Hello all! I’m a 17 year old Type 1 diabetic… and have been for… 11 years now! Wow, didn’t realize it had been that long! The first pump that I used after shots was the Disetronic H-tron, and now for the past 3 years I’ve been on the Deltec Cozmo. I moved back to Finland (my homeland) 2 months ago with my family, and found out that Deltec Cozmo supplies aren’t available here. Sooo… I’m getting a new pump! My younger brother, who is 13, is also a diabetic and we’ve decided on getting the same pump. It will be his first insulin pump. Our choice is the Minimed Paradigm 722… and I was just wondering if anyone had general comments or “reviews” of the pump that they would like to share! I’m really excited to try this pump, and I think that I will be very happy with it overall. I just wanted to see what kinds of views others had on this pump, whether or not you use it yourself. Thanks a lot for the help in advance!
I have been on that pump since April of this year. So far I love it, but it is also my first pump. The main complaint I have about it is the lack of different sizes of insulin tubing, I now just stick with the short tubing as the long one seems to get tangled and I lose my pump in bed (meaning i wake up tangled in it and have to trace back from infusion set and pull on tubing to find it) and the alarms aren’t loud enough. I use the CGMS and the alarms rarely wake me up or am able to hear it during the day, but the vibrations do wake me up.
I just got the Minimed 722 In August and love it so far. I find it really easy to use and have not had any issues so far. I use the long tubing and have not had any issues with it so far. I have had the infusion set come out but that was do to the humidity and heat. I now just use and adhesive wipe and that helps with adhesion. Overall i would defiantly recommend it to anyone.
Hi Emma, I have had my MM 722 since Feb of last year and love it I have been a type one since 1971 was dig for my 16 birthday and the MMpump is my first I am using the long tubing and have had no issues with it in bed. I have tryed the short tubing and did not like it as well was always pulling on the infushion site with it. The bolus wizard is easy to use.
It crashed a couple of mo.s ago and I was on the phone with MM at 9:45 in the evening and had a new pump at my door by 8:45 the next morning. Good luck with your new pump.
Thanks for all the help! I was really glad to know about the alarms because even though I’m a pretty light sleeper, in my opinion, the alarms on the Cozmo never woke me up or I could barely feel them… and it’s led to some unhappy situations.
Okay so the date has been set! I’m getting my new pump on October 24. I’m so excited… I can’t wait! I’m sure that after I get it I will be back on here to ask questions, so be ready! I find that now that it’s for SURE that I’m getting the paradigm… I keep finding things about my existing pump that I really won’t miss! Does anyone have comments about the infusion sets? They’re not the luer lock style, but the proprietary… so has anyone noticed pros or cons? I’ve only ever used the luer lock but I’m sure that the difference isn’t that big.
Hey Emma. I have been using the Minimed Paradigm 722 since August. I use the quick set infusion set and have not had any issues so far. I prefer the long tubing but i know some people do not. You can get various types of tubing lengths on the infusions sets minimed offers.
Hi Emma, I started on the 722 Aug. 2nd!!! LOVE IT!!! I use the quick set infusion set as well. No big problems, just once using the quickseter the infusions set wasn’t straight and stuck to the side which ended up in a mess along with a few swear words. I had to throw it away and start the process again. Lesson learned take your time and make sure everything is lined up. Best of luck!!! Oh, my pump has helped me get my A1C down to 6.2!!!
WOW! I don’t remember when my A1C’s been 6.2! Congrats!!! I’ve been in the 8ish-9 range, which my doctors have said is ‘OK’ for my age and everything. I would really like to be able to have strict control, and if I end up getting the CGMS it would help a lot! Tubing length options are good because depending on where my site is, the length to the pump would obviously vary. I’m hoping to get the hang of the pump quickly since my younger brother will be getting the same pump soon after me… and it would be better if I already know how to work it and everything so that I can kinda teach him through it.
