Hello,
Sorry if this has already been discussed and I just couldn't find the thread! I'm new to the Animas Vibe pump and am having trouble finding which batteries last the longest. The Lithium ones I used only lasted 2 weeks, and the alkaline one lasted just under 3 days (!!!). Any recommendations would be fantastic! I live in Australia, but I'm sure I can find equivalent batteries to whichever ones you find useful overseas.
Thank you!
Hi, I have been using my Vibe since early Feb and have been getting roughly 6-7 weeks out of each battery. You don't say if you are using the CGMS or not (COME ON NDSS!!!) I am not and unsure how much that much that would drain the battery life.
One thing I try to minimise in regards to the alarms is I have the check BG reminder turned on and if I check before going to bed and BG is ok I cancel the reminder so it is not going off all through the night unnecessarily(I'd sleep through them), again how much of a drain that would be ??? but even the small amounts would add up over time.
I am using the 'Energizer Ultimate Lithium' batteries I grabbed at Bunnings but if I was only getting a couple of weeks out of a bettery I'd be having a chat with Animas/AMSL.
Hi Glen,
Thanks so much for your reply! Sadly I'm not using the CGMS (precisely because it's not on the NDSS!), I just think I must have picked up some lesser quality batteries by accident. I'll try the Energizer Ultimate Lithium and see if that improves things, if not I'll get in touch with AMSL.
Speaking of the NDSS/PBS, have you seen this? It would be great to get an many entries as possible: http://www.realitycheck.org.au/RCforum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11452
I had a similar thing happen to me when using my previous pump(Medtronic). I had a pack of AAA's and just about every second one would die after a few days but it only seemed to be that pack, may have been a bad batch.
I am on the RealityCheck site frequently(moreso than here) and had my bit to say on that survey and most others that come up.
Hi,
In the UK, J&J supply the "Energizer Ultimate Lithium" with my supplies. I would also recommend turning down the default contrast and lower the screen timeout settings in Setup, Advanced, Page 4 on the pump (I use timeout of about 15 seconds and contrast of 2, and get about 2 months on a battery). Finally, you probably know this, but make sure that you select Lithium battery in the setup.
Hope this helps :-)
Ian
I have a Vibe without CGM.
Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries last a long time.
Hi lgs,
I’m in UK on Vibe and unfortunately I heaar J&J are no longer supplying us with free batteries due to an EU ruling about sending dangerous (explosive) items through the post!!! They’re not sent from UK but from Belgium which is why they’re affected, though other pump co.s here are saying the same thing and not sending batteries any more. I haven’t tried ordering since this new reg came in very recently but have seen the discussion on the Insulin Pumpers UK forum.
So we’re now in the same boat as our Oz/US friends here and need to buy our own!
That is very helpful, thank you so much!
I've made those changes so fingers crossed it lasts a bit longer from now on. It wouldn't be such a problem except batteries can be quite expensive, and somehow my pump always runs out of batteries at 4 am - very frustrating!
I'm in the USA and I use the lithium batteries. I get a good 6 weeks out of it. When I use the alkaline I get a week or so out of it. Whatever you do, do not use rechargeable batteries as it will void out the warranty
Glen - I assume that you're not using the CGMS function of the Vibe. You mention in your comment that you're unable to hear the BG reminder alarm when you're sleeping. Do you think that the same would hold true if you were using the CGMS Vibe function and a low BG alarm sounded while you are asleep?
I'm in the US and the Vibe has not yet been released. Many here are interested in it due to the integration of the pump with the CGMS receiver, thereby eliminating one piece of equipment. I'm thinking that any CGMS, including the Vibe, is of questionable value if it can't wake you up at night when you're low. What do you think?
Hi Terry, I am a VERY sound sleeper and rarely woken by alarms on any of the pumps I have used(2xMedtronic and now the Vibe). I guess it would depend how persistent and frequent the alarms were going off, a more frequent low BG alarm may very well wake me.
Cheers