I started using the Ping at the end of June. I went with Animas because I liked the fact that it was waterproof and it seems from the stuff I read, Animas customer service was better than Minimed.
In January, I started having problems & Animas replaced the pump. Last weekend, a couple days over the two month mark on the 2nd Ping, that one broke. I called Animas about 4 AM Sunday morning & the replacement pump showed up about 4 PM on Tuesday.
When the pump broke in Jan, a friend of mine told me that it is typical that they replace broken pumps with refurbished ones – I was not aware of that but Animas does have the warranty on their website & it states that. They gave me a new pump in Jan but a refurbished one this week. I called as soon as the package came and ended up having a supervisor call me back. She promised me that someone from management would call me back on Wed and she would follow-up on Friday – no one from Animas has bothered to call me.
I keep hearing “everyone knows they replace pumps with refurbished ones.” This was my first pump and I did not know that. I am not happy that my insurance paid over $6k for a pump and it gets replaced with something used.
I am not going to use their used one. I am going to check with Minimed on Monday and see if they have any trade in deals and if not, the broken one will be going back to my insurance company since they paid for it.
Either way you would pay a similar amount of money to get the CGMS system whether it is a seperate device (Dexcom) or integrated (Medtronic). Yes the current Animas/Dexcom partnership means you will have to carry a seperate device for the Dexcom CGMS readings. With the Medtronic system the readings get sent to the pump. Thought I would mention OmniPod also has a partnership with Dexcom. The Animas and OmniPod pumps should have a system that the CGMS data will be sent to the pump in the next year or so (all depending on the FDA). Usually these companies have an upgrade program where you can get the lastest models for a reasonable price.
Besides accuracy one thing I would look into with a younger child would be the size of the insertion needle with CGMS. At this point the Medtronic insertion device looks and sometimes feels like a harpoon (this is just my experience). Does it stop me from using the Medtronic CGMS- NO. But my level of anxiety inserting the Dexcom CGMS is substantially less. My understanding is with next generation of Medtronic CGMS the insertion needle will be quite a bit smaller and more comfortable.
I never considered the needle. We have given away o few boxes of needles (and that gets expensive) because he didn’t like the size of them. I guess I just assumed that the needle would be a tiny painless thing.
I used a Medtronic Paradigm 722 from August 20, 2008 through October 15, 2010. It seemed to work well, with some small problems. Towards the end of my time with that pump it would sometimes have problems with priming when I was putting a new cartridge of insulin in. I don’t know if that was an issue with the pump itself, or the cartridge.
In October of 2010 I switched to the Animas Ping, because I wanted something with a nice remote to bolus with. I was shocked by the difference in my control just by going to the Ping. Without changing insulin rates/dosages/ratios my A1c went from a 7 to a 5.9. I wasn’t testing more frequently, wasn’t doing ANYTHING different…just all of a sudden things started going even more smoothly. I have NO explanation for this, and don’t want you to think I’m trying to sell you on this pump - I just want you to know that in MY experience, there is a difference (even if it’s something I don’t understand) and I love my Ping. I enjoy being able to bolus with my meter, I enjoy the color screen on my pump, I REALLY enjoy having a food database right there in my meter, I enjoy not having so many issues downloading data (I am running Windows 7…it was hard for me to download anything from my Paradigm, but with my Ping it’s simple).
Neither I would say is ALWAYS going to be painelss (and each looks a whole lot bigger than what actually goes under the skin) but as far as size Dexcom is smaller.
Just because it’s used doesn’t mean it’s lower quality. They replace all buttons, the outer casing, the battery cap, the cartridge cap, the screen, and then it has to go through all the same quality controls and tests that any new pump has to before it’s certified for use.
Many many people have used refurbished Animas pumps (available through the Animas ACCESS program - their trade-in program) and have never had any issues with them. They are also under warranty in case anything does happen to them.
I’ve had my refurbished Animas Ping since October and I’ve had no issues with it. In fact, I’d say it’s higher quality than the Medtronic I got new.
I was curious how Minimed handles trade-ins. I looked at their Pathway program and they also use refurbished pumps for trade-ins and upgrades. The only way, it seems, to get a new pump, is to pay full price for one. Otherwise, you’re getting a refurbished one.
I have a ping, the waterproofing is the top feature that had me sold on it. To me personally, anything that isn’t waterproof is nothing more than a ball and chain attached to me, defeating the purpose of having a pump, at least to me. Back when I was 17 I ran an MM 508 for a few weeks, resulted in complete failure, partly due to not being waterproof and a number of other reasons, including non existent control vs MDI, Mom lit up a huge war between us over it when I went back to MDI because she was the one pressuring the use for the pump, so as stubborn kid I took the pump back to Kaiser and handed it over to them, effectively slamming the door on the possibility of ever using it again, I was the patient so I had to make it clear who was boss. Lol that lead to some seriously soured relations between us at the time.
So ask your kid this, does he/she plan on going out into the water a lot? If so, that alone should help you two make up you’re minds on which pump.
I began my ping back in January, this pump however was a total success from day one, my results are the complete opposite from the MM 8 years prior, I will never go back to anything else, I do not miss MDI.
So simple piece of advice, make sure you listen closely to his/her opinions as well
Although I have it tucked away and you can't see it, the pump played a significant role in both of these events! I'm the guy in the red shirt in the top pic...being run into the ground by the junior high kid in front of me...
The pump can be a huge help during sports, the problem with MDI and lantus is that you dont have tight basal control like with a pump. Back on the MDI days during a hike I would find my self slowly munching on food to sustain my levels because I would go deep into the negative, and that was a huge crippling and dangerous problem that has nearly killed me a number of times. But the pump allows me to throttle back on the basal rate and that eliminates the lows problem all together if done right. It can also cut down calorie intake if that is a factor too.
So if you’re kid is active, the pump will make a difference, provided its not hard contact sports like football or something, that could get tricky as far as protecting it goes. Thankfully most of my sports is speeding my way around a racetrack, I even drop my basals for that to make sure I dont go low and crash, insurance wouldn’t cover a closed course accident haha.
I’m very active here when the weather permits it, and I have tons of pool days up ahead this summer, I look forward to taking my pump into the pool, nice not to have to worry about it.
Thanks, I really like the idea that if we are at West Palm Beach or St. Simons Island he has the option of getting into the water without disconnecting. What are the chances of it coming off and getting lost in the ocean though? Is it pretty secure?
You know, that is one worry of mine, it getting lost in the sea. What I might do is get it a case with a real hook to it, and quite literally chain it to my self, so the tube is not the only thing holding it if the pump becomes unclipped somehow.
I would also add that I tried swimming for a while (MrsAcidRock broke her toe and it was the only exercise she could do…) and it killed my BG, I’d have like a granola bar (20G of carbs) to sort of load up, some faster acting stuff before I’d start and swim laps for a while and get out of the pool pumplessly and be like ‘woaaah’ b/c my BG was really out of it, running low despite extra carbs.
As long as you are active in the water, taking it off is not a huge deal. Another workaround for that type of situation can be very small boluses, I just do .2U before I shower in the AM and it 1) covers the shower and 2) seems to get a head start on beating up any stray “Dawn Phenomenon” that is floating around.
I would recommend the OmniPod. I love the versatility for wearing it just about anywhere and the fact that I can leave it on while swimming, showering, bathing, changing clothes, etc. Highly recommend it.
