Meeting with Rep today

OK, So I am meeting with a sales rep today from a pump company. Based on all of your experiences with pumps (ups and downs so to speak), what questions should I ask???

I would give them some points for meeting you on Sunday! I have MM which was run through doctor’s offices. To some degree, that was easier to work around work but Sunday is convenient? Which brand is it? I was sort of clueless about what to ask when I got my pump but didn’t really have a lot of choice either. Or I would have had to do work to leverage a choice and I try to keep my labor costs down? What concerns do you have?

I obviously just want the best pump for me. I am considering the MM Paradigm Rival or the Animas Ping. I would like CGM and like the idea of the Rival. I have heard some issues with the infusion set, but most people have had great results with customer service. The PIng seems OK and I have to assume that there is a ton of R and D money now that they are owned by J & J. Tell me about labor costs??? What are the hidden costs of using a pump?

In addition to looking at the fancy computer driven pumps look at the available insertion sets. If you are not happy with the set, you won’t be happy with the pump. I’m a total klutz and find the Animus inset 30 set very easy to use but tastes in sets are even more individual than tastes in pumps.

Maurie

Ask them for a free trial. It’s really hard to know if you will like a pump until you wear it 24/7 for a few days and do an infusion site change. They are all good pumps, but its finding which one is the right fit for you and your needs. Take your time and trial the ones you are interested in. You are making a 4 year commitment.

That is a very good point. I will be asking when I follow up with the rep. I am happy to do a test run with saline. Good idea!

The sets, etc. are not cheap however I end up using them for a bit longer than I am supposed to which may help a bit? I thought it was like getting a huge “raise” in that it seemed like I spent much less time fixing my BG than I did on MDI. I had sort of a wierd transition, in that I switched from R/N to a pump in 2008, but that was the biggest thing for me.

I talked to reps from 3 different companies. I asked a lot of questions that related to my life style – e.g., I was concerned about discretion of use because I often have long formal meetings that include meals; I had questions about swimming – because that is one of my favorite forms of exercise. Then I asked about costs – I made each run the pump and supplies past my insurance carrier and come back with my out of pocket costs for the pump itself and 3 months of supplies.

Are you also thinking of using a CGMS? Good time to think about it now.

I agree! A trial is the best way to go. They should accommodate you. Also, I don’t know of anyone else this has ever happened to but ME – but as I wrote on my profile page my Animas Ping is covered while the strips for the meter that accompanies it are NOT. So I use my fancy Ping with a Bayer Contour meter. My insurance (it’s labor union insurance) ONLY covers the Contour strips. It sucks.

Good luck!

Rossm, I am going through the research faize again (a pumper from 1986) and have had the same questions as you. First, I had/have the MiniMed Guardian system (522 pump and cgm). The pump itself is wonderful, I have had no problem with it since I got it 4 years ago. I did not care for their CGM though. In the 18 months that I had one I went through 4 different transmitters and I don’t know how many faulty sensors (LOTS). I liked the idea they were integrated but accuracy is of bigger importance to me than the integration part. As of today, I’ve chosen the DEXCOM system and will most likely go with MMed’s 523 or Reval pump as they have named it. My reasoning for sticking with MiniMed are because I read somewhere the Ping does not figure in your on-board insulin and that can create problems with over correcting. Too, a few people have said the battery in the PING only lasts a week where I get roughly 8 weeks out of one AAA battery in my Paradigm pump. Just a few things to think about. I hope you had success with your rep.

I did not ask where my training and support would come from (and should have!). My endo does not have a CDE at her office so I had to go somewhere else for training (I’m on the omnipod). I am fortunate that I was covered to see the CDE twice and that she is amazing (she emails me every week and hounds me to upload my data so she can look at it and give me feedback to tweak the settings). She doesn’t have to, she is just a nice person :slight_smile:

In hindsight, I should have asked more questions. If I got a bum CDE or chose a system that my endo was unfamiliar with, it could have been much more work and lots more headache!

btw, I LOVE my omnipod! I believe pumps are incredibly personal choices. Good luck with it!

Double check how the Ping calculates Insulin on Board. I believe the Ping is similar to the MM. The pump that calculates IOB differently is the Omnipod. The Omnipod shows corrections as IOB, but not food boluses or manual boluses. Also, we probably changed the battery in our Revel every 2-3 weeks, but we were also using the cgms with it so more alarms etc. I think you are wise to go with the Dex, it is a much better system, IMHO.

UPDATE to my earlier post. I spoke with my Animas rep this morning and he said the PING does calculate Insulin on Board through both easy bolus & bolus wizard (MM term). As far as battery life goes, he said they average 7-8 weeks on a lithium battery. People who do not are either using a less expensive battery, have higher b asal rates or do a lot of button-pushing. If non of those reasons apply then he said Animas should be contacted. I hope this clarifies a few things for everyone. It did for me.