Medtronic 530g my first hand account

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
21

Well, that's very reassuring to hear about.
I just wish I was experiencing the same :(

I've gone from what was likely 12 day averages on the sofsensors to a 5 day functional average from the Enlite. Meaning day 5 is that crap out day where things are beginning to fall and can no longer be trusted.

That said, I'm now on day 9 with this current one. Grr. Longest living one so far.

And, yes I recharge. All of my transmitters have always lasted roughly 7 days from full charge. I'm getting sensor errors and change sensor bad alerts.
Massaging the site has briefly brought the isig up enough to recalibrate or even connect from fresh at times, but at that point is at the stage where it's just going to keep going down, and does until I can no longer calibrate and the discrepancy is over 80 from finger tests.

*scratches head*

Just not very happy with the reliability and consistency.

I have to reorder within a day or two. I'm really on the fence here. One that's leaning mostly towards the sofsensor :D

I don't miss the insertion of them much, but what's a little blood loss between friends...

22

I was recently told that a "full charge" was 12 hours. Jiminy Cricket! My sensor coach said 20 minutes. Now I charge it for 3 hours and have had no problems--lost sesnsor, bad readings, etc.

23

I had some hit and misses but I now know those were due to operator error. I am new to a sensor so I was having calibrating errors. I now have those out of the way and I just pulled my sensor today that was very accurate and I had it in for almost 11 days.

24

I have noticed that the longest ones are the ones where the wire is perfectly straight and not kinked. The one I pulled today was going on 12 days and the wire was straight as an arrow.

25

wow I just charge the sensor until the light stops blinking. I should definitely try the longer charge time.

26

Thanks!

27

Arm. Interesting. I know that you can put your pump site in various body areas, but the sensor seems a bit heavy and the tape doesn't always keep it flat on my skin. Does it not get snagged?

28

I used to get a lot of lost sensor stuff. MM told me it was because cop cars drive up and down my street and interfere with the "radio waves." Also, if you call on a cell phone (who doesn't these days?" the cell is the problem.

Since I have charged longer (2-3 hours) I have had no problems.

I have never tested the timelimits of my sensors. I go 7 days with no recharge and change out. Works well and easy for me.

29

I,too, was told by my trainer (and Medtronic folk) that I only had to charge for 20 minutes! What goes here? I have started night time insertions, but do not start the pump connections that night. I set the appropriate pump connections when I awaken, and the pump requests a BS check immediately. I seem to get the most accurate readings this way. I also find, like other folks, that my readings are most accurate when I do calibrations with BS readings between 70-150. I have not been able to get more than 6 days out of a 530G and find that it starts giving me weak signals starting on day 5. So far my insurance is paying for the CSG's so I will stick with the 6 day limit.

30

I'm a little confused about the charger questions.

I mean, it's charged when the LED's stop blinking. This in my experience has been between 15-25 minutes.
All other time it's inserted is just a maintenance charge to keep the battery in good stead until used.

The flashing variations themselves mean various things and can be looked up in your manual.

31

This is so disheartening to read. My co-worker has had a Medtronic pump for years and just got the 530G and Enlite sensors to help him with night time hypos. The suspend feature appealed to him because often times he wakes in the morning with a horrible migraine from missed nocturnal hypos.
I have a dexcom and would never switch but I had really hoped this would work well for him. Maybe he will have better luck although luck should never play a part in medical device accuracy and effectiveness. If this system is as inaccurate and faulty as I have seen reported here by more than a few people, I am surprised the FDA even allowed it to be released. Doesn't it need to work for the majority not just a fortunate few ?

32

Well, it isn't technically dangerous for a false low to shut off the pump.
You're more in danger of your glucose going temporarily higher if say on day 5, as I found 3 times out of five with my box of sensors, the isig starts to fail and you get reported false lows causing the pump suspend to trigger.

In short, I don't use the suspend feature. 60 is too high for a suspend even if it were accurate. Inaccurate - I'm going to have the pump potentially shut off while I'm in the mid to high 100's and continue to escalate while the isig continues to fall, backing up this false corrective measure, so no thanks.

The problems being seen, are seemingly more pronounced for people like me who like to squeeze every life drop out of their supplies. For people who actually change sets every single cycle of 6 days, it seems they're going to see fewer failures and irritations.
My major annoyance was the difference between life from my sofsensors to the Enlite. For my usage it's more expensive as, minimum, I'm going to get 9 days out of a sofsensor, and max, around 24 days (once a 28 day run of usable readings).
In contrast to my view, it also makes those sensors that only lasted to day 5 before giving weird readings seem even more offensive to me.

I see the FDA approval of the suspend feature as being a legal milestone victory towards an automated false pancreas more than a good feature as of itself yet.
What with the delay in actual glucose levels compared to those displayed, and the quirky nature of the signals, the technology just isn't good enough yet to make use of it.

