@tim35
how many charging cables do you have? i have currently located the provided one in the car, figuring a charge on my 20 minute drive each way will suffice, but i like having multiple cables in different places to avoid carrying one everywhere…
@cowboykyle - Totally agree. I do not like to move cables, AC or DC chargers.
Well except for the little cables for the USB portable battery but I leave those plugged in to the portable battery so kind of consider those as “not moving” (relative to the portable battery - lol).
We have so many electronic devices that charge from USB power sources.
If I find that I am having to move something related to “charging” from one room to another room or in/out of the vehicle then I purchase another of that item (cable or charger) so as to stop the “movement”. These things are all relatively cheap and I figure I am more likely to misplace them if they are constantly being shuttled around the house.
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When my wife and I bought our first phones that charge wirelessly I bought two wireless chargers. Then I bought two more. Then I bought two more. It is so convenient to have charging pads at all the places that we sit or sleep to keep the phones topped off so that when we go somewhere they are at 100%
My bad. We don’t have six charging pads. We have seven
Never had animas but I hate seing this market being completely DOMINATED by one (1!) company, which by itself is neither very innovative nor affordable for the patients.
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Nice little healthy magnetic fields all around your bed, I presume.
No that can’t be. Have you seen that magnificent UI of the 670G? That whips the llama’s a*s! ironic
Hi Dave,
Well, the cartridge filling takes a little bit longer than with the MM or
Animas. But, it’s large (holds 300 units) – I go for a week on one
cartridge (with a fill of about 250 units). You charge it with a USB which
I was concerned about at first, but I just plug it in every morning when I
shower to ‘top it off.’ So really, it’s great not to have to buy
batteries. I really find it hard to believe more people aren’t using it.
Barb
I also have the Tandem X2. I was also concerned by the whole rechargeable battery thing, but in the end it lasts long enough that planning to charge it is pretty easy, so I never run out of battery. I usually get around 6-7 days on a charge I think. I personally prefer not to keep any Li-Ion batteries charged to 100% all the time. I charge them then let them run down. It can lessen their life to keep them fully charged all the time. I believe the Tandem warranty covers if the battery won’t hold a charge, so that was reassuring.
I believe Tandem is offering some kind of discount for Animas and Roche users now.
I really hate to see competition dwindling in the market. I know Tandem has been struggling apparently too. The reason we are losing competition is because our healthcare system is designed to really prevent competition. It’s not that different in some other countries with socialized systems either though, where the government will only pay for certain pumps or CGMs, just like many insurance companies. Anytime there is someone else (i.e. insurance companies or the government) negotiating with providers (pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, doctors) and paying them instead of individuals then the providers are going to make deals with the governments and/or insurers to help kill off competition.
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Barb, thanks for that info.
I don’t consider the cost of a single AAA (bought in 16 packs) to be much of an expense and since I can go at least 3 weeks, it’s so much simpler than plugging in frequently. I already have phones to plug in daily, a watch every other day, and the Dexcom receiver every other day. It’s all a bit annoying to me. Double that all, for my wife’s stuff. I don’t like the rechargeable Contour Next Link. Prefer the Contour Next One which has gone for months on 2ea. 2032’s which are FREE from the mfgr. Just call them and they send replacement batteries for FREE. Can’t beat that!
@Lorraine I just wish it had been more positive. I follow financial news so it wasn’t unexpected, but narrowing our choices is always disheartening.
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I used a Cozmo for four and half years and they existed the market (did a better job of it, too, at least they fully honoured warranties!). I’ve been using an Animas Ping for six and a half years and was planning to upgrade to the Vibe once it supported the G5. I like the features of the Medtronic pump but hate its physical design (and by the sounds of it the user interface) and that it doesn’t use Dexcom sensors. I’m going to hold out until the t:slim comes to Canada. I hate that we are now down to a grand total of two choices here (Medtronic or OmniPod).
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Is Accu Chek not on the Canadian market?
As far as I know they pulled out of North America.
People may be interested to know that I just read an article about OmniPod providing free 30-day trials of their system for people in the US. I’m going to call them in a couple of weeks and hope it’s also in Canada. Smart move on their part, because I wouldn’t personally use the OmniPod without trying it first, but if I can get a free trial, I’ll definitely try it to see if I like it.
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displayname4d
I personally prefer not to keep any Li-Ion batteries charged to 100% all the time. I charge them then let them run down. It can lessen their life to keep them fully charged all the time.
Perhaps you are thinking of older versions of rechargeables? Battery memory was/is an issue with NCad and NMHi batteries, but NOT for Li-Ion batteries. In fact, whereas the previous worked best will a full discharge and deep cell charge, current batteries are recommended to use “top off” charging.
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It was a little confusing. The insurance dept made me a better offer than the rep knew about. Or something. It is a good way to try it out, but in the end I had to get a hold of myself and wonder what the panic was all about. I think even if your pump is a couple years into the warranty, you may be fine for a long time…and insurance companies will probably work with anyone who has an Animas pump and finds themselves without…plus who knows how many refurbished pumps, and residual supplies are out there? It’s only the cartridges that are questionable.
When I said let them run down i was meaning more like down to 30-40%, so not as full of a discharge as you would with a NiCad or NiMH battery. Like the article you linked to said, I also let it occasionally run down to almost dead before charging (that is usually not intentional though lol). In the case of my phone, I will charge it to 100% over night, but then during the day if i need to charge I will recharge to 70-80%. So not topping off completely per se, but “bumping up” 
.
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Tandem has what appears to be a really great offer for Animas pump users who may not appreciate being dumped on the doorstep of Medtronic.
Tandem Diabetes Touch Simplicity Today Pump Access Program Details
This offer is available for eligible Animas and Roche customers with pump warranties that expire on or before September 30, 2019. A one-time payment of $999 is due prior to the pump being shipped. Payment plans are not available. Offer available through March 31, 2018.
Upon purchase of a new Tandem pump at the end of the participant’s Animas or Roche warranty period and return of the Tandem pump used in the Program in good working condition, the $999 payment will be credited to support out-of-pocket or supply costs associated with their new Tandem pump.
Alternatively, if a participant decides not to conclude the Program by purchasing a new Tandem pump, they may return the Program pump and receive a pro-rated refund of the $999 payment based on the time the Program pump was in the their possession as set forth in the chart below.
I was really excited about this possibility when I saw it a couple days ago. Then I saw the fine print - Kaiser Permanente does not allow its customers to participate and alas, I’m with Kasier. I’m really hoping Tandem might work something out with Kaiser and other insurers that usually won’t allow something like this. Kaiser’s stated policy is that they only pay to replace pumps when they stop working, not when the warranty expires, and I think they see the Tandem program as forcing a replacement when it’s not necessary. But with Animas exiting the market, we’ll have no choice but to switch within two years because we need to have a pump that can be properly supported.
@Shadow2 - What if you pay the $999 out of pocket yourself rather then going through the insurance company? You would get a Tandem “loaner” pump (as I understand it) which would have a warranty length equivalent to the amount of time remaining on the warranty on your current pump.
When the remaining warranty period expires and if you then use your insurance to get a Tandem Pump (which at that point should be fine - right) then Tandem would refund the $999 back to you which you.
I think - unless I have misread the details?
Either I am not understanding or this is an awesome deal.