After speaking with Manny about designing accessories for those on the pump, we thought it would be a great idea to start a group of ‘Think Tankers’ who would share their wants,needs and features they’d like to see in accessories for those who pump*
Great group - totally useful. There are a few things I would fix or like added to a pump (my apologies if some exist already - as I am relatively new to the pump). I would love to have the seal on the resevoirs fixed - I find that it is too easy for air to get into the resevoir - and it’s getting in somehow, because I always make sure to get all air bubbles out. I would also like to see a kind of coil holder or stopper - I’m not sure what they would be called, but something that would allow the tubing to be pulled, if needed, or retract - if needed. Also, I know that this is about the pump, but it would be great if someone would put a light on the end of the glucose monitors (where the strip sits) - it’s awfully hard to test yourself when it’s dark.
What a great idea. I only hope that the pump manufacturers come check this page out.
I would like to see more programability of alarms – the ability to have different alarms for highs, lows and low reservoirs.
Also, I would like Minimed to go back to the old reservoirs, where there was a label on the reservoir that showed the contents. The label was removable. Now that the lines are printed on the reservoir, it is sometimes too easy to miss a couple of small air bubbles around the plunger.
It would also be nice to be able to program the screens on the Minimed 522 – there is often information there that I do not need on the screen (pump serial number, date, auto-off alarm, software version), as long as it is accessible elsewhere on the pump, while there is information that I would like to have more accessible.
Also, it would be nice to be able to layer multiple square waves on top of each other – I use a 70/30 split for many boluses, between normal and square wave and, if I eat something that requires a bolus before the square wave has ended, either I need to cancel the remaining square wave and figure out the bolus for the new food or just take the bolus for the new food as a normal bolus. It would also be nice to be able to program in a standard split for Dual Wave boluses, so the pump can calculate my 70/30 split as my personal default.
Finally, I second every suggestion Tracy made. All would be really nice to have.
I would love more pumps to go “tubeless” When I started pumping I wanted to go the the omni pod route, but I take too much insulin to qualify-- Can’t tell you how many times I have ripped out a line because I got caught on something- or the pump dropped out of my pocket. Better technology to put all devices into 1- meter- pump CGM. Find a way to have the CMG and pump port in 1 unit. Get around the o-ring failure issue on the reservoir- I have had 2 fail in 3 weeks- when you (and/or insurance company) pays $3-4 per reservior the failure needs to be decreased.-- Ask an auto mechanic-- they keep o-ring life for 40-50K miles- why can’t I get one to live past 3 days!
What about working with drug companies to make insulin for pumpers only- maybe a more concentrated form so our reservoirs don’t have to be as big. This may lead to new designs all together.
Hey! I would love to see colored tubes for pumps such as 722 minimed. And if someone would design more cases and styles for722. Too and something speacial to our pumping days. Take care diabetic idol94
I just found something that Metronics offers that I love so far. When we get a night without the kids, we like to hang out “sans” clothing. I just bought a thigh holster for my pump and it is great, for that purpose, it also works really well under a skirt
Ok, sorry. As for accessories… I would like a pack to keep all of my pump supplies that is not soooo bulky. It’s hard to keep an extra infusion set, a resevoir, a bottle of insulin, a syringe, extra batteries, and alcohol swabs (as well as your glucose tabs in case of emergency) with you everywhere you go without carrying a huge purse. I would also like a case that can be slipped into other purses as well - similar to like a wallet. The color of the wallet could vary. Something cute, instead of clunky.
Additionally, I would like something that might fit onto a key chain that could hold glucose tablets. Again, something not too obvious.
Also I would like a poket for my pump, or a cover for it that would hold glucose tablets as well as perhaps extra batteries.
Hi All,
I just wanted to share with the ladies where I put my pump at bedtime. I’ve purchased some sport bras and clip my pump to the front of the bra and it rests comfortably in my cleavage. I’ve also suggested it to a few men too!
The garter is a good idea too, I have a lot of one piece dresses with jackets, that hanging it off my pantyhose just wouldn’t work.
I work on pit road at the local track and am bending, crawling, doing odd stuff and standing in the blazing heat all the time, I find no matter where I put the pump it’s always in the way. I also think that with it being so hot the insulin is not working properly.
