my Endo says I can finally get an insulin pump (c-peptide= .4)
I have Medicare part A & B as well as supplemental F (Mutual of Omaha)
I want the Animas Ping.
- I have no idea which infusion set to get(angled or straight)? (help) short or long one?
- What will Medicare pay for? insulin pump, infusion sets, insulin, test supplies
- which costs should I expect?
- how will i carry my stuff around? insulin pump, remote ping, dexcom Receiver? Do they make somekind of carry package, or something?
- About how long does it take, until I can start pumping. weeks/months?
Thank you in advance for any help
ej
I am pretty sure that between both your costs will be $0… I could be wrong though. Animas will be able to tell you once they do a benefits investigation… don’t be afraid to put your order in, they’ll contact you to go over everything before anything happens, you won’t just have a pump show up on your doorstep 
As far as infusion sets, that’s kind of a tough one… it’s a really personal choice. You may be able to ask your endo to show you samples. Most people seem to start with 90 degree sets, then change to angled ones or metal if they have problems.
I carry my dex receiver in one pocket and I clip my pump to the other… I keep my meter in the case just as I always have… if you’re used to carrying around a meter now, the ping meter is no different.
How long it takes depends on a lot of things… how quickly your pump order goes through insurance, when you can schedule training, etc.
I think Sarah is right. Your insurance should cover all our cost. When Animas calls you to confirm your approval and verify your insurance they will ask you which infusion sets you would like. They send 5 boxes so you can get a mix. I got 4 boxes of inset 90s and 1 of the inset 30s. I’m a meaty person so the 90s seem comfy enough for me and I had an allergy to the 30s so didn’t get to give them their fair shake. But as Sarah said your endo will probably have a few different ones they can show you before you have to make the decision.
Once approve Animas sends you the pump very quickly. You usually have it with in a few days. Then it’s just waiting on your endo to train you. Most try to do this fairly soon but depends on how busy they are. But usually the longest wait is getting an insurance approval. Insurance companies don’t like to shell out that kind of money the 1st time but have been getting better about this. They are finding their patients have less hospitalizations when pumping.
As far as carrying it… it comes with a belt clip. I hook mine to my brazere most of the time but on trauma days at work or when I go bowling I put it in a cell phone case and clip it to the back of my pants. or clip it on my pocket. I’m sure there are better suggestions as I am only 4 weeks in as a pumper. I carry a purse so as far as my meter it goes in their. But I have seen alot of people carry it in their pockets. Animas does have a case though you can go to estore.animascorp.com andlook at it. It seems bolky to me. But if you go to the cosmetic area at walmart they have little black bags with handles that could be ideal to carry your supplies in.
Good luck and feel frree to ask as many questions as you need to.
i have the animas and the dexcom 7. if your a female you got it made. i carry the animas in my left side bra and my dexcom 7 in my right side bra. when i put the animas in my left side bra i loop it around the middle of my bra -just in case it falls out.
this works great. plus, everyone thinks my breasts are larger now. also, most definitely get the straight insets, not the angled one. the angled ones are designed for those super skinny people we can’t stand. animas will advise you which one they think you will need. they are very good.
i had my animas in about 1 week after ordering it. but, my doctor had me go on saline first until i got used to it. all in all after i decided to go with animas - it took 2-3 weeks.
you will absolutely love, love, love your new animas.
good luck.
sandy
jelly227@gmail.com (please email me if you ever need help)
how about sensor and the infusion placement? So far with just the Dexcom i used the area about 3" below either my right or left breast, how far apart? where should the two of them be ploaced?
Thanks so much for helping this old man sort out what to do.
ej
I’ve only used my arms for my Dexcom… since I don’t typically use my arms for infusion sets I haven’t really run into any issues with where to put what. Right now I do have a set in my arm though… after losing two belly sites right after each other (came unstuck) it was the easiest place to stick another one. It’s a good bit lower than I wear the dex sensors though, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
You’re supposed to keep them at least 2" apart and not put the sensor anywhere you’ve injected insulin in the prior two weeks. Honestly I’d probably run out of room if I wasn’t using my arms for sensors. I tend to rotate my infusion sets all over.
the dexcom and animas need to be at least 2 inches apart.
i have the dexcom on my right and animas on my left.
for example, with the animas i start on the left side and when its time to change the inset i move it over 1 inch. each inset change i continue to move it one inch. then i go up 1 inch and move back over my stomach. same with the dexcom on my right side.
this way - my stomach can heal. i have played with putting my inset on my arm, thigh and butt. i personally didnt really care for those places. i prefer my stomach.
one time when i put it on my butt, i realized there would be no way i could see to connect the pump. lol. so, i had to rip it right now.
