Ping users, I'm in the market for my first pump

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

I'm honestly more interested in the animas ping more than the minimed 530g I got info on . Like the cgm integration seems great but since it's not as accurate as a dexcom and I really don't want a cgm right now, I'm starting to think the ping might just be the right pump for me. I really like that the meter that comes along with it is a one touch and it is a one touch device itself, I really like one touch meters. I know those will be covered by my insurance too, which is great! The chance of upgrading to a vibe in the future is also enticing, I don't plan to until probably either A. I find a man and try to get pregnant (that'll probably be over 4 years so take your time Animas I can get the vibe whenever that happens probably lol) B. I feel the need to otherwise, probably after having the pump for a while and when I'm very comfortable with adding something else to my skin besides the pump infusion set. The only disadvantage over the minimed I personally think (this is really lame and superficial don't laugh) is that it doesn't come in a pretty purple color ...though the pink will do (especially if I go back to using my one touch ultra mini for it with certain situations such as travel or something it'd match! lol) I'm hoping it's on my insurance and my diabetes team support the ping usage over the minimed if I decide to go with the ping instead.

Okay I rambled on enough, What are your favorite and least favorite things about the ping? I've asked this in the chat a few times but I want some good details .

2

Your team shoudl support whatever decision you make! I love my Ping becaause I keep it tucked in my bra 100% of the time and never take it out. I always bolus with the remote meter, so it's awesome for being discreet. I always have a Dexcom G4 cgm and have read a lot about that versus Medtronic's cgm and I feel that every account Dexcom wins hands-down...I've just read too many negatives about Medtronic's cgm in comparison.

3

I have been on the Cozmore which was great, the Omnipod which was good but failed too much and now the Animas Ping and it is great too. But mainly the remote is fantastic. That is why I like it.

I have it hanging inside my pants from my belt, unseen, with the Invsi-Pump case 100% of the time.

4

I mean I suspect they will, but I have no idea if they will if my insurance won't cover it or some reason like that instead of just general wanting to sell me a minimed instead or something skeevy like that. I'm assuming it will be though because I've heard of people with United Healthcare with pings. We'll see on March 14th regardless (I'm really excited).

I really like the idea of the remote meter thing though because I'm a cosplayer (basically I cosplay as anime/video game characters for fun because I'm a giant nerd lol) and it'd be easier to have that than try to dig a pump out of some of my costumes to have a snack or meal. Most of the cosplayers I know with diabetes and pumps have the omnipod but I'm just not into the idea of the omnipod at all it kinda messes with my mind and I"m not sure how I'd hide that lump and one of my costumes involves belts everywhere, where I just rather have a pump with a flat infusion set that I could hide somewhere. I don't mind tubes either. I've heard the same negative things about the cgm and I don't wanna blow money (even with insurance coverage) on a cgm that would be worse than having no cgm, you know?

Also I watched the videos on Animas' website and there was this set with this REALLY hilarious guy that made stupid funny jokes and I was like YOU SOLD ME WITH YOUR DUMB JOKES ANIMAS, YOU WIN! (besides all of the nice features like it being water proof and having a nice meter remote and stuff) .

5

I am a bit sad that I missed out on the cozmo pumps , I heard REALLY good things about those but they quit making them and all, like those had the best pump reviews I've ever seen? And they had a pretty purple one...sadnesssss :( . It's a shame when they stop making good products.

I've heard great things about the omnipod too but I know I'd probably have trouble with it. It looks bulky and has a weird lumpy thing going on and I feel like I'd constantly cause my own doom due to filling up the pod and having a failure and wasting insulin I could not have back . Like at first I really liked the idea of it but now I'm like nahhhh I'm good with the idea of a minimed or a ping. The only other pumps I'd consider are the tslim and Asante Snap (if they make a novolog version ever, I don't like humalog at all) but those are bottom of my list. I've so far really thought the ping is the best from my research.

6

I have a Ping and I like it - and I had heard things about Medtronic that I didn't like. I am waiting with anticipation for the Vibe to come out. I love my Dexcom4. And I think you can get a pink Pump Skin to meet your color preferance...

