Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kate on October 28, 2011 at 10:05am

Here's the link: http://sixuntilme.com/blog2/2011/10/opsiteflexifix_you_can_stick_ar...

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Permalink Reply by Jodil on October 27, 2011 at 6:54am

Thanks Yogi,

1. We dont have insurance coverage for the CGM.
2. I drink herbal tea
3. I take acetaminophen (allergic to ibuprofen)

I will continue to prick my finger no matter what. I would likely just use the CGM when I first start on the pump and maybe to establish a pattern for nighttime as I have "dawn phenomenon" and other times I need more details. On a day to day basis once I have become comfortable witih my pump routine, I would not use it.

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Permalink Reply by DiabeticRadio.com on October 27, 2011 at 3:11pm

Yes, CGM's are perfect for that, especially during the night. Make sure you monitor for at least a week, just to make sure the reading are consistent, before you make any changes to your pump.

Yogi

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Permalink Reply by Jodil on October 26, 2011 at 5:45pm

Thanks again to everyone for their advice and experiences. This is so helpful in trying to pick a pump especially since I have no insurance coverage for the pump and it is such a big expense I want to make the right decision for myself.

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Permalink Reply by MyBustedPancreas on October 27, 2011 at 5:51am

Wow, so you're paying for the pump and all its supplies out of pocket? Definitely talk with the people at Minimed because they have an assistance program. I don't know if it helps out with supplies, but it will definitely help out with the cost of the pump.

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Permalink Reply by Jodil on October 27, 2011 at 7:00am

Hi MyBustedPancreas,

Unfortunately, my husband works for a company based in Europe and there are only 2 Canadians on the health plan in Canada so we have a crappy package that does not cover the pump, CGM or any CGM supplies. It will cover the insulin and insertion kits.

I met with a Minimed representative who knows we are paying out of pocket and she did not mention that they can help with cost. She mentioned there is a payment plan which we will be using. I don't know if it is based on income as well because my husband asked her "What happens if someone cannot afford the pump" and she said then "They don't get one". This representative I have known for over 10 years thru various diabetic functions and so you would think she would tell me something with regards to financial assistance.

HOWEVER, my son may go on the pump next year as the goverment has JUST APPROVED to pay for the pump for kids. THe children's hospital told me the price they are being charged for the pump and it is much cheaper (matching the price of the Omnipod so they can compete) and they are throwing in the CGM. Therefore, I contacted the representative yesterday who is going to call me today to discuss this. I am interested to know why they are charging me $1,500 more including the CGM then they plan on charging the hospital. I know is is because they are competing with Animas and Omnipod so must be price competitive or they will lose a lot of business.

Cross your fingers that I can get the price down.

Thanks for the input.

Jodi

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Permalink Reply by MossDog on October 27, 2011 at 11:29am

Jodi I had the same understanding as you. From everything patients have told me Medtronic will not help with the cost of the pump. They will set you up on payment plans but will not reduce the price of the pump. The only companies I know for sure that are willing to even consider financial situations and reducing the overall cost of the pump is Animas and Accu-Chek. I haven't checked into it for a while but last time I heard they do not offer to lower the cost. If someone has gotten assistance from Medtronic for lowering the cost of a pump (not just a payment plan) I would love to hear about it. I am not looking for financial details just that they did reduce the cost of the pump.

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Permalink Reply by Lee on October 27, 2011 at 12:14pm

Medtronic:
POSITIVE:I have a MM inulin pump and like it very much! The 24/7 support is excellent no matter what questions I have had or parts of pumping I did not fully understand at firstl. They are generous with supplies as needed with quick delivery.
NEGATIVE::The menu screen is a bit small but readable with a back light. . .

OmniPod:
I used an OmniPod on a trial basis, and liked it (so small) but the support was not the same high average that Medtronics gave, at the time (1.5 years ago).

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Permalink Reply by John on October 28, 2011 at 4:16pm

I have used Minimed, Cosmo, and Omnipod. I prefer Omnipod because of the tubeless character. Though it did not happen often, there were times when my pumps with tubes would hook on door knobs and cabinet pulls, and at least once when I dropped the pump and yanked the infusion set out (ouch).

I would not switch back to Medtronic (in part due to my unhappiness with their customer service when I did use them). If another tubeless system comes out, I would certainly examine it. I find the current pods to be a bit bulky, and there are some quirky elements about the software (like not tracking the amount of insulin in the pod until it drops below 50 units).

Losing track of the controller? Once, it happened--left it at work. I learned, and adapted my behavior.

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Permalink Reply by christy on October 30, 2011 at 9:58am

I chose Minimed Real Time Revel. I demo'd the Omnipod, and while being tubeless WAS a great feature, I found it bulky, and I didn't like the idea of having to keep up with an additional piece of equipment. My main reason other than stable blood sugar for why I want to be on the pump, is to make life more flexible, not having to remember to grab a remote everytime I walk out the door, or worrying about my cats jumping up and knocking it off and it going into that mysterious black hole that things go into when you have cats. Plus the number of pod failures people seem to report really concerned me a lot too.

Overall I have been extremely happy with Medtronic, their customer service has been wonderful, and the whole process of getting my pump was SUPER fast and easy. I should be getting it on Tues, it was a week yesterday that I started the process and by Fri their insurance rep was calling me telling me I had approval and when did I want it, lol. It was amazing I was really expecting it to be a bit more difficult.


Just wanted to add I really found MM to be super easy to use when inquiring about them at my Dr's office. Think they seem pretty user friendly.
Good luck.

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