Sounds like everyone likes their pumps and it really is going to have to be a personal decision for my son. I definitely like the idea of having wearing the omnipod before making a decision. Sounds like they all at a little something different to offer. I think I’ll also look into when some of the newer pumps are coming out. Would hate to commit to something now if there is something great on the horizon. Were not in a huge hurry, so we’ll take this process slowly and research our option. thanks for all the input!
A lot of insurers still have issues with paying for Pods vs standard CSII pumps… Esp if your on Medicare/Medicaid. Its almost impossible to get approval for a pod… Also it is sort of bulky and people do have adhesive issues… Some also find its a little more uncomfortable than a standard set, with its automated insertion…
A good set can be as friendly as a pod… almost… Tubing sometimes can be a hit or miss thing. but i tend to go longer than short… Due to the trouser drop issue when using the lavatory… its nice not having to pull your pump out and hold it as your doing your thing…Also long tubing, the pump can go under a pillow esp if you toss and turn… Pods can be a little uncomfortable to sleep on, but so isnt sleeping on the pump unit itself…
Good point about sleeping with the POD. We have BCBS, and hope they will cover what we want, but we’ll need to look into it.
I recently switched to the Ping and I like it there are some peculiarities that i wish were not there, but any pump is going to have pros and cons. The government is the last person that I would want choosing my pump. Free market choices are what makes things get better over time. I have used MM, Diesetronic, Cozmo and now Animas. If I had to chose again, I would stay with the Animas. 20 year pumper - 32 years on insulin
If you want CGM use the Dexcom - it is handsdown the best technology. I wore the MM CGM with their pump for a week and it was inaccurate, uncomfortable and difficult to read. Alarms were difficult to reset. Wearing the Dexcom is easy by comparison. Looks like another 9 to 15 months for the animas integrated dexcom CGM upgrade, which they claim will be a modest price upgrade. In looking at the MM CGM, check out the blogs about the pain and bleeding on senspr insertion.
the infusion sets today are nearly painless. The CGM is a lifechanger, yes it needs to be calibrated with fingersticks, but between fingersticks, you can see trends and make adjustments to greatly improve control.
I dont want an egg bulging out of my tummy - My tummy is already too large. The teather quickly becomes natural and easy to deal with (been doing for 20 years - took a cou[ple weeks to get used to is all)
Also check your insurance - some plans will pay for traditional pumps but not omnipods which are a lot more expensive. So dont get your sons hopes up unless you know it is affordable.
I am going with the Animas Ping. I was impressed when I inquired about more information that they sent it asap and contacted me to be sure I received it. The rep I have been dealing with the last few months has been so helpful in giving me tips on how to get my dr to say yes to pumping, etc. Plus I like that there is a food directory in it and I can add my own favorite foods which I have a list of with their serving size and their carb amount. I also like that I can sit with my friends at dinner and check my sugar levels and use the remote to give myself insulin. I have inquired info with MM and it took forever to get the info in my mailbox plus no one followed up with me if I had further questions! Also I can use many different types of infusion sets that fits the unit so more options for me to have if I didn’t like one particular infusion sets.
Also I chose the Dexcom CGM as their reps were also prompt in answering my questions and sending out the info. Plus I have heard that Animas and Dexcom will be merging once the FDA gets the more info they need so I’ll be able to get the upgrade when the time comes.
Animas all the way, its the best pump on the market by far. I’ve used an MM in the past and it sucked so bad it chased me right back to MDI. The Animas pump on the other hand worked like a dream from the very start and I have not had one single issue with it so far.
Animas pros:
Its waterproof
Best safety record
Color screen
Dexcom integration in the near future
Cons:
only 200unit reservoir compared to MM’s 300unit, but for me personally I could care less, filling a new one is a piece of cake. To me this is not an issue at all.
For those reasons I chose the Animas. I have a very serious desire for high quality in everything, I dont go cheap.
Do some research on Google, and on here, thats what I did.
You owe it to you’re Son for getting the very best, I promise you he will never regret the Animas pump. Provided he actually wants a pump, only get him a pump if he really really wants one.
Good luck
Do you have some links on the on the saftey record business? I’m just curious?
I google ‘insulin pump safety’ and get general studies that show ‘insulin pumps are safe’ [with the brand being chosen by patient, or if there’s secret data about which pumps suck, it’s not in the study] or insulin pump brand safety comparison and get charts about what features the pump has.
If one pump proved that the other brand ‘sucked’, one would think that the non-suck brand would include that in their advertising? I’ve seen these assertions repeatedly but seem to get nice results out of the ‘sucky’ brand? I am always intrigued by improving results so, if I could shave another 5-10% off my results (A1C, not BG!) with the purportedly better brand, perhaps I should see what might be involved in switching it around? Thanks!
