Rick…Thanks for the shout. I know I’ll love a pump and feel it is my only answer due to other health issues that effect my diabetes. I can only keep trying with medicare until I pass their stringent labs or they give me a pump to make me leave them alone. BTW, I’ve read some of your comments and admire you for going back to school.
Hi…on another post and this one you mentioned Medicare. Thanks for any info on them. I’m on disability so have only Medicare. Although you are correct in the importance of the write up by your doc for medical necessity, a lot of folks are under that impression that will do it to make Medicare pay for a pump. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only necessary thing involved. You absolutely have to pass their labs. Since you are T1, that made it easier for you. I’ve recently found out that Medicare wants my C-Peptide test to show no more insulin production than a T1 would make. There are 2-3 labs I have to be in range of to qualify. This time I did some checking and got some help in understanding those better and how I can have the best shot. I hope it helps me to clear their standards this time. Everyone here is supportive and helpful so I’m sure they will be glad when I go for the bloodwork and shut up about it. I just need and want a pump so badly that it helps to talk to all the support here. I’m finally getting my BG down a little so am getting close to going for those labs. My BG was staying 250 - 300 around the clock for a while and not the time to check my insulin production so hopefully I can go for that maybe next week. Thanks for the support and friendship.
Karla
karla,i am with you girl,keep your head up and continue to push them and your doctors
hi dave,you look great for 61yrs,keep on during what ever you are during,may i add you as a friend,because you add alots to the community.thanks
Karla, hopefully I can clarify on the lab value. Your c-peptide must be LOWER than 110% of the low value of the reference range on the lab report. Thus, if the lab’s normal reference range for the c-peptide level is between 1.0 and 10.0, in order to qualify under Medicare, your c-peptide value must be less than 1.1 (110% of 1.0= 1.1). I hope this clarifies. Best of luck on your choice!
I love my Medtronic pump. As a matter of fact this is my 4th Medtronic pump, I have been pumping for over 12 years !
My new 722 also supports Medtronic’s CGMS which is GREAT. And thier customer service has always been great. I hope this helps and good luck
Hi Karla: I’ve been a diabetic for just about ninteen years now. I have type-1 diabetes. I’m on my third pump, its a Medtronic MiniMed (Paradigm) I used to have Medtronics MiniMed 508, when I started, I wore out the the buttons on that one, had a new one the next day. The second one the LCD went bad. Then I got the newest version witch is the (Paradign) All minmed pumps are garenteed for 5 years.You can visit this link they have all kinds of diabetic info. I hope this helps. http://www.minimed.com/
I was told, while fighting the C Peptide wars, that Medicare is the only insurer that has this requirement. I had been an insulin dependent diabetic for 51 years when I failed my first C Peptide test and was refused Medicares payment for my pump. Praise the LORD, two years later, I squeezed by.
Mebby its my experience when reasarching pumps but I actually was going for the Cozmo… Unfortunately it is discontinued… I was happy with the reps from both Deltec (Cozmo) and the ones from Animas (back when it was an ATM style pump)… Was not so impressed with the reps from Medtronic or the device… Another pump I liked but was discontinued was the Disetronic pumps… The Minimed/Medtronic is not showerproof, most of the other ones are a bit more shower-resistant even without a case…
Actually call the reps for the company your interested in and attend a demo/orientation class… then decide which one you want…
Thanks Richard. Everyone who uses the MM seems to love it - any model. I know they are really trying to help me with the labs I have to clear to get a pump. I asked for help with that from Medtronics, Smith (day before the press release), and Animas. Medtronics is the only company who is helping me to have the best chance with my lab tests. That goes a long way with me. They all called back to sell a pump but only Medtronics listened to what I was asking them. I say they deserve to get the deal if I qualify.
Karla
Thanks for the info John. I tried for a pump in 2007 and at that time I wanted the Cozmo also. Now, I’m looking at Medtronic or Animas. Guess it will have to come off for the shower.
I think the CGMS is a terrific thing but Medicare won’t cover it yet and that’s my insurance. Maybe someday. Thanks for info,
Karla
John ,
Just to set the record straight about showerproof as I am experiencing living with a pump .I am a Medtronic wearer since 2001 ( 522 for over 2 years ) and take the " thing " always with me into the shower ; lay it on the shelf : NO problem .( I do shower regularly , ha , ha ) I use the 43 inches tubing . I used to disconnect for a hair wash , however decided to try by putting the pump on the same shelf …and voila…again NO problem .
Hi. My niece has had Animas and now uses the Minimed. A pump is a mechanical device so just like cars, you can get one that does not work as well as it should. We had a problem with Animas two weeks after purchase. They did send us a brand new pump but we had to fight like heck to get it. We then ended up getting that pump replaced with a refurbished one (twice), then upgraded to the newer Animas with the colored screen and that was a new pump. So five pumps in about two year’s time. The Mimimed has been reliable for the year and a half we had it. However, human error occurs and someone, somehow tightened the battery cap and we could not unscrew it. Minimed was going to send a refurbished pump. When I mentioned we had had a problem with refurbished pumps in the past and how we would wait for our own pump to be repaired (as we still had a working Animas pump), the support person said he could not do it. But he then called us back and offered us a brand new Minimed pump which arrived last week. By they way, this happened Friday, before dinner. He overnighted the pump to us Saturday morning before noon. In the meantime, we hooked up our Animas and my niece told us she got tired of it because of all the button pushing. Minimed has not broken down on us once; it is reliable; it is now smaller than the new Animas Ping, the company puts millions back each year into research and development, and MM is the only pump on the market with integrated cgms. Judging from our experience about sending “refurbished” pumps, when a pump malfunctions, customer service was far superior with Minimed. Everyone has their own experience but that has been ours.
