Hi! I found this forum while researching my pump upgrade decision. So glad I found this group.
I love my Animas Pump. I am out of warranty and I am thinking of getting the same Ping again that I have and then upgrade for $99 or whatever it should reasonably cost when the new Vibe comes out
Pro of doing that is that I have backup right away if something happens, especially when I travel.
Con of upgrading now is of something better than the Vibe comes out I am stuck.
IMO, new products are far away enough to make upgrading now a good idea, especially since product launches are notoriously delayed. People have been waiting for the Vibe (and Medtronic folks for the Veo) for years! It sure seems like the Vibe and Veo are next up. The Tandem Tslim might integrate with Dexcom in the next few years. Brand new pumps like the Solo and CellNovo might launch in 3 years but may not be integrated, at least not at first. (Otoh, if you use a smartphone, once Dexcom launches its G5 system, you won't necessarily care about an integrated pump.)
I love this site, btw, and it has helped me countless times.
Thanks Don. Pretty exciting everything out there and its nice to have others to “brain storm” with. My doctor told me that he truly believes in about 5 years there will be a device that does all the thinking for us. I have been dreaming about my Celebration Party for over 40 years…maybe it’s actually going to happen?!?
Hi Gail! Your doctor is right on...The bionic pancreas or artificial pancreas IS happening in literally a couple years--I know both Animas and Medtronic are in the testing phases of development (each of these just have an insulin chamber), but what I'm most excited about is the dual-hormone bionic pancreas which they're projecting to hit the market in 2017. This one has both a glucagon and insulin chamber which is exactly like our pancreas and the one I've been following the most closely. They will finish all testing in 2015 and 2016. The current trials they're doing are going remarkably well and here's a video with Ed Damiano who's the brains behind the device...it is amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdeH_CvQ-t4
Anyway, to your real point. If I were you, I would get a new Ping now and if you want to upgrade it for $99 when the Vibe comes out, fine OR depending how far along the bionic pancreas is at the point the Vibe comes out, you may not want/need to...but get a new pump as soon as possible because this is likely the last time that you'll ever need an "old school" pump...so exciting!
Gail - My Animas Ping warranty expired last September. I wanted to try something new. Last July, almost exactly a year ago, I tried the Omnipod to see if I would like it. They had a deal going, for $199 I would get the PDM controller and I could order the pods and my insurance would pay for the pods. Since I paid the $199 out of pocket, my insurance would still be available for another pump purchase.
I was lucky since I didn't do well on the Omnipod and decided to get another Ping even though it was the same model and features of the pump I replaced. It was new, however. Animas told me that I could upgrade to the Vibe for $99 when it comes out.
I've been using pumps since 1987. There's always something new on the horizon but D-tech doesn't change nearly as fast as other tech. I've never really regretted or felt left behind after a recent pump upgrade. The FDA regulatory path in the US makes D-tech evolution painfully slow. If there's some killer app/pump on the immediate horizon then you'll probably know about it and can time your upgrade appropriately.
I use a Dex G4 CGM and look forward to the Vibe upgrade. That essentially gives me two CGM receivers (the existing G4 reveiver and the Vibe pump receiver). I see me using the current G4 receiver primarily for nighttime alerts and then using the pump receiver during the day. That will mean one less piece of D-tech to schlepp during the day.
The beauty of the Vibe $99 upgrade will be that my insurance company will not be aware of the Vibe and I should be able to continue to be eligible for CGM coverage every 12 months.
I initially found the Tandem t:slim very attractive. I liked the touch screen innovation and admired its upstart character contrasted with the conservative and stodgy personas of Medtronic and Animas. I was put-off by Tandem, however, when they initially said that they would not permit any trials and accept no returns. I believe they've softened on that draconian policy but they did lose my sale last year because of it. It made me think that this new company made a customer unfriendly policy due to financial insecurity. If this company was insecure, then maybe I was not ready to make a four-year commitment. I will wait and see and hope that they prove my purchase reluctance unfounded and they evolve their technology well and prove that they're a survivor.
I've been very happy with the Animas customer service. They overnight replaced my original Ping once when the button covering material creased and split from fatigue. That kind of graceful and effortless response complete with a post-paid return box is valuable to me when needed.
We pump users each need to do our due diligence every four years so that we don't get caught with old or unsatisfactory technology for four years when some new or groundbreaking improvement is made. We make a four year economic commitment to a pump company; the least they should do for us is to commit to us a reasonable upgrade path for the life of that commitment.
Good luck with your decision. I am comforatble with my current decision to stay with Animas.
