Medtronic sent me an email to inform us that the 530 is no discontinued. I was planning on getting one in December when the warranty on mine runs out. I want no part of their 6xx series and there aren’t any really compelling pumps from other mfgrs. For gawd’s sakes, if they could have just held off on discontinuing them for another 60 days or so, I’d be “home free” for another 5(?) years with a pump that I really like. sigh.
And please don’t tell me how much you like your 630 or 670 because I’m not interested in those models–I refuse to get one,fgvbr and will keep my 530 as long as it’s working but of course if it fails, I’ll HAVE to get some sort of replacement.
I got the same email. I have the Revel 523 and my email says my warranty is up but when I go to the website, it says my warranty expires 10/19 but I’m eligible for the pathway upgrade now?? I’m so dumb when it comes to this stuff.
I feel for you @Dave44 and @RobinP. When we lose something that works it’s awful. If it helps at all, the December warranty end time-frame might not have mattered at all … so, if your warranty had been up three months ago, you would have received the discontinuation letter three months prior to that.
It doesn’t seem like nearly enough time to decide what to do or where to go, but there’s a lot of support here and suggestions will be available when you’re ready.
Will the 530/523 continue to work beyond December or are there supplies you won’t be able to get to keep it in working order? Edited to add, I just saw where you said @Dave44 you can continue to use it until it fails; I didn’t notice that before.
Upside is that their older pumps are pretty robust. After I decided the 670 sucked as a manual pump as well as not working for me as a hybrid, I went back to my old pager-style MiniMed Paradigm. I don’t need my Dexcom CGM to talk to it, so it works fine.
I use the MM722, an older model for my Loop system. I received this pump from the original owner, so I likely know it’s been used prior to me for at least four years. It is durable and can handle the hazards of everyday life.
To build on to your strategy of keeping your existing 530 for as long as it works, you could seek and buy a 530 to backup your current pump. This model is not sought after like the earlier MM models so I would think you could secure one for a reasonable price. This is my strategy as I have a backup 722. My backup pump looks lightly used and should provide many years of service.
Medtronic has maintained its pump supplies with few changes over the years. This makes using an older pump a viable option.
I don’t think you’re as vulnerable to this development as it might seem. If you get a serviceable backup 530, it should ease your concerns. I imagine there are a lot of these pumps sitting unused in the back of many people’s diabetes supply cabinets. They could be induced to parting with their old pump for a few hundred dollars. Just a thought. Good luck!
Terry, upon learning of Medtronic’s dropping of the 530, my wife said that she would give me her 530 if mine fails and she’d get a different pump as she isn’t as concerned about some of the issues that I’m unwilling to deal with. She’s a keeper! (Her warranty is up a few weeks before mine is, so she would be eligible to purchase whatever pump our endo would prescribe.)
Nice to have a solution right in your own house! Living with an old pump for the last few years, I’ve gained a new respect for the durability of the older MM pumps. I think a person who wants to stay with the 530 model will conceivably be able to do that for a long time.
Having said that, you may be enticed out of that position sooner than you might think by the efforts of the Beta Bionics and Bigfoots of the medical device world.
As long as supplies are available, I think most pumps can be used for much, much longer than their warranty states.
Until last year, I had a Cozmo 1700 (circa 2007) that was still functional and in good condition. My current Ping has been out of warranty for three and a half years and is still working, but unfortunately the battery compartment is badly cracked, the rubber material is coming off the keypad, and the screen has dimmed to the point it’s barely readable.
I’m planning on switching to Tandem (most likely) once they come to Canada (hopefully soon!). But if my Ping weren’t breaking down, I would continue to use it as long as I could.
I won’t talk about the pumps, since even though I prefer the 670G, there are things that I refuse to upgrade even after they are discontinued (not pumps, but other stuff). But here is another related question: Do you want to upgrade your CGM? The 530G used the Enlite, which does not work very well no matter what device you use it with (standalone or pump) and is hardly worth having, while the 6xx family uses the Guardian 3, which works much better and reliably. When I upgraded from the 530G to the 670G, it was not so much the interface or features that I was looking forward to (although I do like them, but I promised not to talk about that), but the improved CGM. If you plan on using the Guardian 3 with a standalone device or a different CGM, then great, but one thing that I recommend never doing is continuing to use the Enlite CGM. This obviously means that if you want to use a good CGM you need to either upgrade or use two devices (do you really want to wear multiple devices?).
The one problem I did have with my older generation Mdt pump: the dreaded Button Freeze. There’s no fix or cure, you just have to replace the pump when that occurs. Sometimes it just happens, but too much moisture exposure is one of the causes, so that’s something to be cautious about if you’re cruising out beyond warranty coverage.
Also remember there is more than Medtronic for diabetes technology. Why they sometimes are first out the door with new technology, it is not always ready for prime time.
I’ll check the web for Beta Bionics. I think I already have read about Bigfoot. Because there will be new products somewhere on the horizon i don’t want to be locked in for a number of years with a Medicare-funded pump purchase any time soon. So if my wife truly will be OK with a 630 and gives me hers (ONLY if mine stops working), I’ll do borrow hers until something more appealing to me than either of the 6xx models is available.
No, I don’t LIKE wearing two devices, but currently having a 530 and G5 is the most reliable solution of me. The sensors are very reliable, as is my pump and it’s simple to use. Quick and simple to replace reservoirs, few button presses, size, good clip for waistband wearing, screen visible outside. Downside for me is I have to turn on the backlight to see the screen in dim light–not a huge deal.
I’d never invest in a system that is “hybrid closed-loop” or “closed-loop” until such time as there are sensors that are an order of magnitude more accurate ALL of the time and combined with a pump that is better at handling high bg’s (correction boluses) than the 670 is when running in AUTO mode.
Many people in the DIY community have had good success with removing the outer layer of the buttons and cleaning the underlying contacts. This outer layer is only glued on its perimeter and can be reliably re-adhered to the pump body.
(Her warranty is up a few weeks before mine is, so she would be eligible to purchase whatever pump our endo would prescribe.)