I was diagnosed with T1 about 3 months ago and I'm looking into getting an insulin pump. I'm trying to decide between the Medtronic and the Animas Ping. I have an uncle and two cousins with T1 and they absolutely love the Medtronic pump. I really like the Animas remote option, though. Medtronic and Animas users, what do you like about your pump? What do you not like so much?
What does remote option mean?
If that means that your meter will remotely send results to your pump, They both do that.
I had an Animas pump and Now I have a Minimed.
There really is not that much different with them. The reason I chose the MM was because I wanted CGM and the MM was the only one that could accomodate that in the pump. I know that Animas says they will have one soon too, but not yet.
I found the Animas screen easier to read. The MM is easier to change sets.
I had the tubing come off my Animas, but not on my MM. The have different connectors.
The Mm boluses very slowly, It can take 45 sec to bolus. The Animas does it very fast. It depends if you prefer one over the other. Ive had insulin leak out of my set on Animas because it did not have time to soak in. On the other hand I liked how it felt better when bolusing because I could tell when it was delivering properly.
I suggest that you ask both companies for a trial run, They both will do it. Then you can compare.
A trial run sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion! You can bolus from the Animas Ping remote--that was the option I was referring to.
I did consider the Animas Ping because of the remote option, but there are some limitations with it I think. And I never really have an issue just discretely whipping out my pump and bolusing (when I do that, no one ever seems to notice).
I have the Revel and love it; it is definitely the pump I would recommend. Been exceptionally happy with the pump itself and the customer service through Medtronic/Minimed. Here are some of the pros and cons that I have found with the Minimed Revel pump:
Pros
- Small dosing increments (as little as 0.025 units)
- Large variety of infusion sets
- Exceptionally durable
- Carelink software - AWESOME!
- Integrated CGM
- Very good customer service
- Comes in two sizes - 1.8 ml reservoir and 3 ml reservoir; you can choose whichever best meets your needs.
- Loaner pumps are available when you travel internationally
- reliability; Medtronic/Minimed has been making pumps for a LONG time. That experience is very important
Cons
- Proprietary reservoirs so you can't use other types of luer lock infusion sets
- Small screen, sometimes difficult to read
- Not completely waterproof like the Ping (although, to be honest, I would not submerge ANY pump in water because of the concern that water could get in and muck up the works of this life-sustaining device)
- No ability right now to add information to Carelink via iPhone.
- The "marker" feature (where you can add marks for exercise, extra insulin, etc) is not very robust. I want to be able to add more detail.
I'm about to hit my 4 year mark with MM522. I am now going to CGM as well. I would love to jump in the pool without disconnecting my pump, and have heard great things about the Dexcom,but they still do not know when FDA approval for their integrated system will go through. I really want a CGM that interacts with my pump, so I went with Medtronic again. I have been happy with both my first pump and their customer service. To be fair, the remote did not matter to me. If it did, I may have gone with Animas, but probably not, because I really want the integrated system.
Should note that Minimed does sell a separate remote that you can use with the pump. But honestly I've never found pulling it out and bolusing really to be an issue. The pumps are so small now that no one will notice. And nowadays, with everyone looking down at their phones all the time, it's even less obvious what you're doing!
I love my Ping. I love my Dexcom. A lot of the plusses MBP outlined are true of Animas too: vacation loaners, small dose increments, awesome customer service, fantastic diasend software, variety of infusion sets (some non-proprietary), and durable. Mine has been dropped on the floor with no ill effects, and I've done the drop & dangle a number of times without the site pulling out.
I do like the remote meter a lot, especially when my pump is tucked away somewhere because I'm wearing a dress/skirt. I think doing a hands-on trial with both is a great idea!
My son uses and loves his Ping, but I don’t think you can go wrong with either one. We chose the Ping over the MM because:
- we found the screen easier to read
- waterproof (he doesn’t swim with it, but he has sea-kayaked, canoed, spent all day out in driving rain storms while hiking & accidentally jumped in the pool with it with no ill effects)
- our local Animas rep was really positive while the local MM rep spent most of his time negative selling against Animas rather than telling us about his product
- it seems like there is an extra step or two to do a bolus; some think of this as a negative, but I like the fact that my son has to slow down & confirm what he’s doing rather than rush through it at top speed. He can bolus in a matter of a few seconds, so once you are used to the steps, bolusing is very quick.
As for the remote - my son never uses it himself for bolusing, though he does use it as his home meter. My husband and I will use it if we test him during the night and need to deliver a correction or check how much insulin he has in his system. Once in a great while, I’ll do his bolus from the remote at dinner or when we go out for dinner just to let the boy eat like a “regular” kid & not have to think about it sometimes! If it were me using the pump, I can definitely see times I would choose to use the remote to bolus rather than pulling the pump out.
Either way you go, I’m sure you’ll be happy with your pump. Good luck!
I recently compared the Ping and MM, as it was time to replace my out of warranty MM. I called the Animas rep and had a loaner Ping for 1 day, although was not hooked up. But I could play with the screens and meter remote, and glad I had a 'hands on' trial. Each time I bolused for 'real' on my MM, I did the same on the trial Ping.
Bottom line, I decided to stick with MM, primarily because I was used to the MM menus, and the Ping menus seemed quite awkward. The meter remote just wasn't important enough to me. My TDD is only 20u/day, so the slightly smaller size MM (523) was also a benefit compared to Ping.
I'm also happy with my separate Dexcom CGMS, so the Ping/Dex integration was not a 'seller' for me. I did learn from the rep that the Ping/Dex combo, when available, would NOT be available with the meter remote. So that might be a tough choice for those who really like the meter remote.
There is a remote for the MM, but it is yet another device (not combined with the meter), and can only do a basic bolus or suspend. The MM remote is about the size of a small key chain, so I keep it in my meter case, and use it primarily for corrections or snacks. For meals, I usually do a dual or square wave, so need to use the pump. The MM remote is a separate purchase, not included with the pump, compared to the Ping where it is included.
So you can bolus from a remote with the MM? I didn't know that.
look around, I found this remote at other med supply sites for $89.
They are all the same. I have one but I never use it. I got one with my pump included in the price.
Everything is negotiable. If you tell the MM peeps that you will take it if they include a remote... My guess is you will get one. Esp if you tell them it is the reason you are considering a ping.
I'm glad your son allows you to control his pump remotely. I WOULD NEVER LET MY MOTHER DO THAT esp if I was 15 and all that goes with it !
Thanks, Timothy, that's good to know. The remote is a big selling point for me, so I'll be sure to let Medtronic know.