So, I've decided to get a pump.
What are your three favorite brands?
I'm guessing that because they are expensive my insurance will likely not pay for a new one if I try one and decide it's no-good. I don't want one with tubing. So which one is best? How often do I have to change the infusion set? If I get one now how soon will it be outdated?
I suggest getting a loaner from each one. I like my tubed pump. I had tried omnipod but I kept knocking them off. I also want to be able to see the spot where it meets my skin so I can check to see that it is in properly. Sometimes the cannula comes out and the adhesive is still there, There are pros and cons with all pumps. I would not buy a new one without checking it out. Also my current insurance only will pay for Minimed or Anim
as.
So you should definitely ask you insurance company to see what is in the formulary and how much your copay is.
I know minimed and Animas and Omnipods all give loaners to try. All 3 of those companies gave me free sets and pods too.
Miost pumps are around $6,000 US funds
The only one without tubing, so far as I know, is the Omnipod. They will happily send you a fake pod for you to wear and see how you like it. In my case, I tried one on the back of my arm, and it was so hard to remove, it left a big bruise. :-( Then I tried another one on my hip, and it interfered with de-clothing and re-clothing when I went to the bathroom. And I personally, don't want a big lump on my belly or my leg, so the Omnipod is out for me. I do know that they are planning to come out with a smaller pod.
The other problem with the pod is that you can't tell if the cannula has come out, since the pod itself covers the insertion site. Of course, rising BGs will tell you, but what if you're out of the house and forgot to carry a spare, plus spare insulin?
So, for the above reasons, I have decided, for the time being, to just hang on to my old pump (which is now out of warranty), because new pumps and new features are coming. I'm waiting for a pump to be integrated with the Dexcom, which I really like, but which is annoying, because you have to program the pump AND the CGM. I'm perfectly happy with a tubed pump, because I always keep it in a pocket, and the tubing is always tucked in, so no problem. Also no problem sleeping -- it migrates wherever it wants to, and even when it has fallen off the side of the bed, the set hasn't pulled out. On the rare occasion when I wear a dress, it's tucked in the side of my bra, or on my undies, or in a leg pouch. I don't particularly like those places, but the tubing is not the problem. It's the lack of ability to get to the pump discreetly.
But, anyway, I concur with Timothy -- contact all the pump companies, and see if you can get loaners, because it's too big an investment to find out you're mistaken on!
I would be more open minded about tubing because if you're not you automatically rule out both Medtronic and Animus pumps. Most tubed pumpers get used to the tubing very quickly. The three established pumps are the Medtronic, Animus and Omnipod. There are a couple of others on the market but I'm conservative about tools that keep me alive and prefer using a pump with a user base and history. In addition to tubing you should consider many other issues including cost structure, frequency of bad sites, the management software, the choice of insertion sets etc.
Maurie
I called Medtronic then Animas. Animas=message, left a recording. Medtronics I'm iffy about because their CGMs got such bad reviews. The girl at Medtronics told me the Revel could communicate with the Dex 7+ if it's connected with a cable.
My problems with tubing; Skin allergies, so if I sleep in one position all night it might be okay but I don't and I can't attach the pump to my skin without using something that would likely cause a rash. So a tubeless would work better for me. If that means my only choice is the omnipod then I will check that out.
Even a tubeless pump is going to have to stick to your skin. The “footprint” of the Omnipod tubeless pump is actually bigger than an infusion set of a tubed pump.
Don’t forget the New i:slim pump from Tandem. It’s the newest kid on the block and definitely is the most “cool” of current pumps.
Medtronic does not communicate with Dexcom. Animas, Tandem, and Omnipod will all eventually be paired with Dexcom. Animas has an upgrade program in place. Tandem does not. Don’t know about Omnipod.
I'd vote for Medtronic but that's the only one I've used. Tubing is a non-issue, I belay the extra around the end of my belt and I'm good to go and don't notice it, like ever, except when I want it to check the integrated CGM, which is also sort of a deal-breaker for me as I like to run and have enough junk to lug along, without the extra Dexcom receiver. I've had very few problems with sites and sets. If I see my BG running up at insertion, I crank the basal until it "rolls over" and gets going, which is usually within an hour or so. Mine blew up once (14 miles in 87 degree heat w/ a lot of humidity?) and I had a replacement the next business day. My pump experience has been great.