Jan,
Thanks for all the info on these two pumps. I found your experience very helpful. After all, the service is probably the most important part of having the pump. The way my life goes, Murphy’s Law is alive and well at my house so I’d be amazed if I get a pump and don’t ever have problems with it. I’m happy for you to have one you can rely on now.
Karla
I’ve read all of the comments and found them very interesting. Everyone has good and bad experiences with every company. I currently have a Cozmo and its been great. Had it for 6 years and now deciding to go with another company. Now that the Cozmo is out of question which I would have recommended, I would go with the MM paradigm, One touch Ping, or the Omnipod. Pros and Cons to each. I have to laugh at the different issues everyone has with their pumps. I have no idea why you would ever take your pump into the shower with you. There is no reason. You can have your pump off for up to two hours without really seeing any affect. I don’t know people that take hour showers. Omnipod users love their device because it is tubeless and you can put it anywhere on your body. I put my pump on my stomach or hip area without a problem. I then put it into my pocket so the tubing doesn’t bother me. But if I wanted to put it on my arm, chest, leg (which I don’t) then the Omnipod is the best choice. Girls have tighter clothes so this part is a big decision for them. Where to put the pump site and where to put the pump. One of the biggest decisions to me is how many units the pump carries. 300 units is what I prefer because I use about 100 a day. That means I only have to change my site once every three days instead of 200 units once every two days. There are ways around this issue. You can refill a 200 unit cannula and put 100 more units in it and then take it off the third day if it only carries 200 units. It all depends on how many units you use everyday. The MM paradigm is great if you want a continous glucose monitoring system but from what you said medicare isn’t covering it. However I guarantee you they will soon because it will make control tighter and save them money in the long run(it will save medicare money because of less hospital visits etc…). The Animas one touch Ping has no such cbg monitoring system. However they have teamed up with Dexcom for over one year and are planning to release a new system at the end of 2009. Dexcom has been in the cbg business for a long time and have in my opinion the best stand alone system out there. I got really excited when I found out Dexcom and Animas are teaming up. Another thing I like about Animas is when they come out with a new pump you can upgrade for 399 if its been less then 12 months. 599 between 12-24 months and so forth. This gives you the option to always upgrade to the latest and greatest if thats what you might want. I don’t know if MM does this. Finally cost is a huge issue to take into consideration. My insurance pays 90% after my deductable for the year is met. You will want to go with a good priced pump. Don’t pay too much for something that is going to be replaced with something better in 1 years time. Just like buying a TV or a car. Don’t blow your money. Some may argue with me on this but thats my opinion. But what really costs you long run is the reservoirs and cannula’s etc… Find out how much it is going to cost you a month and then times that by 60 months. If its 2000 dollars more to go with MM over animas go with animas. Catch my drift? I hope this helps because I am still learning about all the pump options out there and want the best for everybody and myself. 23 Years old Salt Lake City, Utah diabetic 20 years.
Hi Todd (my maiden name), thanks so much for all the input. The time and thoughts are all appreciated. You and I agree on a lot of the issues i.e. cost of supplies, etc. If I qualify for a pump, the next thing will be talking to reps about supplies. As for shower, I’ve never seen an actual pump other than pictures online so don’t know exactly how they connect to the tbg but figure it’s some sort of tbg lock device. I wouldn’t think it was difficult to disconnect for a shower. I no longer work so time is not a factor to me but I suppose for a very busy person who’s in a big hurry, that might be a factor. One thing you didn’t mention that I had loved about the Cozmo was upgrades. When I tried for the pump in 2007, upgrades for Cozmo were free and you were able to load from internet. I believe the MM upgrades were $200plus but may be mistaken. I’ve slept since then so don’t remember. Anyway, I plan to address all the issues you mentioned when I choose. I hadn’t thought of the Omnipod as it was not available in 2007 where I live (TX) but may be available now. I do hope you are right in the fact that Medicare will begin to pay for CGMS soon. I really do not see why anyone who has to take insulin can’t have a pump and a CGMS. That’s just my opinion but the control is so much tighter I don’t see that most would argue. Thanks again,
Karla
I really like the Omni Pod. They will even send you a demo pod so you can see it’s size and apply it to your skin to see how if feels before committing to it.
Minimed-best research, best customer suppport, integrated continuous glucose monitoring. Just be sure your doctor and diabetes educator are very pump savvy. Many pump “trainers” aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. I have patients re-trained all the time because they’ve recieved virtually no training.
Karla, also, a longer fasting time may lower your c-peptide enough that you qualify. When I have to get my (Type 2) patients re-certified, we have them fast for 12 hours-still take your Lantus or Levimir, and check often. But it works! Hey, I’ve had patients come in taxis with blood sugars of 61 (that DIDN"T follow my advice!!) but we drew their C-peptide and fasting glucose QUICKLY, while I waited with the juice in hand!
Oh yea, and Minimed has a very good upgrade program, and payment plans-like I said, I WISH I got kick backs from them! Karla, where do you live in Texas?