Has anyone recently switched from the minimed pump? My warranty expires next March. I like the Animas waterproof feature. I am allergic to Dexcom though (and my insurance doesn't pay for Dexcom either).
I did and i love it so much more its cheaper and also just seems to work better in general and the customer service seems alot nicer
I did and already listed the pros and cons (I’ll look for the thread). Basically, a pump is a pump is a pump and they are all, at their core, the same. But there are a few expectations you’ll want to manage before you switch. Like your understanding of the menu navigation. A lot more button pressing with the Animas.
my ping says 35 units
Yes. Also the max bolus on the next gen pump may be lowered to 25 units because of the FDA. That’s my guess anyway because pumps approved by the FDA recently all currently have a 25 unit max.
You might look at the T slim. It has a 300 unit reservoir and while the max bolus limit is still 25 units it will calculate up to 50 units and will prompt you to deliver a second bolus after you’ve delivered the first 25 units.
I made the switch (well back in Feb this year) from a Paradigm 722(3ml) to a Vibe(2ml). I initially was hesitant about the smaller cartridge and it is a little more work(refilling more frequently) but like when we had to code our meters for the each box of strips, some will have real issues and obsess over it but for me it means filling a cartridge twice a week instead of once, not a big deal.
I switched to the Ping in December in order to eventually get the Animas/Dexcom pump when it makes it to market. I actually hate the Ping compared to my old Medtronic Revel, but I think the Vibe will fix everything that I hate about the Ping. The menu system on the Ping is incredibly klutzy and I dislike having to scroll in the bolus recommendation rather than having it automatically there as on Minimed. I feel it opens up a lot of errors. Plus it just takes more time. The Ping remote is so slow that I rarely use it.
I am not regretting my decision because I am adamant about using Dexcom for CGM and I hated the Medtronic CGM. So I am anxiously awaiting the next Animas pump. It’s at the FDA for approval.
The Medtronic Veo is also at the FDA.
Since your warranty doesn’t expire until March, hopefully all of the new pumps will be on the market and you’ll have better information that I did.
I switched three years ago and I really dislike the Animas product. I previously posted on my reasons but the pump works fine mechanically. But the software was probably designed by a monkey. Why do I have to prime when I change a battery or don't push a button in 12 hours (it happens!). I can't wait to return to Medtronic. The MM also injects the insulin slower and I believe that this reduces the scaring that takes place at the site and limits the time that you can use an infusion set. I will, however, stick to Dexcom which (G4) has been operating very satisfactorily since I got it. And 7 days is nice too. I usually got about a week out of my Medtronic pump; 3-4 days with the Animas.
Jeff
I just switched last month and I miss my MM pump, but I did it for many of the same reasons you and others have listed here…the waterproof feature, the meter/pump communication (which I’ve found I rarely use, mostly because it’s not a habit), and the hope for an integrated dexcom/animas system sometime soon. I used the MM cgm and hated it. I have loved the dexcom, which I started using a few weeks before my ping arrived. But, back to the pump. The Ping has way too many buttons to push. I detest the menu set-up and that there is no ‘back’ button. It takes much longer to do the same processes on the Ping as it did on the MM. I was using a 522, so the reservoir size is actually a little more than I had previously. The rewind to prime a new cartridge takes forever, and the reservoir-filling process is more complex, though I think it lets fewer bubbles into your cartridge/tubing. I also hate where the reservoir sticks out from the pump…it’s backwards to me compared to the MM and it drives me crazy, it feels upside down. I hate that you can only do a % temp basal…I always did a set number for my temp basal with my MM, so having to do the math and run a % basal is annoying to me. The boluses deliver about ten times faster than the MM, and if you accidentally press a button during delivery, it will cancel your bolus! Have I mentioned that there is WAY too much button-pushing?? Grrrr… I also had a tough time working with a non-compliant rep from Animas. I do like the color screen, but that’s about the only thing I like better.
Hi Erika,
I will hopefully make the switch next week, CGM and pump. The reason, Medtronic vs Dexcom
From a 1st glance at the user guide, I do have the impression that there is a difference in user friendliness. Could you please give us your impression?
I'm almost shocked in hearing 25 units and needing a second bolus. My Minimed Paradigm has a max of 10 units only, and the highest I ever need is 15. And that's the max set by my body. At 15 I can eat whatever I want to, so is not really related to the quantity of sugar which I eat. I take more, and a hypo is guaranteed.
Stress plays for me a bigger effect. At times of high stress, glycemic reading above 300 mg/dl, I start with 15, one hour later if there is no tendency for a drop, I take another 10 (25 active). But, the effect is hardly visible. At some point I get such a high quantity of insulin active, that my glucose drops like a brick.
The quality of the ancillary stuff is also pretty bad for Animas. The leather belt holder (male, I guess) is upside down and I can't figure out how to use it. The night belt is very shoddy too. But I don't know if the issues are to be fixed with the new Animas Vibe. If it fixes the problems it would be the best choice. But I won't hold my breath on this one.
