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WEST VALLEY CITY — Janet Herron has a secret, a hobby she's nurtured for years. "She's a 1948 Ford F-6," said Herron, who lives in West Valley City. It's called Blazin' 48. Caring for the truck takes diligence. So does caring for her health.
Diagnosed at 18 years old with Type 1 diabetes, she took insulin injections for a decade. Then, she was one of the first in Utah to use an insulin pump. Three years ago, she switched to an Omnipod, a high-tech pump that's easier to use and tube free. "It just almost does everything," Herron said. "There's nothing like it."
The device distributes insulin under the skin and has an external blood-glucose monitor. Think of it like a universal remote for a TV. Instead of different remotes to turn on a streaming device, cable box and television, it's one and done. That makes like simpler for diabetics, doctors say.
"It's like your best friend, it's your partner. If you don't have your partner, what do you do?" said Dave Gamble, a family nurse practitioner with Utah Endocrinology Associates. He believes better technology keeps patients healthier.
But soon Herron will age into Medicare, which doesn't cover the Omnipod. She won't be able to afford it.
Gamble said the policy isn't fair to patients. Managing diabetes is tedious and even stress can change glucose readings, he said. "If you can eliminate a lot of the barriers that make it so technical and difficult to control, the patient's going to have a lot more success, hands down."
Insulin pumps are less noticeable, so they ease social problems associated with the disease. "They just put it on, it activates and they're done and ready to go," Gamble said.
Uncontrolled diabetes can be life-threatening and send patients to the emergency room. Their bodies shut down. Many doctors and healthcare advocates, including the American Diabetes Association, want Medicare policy to change.
So does Herron, who has worked hard to stay healthy. In 1989, she fulfilled a dream by completing firefighter training, taking precautions for her diabetes. "I carried Lifesavers: butter rum," she said.
The Omnipod keeps Herron going. "To wear it? I don't even know it's there," she said.
When contacted by KSL, a Medicare spokesperson wouldn't comment or say why Medicare doesn't cover the Omnipod.
