Well it seems I’m eligible for an Insulin Pump, and I think I’m going to go for it, but I’m finding it hard to get any real information regarding the differences between the pumps.
The Models that the clinic uses (I'm in Canada) are: The Medtronic Veo, The Animas (I'm assuming the Ping), and the Accu-chek Spirit.
I'm trying to get all my research out of the way before I meet with The Nurse to go over the meters, but well... I'm finding myself a little overwhelmed.
I was hoping for some help, or wisdom from folks that have gone through this process and help me look for features that are actually helpful to maintaing good Glucose readings.
What should I be looking for? Are some more durable than others?
I love the Colour Screen on the Ping, but I'm a bit leery of going back to using a One-Touch meter, as I've had issues with them in the past.
I like the Medtronic Veo as it seems like it comes with a CGM, but can I get a CGM separately with any of the other pumps?
Accck!! I need the benefit of the experience/wisdom of all you veteran pump users! New users please tell me how your stories went as well!
Bottom-line: It will be the “little things” that make the difference and those will be different for everyone. So, if a pump has particular features that will suit you better, then go with it. You won’t be disappointed, no matter what you pick, so try not to let it overwhelm you.
In terms of CGM, yes, the MM is integrated but you can get a separate CGM unit (if your insurance covers it) with any pump. I personally use a MM and love the integration for running, but truthfully it probably wouldn’t be a big deal to carry a separate unit either. If you’ve fallen in love with the Ping then don’t let the One Touch issue stop you either. If you’re not happy with the meter then you could always keep another one around for routine testing.
I have a Minimed CGMS pump right now, but really am excited about the Veo, because of the low glucose suspend feature. I may have to look at upgrading to that one. I haven’t seen other pumps with this feature available yet.
Sounds like great advise! I was just worried that I’d go with the Ping because it has the colour screen, but might miss out on a different feature that would be better for monitoring my blood glucose levels.
Things I’d consider now that I’ve been pumping for over six years:
What’s the smallest unit increment I can add to a bolus? My MM can do .1 (point one) units. Do you need finer control?
Is there an integrated meter that will transmit my BG to the pump? Get it if you can give up your current meter or if it uses the same strips as your current meter.
How do I download data into reports? All pumps have software you can use to download data to a computer. Most are not Mac friendly. Some require you to buy the software and/or cables separately. Some have web-based software. One benefit fo web based software is that you can look at the data from any computer, like one in your doctors office. One drawback of web based software is that you need an internet connection to use it.
Integration with a CGM is a non-issue as you can use any CGM system with any Pump system - although they won’t talk directly to each other.
As far as I can tell, having used only the MM brand, there is not a hell of a lot of differnce among pumps, so it will be the little things, as Tom T says, the make a difference for you. For instance, I’m envious of the color screen on the Animas and it’s proposed integration with the Dexcom CGM, but I don’t like it’s computer interface.
I’m glad you mentioned the issue with a Mac. I use Apple computers at home, so having software that is Mac friendly is a must in my book. Am I out of luck for this, or is there one that is not quite as bad as the rest??
Actually the new Revel( and Veo I believe) Mm can add .025 units to a bolus now. As well as basal rates can be in .025u increments. I have the Revel and love it. I also use the integrated CgM and it has worked very well for me. I also love the web based software as my endo or CDE can log on if I give.them the access to, if I have questions. IMO, the color screen shouldn’t be the deal maker for you. Look at all of the features of a pump before deciding. I would stay away from the Spirit pump as many people here have said it is inferior in that there are no carb or correction bolus calculators in the pump software.
If a continuous glucose monitor is important to you, you’ll want to go with the MM for now as the DexCom and Navigator, etc., are not yet Health Canada approved as far as I know.