Good luck and don’t be hard on yourself getting started. If I’m high, so what! Get it fixed and move on. I make a massive pile of ice cream with chocolate syrup (reg. not sugarfree), marshmallows and all. I measure it out with a scale so I know how much insulin to take and cover. That’s my guilty pleasure, don’t eliminate them. See how you can make them work and not send your BG into outer space!
Hey Emma I also had great luck since i went on minimed went from an 8.7 to 7.1. Which is not great but better than i have been doing last couple of months. Best of luck with the new pump.
Thanks Mike. I am just frustrated was sick in September and it think that did not help with the overall number but i did the best i could. There is always next time.
Yeah, diabetes has kinda been on the backburner for a while now since I’ve had so many changes in my life and stress levels that it’s been almost impossible to control sugars! I hope now that things have calmed down and I’ll start on the new pump that I can start a healthy regime that I can continue from now on. I know that my A1Cs haven’t been the best, but I feel like that’s been out of my control… so now when I actually have time for myself and my body I can start improving it!
Hi Emma, After crazy BG’s bouncing from 98 to 500 for the last 6 or 8 months my Dr. finally said OK to the pump. Last Saturday I went on the Paradigm 722. Within 24 hours my blood sugar was 130. I’ve had three readings just over 200 that came right down with a correction. My blood sugar since last Saturday is steadily between 88 and 140. With a little practice I’ll have my sugars consistently right around 100. I can’t wait for my next A1C. I should have gone on this pump a year ago. The 722 has made a believer out of me. Peace!
Wow Bobby! That was exactly the kind of answer I wanted to get! I’m really happy for you that you got your blood sugars under control, and am truly wishing that the same would happen to me. Congrats! We’ll see in a couple of weeks if this pump helps me “work miracles” with my crazy sugars! Thanks so much for the reply!
I have been diabetic for 22 years, since I was 11. I don’t have the 722, but I have had the 715 for 4 years now. Before that I had the 522 for 4 years. The 715 was a major upgrade from the 522 so maybe the 722 is a major upgrade from the 715. I hope so. The great thing is that I have much better control. My A1C went from an average of 8 or 9 to 6 or 7, but you have to want the control and be willing to do your part. A pump is just part of the control. You have to be willing to check and keep record so you can see patterns and adjust you insulin levels. Just because you have a pump doesn’t mean your BGs will magically get better. But, if you want it to happen and are willing to do your part then a pump is an awesome tool to help you. I have had 2 kids in the last 4 years and both pregnancies were amazing. No problems with BGs at all. Pumps are a matter of personal choice. I get a new one in November of this year and I have decided to try the Omnipod, simply because I hate the tubes. That, of course, is a personal choice. If you don’t mind the tubes then the MM pumps are awesome. MM is a good company to work with. They are very helpful when you need assistance. Try all the different tube lengths they have and see what works for you. Try all the different insertion sets to see what works for you. Pumping is all about what works for you because what works for me or someone else might drive you crazy. I’m gonna hush now, but if you have any questions once you get it, I would be glad to TRY to help. Good luck!!!
Thanks Holly! I know what you mean about personal preference… I will “play around” with the different tubing and infusion sets to hopefully find the one that works the best for me. I’ve even heard of lots of people using the arm for sites, which I’ve never heard of… so I might try it! I’m glad to hear that Minimed is very helpful because I haven’t been all that happy with the assistance from the Deltec Cozmo. Only 12 days now until I get to switch, and I am SO excited! I will need a LOT of control for the next couple months to really keep my bloodsugars in check. Since I live in Finland now, carb counting is next to impossible because only about half of the products have nutrition information, and the other half it is put for every 100g, not for one serving size! This is VERY annoying, and I have to measure out and weigh everything I eat, kinda just “estimating”, to find out how many carbs it has… something that I never had to do in the states because the nutrition info was right on the label! But I’m ready to put in a lot of work so that I can become healthier! Thanks for the help!