So I checked out omnipod and didn't like how much it moved around and how likely that made it to cause occlusions.
Are there any other pumps that don't rely on tubing?
Only omnipod has no tubing. I use the Minimed Revel. It’s a solid pump from a reliable company. It’s durable, has an integrated CGM, and is time-tested. If you spend a lot of time around water, the Ping is a better choice as its the only pump that is waterproof. The t:slim just came on the market and it definitely looks nice but has not yet been widely used. Personally, if I was getting a pump now, I’d stick with the MM Revel or the Animas Ping. Trust me, you get used to the tubing.
nope, not yet.
The dex can be used with the MM revel pump, There is a small device that fits the transmitter of the MM to the sensor . Then it can be calibrated but it has to be calibrated every 3 days. I did this with several dex sensors that I had left over when I got my Revel pump. I liked the combo, and the calibrations worked really good. The only trouble was the MM transmitter on top of the dex sensor made it a little bigger than either one alone.
I got the patch from a Dex engineer. But was warned that it was not FDA approved.
Animas Vibe insulin pump has the new Dexcom G4-system built in. Some people already use it here in Norway. It has tubing though, but it´s waterproof and that would be a big deal for me.
Here:
http://animascorp.co.uk/animasVibe
Well, this question is hard to answer. You have to specify your own criteria and then find ou the best match. If tubeless is the only criterum (for me personally tubes were a knock-out criterium) the answer is easy: Omnipod.
Wow, Timothy. I never heard of that. Was the sensor reading computed by Medtronic algorithms because if I understand it correctly, you were not using the Dex transmitter at all. Was it more accurate than using MM sensors or is it even possible to know?
Was the 3-day calibration in place of the twice a day calibrations or was it just a new "warm-up" period?
I wish the Animas Vibe was FDA approved in the US. Maybe I can deal with tubes, it just seems like tubes would be a major pain when trying to sleep, sorry for being too graphic but I sleep naked. Anyone else? If so do you put the pump on the nightstand and hope it doesn't get yanked around when you roll over in your sleep? How do you deal with that?
I let my pump lay in bed and it rarely gets in the way,if it does I just push it away.
You can also put it under your pillow.
The situation with the Dex/Revel combo is, that the Revel thinks it is a regular MM sensor,
SO 2 hr warm up, and then 2 cals per day just like they both require. Only you need to restart the sensor after 3 days but you can bypass the warm up as long as you do not remove the transmitter. I found it to be as reliable as the dex/dex combo.
really all the sensors are, are metals that react with glucose to create a micro current.
That micro current is read by the pump and a calibration curve is created.Really they work the same way, The only difference is that the Dex sensors seem to be more reliable.
And much easier to install. I will look to see if I still have that bridge so I can post a pic of it.
If MM was smart they would have opened their system to Dex. I bet everyone would have a MM pump if that was the case. You would have the best of both worlds. But of course everyone these days are trying to wrangle us into one product and being stuck with that one product no matter how inferior it may or may not be.
I sleep naked too and have had absolutely zero trouble during my 20 years of pumping. My tubing was the longest you could get - 130 cm - and I just left the pump next to me in bed. That´s it. No problem at all even though I toss and turn alot in my sleep I´m told by my boyfriend.
If you are interested in the Medtronic pump/ CGM, I'd recommend sleeping in clothes as I get a lot of "lost sensors" if I don't have the pump clipped to my shorts. It's kind of wierd that most of the time, it'll be ok but if it's on my right side, w/ sensor on the left, it seems to get goofy.
The Medtronic is that way. I tried it for three weeks and you get the "lost sensor" if the sensor and pump "loose sight" of each other. I know the Animas Vibe is not approved in the US yet, but the Animas people says this is not a problem with their pump and the Dexcom G4 sensor.
I am on my third Medtronic pump and great customer service and no issues with the pump.
The Medtronic CGM sucked.