My daughter has an Animas 2020 - basically the Ping without the meter-remote. The pump is great. Screen is easy to read, delivers in .025 unit increments for basal rates, the software is fine and works compatibly with the one touch meters (and has had an Apple/Mac fix this year). A downside, I expected the pump to come with the much touted (as advertised in US sources) built-in 500 food database that is meant to make carb bolusing easier. No such luck - doesn’t come with pumps sold in Canada. You have to create this food database yourself (or not!). A significant positive is that the pump is guaranteed to be waterproof. The cartridge cap is not proprietary so you can interchange infusion sets from other companies very easily (we use the Cleo 90 sets).
Hope this info helps.
I just started using the Animas Ping in June. The big thing that was important for me is that the Ping is waterproof. Although it is easy to pop off when I get a shower, if my BS is running higher, I can I leave it on if I want. If I spend the day at an amusement park, I don’t have to worry about water rides and getting my pump wet.
The one thing that I did not consider before getting a pump was infusion sets. Like Karen mentioned, you can use other companies’ infusion sets. I am glad that is an option because I did not like the Animas ones and am using a different brand. You can’t do that with Minimed.
I also don’t like the One Touch strips and I don’t use the meter function of the pump. I use my Aviva meter and just take the extra step of entering my BS when I bolus. It is not that big of a deal for me to do that. I still use the remote portion of the pump for the food database. To my knowledge, the Ping is the only pump with the food database – it comes with a food list and you can customize that and enter your favorite foods in. You just select the foods in the list you are going to eat and it adds everything up for you and recommends the amount of insulin.
I use the Dexcom and having an integrated pump and CGMS is not important to me. I have seen here that when the integrated Animas/Dexcom comes out, you won’t have the meter remote. I am not interested in giving up the remote in exchange for the integrated system.
Dude,
Most Macs now have a pc option. And have for a few years. You just have to download (buy) whichever software helps you to use Windows on the Mac. You do have to buy the Windows OS along with that bridge (Fusion or Parallel (?)).
I have a Mac and am finally going to a computer shop to get help downloading and getting my computer going for the OneTouch software.
I know about the VM option for running Windows stuff on a Mac, but would rather have something that runs on the Mac OS if at all possible, unless it’s really REALLY crappy!
I download my Animas Ping on my MAC computer on the MAC side. My laptop is running 10.5 OS. I haven’t tried it on our puter with Snow Leopard yet.
Animas is the only pump software that has a MAC native version as far as I know. I think Bayer meters will download on a MAC too but I could be wrong about that.
Animas EZ Maanger Max is not the best software though for data management in my opinion. In that regard I liked Carelink reports better but I was having so much trouble downloading my pump I got fed up and it was one of the factors that led to my switching. Carelink has since upgraded their program so that issue may not apply anymore. Carelink is Windows and IE only though.
I am a new pump user and I went with the Veo and love it. I am adding the CGM feature at the end of the month (I have to go out of town for training). I love the meter being able to talk to the Pump (although the meter is a little ugly). The one with the colour screen sounded good when I was looking but the meter which you use to do a lot of the controlling isn’t the pretty colour screen, I like the CGM built in option (one less the to carry is good for me!). Two other things to consider - one the waterproof nature of the pumps only works as long as you don’t ever accidentally drop your meter and give it some little micro cracks - these can then leak. I know I can be a bit of a clutz especially during a low so knew this feature wouldn’t last long. You can take your pump off for the occasional time you might need to and if it is off for longer than an hour you can either hook back up or use and injection to give any correction or meal bolus (plus any missed basal can be given as a bolus). The other thing I really considered is that fact that Medtronics Minimed have been doing what they do for a long time where a lot of the other companies that have come and gone in Canada keep buying each other out and that just didn’t feel as stable to me for such an investment. I know whichever pump you choose will be right for you and it is a steep learning curve but SO worth it! Good Luck
Thank you all so much for your comments! You have all brought up great points that I had totally not thought of, like being able to use different infusion sets, being able to make very small insulin corrections (.25 units! wow!), and to look out for any software issues. It’s for information like that, that I started the discussion, and again thank you all!
Does anyone know of any good sites (other than here of course!), where I might finds some reviews on Pumps?
