HI.I wanted to know if anyone is disappointed in the One Touch Ping?I have a few reasons why it doesn't measure up to my old 2020.First I thought the meter would allow you to change and view basal rates.Second,the meter is kind of clunky and is terrible viewing in the sunshine as I work outdoors and it makes it hard to see when I test.Third,you are tied down to one meter.The One Touch strips uses 1.0 mmol and it is hard to get enough blood for a sample as my fingers are callused.Fourth,the database is only in the meter.I like the pump it's the meter that needs improvement.
I like the Ping, but I have nothing else to compare it to. I was diagnosed in 1974, at age 3. I've been on multiple daily injections for 38 years before finally switching to the pump in July. I tried the Omnipod as a demo, but I found it very clunky and kept bashing it on tables and countertops. I went with the Ping instead and I love it.
Same here, the Ping is my first and so far only pump and I love it. I'm not saying it's perfect, it has its quirks, but I think basically the two major pumps are both great but have different qualities. I think our pumps are so personal to us and so vital to our lives that we get very attached to them. I think it's always going to be hard to switch.
I'm happy with my Ping. I got my first Ping in 2008; I started on my second one just this week. Before that I used Medtronic pumps for many years.
I think the Medtronic and Animas pumps are equivalent in style, form, durability, and great customer service. I gave up on the Ping remote meter in the first year. The scroll speed had me spinning my wheels to dial up a dose. I use the pump directly and use a different brand meter.
Having a Ping under warranty when the Vibe model gets approved for US distribution gives you a $99 upgrade path. But that wouldn't be too attractive if you don't like the pump.
I have a hard time drawing blood from my callused fingertips, too. I need to change the lance tip once in a while!
Maybe I should have bought a 2020. Is that model still in production?
I had a 2020 that was replaced by a Ping. I still use the Ping as a 2020, i.e. forget about the remote meter. I like my 17 strip canister Accu-Chek where I don't have to deal with the strips. I grab my pump and put in the data I need and/or push the buttons I need. I can upload my pump and meter data with "dia-send" so my team sees what I see and do. I have a meter in my office, at home and in my car to keep my CGM honest, my pump is on my belt and I can check my BG pre- and post-meals as I always have my CGM and don't have to fool with strips.
The Ping is still the same meter as the 2020 and I assume the "new" Vibe will still have the same pumping characteristics as the "old" 2020.
Can't beat the 2020 it is a great waterproof pump.
I have been using Animas pumps and associated equipment for over 10 years and I personally HATE the OneTouch Ping tester! I really like the Ping pump, and I use the Dexcom G4 as well. But the Ping BG tester is terrible with its “2 button” input and its tiny fonts on a BW screen. I have sent inquiries to Johnson and Johnson about upgrading to the Verio IQ tester, but they refuse to comment on any development.
I do not know if you have tried the eZMngr program to monitor and control your data and food database. Animas used to have a program that worked with a Palm Pilot. It as simply wonderful. Of course, you had to lug a Palm Pilot around, but I controlled my BG and pump very well with it. Then J&J bought Animas and they tried to cram the entire eZMngr program into the Ping BG tester. What a major blunder! I miss using that old program.
I hope that J&J might invest a bit of effort into upgrading the Ping BG tester into the Verio IQ tester, but I seriously doubt that. I am currently using the Vario IQ tester but must hand calculate any corrective doses and set my pump up for the dose. The Ping BG tester used a RF link to upload the dose thus that was easier, but I am having trouble reading the Ping BG tester at night thus I’ve given up.
Perhaps if we tudiabetes folks complain enough, we might collectively get J&J to do something. However, I am not holding my breath. Ha!
All the best, Jack
No.the 2020 is discontinued and the Ping basically takes its place.I too,found the scrolling and taking a bolus takes more time from the meter than the pump.I test with my Freestyle Lite and bolus from the pump.I need to take the One Touch meter with me when I eat foods that are in the database.It is a little inconvenient.
If you get in the habit of using the Meter-remote you might find it a lot less convenient as you will have your blood sugar right there and any corrections you need will be recommended by the pump. They are designed to be used together.Sure it's frustrating and inconvenient when you're not using the pump the way it's meant to be used!
Oops...I meant "you might find it a lot less inconvenient
I agree! Give me my old 2020 back! I was very disappointed to find the food database no longer stored in the pump, that is my #1 advantage to using the Animas pump. I do not use One Touch for the same reason as you, I cant get enough blood to test as often as I need to. It is a PITA to carry around that extra huge meter. I still prefer the Animas over the metronic, but I feel like a huge advantage and help in my control was removed.
OK so maybe some marketing specialist at J&J reads these comments and can learn from it. Get a Vibe going or let the patient decide how and what to use for their BG monitoring, the 2020 and a good meter was a nice set-up and the Ping didn't improve on that.
Bottom line for J&J is improve the offering by getting a Vibe on the US market and forget about the remote controlling of a pump by a glucose meter you can't read unless you have full sunshine or a 150W bulb. (isn't the remote controlling for people that want to be discreet????)
Yes,some women keep their pumps in their bra.I find it very uncomfortable there.One of the main reasons I wanted the ping was so I could skip that extra step of putting my glucose in.But I find that step less trouble than the meter itself.It only takes a few seconds to put your blood sugar reading in the pump manually.I find there is too much scrolling in the menu and the whole process of taking a bolus and testing takes alot longer than testing on another meter and bolussing from the pump.
I have no complaints with my Ping. I admit, I have nothing with which to compare, because the Ping is my first pump. I did give the Medtronic Revel a fair shake when I bought my pump, but found that the features and fail safes of the Ping far outweighed the Medtronic. Fast forward to now, with two or three more pumps on the market and I am still satisfied that the Ping is the best pump for me.
Each pump has its unique features. We have to weigh which features we like when we order a pump. We are attached to it for the next four or five years.
We're all different, E-J. I love my meter remote and would have a hard time doing without it, though obviously I could adjust to something new if I had a motive. And no,I could care less about being "discreet" though I do like my pump in my bra as it doesn't ruin the line of my clothing. I don't actually put it "in my bra" as my bra is too well fitted. I clip it to the center. Works for me. YMMV. I also have used no other pump but I am very happy with my Ping.
Dee and Zoe you're right with sometimes wearing it isn't easy accessible all I'm saying the meter can't be read in say like a dimly lit area. Watching Sonia Sotomayor last night on 60 Minutes testing "under" the table at a dinner function can not be done with a Ping meter as you couldn't reach the result and therefore not put in a bolus.
You could use the Audio Bolus function of the 2020/Ping pump pretty discreetly no matter where it is after you get a reading from a meter you can see.
Do you use the backlight on your meter? I find I can see it pretty well when I use that...oh, yes, and my reading glasses of course!
The meter I was using before I got my Ping required quite a bit more blood than the Ping's meter, so I was delighted with it. I've been pumping less than a year and a half and have only used the Ping, so I don't have anything else to compare it to. One of the bigest deciding factors for me was that I swim, I'm often out in any kind of weather, and otherwise have occasions that I'm getting wet and I didn't want to have to worry about keeping my pump dry.
The Ping tester sucks. It's huge, and slow. The remote control capabilities don't add up to enough for me to make it worth carrying around. I've been using my (very old) One Touch ultra for several years instead of the Ping. Just got a free iBGStar from my endo, which has enough promise that I may switch.