7

I havè been a one touch user for about 3 years, I had to fight with my endo as he wanted me to go for the Minimed as it was jis preferred option, but at the end of the visit he signed off on my Animas paper, sure it only has a 200 liimit on the pump cartridge vs minmed 3000 unit so I changed my inset out every two days, I have had one pump failure and tech support had a new puup t mee the next day!! even on saturday! Before all this I used a OneTouch monitor for well over 11 years and I wanted to stay with them Beside the screens are so much eaiser to read! One Touch will ALLWAYS be my preferred pump!

8

I don't mind the 200 unit limit on the ping as I kinda doubt I'll use a whole lot, it should be perfect for 3 days possibly even 2. I only use about 22 units at most with lantus and novolog combined at the moment. The idea of a pump makes me more prepared feeling for when that changes but I still think I'd only need the smaller minimed or the animas ping for a long time. Regardless thanks for the good response. I've tried other meters and I do prefer my one touch by a lot so I understand this completely and plan to stick to them for the rest of the time they're around/I'm around whatever's longer unless my insurance ruins that for me and I can't fight for it. Like I tried a bayer but I don't feel that one is as accurate, I always feel what my one touch says (particularly lows) . Like last night I was 67 mg/dL but the bayer said 86 mg/dL, ahaha no.

I really hope I don't have to fight if I end up liking the ping (as I VERY MUCH suspect that I will)

9

Well I'd probably get a purple pump skin. If I can get the ping I'm gonna try to get a pink ping itself. I'm a girly girl with my technology most of it is pink or purple :) .

10

Love the ping! And love my dexcom G4… Dx with DM 1 in May at the age of 45… Crazy… Spent 3 1/2 days in ICU recovering from DKA… Ugh… Spent that time researching pumps , cgm, diets , etc … Btw…

I’m an MD … Ivy League trained … Was in exteme exercise program when got sick… Never thought I’d get diabetes … Weird … Now making insulin again… Maybe some mumps - like virus … But I digress … Need very lil’ insulin… 8-16 units total per day… Ping works very well plus can bolus if pump hidden away… Cgm is huge help that you should consider for better long term control … Accurate and allows for less
Finger sticks ! Good luck

11

I know--I couldn't be without the G4, love it! I also have the Ping and never take it out hiding--the remote feature rules!

Like you, I was working out heavily when it struck me at age 37 last year. I strongly believe it's a virus that causes this.

12

I might consider the cgm down the road, but I'm still quite reluctant to start it right away when I want to just learn one device right now and have all of the tummy space I can get for a pump. This does not mean I won't want it down the road and this is why I'm considering the ping, for the vibe...whenever the heck that actually comes out. I think it'd be an easy upgrade...if I can get the ping that is. I fully get the benefits and I'm glad it exists and helps people and is an option though and MAYBE I will change my mind if I get to try one, but right now I'm just looking for a pump. To be honest that's why I'm considering the ping over the minimed 530g so I don't end up with cgm sensors when I'm not ready for it.

13

I am a former MiniMed paradigm user, 5 years ago, I began using the Ping.

Here's my take.

PROs: Color screen, it IS a big deal to me, it is easier for me to see. 200 units is plenty of insulin for me, any more is a waste and not worth the less frequent cartridge change. Smaller increments in basal and bolus, so, I am literally using more of "what is like me", meaning, what I actually need, not more or less. LUER LOK! Let me say this again, LUER LOK infusion sets and cartridges! Yup! Small size, I can take it swimming, and I do. Caveat, yes, you can take it in the bath tub, on a warning though, hot bath cooks your insulin. Excellent customer service, when I have had a pump go batty, they overnight me a new one and they don't flap their gums at me over it. Plenty of infusion set choices. Pump features, the ping is pretty well MARRIED to the accompanying glucometer. I use my meter-remote for 95% of my boluses and I make full use of the food database. It is DIASEND FRIENDLY! I upload my meter logs to diasend on a weekly schedule, my Endo's nurse reviews my logs constantly, we make adjustments as necessary. Easy to load cartridge, it's really a syringe you can remove the finger plunger piece, and the needle, and pop it in after a rewind, set, prime and away I go. It fits easily in my pocket, and I clip it to my boxers when I sleep, it's pretty easy to take anywhere.