As part of my agreement to upgrade, I'm still being used to give very brief updates on my experience with the pump. These have included a series of 2 questions, the last of which was 'had I experienced any signal loss from the transmitter to the pump?', and 'had the pump failed in any way while delivering?'.
Both my answers to these is of course no. Technically I haven't had those two problems. I have however experienced others you aren't asking me about, but no doubt this will be enough to cover them for their FDA in use inspection as to how the devices are functioning.

Corporate fun and the twisting of words. Bleh.
If I were them I'd be much more worried that a company will produce a pump with an integrated CGM that actually works consistently well.
If I were them I would take another look at that first sofsensor design and try to meld the two and find some middle ground, design-wise. The difference between the two in how they are inserted is night and day - the sofsensor being potentially painful and bloody - the enlite being a masterpiece of comfort and ease. Perhaps the smaller testing surface on the Enlite is also the reason behind it lasting for so much less, also explaining why it bleeds less on insertion.
Finally, the cost difference is a little hard to swallow.
It's essentially the same technology that's been reworked with a nicer inserter style. I don't see how that justifies doubling the cost of them.

33

It is dangerous for a false low to turn off the pump especially with someone who is pregnant and needs super tight blood sugar control to have a successful, healthy pregnancy. While the resulting hyperglycemia won't kill us, it could do some damage to a developing fetus.
I have had the Ipro experience and that harpoon insertion device and it wasn't "potentially painful" it was awfully painful. If that was the only thing available I would never have a CGM. With the Dexcom my sensors routinely last at least 2 weeks but usually longer than that and seem to get more accurate with time. This adds to the cost efficiency.

34

Right,
I believe pregnancy and youth were their two factors in disallowing the upgrade.

As to new prescriptions, I don't know if they intend for this to be a completely different market or what.

35

I don't understand that, if your CGM is not good for pregnant PWD or CWD who exactly are you marketing to ? You're effectively excluding a large part of the D market.
While I applaud Medtronic for managing to obtain FDA approval for what they advertise as "the world's first breakthrough in AP technology". I am really happy the Beacon Hill trials of the AP and studies done with children at Camp Clara Barton and Camp Joslin used an AP which did not include any of the Medtronic components. http://diatribe.org/issues/57/learning-curve

36

The kinda odd part is when I mentioned being iffy about the CGM they told me I don't have to but they recommend it with pregnancy (if I ever do get pregnant, I wouldn't rule it out within the 4 years I have this pump but I don't know) ... but is it not FDA approved for that? Yet they badger me about how I prefer the one touch ultra link for my meter? WTF Medtronic? lol

37

I agree completely, Clare, and Sensorium.
It isn't that is wouldn't be useful or even better, but you have to view the legal implications in a technology so new.
I use the term technology loosely. It's simply a software tweak that hasn't been implemented before.

Ironicly as you may have noticed, Being diabetic at all is usually the medical industries main legal opt out when it comes to drugs in any form. Diabetes and pregnancy. 'You should consult your doctor if you are pregnant, diabetic or have a family history of heart related issues'.
The Diabetic market in of itself is a legal mine field, and so the CGM itself isn't BAD in any sense for a pregnant woman. I can't think of any aspects to it that wouldn't be anything other than useful and lead to a healthier pregnancy.
Hell, considering gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, I can even see this as a reason to use one even for a NON diabetic pregnant woman in some situations.

It's simply more legally risky. You compound that with the low cutoff and the risks that may add to the pile, and you have something that their insurance and legal team wouldn't touch with a 20 mile long stick. Hence this very tentative FDA approval and the questionnaires Medtronic are requiring that we all undertake.

Yet another heap of nonsense that we simply have to live with and wait it out for it to mature.

38

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time, but you're not alone. I've used the 530G since December. I've had the same experience, except that my replacement sensors arrived in a couple of days. I had almost daily "lost sensor" &/or "weak signal" messages, on probably 90% of my sensors. Readings were inaccurate. I had one occasion where my sensor read "80", with no arrows, for hours, even though I was eating to get my bg up. When I finally checked my bg, it was way over 300. When I hit "save and calibrate", I got a "calibration error". Sensor life was mostly 5 days or less. Back in October I asked my doctor "so, what problems do people have with Medtronic?". His answer was "There ARE no problems with Medtronic." (There must actually be TWO "Medtronic" companies...) The pump is ok, although I prefer my old Animas Ping.

I ran out of sensors about 3 weeks ago and didn't bother to order more. Today I asked my doctor to write a rx for a new Dexcom (whole system, or at least a new transmitter).

39

Wow! 2-3 weeks. That's awsome.

40

have you ever considered a dog?