Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jan on April 13, 2009 at 1:06pm

Hi. My niece has had Animas and now uses the Minimed. A pump is a mechanical device so just like cars, you can get one that does not work as well as it should. We had a problem with Animas two weeks after purchase. They did send us a brand new pump but we had to fight like heck to get it. We then ended up getting that pump replaced with a refurbished one (twice), then upgraded to the newer Animas with the colored screen and that was a new pump. So five pumps in about two year's time. The Mimimed has been reliable for the year and a half we had it. However, human error occurs and someone, somehow tightened the battery cap and we could not unscrew it. Minimed was going to send a refurbished pump. When I mentioned we had had a problem with refurbished pumps in the past and how we would wait for our own pump to be repaired (as we still had a working Animas pump), the support person said he could not do it. But he then called us back and offered us a brand new Minimed pump which arrived last week. By they way, this happened Friday, before dinner. He overnighted the pump to us Saturday morning before noon. In the meantime, we hooked up our Animas and my niece told us she got tired of it because of all the button pushing. Minimed has not broken down on us once; it is reliable; it is now smaller than the new Animas Ping, the company puts millions back each year into research and development, and MM is the only pump on the market with integrated cgms. Judging from our experience about sending "refurbished" pumps, when a pump malfunctions, customer service was far superior with Minimed. Everyone has their own experience but that has been ours.

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Permalink Reply by Karla J Sherer on April 13, 2009 at 2:38pm

Jan,
Thanks for all the info on these two pumps. I found your experience very helpful. After all, the service is probably the most important part of having the pump. The way my life goes, Murphy's Law is alive and well at my house so I'd be amazed if I get a pump and don't ever have problems with it. I'm happy for you to have one you can rely on now.
Karla

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Permalink Reply by Todd on April 13, 2009 at 4:55pm

I've read all of the comments and found them very interesting. Everyone has good and bad experiences with every company. I currently have a Cozmo and its been great. Had it for 6 years and now deciding to go with another company. Now that the Cozmo is out of question which I would have recommended, I would go with the MM paradigm, One touch Ping, or the Omnipod. Pros and Cons to each. I have to laugh at the different issues everyone has with their pumps. I have no idea why you would ever take your pump into the shower with you. There is no reason. You can have your pump off for up to two hours without really seeing any affect. I don't know people that take hour showers. Omnipod users love their device because it is tubeless and you can put it anywhere on your body. I put my pump on my stomach or hip area without a problem. I then put it into my pocket so the tubing doesn't bother me. But if I wanted to put it on my arm, chest, leg (which I don't) then the Omnipod is the best choice. Girls have tighter clothes so this part is a big decision for them. Where to put the pump site and where to put the pump. One of the biggest decisions to me is how many units the pump carries. 300 units is what I prefer because I use about 100 a day. That means I only have to change my site once every three days instead of 200 units once every two days. There are ways around this issue. You can refill a 200 unit cannula and put 100 more units in it and then take it off the third day if it only carries 200 units. It all depends on how many units you use everyday. The MM paradigm is great if you want a continous glucose monitoring system but from what you said medicare isn't covering it. However I guarantee you they will soon because it will make control tighter and save them money in the long run(it will save medicare money because of less hospital visits etc...). The Animas one touch Ping has no such cbg monitoring system. However they have teamed up with Dexcom for over one year and are planning to release a new system at the end of 2009. Dexcom has been in the cbg business for a long time and have in my opinion the best stand alone system out there. I got really excited when I found out Dexcom and Animas are teaming up. Another thing I like about Animas is when they come out with a new pump you can upgrade for 399 if its been less then 12 months. 599 between 12-24 months and so forth. This gives you the option to always upgrade to the latest and greatest if thats what you might want. I don't know if MM does this. Finally cost is a huge issue to take into consideration. My insurance pays 90% after my deductable for the year is met. You will want to go with a good priced pump. Don't pay too much for something that is going to be replaced with something better in 1 years time. Just like buying a TV or a car. Don't blow your money. Some may argue with me on this but thats my opinion. But what really costs you long run is the reservoirs and cannula's etc... Find out how much it is going to cost you a month and then times that by 60 months. If its 2000 dollars more to go with MM over animas go with animas. Catch my drift? I hope this helps because I am still learning about all the pump options out there and want the best for everybody and myself. 23 Years old Salt Lake City, Utah diabetic 20 years.

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Permalink Reply by Karla J Sherer on April 13, 2009 at 5:19pm

Hi Todd (my maiden name), thanks so much for all the input. The time and thoughts are all appreciated. You and I agree on a lot of the issues i.e. cost of supplies, etc. If I qualify for a pump, the next thing will be talking to reps about supplies. As for shower, I've never seen an actual pump other than pictures online so don't know exactly how they connect to the tbg but figure it's some sort of tbg lock device. I wouldn't think it was difficult to disconnect for a shower. I no longer work so time is not a factor to me but I suppose for a very busy person who's in a big hurry, that might be a factor. One thing you didn't mention that I had loved about the Cozmo was upgrades. When I tried for the pump in 2007, upgrades for Cozmo were free and you were able to load from internet. I believe the MM upgrades were $200plus but may be mistaken. I've slept since then so don't remember. Anyway, I plan to address all the issues you mentioned when I choose. I hadn't thought of the Omnipod as it was not available in 2007 where I live (TX) but may be available now. I do hope you are right in the fact that Medicare will begin to pay for CGMS soon. I really do not see why anyone who has to take insulin can't have a pump and a CGMS. That's just my opinion but the control is so much tighter I don't see that most would argue. Thanks again,
Karla

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Permalink Reply by celadon9 on April 14, 2009 at 5:17pm

Oh yea, and Minimed has a very good upgrade program, and payment plans-like I said, I WISH I got kick backs from them! Karla, where do you live in Texas?