What do I not like about it? Well, honestly, I also use CGM, a Dexcom G4. I wish my pump and Dexcom would just talk to one another without me ever having to poke my fingers EVER again. Give me insulin when I need it, stop giving me insulin when I don't, and NEVER again bother me about it. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

All in all, my Animas system does what it is supposed to do.
YMMV

14

Thanks for the input. I like hearing what I've heard about animas' customer service overall they seem very good about making things better if you have a problem and that's really convincing me to go for the ping, besides the fact that the meter remote seems great and everything seems great about it.

I've always been curious about how pumps work when you sleep like where you put them but I figured clipping them on pants or underwear should work as long as I don't somehow mash it or hurt myself in my sleep with it lol . I have tendencies to toss and turn so I kind of wonder about it.

15

I switched to the Ping in December 2012 because of the anticipated Animas/Dexcom integrated pump. 14 months later I am still waiting. I hate the Ping compared to my previous Medtronic pumps. The meter remote is incredibly slow and all of the scrolling drives me crazy. I am not a huge fan of One Touch meters and have ditched the remote. I use a Freestyle Lite meter and just scroll in the numbers.

I am still committed to Dexcom and that means I would have eventually left Medtronic. But IMO the Medtronic pumps are much better than the Ping because of more logical menus and less scrolling and scrolling. In retrospect I wish that I had gone with Tandem because I suspect that the Dexcom/Tandem pump won't be released much later than the Animas/Dexcom pump.

If the Ping is your first pump, you'll think it's great. If you have used another pump previously, you might find the Ping very frustrating as I have.

16

I like one touch meters so that shouldn't be a problem for me itself but the meter remote is slow, how? Like is it one of those laggy scrolling things? If it's really annoying I love my one touch ultra 2 and would use it with any pump I get.

But wow first negative opinion about the ping I've seen yet. But thanks for that this is an informative post regardless.

17

The Ping remote uses radio frequency to communicate with the pump not blue tooth so it is slow comparatively and sometimes loses communication. I have had to stop using the remote due to insurance copay for strips I really miss it but not worth paying 50% for strips and going through the hassle of preauthorization too.

I switched from Medtronic to Animas and couldn’t be happier. The only thing I miss that Medtronic has is the escape button. In every other aspect the Ping much better suits my needs so I am very happy with the switch and have been for the past 4 years. I don’t find the extra scrolling to be a problem, it has been worth it to get a pump that better suits my needs. I like being able to see basal information on the home screen, louder alarms, better visibility,it’s waterproof, and will hopefully at some point integrate with Dexcom. I actually don’t mind carrying a separate device but would like to have data integrated.

My warranty is due to expire soon. For now I plan to watch the market will be looking at Animas and Tslim when my pump dies or when something new comes out.

18

I toss and turn too, Sensorium. My pump trainer had told me "just put it under the pillow" and the first night I saw that wouldn't work as both me and my cat were wrapped in tubing. Now I wear thermals in winter and sleep shorts in summer and hook it there. I mainly sleep on my stomach and side so I usually clip it on the back, but I find I am good at swinging it around in my sleep. I use 43 inch tubing which makes that very easy. I do occasionally lie on it and it doesn't really hurt it or me. That's when I just swing it around. You'll find what works for you!

19

The communication between the remote and pump is slow. It takes a lot of steps to program a bolus through the remote, so each of those steps is time-consuming. And for whatever reason, I have a harder time scrolling with the remote than I do with the pump. My bolus amounts are low, so usually with the remote when I hold the button down to have the scrolling go faster, it takes a while to react and then speeds past the desired amount.

I did much better with Medtronic's system. The meter communicated quickly with the pump and the rest of the programming was done on the pump. I didn't need a remote so I never minded not having one. I left Medtronic because I want a pump that is integrated with Dexcom.

Lots of people love the Ping. After 15 months with the Ping, I am used to it but still don't like it. I am still anxiously awaiting the Vibe and am excited that it will eliminate the scrolling by populating the final recommended bolus amount. Once you've pumped for a while, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

There is no "perfect" pump out there. But for me, any pump is better than injections. And also, most people are ultimately happy with the pump that they choose.

20

Yeah I get what you mean now I think due to what it uses for the remote it's slower. I'm still really on the fence about the 530g and the ping after reading through threads and posting a few in the groups and trying to learn.

I'm gonna to see if I can try both pumps, and if I can, what I think of them from there