I have a mini med Revel insulin pump which has the soft-set CGM sensors. It is 4 years old and I can upgrade to the 530G with enlite. I want to know if it is worth the $850 I will have to pay to upgrade. It seems to me that the only difference is the smaller CGM sensor and the "Threshold" automatic shut off.
I don't know if those improved functions are worth the cost. I currently don't use the soft-set CGM because I found it painful to insert, bulky requiring tape to stay on, often inaccurate, and would wake me up frequently with lost sensor errors. Is the new sensor that much better? Is the transmitter strength improved or will I still get "lost sensor" errors while I sleep.
Any reviews I can get comparing the two systems will help me make my decision.
Is your pump still under warranty ? I thought the upgrade is only available for in-warranty pumps, and was 'out of pocket', not covered by insurance. A true 'upgrade' (in warranty) 530G pump would only be under warranty to the same date as the old pump.
If your pump is out of warranty, and you have insurance, have you checked if you would be covered for a new pump ? Or is 850 your insurance co-pay for basically getting a new 530 pump, (with insurance) and possibly a credit if you turn in your old pump ? If that is the caes, you start a new 4 year warranty.
Anyway, there are many discussions on the 530G and the new sensor in the Minimed Group, so here is a link. Link Minimed group
Some still report lost sensors, but improved accuracy, less painful to insert, and 6-day sensor usage plus more with 'restart'.
I used MM Revel with sof-sensors in the past, but currently use MM Revel with Dexcom. I agree that the only thing new about the 530G is the low glucose suspend, and it is FDA approved to work with the new enlites.
However, the enlites also work with the Revel, but not FDA approved, so Minimed will not tell you that. The same transmitter can be used with the enlites and Revel pump, so you can still get some of the benefits, without actually switching to 530G.
$850 is my co-pay/responsibility after $500 trade in refund and insurance has approved coverage for the rest of the cost. The warranty on my current pump has expired but is in good working order.
I didn’t know that the the newer lite sensor could be used with my pump. From all the discussions I have read about this new pump it doesn’t seem to be all that different/improved from my current one and if I can simply get the new sensors I may just try that.
Any advice on how to get the new sensor if it’s not FDA approved for my pump?