Jeff
In my mind, Medtronic is far friendlier. But I am still on their (MM) mailing list and see quite a few safety warnings going out. Doesn't give me a warm feeling but my next pump will probably be the Medtronic unless the Vibe is a major improvement over the Ping Thing!
Jeff
Thank you for giving your impression Jeff. The reason why my endo prescribed me the M Paradign a few years ago, was that the Paradign is the only available pump which has a low suspend, meaning that you can or manually suspend the pump for, I think 2 hours, or it is the CGM which triggers the suspend when a lower limit which is set, is reached. I have that limit however set at 45 mg/dl, as otherwise, I get alerts continuously, whereas there is no reason at all. So, I never use the function. And, connected to this feature, there is another design stupidity in the pump. You get an alarm for a low suspend. You push a button and the display lights up, shows the low suspend warning, then the light goes off and you get 2 options, suspend or continue basal. But, at night, you don't see anything. The alarm wakes you up, half asleep you see the warning, and then nothing anymore. I usually am so tired that or I fall back asleep without making a choice, in which case my sugar skyrocks later that night, or I have to go searching for the light switch next to my bed. This is a darn pain to me.
George-
That's not a feature I use or am familiar with; I will look it up. Because I use the Dexcom, I am always aware of bad things happening and in addition to that, I am lucky that I can sense a low even when I am sleeping.
But talk about stupid .... If I pass the 12 hour no button press limit or if I change the battery, the Ping forces you to do the prime thing all over again. It is already primed but that doesn't matter. I was giving a presentation and hadn't had breakfast (unusual) and all of a sudden Beethoven intruded and said I needed to press the confirm button to confirm that I was still alive. It pressed it and went on but was interrupted a few minutes later. This continued until I had to leave the room, go to my office and remove the connection, prime and fill the cannula (both essentially 0) and then reconnect. Took about 5 minutes but kept a lot of people waiting! It is these stupidities that really make the Ping a disaster for me. The pump itself works fine except for the rapid injection speed .. but that is another issue.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
The low suspend feature can only be activated when combining the pump with a CGM, and I have been using the Enlite. Accuracy is however pretty poor, and as a result you get false alerts continuously ( details will be in the report that I'm trying to get finished, but if you set a hypo limit at 70 mg/dl, then 50% of the alerts are false alerts). For that reason I have my hypo limit at 55mg/dl and a low suspend at 45 mg/dl, and this works great.
Before using Enlite/Paradigm I was completely numb for hypos, I even felt fully normal when having 18 mg/dl (accucheck) after finishing up a marathon, but a glucose above 100 mg/dl started making me feel sick, and I then also corrected immediately with Humulog. I took my Lantus shot at night, and all night hypos which I had occurred when the Lantus became in action, around 2 am. And at night, I don't feel anything. Only, and that is still the case, a value above 100 mg/dl wakes me up, keeps me from sleeping. Using the CGM/pump, I have reganed some feeling, but during the day, it can happen that my sugar drops down so fast, too fast to feel anything. I only know when I notice that my muscles are not obeying anymore. I wrote this in my first post, but I came from an A1C in between 2 and 3, before I had the CGM and pump, to a 5.2 after, and no severe hypos anymore. But, then, since February the Enlite doesn't work anymore for me, and no one can tell me why. The ISIG value gets stuck around 10 nA, and the sensor becomes insensitive to glucose changes. The result, many hypos, sometimes daily, and my A1C taken last week was down to 4.8.
I am guessing that you are a type-2 because with a pump, I didn't think Lantis is necessary. The Dexcom has been pretty accurate for me so I would go with Medtronic+ Dexcom unless either makes a better combined product. So Dex + BetterAnimasProduct ot MT+their CGM or Dex. Anyway ... I don't like the A very much so I hope they fix it and then the A+D would be the way to go. Note my mathematical skills!
Jeff
I am switching from Mini Med now... New Animas on the way! Honestly I am glad that my Ins will not pay for a new Medtronic. I am completely fed up with my Paradigm.
Everyone is different. I liked the MM very much.I wonder why insurance wouldn't pay for the MM ... prices are similar.
Jeff
You are mixing up a bit Jeff. Pumps indeed only go with fast acting insuline, if not you would loose all advantages. You have a basal, a foundation number of units/hr that is injected, and on top of that you make corrections, for example after meaks, by taking a bolus, which has as only goal the taking care of a peek in the BG. Before I was on a pump, I took Lantus (same principle, a base, active for 24 hrs) combined with fast acting, for the peaks.
I don't know all of the pumps and sensors, but the Dexcom is not compatible with the Medtronic pumps. Roche has however developed a new pump, which is delivered with a next generation sensor from Dexcom, and I have put all of my hope on that system. The release date has however shifted. Tests were supposed to start in 2013, and that has now been moved to 2014.