I’m up for a new insulin pump, as my old MiniMed warranty has expired. I am considering getting a Cozmo instead this time around. I am an insulin resistant type 1, so my boluses can be pretty big, outside of the 25-unit max that MiniMed has on their pumps. I know Cozmos have boluses of up to 75 units if needed (not that I’d need that much at any point in time), and have much more fine-tunable insulin to carb ratios.
So what I want to know is: do you have a Cozmo? What do you like/don’t you like about it?
I’ve had a pump since 2000, but I’ve only had Minimed pumps. Right now I’ve got a 712. I’m excited but maybe a bit nervous about switching to another company’s products, so I’ll take all the advice I can get! Thanks!
I have the Cozmo and I love it!!! I’ve never had another pump so I won’t argue that it is better than the rest-- but here’s my 2 cents.
Features that I love:
(1) The TOUCH bolus. This is really convenient for someone on the go-- I can give a bolus in class without every taking my eyes off the professor
(2) The meal maker-- it’s useful for when you are eating meals that you don’t normally eat and you can customize it to include restaurants etc.
(3) Insulin on board- I REALLY use this feature since I stack insulin a lot
(4) Customer service- I have had ONLY good experience. Whenever I needed anything for my pump (with the old pump my touch bolus button used to fall off from over use they sent out a new one and it arrived with 24 hours, no questions asked-- on the 1800 the button is MUCH more secure and there is nothing to fall off). My feeling is that they have a “kindness” test before hiring and they only let nice people deal with diabetics. A nice change from insurance companies!
(5) Customizable week schedule- I haven’t used this much yet cause it’s a new feature, but I am beginning to play with my basals and since I only exercise 3 days a week (always the same three days) I can have
(6) Different insulin to carb ratios- You can have multiple ratios (for example, breakfast, lunch, dinner) so that if you are more insulin resistant at a certain time of the day-- it will use differnt rates!
Things that I would change:
(1) the Cozmonitor- while I do like and use the cozmonitor, i would rather have a separate meter that communicates with the pump than one attached to it. The main reason is that it restricts the ways that you can hide the pump since it must always be accessible for BG testing. It also makes the pump thicker, which I solved by using a holder that hangs from my beltloop rather than having it sticking out from my side (http://stores.ebay.com/Gettn-Creative).
(2) I hear that Smiths is not going to have CGMS compatible with the pump in the near future. But I don’t know what the real sitation is.
Cool! Thanks for the help. It’s great to hear about the pump from someone who actually has one.
You don’t have to use the Cozmonitor, correct? If I’d input a BG that I did on my other meter, would it still be able to calculate my correction, or would I have to do the calculation by hand? On my MiniMed you just go into the Bolus Wizard and input your BG level, and it spits a suggested dose back at you.
I’m all for any added convenience that a new pump could bring me.
Yes, you can enter your BG and give a correction without using the cozmonitor (you can also just enter it so that you have all the data in one place, even if you don’t correct). I did it for the first year, then decided that the cozmonitor is more convenient. I know that some people choose to use the Cozmonitor but NOT attach it to the pump. This means that they just hold it up to the back of the pump while they test. I found this to be more of a pain since I had to store the cozmonitor somewhere, but we all have different prefences/ priorities.
My 9 year old son was on the Cozmo for 3 years until we switched to OmniPod. Obviously the only reason for the switch was the tubeless function. We loved the Cozmo and I now have something to compare it to. It is so easy to set basal patterns and change them. It’s more complicated on the OmniPod. The menus are easy to navigate and it takes into consideration insulin onboard for corrections and meal boluses. OmniPod doesn’t consider meal boluses.
We are in the process of checking out other options because the OmniPod isn’t working for us. We’re looking at going back to Cozmo after I investigate some of the other pumps.
I am also in the process of switching pumps. I have had a pump since 1999. I first had a diesetronic and then the Minimed. I had the paradigm 522. I decieded I am not going to get another minimed as I am not happy with their company. The pump is okay but I don’t like the sensors for the continuous glucose monitor as it hurts too much and doesn’t stick. I enjoyed my diesetronic pump a lot better than the minimed but they don’t have a great product out right now.
I am looking at the Animas and the Cozmo. I met with both reps. Right now I am leaning towards the Cozmo because of the features is offers. I also met with the Omnipod rep but I didn’t like it. The pod that sticks on the body is way too big.
Have you met with the Cozmo rep in your area? If not I defiantely recommend giving them a call and setting up a meeting. Also it has a 30 day money guarentee policy so if you don’t like it you can send it back.
I have been on the Cozmo now for 3 and a half years. I love it! As someone else mentioned, I too, have only had this pump so do not have much to compare it to. My dad has a Minimed and we often compare features. One thing that I really like about the Cozmo is the “insulin on board” feature. This comes in handy a lot when you are judging how to correct a high, or make up for a low. My Cozmo is a little older so I don’t have the meal maker on it as Kristin was discussing in her post. I would agree though with many of her other comments about their customer service and so forth. I really love this pump!
