Ok so I should have my pump tomorrow. I am getting the minimed 723. What should I know,or ask? What infusion set are you using and why? Any input will help.
Hello Neighbor!? I live in Ames :)
Congrats on having the pump. Regarding your questions, for me I had a session with a diabetic educator who helped me in choosing what is best for me. Do you have an appointment or something for starting the pump?
Infusion set, I use Quick-Set 9mm, the reason is that it have the quick inserter which makes installing it a breeze!
If you by chance in Ames, lets hang out!
I guess I should add I don’t get to start using it till the end of march. My counselor has recomended the quick set and I also got the cgm as it was free because of insurance. I have been mid for 11 years and can not wait to start the pump. Any Info or advice is welcome.
Hi! I personally have the Animas One Touch Ping. I started mine on Valentines Day. So I am fairly new to the pump. One of my biggest struggle is that I have gotten my tubes stuck and all of the sudden it has pulled my inset out. Before they put you in the pump, I was told that everyone has to go and speak to a pump educator. They will give you a lot of information. I hope this helped, at least just a little bit. You always have a friend here! :)
Erik, Congrats on joining the pumpers. It is certainly the way to go. Hopefully you will receive some decent training and are used to monitoring your numbers so that you and your endo can determine all of the correct basal rates and bolus ratio.
I have been pumping since 97 and I’ve always used an infusion set similar to the silhouette. I like it because the needle goes in at an angle and then gets pulled out leaving only a small flexible cath. I usually put my infusion into my thigh. It stays hidden when shirtless and doesn’t get in the way during everyday activities.
Good luck.
i use the mio infusion set. every thing is in one device. also i was on animas for years and they have same device. see if you can get a sample
Hi Erik! I am a brand new pumper myself. I finished one of the books today and I will finish the second tomorrow, then watch the CD-ROM. I also meet with the Diabetes Educator tomorrow, and my Medtronic Trainer on March 1st. I have the minimed 723 too. Today, my frustration comes from trying to go to the online courses and the Medtronic website is DOWN!!!!!! UGH!!!! It has been down for at least two days. You call and some rep tries to make it sound like it's nothing. You can not do anything on that site without logging in!
@ Blessed life i am also having issues logging on to their site it teels me I have an account and I dont.
@ daniel billings I have the quick set. H ave you used these? and if so which do you like better?
@ Ahmad I have also met with an educator as well as a medtronic rep who will monitor me once I start using the pump at the end of march. I am waiting as I will be on vacation and dont want to have any issues whils I am so fer from home.
Thannk you all for your input and please keep it coming.
I am a new pumper. I'll be going to a warmer climate on vacation in a few weeks and I'm wondering if I should be worried about very hot temperatures with the pump. I know Frio makes a cooling bag for pumps but do I need that?
New resolve can often lead to unexpected break-throughs. Good luck with your new tech and refreshed outlook!
Trish, how did you happen to get the Paradigm Revel instead of the (more current in the US) Minimed 530G (aka Paradigm Veo outside the US)? I’m just curious as that’s the same pump I use.
While I have no direct experience with the 530G, I did not see anything “on paper” that made it look more attractive then the Revel. Yes, the 530G comes with “threshold suspend”, but my feeling is that Medtronic did a poor job of implementing that relatively minor tweak.
I was once told during a conversation with a Medtronic rep that they still sell the Revel, but I was never clear on how it was sold and who was buying it. 
But if the choice is between the Revel & the 530G then my personal opinion is that the Revel is potentially a better choice.
Great for you Trish !
I’m in the process of ordering another Minimed pump, but will be getting the Revel 523. Basically the same as 723 but slightly smaller and using the smaller reservoir. I currently have MM 523, so will be an equal replacement for my out of warranty pump. I use Dexcom CGMS, and NO plans to use Enlite CGMS, and the MM Rep told me the Revel was the only option available for pump only.
John - I believe the new 530G is only sold as a complete system, including the CGMS (trans+sensors). I think MM continues to sell Revel 523/723 or it would lose business ! Also costs less to get the Revel as pump only, and may be the only option Medicare would cover from MM.
I have a Veo pump (MMT-754) and bought a Revel (MMT-723) on Craigslist as a backup. They are basically identical except for the threshold suspend and sensor life . Both pumps also can operate in mg/dl or mmol/L so can be used internationally. The 530g (MMT-551/751) however has been dumbed down to only operate in mg/dl. I think the Revel is a great pump as I use Dexcom.
My Endo is who ordered the Revel 723 and it was through a government contract which is probably one of the reason besides the fact that having a high Basal rate and needing more ug’s for carbs the smaller 1.8ML (MMT-326A) reservoir would be depleted to quickly.
With no intention at all of advocating for anything at all, I will point out, just to clarify, that one can, if they so desire, use the Medtronic’s Enlite CGM with the Revel pump. This is what I currently do.
There is a bit of bureaucratic foolishness needed to accomplish this. Medtronic, at least in the US, insists on having a prescription for Enlites on file for the patient before they will replace “bad sensors”. Using Enlites with the older Revel pump is considered off-label. Apparently this stems from the Enlite clinical trials in the US only pairing them with the 530G. Thus, from the FDA’s perspective, Enlites have never been demonstrated to be “effective” when used with a Revel. 
Yes, the Revel will call “Sensor END” after 3 days. But that just means one needs to do another Start New Sensor. meh.
For some reason my first Medtronic pump, a 507 I got back in 1996, came with the 300ml reservoir. Every replacement pump I have gotten since then has also used the 300ml reservoir. All that means in my case is that I go about six days and two site changes between reservoir changes. 
MM1 I am a pump only, no CGMS at this time, maybe the reason they opted for me to have the 723 vs the 530
First day on the pump was plagued with 6 NO Delivery Alarms on the MM723 while trying to use the Bolus wizard to calculate my carb ratio. Needless to say it was a pain trying to remember every little bolus as the alarm would cancel out the minuscule bolus that I received prior from the status screen. ( Note to self always have something to write on so I can add each bolus up) Needless to say it was a pain and although my second bolus of the day went better it to had 2 NO DELIVERY alarms.
My solution was to change out the cannula and infusion set but still used the same reservoir. So now I will need to keep the same infusion set and cath or face ending up short before my Script can be refilled. Another issue was that my reservoir was empty in 36 hours but my script is for it to last 72 hours…
Have you considered adding a CGM? Gives you 288 “finger sticks” a day – may be of more help than pump but both together are ideal.
Sounds like you need to get with your med staff and get your prescriptions straightened out. The only reason to not have a buffer of infusion sets on hand is the situation you are currently in. You just started a pump and are not completely sure that the infusion set they started you out on is the one you want to be using.
Two things to keep in mind about the Medtronic HelpLine.
First, if you have a bad site, call the HelpLine and report it. They should send you 2 sets as a replacement. They prefer that you save the “bad set” so it can be returned to them. (No, I don’t know what they do with it). But if you were having multiple occlusion alarms and changing the set fixed it, I doubt you’ll get any pushback about the set being “bad”.
If you are worried about your current stock of sets not lasting, then you definitely would want to call it in and get the replacements, no?
Second, you can also ask the HelpLine … if you are remotely interested … if Medtronic still does some sort of infusion set sampler pack. It’s one way to explore using other types of infusion sets to see if you prefer them over what was just prescribed for you (before you may have known better).
Sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation before you hit on the infusion set you feel comfortable using.
I currently have a 2 box surplus of sets. But I’ve been “at this” for a while and am pretty comfortable with my choice of the set I use. (I think … 
)
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