keep in mind - when you very first start doing it on your own - your gonna ruin about 8-10 sets, cuz your learning. its second nature to me now. at first i wasnt confident. but, right now - i can conquer anything.
you will love the freedom of having a pump. i love, just love, the fact - if i have a little snack i can quickly give myself some insulin. i waitress and sometimes i will find myself in the dessert area - looking blankly at a fabulous piece of chocolate cake… now, i can take a bite without having to rush to my purse, draw up some insullin and give myself a shot… lol.
but, honestly because i continuously have insulin in my system - i dont crave sweets anymore. actually, really sweet things disgust me now.
do you have lows?
take care
sandy
just quickly want to let you know - i learned tons of stuff on twitter.com - i dont know if you know anything about twitter. but, on twitter you can follow tons of people and people can follow what you say.
i follow tons of diabetics. actually, i found you because i follow tudiabetes on twitter. i am DearPBAW on twitter.
i have my favorite diabetics on twitter - madhusar, ninjabetic, wyldceltic1, sixuntilme, 1happydiabetic, jaimieH, suzannauna (sp) and ginacaps. these people are always there for me to answer my dumb questions. they are all very nice.
sandy
i sure thank all of you for helping me, i currently with all my shots have a total daily dose average of 133 units. I wonder if that means that i have to change the infusion set each day? I think the cartridge is only 200 units. I take 68 units of Lantus prior to going to bed (at 9:30pm each night).
Do I have lows? yes, I can tell when I go below 60, i start raining all over the place, end up soaked and don’t think straight, just want to lay down and sleep. I had two last week, and then I use the 15 and 15 rule to get back to normal. I quit smoking last October (4 months) and am still without smoking, but the downside has been 29 lbs. gain so far, darn I hope to aim my guns at the weight loss as soon as i have the pump under control. I am sure glad I didn’t give up on the pump. Please ignore most of what I have said here, I find that I am just venting.
I have been working thru the book “Pumping Insulin” I hope I am studying the right book !!!
You can change just the cartridge and reprime the tubing every day… but really I end up with around 184u after priming, not anything close to 200u. Even just after inserting a totally full cartridge my pump will only show 194u BEFORE I prime the tubing.
You may find you are able to reduce some of your insulin use by being able to fine tune your basal rates - this is a YMMV thing, I’m actually using more insulin pumping than I was previously on MDI, but I suspect it’s because I’m running my BG’s a lot lower now that I am wearing a CGM, which requires a little more insulin
ok, CCS is shipping the pump today:
- they helped me select the “Inset 9mm, 90 degree 23” infusion set
- when I receive it they say, i should call my endo and have them schedule training
- in a couple months they will send a re-order card, so that i can order the next 3 months supplies
- then will send 3 boxes (10 per box) of the infusion sets
- are all of you ordering from the company called CCS?
A lot of folks see a reduction in total insulin use when first starting on a pump. I did see about a 20% drop. But as others have said, as I dropped my A1c, my insulin use increased.
Where you order your supplied depends on what provider is approved by your various insurance carriers. So if CCS is one of the approved providers, you are Ok. I try and always order new supplies when I have one box of sets and one box of reservors left. That way I have enough to last until new order arives. Originally when I started 2 years ago I could order 60 days supply of supplies once every 45 days. Now there is not a restriction. So you should check with CCS just to know if you have any such limitations
I dont know what your cost would be. I have regence and mine was 2025.00 then I have to pay my deductable yearly (1000.00) before supplies are covered at 80%.
As for infusion sets my doc said that if you are slim its best to go with the 30s but I had some struggles with those at first so I tried the 90s - in the end i was just getting the 30s in too deep. It takes a bit to learn I guess. On a silly side note: you can get infusion sets in colors! I have both pink and blue with my pink ping! : )
I had to fight my insurance for 4 months even with my doctor wanting me on the pump so I did all my pump training in advance but I think it generally is a month or so of appointments then being hooked to a saline test run for a week or so…
Good luck! I have been on mine for three weeks and it is a learning process but I would not go back to MDIs!
We, too, are in the process of getting a pump. In fact, the Animus rep just called and said that we’d been approved by our insurance. We are well insured with BC/BS, and our out of pocket cost is going to be about $800. The Animus rep can figure it for you pretty quick. The process from submitting my paperwork to delivery (estimated to be next Friday) was about a month. Most insurance companies want at least a month of glucose logs as part of their approval process, so if you don’t keep a log, you’re going to have to start now and wait a month. Our endo office provides training - in fact the CDE will come to our house. (Wow!)
Pumping Insulin is an excellent book. I think you’re on the right track there.
Good luck.