Also, I recently attended the ADA’s Diabetes Expo and spoke with the Cozmo rep there. They are partnering with another company (I can’t recall who it is - Glaxo maybe?) to offer a continuous glucose monitor. It will not be like the Minimed though in that the CGM is within the pump and you can get your glucose readings from there; it is a seperate piece of equipment that is not attached to you.
I use Animas IR1200 and I love how small it is. It has Insulin on Board, very long battery life, very good screen. However, my warranty is also expiring and I am looking for a new pump because of those reasons:
It only carries 200 unit of insulin. I take about 60 units per day so 200 units should be enough for 3 days. I cahnge my infusion set every 4 days not every 3 days. Not to mention, 300 unit cartridge costs the same as the 200 unit cartridge.
You can adjust the speed for bolus delivery to either Normal or Slow. Normal delivers 1 unit every 1 second, which is extremely fast for my liking. Slow delivers 1 unit every 4 seconds, which is ok but I prefer an even slower delivery because it is more comfortable for my skin.
Why omnipod isn’t working for you? Is is just because of the harder navigation?
While watching this video for the Minimed 512, I noticed that the pump seems to divide 1 unit of bolus into several segments. For example, .1 unit --> .1 unit --> .etc.
On my Animas, if I am bolusing for 1 unit, it gives it in full (e.g. it does not break it down). Only if I am taking more than 1 unit, it divides them. For example, if I am bolusing for 3 units, it delivers 1 unit --> 1 unit --> 1 unit.
Do you have any similar experience with Omnipod and Cozmo?
Yes, that is it! Thanks for providing that info. Have you seen much info about it? Sounds like it will work well, but I am not sure about carrying and keeping track of another device!
I know this is late but I wanted to say that I will be switching to a cozmo in January,2009. I am on an Animas IR1000 right now and hate it. Also wanted to say that I am insulin resistant T1 as well…and need my full 300 unit cartridge. I am using between 98-150u a day depending on my bs’s.
In one instance we had a bad batch of pods and everything that could go wrong went wrong. We’d put on a new pod and 30 minutes later it was alarming. Alot of times there wasn’t even an alarm. We would test and he’d be in the 400’s. Most of the time in the middle of the night.
It took me going through 6 pods before I wised up and opened a new box. Customer Service has always been responsive and they’ve replaced the pods. But I am still having alot of alarms and he’s very active so sometimes they get pulled off.
We really love the concept and will miss the pod. My dr. said they are having issues with the younger children but the teens seem to be handling it better. So we’ll wait until the product and my son are more mature.
Compared to the Cozmo, the OmniPod doesn’t have all the great features. I’m sure that will change as the product grows but we miss a lot of what the Cozmo can do. As an example, the Cozmo takes into consideration meal and correction boluses when determining amounts for the next bolus. OmniPod does not consider meal boluses. Downloading information is only 3 days worth of data. Not sure why that limitation. The data it downloads is amazing though. Everything you did, bolus, basals, corrections, alarms, everything in a spreadsheet.
So, needless to say we are patiently awaiting our new Cozmo to arrive today and cannot wait.
I’m fairly new to the site and just found this discussion. I started on a CozMo in January '08, and it’s my only pump experience. It has a few quirky downsides, but I’m 80-90% happy with the way it works.
It has really nice features that allow you to adjust the rate of insulin delivery. I’ve set my to deliver a bolus over 2 minutes. So if I’m delivering one unit it takes 2 minutes, or if I’m delivery 10 units it takes 2 minutes. It’s a really nice feature.
When I was trying to decide on a pump, I was going back and forth between the Cozmo and the MiniMed. I ultimately chose the Cozmo because it seemed to be more “rugged” for outdoor use, and because it seemed to have a lot more flexibility in meal planning/dosing/etc. The meal maker function is really nice too!
I had a Minimed Paradigm for the last 6 years. First a 511, then the 512.
I switched over to the Cozmo 1800 about 3 months ago. These two pumps are worlds apart. I know, I know…the PC response is to tell you to do what is best for you. I will say this, what is best for me and for all the people I know who have switched over, is to use the Cozmo.
There are so many features that make the Cozmo a “smart” insulin pump. Especially since you have had a Minimed for a while, there is no doubt you would be able to think through all these new options you would have available to you. Especially if you have a good CDE nearby, one that knows that pump. If not, the local Cozmo rep can point you toward CDE’s in your area who know the Cozmo pump and associated software (Cozmanager and CoPilot).
Your pump setup, training and CDE makes a HUGE difference in using this pump. A lot more of a difference than with the Minimed pumps you have had. At the very least, meet with the local Cozmo rep and give the pump a trial run. Call their 800 number and they will direct you to whoever that is.