Got any ideas?
Thanks!
I second the requests/desires for some kind of carrying case for supplies. The ideal one would be designed with places/pockets to keep infusion sets, reservoirs, an insulin bottle, wipes, insertion devices, a tube of glucose tablets. All of the things that are needed on a regular basis. The one I have from Medtronic right now is just big dumping ground for all that stuff, and sometimes, things get left out or don’t get refilled in time.
i sure would like to see a pump casing that has a place on it where you could hook on a keychain ring or a biner clip… you know like a camera case has that little keyhole to string on a wrist strap. cuz i’d like to b able to just hook it, without the bulky pump clip, to a lanyard around my neck when i run around naked trying to get dressed after showers! and i’d need to find a plastic lanyard or plastic thigh/arm strap so i could shower more easily with my pump on me.
nickle ( as in $0.05 US cents)keychain accessory to use as opener for minimed batter cap compartment. hey to that lady who asked for a glucose tab keychain… they actually do make those!.. i’ve seen it sold online at certain diabetic online pharmacies… though i got mine free at a diabetes conference from the accucheck pump booth with their logo imbrinted on it… it holds 4 glucose tabs. that thing is truly a lifesaver!
ohh boy yur gonna be sorry yu asked! hahaha
i want a pump back up supply/meter case that doesn’t have any velcro in it. velcro is annoying, makes noise and requires two hands to open. plus it gets defrayed overtime and then collects lint balls. i don’t want it to be made of overly soft material on the outside because then things tend to bulge unnshapingly when you’re trying to stuff things in there. so something like hard-backed leather/neoprene or durable washable designer plastics or even aluminum tin, i suppose, would be good. when i look at the thing, i want it to be as smoothe-lined as a brand new louis vutton wallet, with the shape of a perfect rectangle.
I want an Externaly usable meter case. i want the meter window display and buttons to be visible through a clear screen on the outside of the case and for the meter test strip hole to be accessible from the outside of the case, but have a tiny protective closure flap such as one with a small snap button to keep chunks of purse debris out of there. i want “two-way” zippers on the case(to open in either direction and open all the way just like a book), i want it to have two compartments. (like those top and bottom loading box style pen cases we used to have as kids that you flip over and the bottom opens just like the top does).i want a deep bottom in each of the two compartments(like as if in a book laying on a table and you open the cover and theres a stashing place inside). .so one compartment is the bg meter/strip/poker and insulin bottle side, and the other seperate zippered compartment side is for the pump backup supplies/prep wipes/infusionset/reservoir/extraglucoseTabRoll/logbook/spare lancets/emergency contact card/ and i want compartment A to be fully detachable from compartment B via zippers(like a sleeping bag opens up)…(so if i just want to take just the bg kit part with me, i can just take that instead of the whole thing) …AND i want the whole kit to be no bigger than can fit in a Man’s Cargo Pant Pocket! =D
I also want the space on the inside of the case to fit losely in any order i chose, a test strip vial, a second test strip vial( i keep my symlin bottle in), also a back up bottle of insulin also has to fit, and two syringes, and a spare infusion set and a spare reservoir, and i want the case to include a flat style mini wallet calculator-preferably one that runs on batteries and not just solar!(to calculate my insulin to carb/correction insulin dosages should my pump fail), and a booklight-positionable wire-arm-type mini led retractable flashlight (with changable battery)…(for those oblivious meter manufacturers that cant seem to get the backlight design right on the meters!)-its all great that i can see the screen, but i cant see my finger where i’m trying to squeeze the blood drop out when its dark!- and i want it to have a removable- small- FLAT- tough-plastic coin pouch-type thing with “onezip” style zipper to use as a reusable test strip/ disposal, (cuz all those other disposal"boxes" created for some other meter kit bags are just tooo bulky!)
