Question about the Medtronic 530 pump and CGM

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
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I need some help. I am new to this site and hope that I am posting in the correct area.

I have type 1 diabetes for 36 years and worn an insulin pump for the last 20 years. I have worn primarily a Minimed/Medtronic - took a short break with the Coz (now out of business) and then back to Minimed. This past year, my paradigm went out of warranty - so it was time to order a new pump. I do this every four years.

When it came time to make the decision, I saw the Omnipod - with the tubeless pump - and just got so excited. MY CDE told me there were no problems, so I said "yes" - finally, after 20 years I can wear slim fitting clothing.

Well, it has proven to be an unwise choice for me. After over 3 months of difficulties, the company has agreed to take the pump back. As I wait for the insurance reversal (which could take some time), I am exploring other options. I am a loyal Medtronic customer. However, I feel so burned by my Omnipod experience, I want to make sure I am making a good decision. I don't want to rebound back to Medtronic and find out that this new system has as many bugs as the Omnipod.

I have never used a CGM. My A1C's are always between 5.5 and 7.0...I use very few of the features on a pump other than basal and bolus. I think I have had diabetes so long that I just do most of the calculations in my head. Since my numbers are good, and I am not running too close to low or high...my endo says I am doing well.

Thus, I am just trying to get some feedback on the new Medtronic system. Can I use it without the CGM? Is customer service responsive? How often do you find you are reporting problems?

I realize everyone's experience is different. I guess I am just fatigued and disappointed that the Omnipod did not work as seamlessly as advertised.

I will likely just wear my old Medtronic paradigm (which is cracked) until I feel confident in making another decision. After having diabetes for so long, this last experience with Omnipod really took a toll on my whole psyche....I just feel so stressed and depleted.

Thanks

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Hi tlc
i understand your frustration, as i tried out the pod for a month as well and i went back to minimed. i got my new minimed last november and am happy with it. I have the VEO, model 754, which is the same as the 530/730 in the us, except that the 754 stops insulin delivery if you are low.
i dont use the pump with a cgm, for about the same reasons as you mentioned above, but i like the idea that i can start a cgm at any time and that i wouldnt need to carry around another gadget.
so overall, the new minimed model is pretty much the same as the old one, if you were happy with that one i think you will be happy with the new one as well.
as i dont live in the us, i cant help you with the customer service.
happy new year, take care
SC

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I've only used Medtronic. When I got my pump (2008), I just said "yeah, sure, whatever to the doc" and didn't really read up on the other "flavors" available however that was when I started hanging out online and I recall the people with Cozmos loving them way more and going through the end of the company and Pod folks reporting insertion problems and Animas people reporting cracks in their O-rings leaking (which I think got fixed somehow, as I haven't seen anything about that recently). I've kept up with reports, the Asante Snap and T-Slim both seem interesting however I have no need for colors on my screen and, as long as I can get good results (A1C has been 5.8 since pumping but only one > 5.5 which was one 5.6 since I got the CGM in 2010...a slight improvement if, in fact, it is an improvement but whatever...). I like having the data a lot, I am probably sort of addicted to it. I can see my BG when I'm bicycling and make adjustments without hopping off the bike. I can use the backlight to adjust it at night. I can't think why I'd bother switching.

I like the Medtronic CGM which a lot of people seem not to like but even the old "harpoon" version worked very well and the new one is both more comfortable and seems to work better, If you don't want to use the CGM you don't have to, I don't know if you can save the $$$ by not buying it. Most would be covered by insurance however I would be averse to buying something that costs me $$$ if I'm not gonna use it. I am using the new sensor with the old pump (527) so I can't report about the 530 however I have to think that it's pretty much the same. I had to get my doctor to Rx the off label use. I don't want my pump turning off unless I tell it to turn off is the main reason.

The customer service has always been very good. The only exceptions have been when I call them and say "can I just get the new sensors without the new pump" but even that sailed through, I think I had them less than a week after I got a hold of the doc. At one point, it wasn't clear from what was available online whether the new sensors in the US would work w/ the old pump (which, we knew they did since people in civilized countries already had done this...) and their answers were a bit infuriating however I presume that's guided by their lawyers and the FDA lawyers who work to gunk that process up. Once I got the doc to rx it, it worked fine and was very quick. I am sort of low maintenance, the doc said "call for a class" when I talked to them but, as I had the gizmos shortly thereafter, I called, didn't get a call back for a while and just figured it out on my own. If you've pumped for 20 years, you are probably in the same boat.

Other than that, the service has been great. I've had two pump failures, both due to getting wet while running (one sweat, one sudden rain squall...), both on Saturday of a 3 day weekend and both times, I had a new pump on the first business day after the holiday. They are always open, the company is also eerily responsive to kvetching on Twitter or FB (I got a call pretty quickly after kvetching about in a thread, they asked for an email w/ my number and got right back to me, which was different for me and, even though the answer was vague and "lawyered", I figured it was good that they got to me fast").

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You can wear the medtronic 530G and under sensor turn it to "off" and then you will not see anything more about the CGM feature.