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Permalink Reply by nel on April 14, 2009 at 10:15pm

Todd ...referring to your comment," why you would take a pump into the shower " let me explain better ..I take the pump into the shower stall , so I do not have to disconnect ...when you get to my age very easy to forget to connect ( easy to forget lots of things ) ...actually I have read reports of young folks doing exactly that ...several hours later realizing , that pump is still in bathroom and
" they " are elsewhere ....stuff happens, correct ?? It is not an issue ...just good planning on my part .
I am sure you remember this thread , when you are close to 70 , OK , ha, ha .??
Oh , by the way MM allows you to upgrade ...it almost seems I have stock in the company, or work for them , I am working so hard explaining tonight ....NO, NO , NO ...

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Permalink Reply by Melinda on April 14, 2009 at 1:45pm

I really like the Omni Pod. They will even send you a demo pod so you can see it's size and apply it to your skin to see how if feels before committing to it.

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Permalink Reply by celadon9 on April 14, 2009 at 5:14pm

Minimed-best research, best customer suppport, integrated continuous glucose monitoring. Just be sure your doctor and diabetes educator are very pump savvy. Many pump "trainers" aren't worth the paper they're printed on. I have patients re-trained all the time because they've recieved virtually no training.
Karla, also, a longer fasting time may lower your c-peptide enough that you qualify. When I have to get my (Type 2) patients re-certified, we have them fast for 12 hours-still take your Lantus or Levimir, and check often. But it works! Hey, I've had patients come in taxis with blood sugars of 61 (that DIDN"T follow my advice!!) but we drew their C-peptide and fasting glucose QUICKLY, while I waited with the juice in hand!

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Permalink Reply by Karla J Sherer on April 19, 2009 at 4:21pm

Kyle, this really did help me. I know you're angry at Omnipod and I don't blame you but this really helped me. When I tried for a pump in 2007 (didn't qualify) I had read about Omnidod and was so disappointed they didn't service my area at that time. I was going to check and see if they now had my area but you answered all my questions about them. It really looked cool when I checked it out a couple of years ago but doesn't sound like the perfect pump for you.
Karla

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Dodson on April 17, 2009 at 10:22pm

I hear that the Cozmo is on it's way out, I have been using the Animas pump for 4 years, support and warranty is great, getting the new Animas Ping next week, love the Animas pump have never had one single problem with it and the battery last a long time

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Permalink Reply by Karla J Sherer on April 19, 2009 at 4:13pm

Jerry,
I hear the battery with the Ping goes faster due to the remote that comes with it. That will be interesting but sounds like the Animas has served you well. I will be so very thankful if I can qualify for a pump. I've never been able to maintain any control over more than a couple of weeks due to other health issues that effect my diabetes so any pump at all will be better than the way I've been living since 2003. I hope I can have the correct labs then will look at the main pumps and see what feels right along with all the advice I've gotten here. I appreciate your taking the time to let me know about the Animas and how it's served you.
Karla

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Permalink Reply by Susi (Ladalife) on April 18, 2009 at 4:06am

Hi Karla,
Here's why I chose the Animas 2020 (Ping not yet available in Australia):

The Animas 2020 has a carb database whereas Minimed doesn't
It has a really bright screen. I wear reading glasses (2.5 strength), and I can read this screen without my glasses... and it's easy to read in the sunlight.
It's waterproof, which is a big help in a sub-tropical climate.
I don't mind all the scrolling and button pushing, for the other advantages.
The rep here is really awesome... she has fielded no end of questions for me. She will also do the pump training and I really like her so far. She's also T1, and wears the pump herself.
The Animas 2020 has luer locks which mean you can use any other infusion set that also has luer locks (almost all except MiniMed). You can use luer locks with the MiniMed, but you have to use another cartridge which is manufactured by another company. Not a big deal, but until recently, they weren't yet available in Australia.
I rather like the idea of having one support person rather than a call-centre. That one person knows me and my circumstances which I believe would lead to better service for me.
So while MiniMed is the best selling one, there were many reasons for me not to go with it.

Animas have a virtual pump online which you can play with. It's here: http://www.animascorp.com/2020-insulin-pump-tour.aspx

Like someone said, most pumps are great because they deliver insulin. The trick is to figure out what's important to you. A carb database? Continuous monitoring? Big, readable screen? And every pump has its quirks and things that people don't like about it.

Actually seeing one and being able to play with it will be a huge advantage.

Good luck!

Sue

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