and i don’t want any pouches inside the kit that i can’t see through or that are quirkily placed.,dont want accordion style compartments, dont want flaps that swing out like those wallet picture-fans. also, i hate the elastic straps inside the kit bags, especially the one that goes right across the pump screen so it makes you have to pull the meter out to see it, and the one that holds the test strip vial that you have to fight with to get the vial back in! man i am so full of complaints today! lol. i bet theres probably more that i’ll think of later but isn’t this enough for you to run with for now? =oD
its important to have the two-way zippers, not only for ease of my access, but because that way i can put a mini luggage lock on the kit to keep naughty young ones hands out of there if needed. i had a friends kid get into my purse twice after being told no… it was one piece of bad news between a hand and her bottom. but for safety’s sake those medical supplies need to be better guardable against wandering hands.
oh… and also, a simple (non zippered) (thin leather wraped around a heavyduty card stock type) privacy flap cover with snap button on the outside of the part of the case where the bg meter screen shows through the window would be good to serve also as protection for the meter screen from getting banged up.
also, adding a plastic ID slot on the outside of the case either on the top or on the bottom or on the inside of the privacy flap as a place to put a "This belongs to/If Found please:…"Id card/ or engravable name plate would totally spruce up the whole gadget with personalizability. make them in all seventeen colors of the rainbow(darks and pastels) and you’ve got an open market.
i seriously wish someone wuld invent a universal pump clip thats not bulky, fits all pumps, but MOST importantly, SWIVELS 365* degrees all around you could even just rig a i-Pod sock type think to a full swivel clip, and sew a clear plastic window into the sock to accommodate viewing and button pushing on the pump without having to remove it from the sock.
how bout a hair clip that’s tough enough to hold your pump and hide it in your hair… good for a wedding or evening party or sitting in the hottub.
i also would like to see a meter belt clip/with see thru leatherish pump case that is not bulky but can fit a Ultra smart meter right behind the pump, and a onetouch mini poker and a vial of test stripts on the side and 4 glucose tabs…and thats it. just the basics. nothing i dont need when i’m just going for a walk or run in the neighborhood. call it “Pumpers-RunningMate Case”!
ok now heres a suggestion/demand from those lurking pump company tech developers…
i can’t wait for all pumps …especially the minimed…to have a separate low bg calculator that can tell you how many carbs you need to eat to bring your bg back up to target… cuz i tried to do it with reverse psychology based on my negative units of correction shown and that flopped because your sensitivity to bring your bg down is different that your sensitivity to bring bg up… also on the other spectrum, for when you’re really high, …the need to be able to program user settings and have a seperate correction factor… (based of a different than normal set, different programable sensitivity factor) specific to be for when you have HIGH bg above a certain threshold… cuz if you just take the pump’s reccomended amount of insulin when your bg’s like 380, its not gonna fully work!.. cuz it always take more insulin than normal to bring your bg down if your really high! so we need the pumps to be smart about that too and not leave us hanging to mentally guessworking the math on our own every time.
DITTO to EVERYTHING that MidnightButterflyIris said. Those are absolutely great ideas! Everyone has made suggestions for items that I would like as well.
How about making prefilled insulin cartridges that you could just place into the pump without having to go through the trouble of filling the reservior and then struggling to get all those %^$#%#$% tiny bubbles out. Like the Insulin pen - just put the cartridge in the pump and then add the tubing.
I also have trouble seeing the bubbles in the tubing. It would be great if there was a way to make it easier to see if you have pushed all the bubles out or not.
I would love to have pre-filled cartridges but from what I understand they can’t because Insulin breaks down the plastic after a short period of time… I think the last I read was after 4-5 days it starts to break down. That’s why all the vials are still glass. I would really like a leather type case with no velcro, so that it will fit in with business attire better… perhaps something like the black leather cases that come with a blackberry pda with a magnetic clip(no shhrippp noise! lol) and some great suggestion are here so far! I would also like to see a travel bag with all the proper sized spots for minimed supplies and a section that would hold a cold gel pack for transporting insulin. I recently paid $100 for a travel bag from medtronic that is supposed to carry my laptop as well and it is smaller than the leather breifcase I use already… another waste of money!
After reading the present posts, it sounds like some of you are describing a case I purchased from Amazon.com. It is called the PumpPak anf holds extra pump supplies. Plenty of room for everythig…even an extra meter, test strips, insulin vials, etc. and ir fits into my mesenger bag quite well, It is about half the size of a notebook/binder and hs double zippers. I hope this helps someone!!