Made the switch to the Ping. Today is my second day on it and I have to admit so far I am loving it. I love the fact I don't have to disconnect to shower and I can bolus from my meter. I hate the fact they expect me to buy for battery caps. I am hoping that my insurance will pick up the cost of them. Will know in a few days if they will or not.
Pumping with the green Ping named Frogger
Im thinking of making the switch (i've been on medtronic for 13yrs)...what did it for you?
Also, what is this battery cap thing you mention?
If you don't disconnect to shower what do you do with the pump while showering?
The battery caps cost about $12 from the Animas store. So that's not too bad once a year. It is all to do with ensuring the pump stays waterproof.
I have a soap dish that hangs from the shower and I set it in that when I shower. Animas recommends you change the battery cap every 6 months if you aren't in the water, every 3-4 months if you are in the water a lot with the pump. In the summer time I pretty much live in our pool. Liberty Medical is billing my insurance for the battery cap so they might cover it. Medtronic would send the battery caps for nothing. I switched because Medtronic claimed I owed them over $8000 when I had two insurances so I shouldn't have owed them anything and they kept telling me they would look into it and call me back and no one would look into it or call me back, so when my warranty was up I decided to make the switch for that reason and also because last summer when I had to disconnect to get in the pool my A1C went up due to having to reconnect all the time so I decided I wanted to go with a waterproof pump. I have a 3 year old so she loves to be in the pool and it is just a hassle to get in and out to reconnect and bolus for missed basal and then get back in. Will have to see how it goes this summer.
I've been using the Ping for 3 years and I have never changed the battery cap.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it....or replace it.
The reason they suggest changing it is because overtime dirt can build up in it even if you can't see it and affect how it makes contact with the battery. I have seen it happen with my medtronic one which will then affect the performance of the pump. The other reason they suggest having a spare on hand is if you accidentally lose the cap when you are changing the battery then you won't have to wait for them to overnight you a new cap. The suggestion for the pool is because they want to make sure no water has gotten inside of the battery compartment. I may not change it as often as they say, but I am still going to have a spare on hand.
Yes, definitely have a spare cap on hand.
I have a 2020 and hadn't heard about changing the cap untill earlier today when I discovered I had a large crack in the side of my pump which the suspect is due to not changing the battery cap. Has something to do with dirt build up, air circulation. I can say after this I will be changing my battery cap every 6 months.
I know, the battery caps are expensive. However, they are a vital part in keeping your Ping watertight. That is the main reason for replacing the battery cap on a regular schedule. I've never tried to pass the cost along to insurance just like I don't bother trying to collect on the lithium batteries. I'll be curious to here your results.
I recently went to the Gulf Coast, spent time on the beach... Fine white sand. Ever since when I change the battery in my Ping the cap sort of grinds like there's sand in the threads. I tried to clean it carefully - used a Q-tip with alcohol, etc. Still works fine near as I can tell, but makes me a little nervous. I don't go in water with it so for me it's not an issue that way. Yeay for Frogger, BTW. I love Ping too. Mine's pink =).
My insurance covers the battery for the pump and my meter, also covers skin adhesive and iv hand 3000.
I have been in the Animas pump for three years now
Trekker, even if it is not broke, change it just to be safe .... I treat my pump like one of my kids ... give it care ... it there to help us! and we need to be good to our pump so we reduce the risks of having problems in the future
Do it - don't even think about it ...