Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by solo79 on August 16, 2011 at 9:33pm

I think its a personal preference. I am on a Animas Ping. Ask the Dr. to set up appts with both reps to let you decide. They should have a pump they will show you and you can look at and feel and play around with. Personally, I am thankful the PING is totally waterproof... It goes under my bathing suit and splash into the pool I go.. still attached. I would hate to have to disconnect to jump in. It's a nice feature for those who love the water. However I do not know about the CGM on the medtronic, I know someone that has one and they still test as normal. The rep should be able to answer any questions you have also. If your Dr. can't set the appt for you contact the Medtronic/animas yourself to set an appt.

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Permalink Reply by MyBustedPancreas on August 17, 2011 at 5:32am

Both have their pros and cons. I went through the decision to go back on the pump not long ago and ended up going with the Minimed Revel.

The Animas does not currently have an integrated CGM, although I think they are developing some kind of partnership with Dexcom to eventually make that happen. The Revel does have an integrated CGM, but it's not as accurate as the Dexcom and the sensors are a bit of a pain to insert (literally and figuratively). I've tried both the Dexcom and the Minimed CGM and am currently using neither. They just didn't give me accurate results and I had so many issues with both that losing the precious "pump real estate" on my body wasn't worth it. So, I just test like 12-14 times a day.

The Revel comes in 2 models - a 1.8 ml reservoir and a 3.0 ml reservoir. I believe the Animas just holds 2.0 mls (but check on that, I could be wrong). Therefore, you may need to consider how much insulin you use over a 3-4 day period.

The Animas screen is nice, I will say that, but people say it gets easily scratched up. The Animas pump is supposed to be waterproof, but from what I understand, Minimed's revel is water resistant (they just don't call it waterproof because any small cracks in it can cause water to get in).

I like my Revel mainly because it is really small (I have the 1.8 ml model) and I can easily disguise it. I've been very happy with it overall. It's easy to use (requires fewer button-pushes than the animas) and thus far has been very reliable. I have LOVED Medtronic's customer service too. They were really helpful, so no issues there.

Both Animas and Minimed now have the "MIO" infusion sets (animas calls them them Insets, I think). But they are the same thing - an all-in-one infusion set. They are great. Not painful at all and very convenient and easy to use.

For the most part, the Ping and the Revel seem to have very similar features. They both deliver very low basal rates (as low as 0.025/hour). I think it's really just a matter of personal preference. Definitely see if you can meet with the reps from both companies and maybe even try each one out over a few days. The biggest issue for me (as a woman) is being able to hide my pump under my clothes. So, you'll definitely want to be able to physically hold the pump to see which is most conducive to your wardrobe.

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Permalink Reply by jupton on August 17, 2011 at 5:45am

I've had both over theyears and don't see an appreciable difference, except that Medtronic is available with the glucose monitor. I never found the monitor very useful due to inaccuracies in the readings.

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Permalink Reply by T1Forever on August 17, 2011 at 5:49am

I am on my second Minimed, this one is the Revel. I would second everything MyBustedPancreas said, except that I like the CGM. It has really made a huge difference in my control, and saved me from some visits from the EMTs. The CGM does have some downsides (such as keeping you awake at night buzzing you), abd sometimes the numbers of the CGM and the finger stick are wildly different. I do find that those big differences are usually caused by one of two things. If my BG is really out of wack, changing rapidly, etc. and I input a calibration, it will really get messed up. Also, I follow the rule: no readings under 70 or above 170. That works well for me. I just like the security I get from the CGM.

Good luck on the pump--I love mine. I have so much more freedom and can eat things I never would have dared if on MDI.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer on August 17, 2011 at 10:51am

I have the MM Revel as well and use the CGM and love them both! The online Carelink software that MM has is awesome and easy to use! The customer service has been great. The CGM has worked very well for me.

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Permalink Reply by MyBustedPancreas on August 17, 2011 at 11:06am

Good point regarding the Careline software. I love the ability to upload all my data and transmit it to my doctor electronically. It has helped during the period I was adjusting my (wild) basal rates. In addition, it helps me to see my own data and be able to make small adjustments. My control is definitely better.

Given the somewhat positive reviews noted above, I just might look into trying the CGM again.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy Stonestreet on August 17, 2011 at 6:50pm

Thanks for all the replies, I will certainly talk to the Diabetics Educator Center here to see if I can test both of them. Of course the insurance has to be pre-approved :( When I wore a CGM for a 3 day period to see what my numbers were vs the sticks, I had a really big issue with the tape itching so badly. Then because of the hot weather I was outside and prespired so much the tape also rolled and it was a constant worry that it would come off. Is this a problem with anyone else. I know the supplies are expensive and I dont want to use tons of this stuff!

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Permalink Reply by Keith LeMar on August 19, 2011 at 7:29pm

You'll need to decide which pump is best for you. I've used both Animas & Medtronic pumps. Both are excellent pumps with outstanding customer service & support. I had an Animas 2020/Ping for 4 years then switched back to Medtronic. I did like the Ping very much but really, really wanted an integrated pump/CGMS and Medtronic is the only company that offers an integrated system; I have the Medtronic Revel and have had it since July 2010. When I had the Ping I also used a third-party CGMS (the Abbott Navigator); they were both ok but having one system is much better especially when it comes to reporting. I really can't advise you which way to go. Both are excellent companies and really support their customers. I was very satisfied with both. My advice however would be to get in touch with the pump reps of both companies and do a lot of research. You're going in the right direction by asking this group for suggestions; you'll get many helpful comments from this group; if you haven't done so already, go to insulin-pumpers.org . . . you'll get excellent support from that group as well. Good luck . . . I think you'll be satisfied with either Animas or Medtronic.

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Permalink Reply by Julia on August 19, 2011 at 8:02pm

I agree with solo79, it is a personal preference. So far, my personal preference is the Animas. I havent gotten a pump yet, but thats what appeals to me. Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by solo79 on August 19, 2011 at 8:08pm

I liked the remote functionality and I could choose a color model. Plus waterproof.

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Permalink Reply by nel on August 19, 2011 at 8:19pm

A Medtronic pumper since 2001 ; wear a CGMS since 2006 and would like to see some improvement with this gadget !! I trialed a Omnipod for 3 days , however this old gal prefers to stay with what I am sooo comfortable with ...presently a Veo pump user . I upgraded back from the 508 ...seems a long time ago :)
Yes, try the ones available to you ; you may have a total different feel about them than I do ...so be it .

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Permalink Reply by Laura S. on August 19, 2011 at 8:31pm

I like hearing good things about the Revel, since I think that will be the next pump if I can manage to get one.
They dont try to talk you into the smaller one if you want the 300 unit do they?

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