Do companies let you trial their pumps?

I really wanted the Animas Ping for the longest time but then I started to look at the Medtronic pumps because of the CGM (it's the only Continuous glucose monitoring system available in Canada). What I want to know is if these companies let you trial the pumps before you make a commitment? I don't want to get myself stuck into a four year contract only to get fed up with the CGM after two weeks of wear (it's really the only reason I would be going with the Medtronic) I like all the other features much better on the Ping. Especially the waterproof feature because I'm a lifeguard and I don't know anyway around that with a Medtronic pump.

Medtronic wouldn’t let me trial the CGMS when I was looking into them. I had Medtronic for 5 years and then when my warranty was up I went with Animas for the waterproof feature and I have to say I love the Ping. Love the remote so I don’t have to take the pump out to bolus. I wear a tallygear belt underneath my swimsuit and you can’t even tell I have the pump on. They told me that the key to keeping the Ping waterproof is to change the battery cap every 6 months.

okay thank you!!! im pretty sure thats what im going with anyway. did you find the cgm worth it though?

I have used Medtronic and Dexcom both and Dexcom is more accurate than Medtronic for me. Also Animas is coming out with an all in one like Medtronic has partnered with Dexcom. It is called the Vibe. Not sure when FDA approval for the States will be yet.

thanks. I'm in canada though and it will probablytake a lot longer for the vibe to get here. :( I'm thinking of just getting a dexcom in the UK

I got to try out both pumps before I decided on my Ping. I tried them at my endo/CDE's office. They had both of them on hand. I wore one for a weekend and the other for 2-3 days. It was great being able to try each of them out. You might want to check at your doctor's office to see if they can help you.

awesome!!!! that would be really neat if they would let me do that. i really want to make sure that im not going to have any regrets after i make my decision.

Ask your doctor or CDE. I was able to get a two week for both Medtronic (Boo Hiss, really poor button sequences) and Animas Ping (great device). Do not be swayed by the number of button pushes. Animas takes a few more button pushes to do the same thing as Medtronic. However, I look at it as a mini-mental status test. Am I clear enough not to overdose on insulin? This is a big safety concern in light of the woman who died from an pump delivered insulin overdose.