Which pump to choosed?!?

I have finally been approved to get a pump by my doctor and met with both the Animas and Medtronic reps over the last two days. I was completely decided upon getting the Animas, as the pump stands right now, but the Medtronic rep said that in about two years they will have a new tubeless pump that last 90 days (which I’m not really interested in) and a newer tubed pump that will be a touchscreen in color because they are probably partnering with apple.
I don’t know what to do… I would hate to go with Animas and find out in two years there is a new touchscreen pump I could have upgraded! I will be kicking myself that I didn’t stick it out with the crappier screen! Does anybody know or heard about this new touchscreen pump they are working on?

Choose, haha. I didn’t look at that very well before I posted.

Yes I have been hearing about it for the last 2 years…still waiting (they also told me it would be 2 years then). There are so may things involved in bringing these devices to market anyone who tries to tell you it will be 2 years or even one year is doing the same thing you or I can do- guess. If you wait for the newest or better technology you will find yourself always waiting. Look at everything available now and choose what best fits you would be my advice.

If you like the Animas better than what Medtronic has to offer now, I’d say go with the Animas. When/if the new Medtronic pump comes out, you can cross that bridge when you get to it. At the very least, I can’t see them saying no if you decide to go Animas now and switch to Medtronic later.

Don’t let the MM rep woo you with a hard sell. Most insurance companies will allow a new pump after the 4-year warranty expires, provided it needs replacement (sometimes stuff like poor battery life is enough). If the MM rep says two years, I almost guarantee you that it will be 3 years if not 4. They’ve been promising a more accurate sensor forever and that is stuck up with the FDA. Not to mention that you will have to pay at least a few hundred bucks to upgrade while you are in warranty!

I’m a MM user, and would say that if I had to make the decision again today that I would go Animas, no question. That’s been a slow change in opinion for me, but it’s only changing in one direction, toward Animas. I’m very happy with the MM pump itself – and the CGM works well for me. But what used to be a good company is now completely dysfunctional.

My problem total for years 0-4 was 0, but here are the problems for the last two years:

  • Wait time for customer service is often 15-30 minutes (3 separate occasions)
  • They’ve lost 2 of my supply re-order cards
  • Quickset recall, left me with very few extra supplies for a couple months
  • When my insurance approved the CGM, they lost the paperwork and I had to call to get them to find it
  • When I filled out the ‘upgrade form’ to get the latest pump they lost the form (but found it when I called) for a net delay of 2-3 months
  • I’m just now dealing with the fact that, despite having delivery proof of my old pump, they are billing me $3200 because they say I didn’t return it. They’re now ‘looking into it’ and will get back to me in 2 days. I do think it will get resolved but it has dropped my confidence in them to ZERO.

I’m sorry, I’m just in a MM-hating mood right now. But if my current feeling holds, then I’d still switch to Animas even if MM had a pump that cleaned my house for me:)

I’m actually going with animas as it has the features I was looking for…I like that it has a food directory and I can add to it where giving insulin for my food will be easier for me and I can give the exact amt intead of what I do right now which is mdi and I can’t give the right dosage…I like the fact that the meter is a remote where I can be discreet…I also picked animas as I have different choices for the infusion sets whereas mm is limited…

Just my thoughts

My pump was just approved today and I’m going with Animas. I used Medtronics sensors and they are terrible. Also Animas is coming out with a really nice integrated pump sometime this year and you can upgrade (check your insurance) for $299 if you have the most recent pump.

I don’t know anything about the touchless screen…sounds great though. Just wanted to mention that insurance may not pay for an upgrade in two years…I have to wait 5 years with mine to get another one. They won’t do an upgrade at all really. Just buy a new one every five years. Good luck!

By the way I have a medtronic one…and probably wouldn’t go with it again. It’s my second with them, and it just seems to be getting worse as the years go by. I regret that I didn’t give animas a try when I got my latest pump.

Thank you for all the input guys it really does help. I was 100% sure about Animas before the MM rep said touchscreen, but with that not likely coming out for awhile I will definitely go with Animas. I can switch later in life and 4 or 5 years isn’t really that long off when you get started.

I called and the paper was signed. Just waiting on insurance now! Hope it doesn’t take too long =]

I have an MM and am fine with it. Sorry to hear about your issues Tom. I haven’t had that sort of problem but I’m still on pump #1. I still have a year to go on my warranty so I dunno what I’m gonna do about it when it runs out. I am not sure though that I’d be too concerned about the stuff the sales guy is talking about regarding working with Apple or a 90 day tubeless pump? I can think of all sorts of things wrong with that. I think that MM vs. Animas is sort of 6 of 1 1/2 dozen of the other. The key thing is how they pump insulin. I sort of am dicey on the supply issue. I sort of like the cards but I could see how the system could get problematic too?

Just go with what you like, and what is available NOW. Then wait until your warranty runs out, or until you can get a new one, and then choose a different one. In My opinion, the Rep should not be trying to sell you on features that don’t exist. It can be confusing enough choosing one with what’s available now let alone telling you to wait until a new feature (which could easily take 4-5 years to get working & approved) comes up.