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Permalink Reply by ericacomic on June 22, 2011 at 2:48pm

Hi -
My medtronic pump had a 'button error' about a week ago. It is not under warranty but they sent me a COT pump while I figure out financing (no insurance). After the first night w/out my pump I put the battery back in and it worked, although the ACT button was a bit slow. I got another button error the next day and transferred to the COT pump. I have read your post and I am going to give it a try. Medtronic asked me to mail back my old pump but why would I send it back just so they can refurbish it and use it, unless they want to give me a discount on a new one.
Have you had any experience with Animas pumps? I thought maybe because they are water proof it might be better?
thanks, Erica.

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Permalink Reply by KrispyKris on June 22, 2011 at 3:01pm

Hey Erica,

I haven't dealt with Animas pumps at all so I wouldn't know. But we are basically in the same boat, I too have no insurance and medtronic wouldn't help at all. The trick to get the adhesive off the front panel is to get an exacto. Knife and pry gently under the plastic from the top right area where the light button is. Once you get the panel off, you will see a gold contact and if you press it, you will see how it works. I would recommend blow drying that area first, test the buttons.. if it still does it, get a Q-Tip and some isopropyl alcohol and gently clean the gold contacts, then blow dry again for a minute. Also buy some compressed air in a can and gently blow on it (not full blast, just small puffs of air)

Let me know if it works. If you need help with it you can send me the broken pump and I will try my best. Im doing research at louisiana tech right now till august so I have access to some special tools if needed. Either way let me know.

-Kris

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Permalink Reply by ericacomic on June 22, 2011 at 3:07pm

thanks Kris! I will give it a try tonight. I don't plan on sending them my pump back even I can't get it working- ridiculous that they can use it again and I can't. - Erica

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Permalink Reply by Gerry on June 22, 2011 at 4:16pm

What is a "COT' pump?

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Permalink Reply by ericacomic on June 22, 2011 at 4:24pm

'Continuation of Therapy' basically just a loaner while I get financing etc together for a new one...but hopefully the fix will work!

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Permalink Reply by Brock G on June 22, 2011 at 4:19pm

They may have a trade in value on it. So it can help in the cost of a new one. I am switching to Animas and they are giving me 700 break on the cost of it for the trade in.

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Permalink Reply by breaddrink on May 23, 2012 at 3:44pm

He's quite right.
I've found that a slightly less invasive solution (very short term) is to sit the pump in a bag of rice, and if you can stick it in your pocket and go about your day.

I've had three pumps do this now. I work in a fast paced kitchen environment and I guess I'm just getting it too sweaty in my pocket. tmi.

The rice bag works every time, and I've also noticed that showering with the pump in the same room also kicks my button error pump into this mode very easily. once it's moist, the buttons stick and it literally has to be dried out to function again.

Crappy design minimed.

So yeah, body heat combined with giving the moisture a better place to go to (the rice) helps. It's an old cell phone trick.

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on May 23, 2012 at 4:48pm

My 722 blew up last summer after a 14ish mile run in 87 degree heat and monstrous humidity. Really sweaty, right about the finish line it bleeped the "BUTTON ERROR" message. It was also the Saturday of the 3 day 4th of July weekend so I knew before I called that it was likely Tuesday/ Wednesday to get a replacement. I got home and figured I'd take the battery out and dry it off as it was a bit sweaty so I left it in the sun, had some NPH and took a shower and did some cooking (carnitas!). Then, I tried the battery and it was still bleeping so I put it in the freezer so I wouldn't have to hear it and then went about my business. The next morning, it appeared to be fine! I'd already gotten it replaced and wasn't sure I'd trust it over a holiday weekend but it seemed fix to me?

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Permalink Reply by breaddrink on May 23, 2012 at 6:37pm

Seems like ever since they retracted the rule that they were water resistant (that first generation even claimed you could go swimming with them), they've been far from even close to being so.

I say if humidity can find a way in and do this at all, then it's likely not exactly a 'fix', but more a go to when it happens.
For this particular pump, it happened after a long swimming pool party for my kids, and the humidity was, well like a swimming pool, so while I'd never known what caused the button error before, I knew this time. It was obvious.

I can even feel my act button sticking when it gets mushy in there. The rice trick fixes it within hours.
In fact I just spent a couple of hours at target with a ziplock bag of rice in my pocket with my pump slowly resuming it's normal functions. Now the button sticking 'tick noise' has gone again and it appears to be dried out once more.
..Much to the embarrassment of my eldest son who thought I looked utterly ridiculous tending to and testing my insulin pump buttons through the side of a bag of uncooked rice in public. :D
Seems I've given up caring what others think.

Anyway, it works! I'd imagine actually getting in there somehow as the original poster mentioned to clean the connections would be a lot longer lasting, but I'm going to reserve this for when it's truly beyond reproach and I'm looking like I'll be without a pump for an extended period of time.

...Onward.

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Permalink Reply by Brunetta on May 24, 2012 at 3:16am

Thanks krispykris and breanndrink for the solutions. I had heard of the rice solutionh for cellphones, but did not think you could do it with the pump.
I have had 2 MM pumps to "go down" with the "dreaded button error" signal on hot days. I had to send them back for a replacement.I got a suggestion to put the pump in a cushy baby sock when I am wearing it close to my skin ( yes we women put it in "tighter" spaces than men, for fashion discreetness in dresses, lol)

I found that ther sock absorbs moisture on hot days; and I have not had the button error issue in over 3 years. I am due for a pump upgrade and I am debating whether I want to stay with MM pump models. I would prefer one that is waterproof as well as integrated with a CGM.

God Blss,
Brunetta

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on May 24, 2012 at 2:44am

I had the same trouble with my Animas Pump and they refused to fix it even though it was ! 1 MONTH out of warrantee. I even offered to pay for it.
I think they Know we have to buy new ones when something goes wrong.
Both companies seem to use the same trick in the case of buttons sticking. I used alchahol swabs to dry out mine and it worked again for several days.

Anyone who is handy with a soldering iron could replace them I am sure.

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Permalink Reply by breaddrink on June 21, 2012 at 1:48pm

Thought I'd chime in on this again as this happened to me again today.
Obviously, now I'm so aware of it, it wasn't as horribly stressful as the times before. My mind wasn't going at 100mph wondering where I'd put that ancient box of syringes and wondering if I could find 600-800 dollars for a new pump.

Again, got a bag of raw rice, put the pump in it, chirping it's warning bleeps, and sat it under a heat lamp on my stove. (a pocket works just as well).
It was absolutely frozen for over an hour this time, but allowed me to esc ACT out of the alarm afterwards.
The up button (the one that has always stuck on every pump I've ever owned from Minimed) was the culprit again. I could quick bolus 2 units at .5 unit increments before it would stick again and I'd have to wait for it to release.
I manually pushed some of the reservoir through the tubing to stop a high from happening at this point, knowing I'd have to wait this one out.

I volunteer at my children's school today so I took it with me in my pocket, in the bag of rice, zip-locked up to the tubing, wondering if I'd have to manually push the plunger in on the reservoir to keep me going, but within 2 hours it was straightened out again.

The plastic baggie of rice trick worked again, and I'm thinking I might get into the habit of sleeping with it in the bag now the nights are getting a bit gross and humid.

I really need a new pump, but honestly, I don't want to give it to minimed :(

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