I kept surfing and found this link: http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_technology/insulinpumps_minimed.php#axzz1BulJAMiO that explained some interesting bits about overbolusing calculations but I haven’t seen much results indicative of problems. I guess I get some steep declines when I stack a lot of insulin for festive situations, munchies or whatever but that’s sort of what I want in that situation, pull back on the stick and level off? That report also seems like it’sa few years old?
I would absolutely select Minimed once again. It has been a great company to deal with as a consumer. I do have some concerns about the sensor. I am looking forward to the introduction of another sensor unit. We are in the time when sensor technology will leapfrog forward and selecting a pump today based on sensor technology today seems a bit premature.
I enjoy the software, the durability of the pump and again the service component of the mini med.
I hope you make a great choice for you, and I truly believe the best thing for our community is having two or more terrific pump manufacturers. Having two or more with skin in the game will produce better pumps in the future.
rick phillips
When I’m referring to safety record, I’m generally talking about how the MM horror stories are no longer uncommon.
http://americanlegaljournal.com/defective-medical-devices/medtronic…
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/more-interesting-facts-on
Thats some pretty scary ■■■■ if you ask me, thats a risk I refuse to take personally. I cannot afford that, especially if I’m driving, that would turn me into a mad man behind the wheel like in GTA4, especially considering I’m a throttle happy person at times.
Although the odds of it happening is extremely slim, such as like 1/100,000 or something like that, still it only takes once to potentially end up dead. I’ve searched very hard to find Animas malfunctions causing the same things, I couldn’t find a single case of it.
We are talking about devices that have the potential to kill us, whether its human error or the pump malfunction. I waited nearly a full 10 years before I decided for my self that it was time to jump off of MDI and onto a pump, I did my researching and googling for months, and thats what brought me to my conclusion. MM was the best at one time way back, but back when they had very little competition, they lifted on their quality control, and blew it as a result. Now you can find numbers of people jumping ship to other pumps.
Interesting stuff! I agree that’s scary but also 2 years ago? I don’t think that there’s a lot of states with statutes of limitations of much less than a couple of year 2 years or less, although I think that to involve the US Government, you might only have a year to file? For cases involving kids, it can be quite a bit longer. I’d be intrigued to see how a case like that would play out. I deal with MVA related injury claims at work but more with defending them or settling them so I am familiar with the process but not with that sort of case. Re the risk, I’d say the odds are quite a bit better than 1/100,000 in that there’s only a couple hundred thousand pumpers in the US?
I recall when the recall happened but didn’t use the sets in question and wasn’t that concerned about ‘the pump’ having problems as much as ‘a set’ not working. I would be concerned for anyone using one however I am not 100% sure that sort of litigation is going to result in a fair determination of the pump’s efficacy? I mostly look at my own resuls which have exceeded my expectations. I am still not 100% sure that that makes the Ping “better”? As a regulated gizmo, I suspect that they are likely very similar and that the main differences are, in fact, the stuff in the charts on the ‘chart’ website, colored display, data presentations, remotes, etc. rather than safety?
what pump do u have
Animas has a c ompetitive upgrade offer idf its not animas
Thanks for all the info. Looks like the solo is still over a year out. not sure we want to wait that long. i know my endo doesn’t support the spirit, so that is out.
I have a 13 year old who has used the Omnipod for 1 1/2 years. We have a high deductible so we pay 100%. For her there wasn’t any decision. She didn’t want the tubes and likes to be able to swim or shower without having to worry about it. She also likes the ability to bolus from what looks like a cell phone.
Hi there – I just turned in my pump application this morning! (Dx mid December, and they’re putting me on a pump & CGM now because I’m hoping to get pregnant.)
I chose the minimed paradigm revel because of the integrated CGM – though note that you don’t HAVE to get the CGM if you don’t want it. If I hadn’t been getting a CGM as well, I think I’d have gone for the Ping. That remote is cool. The minimed has a remote too (for an extra $), but as far as I can tell it only lets you do simple boluses – no dual wave, no calculation help.
At first I thought I wanted the Omnipod, but the pods are bigger than I thought – plus I’d have to get the separate CGM.
the reason why the integration hasn’t happened is because the FDA wants more info. The FDA is becoming stricter on what they will let out on the market so the companies have to give more info before it can be out on the market.
Okay folks lets be realistic here!!
If money didn’t matter I would purchase a new pancreas from some person in the asian pacific and have a new life and do things the right way. forget a pump…