, a Kaleido employee spent an entire morning at her home to go through everything and practise together. “Very calm, very clear. And afterwards she even called again to ask if everything was going well. That was really nice.” Her diabetes nurse also actively thinks along with her. When Jannet noticed she was running low on infusion sets, the nurse arranged an extra box. “That way, I never run out at the end of the quarter.”
Better values
Jannet notices that her glucose values have improved considerably since using the Kaleido pump. Changing her cannula more consistently certainly contributes to that. “I could do with losing a few kilos as well, so paying more attention to what I eat definitely helps too. And I simply feel that I can fine‑tune this new pump to my body more precisely than my previous one. I’m better regulated than I have been in years — and that feels really good.”
Not thinking about it anymore
In addition to her improved values, Jannet is especially positive about how easy it is to wear the pump. “I hardly feel it. Sometimes I even think: is it still there?”