Which pump?

Type 1 and LADA
#1

hi friends,

i checked my A1c yesterday and it was 8.4 and i am very upset with my readings and i am planning to get a insulin pump if it suits me .as of i heared omnipod with CGM is the latest and and it tubeless too …

1.how far does it work good . ?

2.what is the net cost of this pump without claims and other things .?

3.is it available in all over the world (particularly in india) ?

4.is omnipod with CGM (tubeless) is best ?

  1. is there any other pump with advanced features than this .?

6.has medtronics launched the tubeless pump ?

please guide me through.

vinodh

#2
  1. I have used Medtronic, Cozmo, and Omnipod and think they’re all great. The Omnipod works very well.
  2. We’ve had this answered correctly several times on the site (check the Omnipod users group), but I never remember the exact figures. I want to say that the PDM is under $1000 and that the pods cost about $800-900 for a three month supply without insurance - or roughly $30 per pod every three days.
  3. Probably not available in India. I’ve listed the individual pump company websites below. Call and find out!
  4. The Omnipod will eventually integrate with the Dexcom and Navigator but does not yet come with a CGM. I use the Navigator and the Omnipod, but I use them separately. I like it best or I wouldn’t be using them, but every member here will tell you that they have chosen the system that works best for them. That’s why we have options - to find what works best for us.
  5. I would argue that the three major pumps on the market (Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 522 & 722, Animas Ping, Omnipod) all have “advanced features” and are all a great investment and treatment therapy.
  6. Dave answered this one already.
#3

To be honest, that’s why I’m glad there are options for pumpers.

From my experience here, I’d say that the pod works really poorly for a percentage of the population. It amazes me how the Type 1 cycling team and the ironman triathletes can do all they do without “sweating” a pod off their skin and yet some folks (like Spooky) can’t go three days without one falling off. Some people have occlusions in every part of their real estate, while others don’t. Some people get boxes of pods where half of them fail during the priming sequence and others don’t. I haven’t lost a pod yet, but I’ve had 3 occlusions and 3 failed pods in 4 months. Still, to me, and since they replace the priming failures and I learn about my body from the occlusion events, I’m still counting it as a success for me. I like the PDM and its menus, I find the pod low-profile on my body, and I’m inexplicably relieved by no longer messing with infusion sets and tubing (which I didn’t expect).

But I think you’d see that customer satisfaction level with every pump to a degree. I have just as many negative things to say about Medtronic (hate their CGM, don’t like their menus, feel they’re missing some features, didn’t like their customer service) and Cozmo (clunky and ugly, no clip, terrible infusion sets if you go with what Smiths sells), etc. And yet both kept me alive for years and were with me when I needed them most and I felt really guilty when I packed them away in boxes after sooooooo many good times and bad times together. (Yes, I’m that silly. I nearly cried over my Paradigm.)

Medtronic has been a win-win for you, so you’ve every right to come to your pump’s defense, and the pod was a bad choice for you, so you have every right to criticize it.

#4

I agree - I think it’s great that we have options, and that each pumper is able to choose the system that works best with their needs. Back when I started pumping, the options were the MM 508, or two different pumps from Disetronic (and Disetronic pulled themselves off the market within the next year… so I was somewhat glad I went with MM at the time). They had no cool features really… basal rates were only adjustable in .1u increments… if you compare that, to where things are now, not even 10 years later, it’s amazing, really… today’s “smart” pumps are a huge leap ahead. I would love to see into the future and see where things are in another 10 years.

I’ve been on MM before (508, 511, and 512 pumps) and I am now an Animas pumper… I am happy with my choice (I really like the meter-remote), but I am also very interested to see where future developments go for ALL of the major companies, as well as the availability of more patch options. I love the idea of the omnipod, and I thought for sure I would want it immediately when it was available where I am, but I wasn’t comfortable with the demo pod at all. I was disappointed, but that’s reality - I didn’t think it would work for me, so I stopped dreaming about it. That doesn’t mean I don’t think the system works well for other people - clearly it does, and there are many happy omnipod pumpers :slight_smile:

#5

Melissa, your experience with podding is optimal and I hope it would work as well for me in terms of low occlusion rate. What about when you insert a new pod, are you one of those that has to run a higher temp basal for a while? And if you do, are you able to dial in a consistent amount?

#6

Even after you figure out your own preferences in terms of features, there are other potential pitfalls of pumps and CGM’s. What works for one may not work for another because their interstitial fluid is different (CGM’s), or their body won’t accept pods well in certain sites, or adhesives don’t work on their particular skin (pod, all CGMs’s). (l sometimes wonder if a decade from now, they’ll have a way to test a person’s interstitial fluid to assess how well CGM might work.)

#7

No, I can tell from watching my CGM that I respond normally to pod changes without a need for additional insulin.

#8

Agreed. I started on the MM 508 when it was the preferred pump compared to the Dysetronic options. I think that’s why I’m fairly complimentary toward every company right now - all pumps on the market are better than our options a decade ago and they just keep getting better.

I like Animas, too, but don’t have much experience with it. I nearly opted for it (this was pre-Ping), but didn’t particularly like the flicker of the color screen. My eyes didn’t respond well to it, but otherwise I thought it was a great pump. I swear they’ve made the best infusion sets out there.

Nice to know another 508 veteran. Remember that darn little reservoir compartment that didn’t stay shut well? And the softsets you had to tape on with three layers of tape? (I have friends who still use softsets, but ugh.)

#9

I lose sets from sweat really easily - it’s part of why I stopped pumping back in 2006. I was just too frustrated.