New Pump!!!

JessicaStrickland · 10-17-2013, 04:30

What pump would you recommend? What pump are you currently using?, What are your pro's & con's for the pump your using?

It would be GREAT if these pump companies would allow you to have a loaner for a couple of days to try out and see if you like their product. If not it would be GREAT if you had no obligation, you can send it back with now hassel . Are there any companies out there that does this?

jmathesonjr · 10-19-2013, 05:51

I am using the Animas Ping. I have been on it for about a month and a half. I started on a Dexcom G4 CGM about a month before that.

I was diagnosed in 1976 and have been a syringe and vial user until going to the pump. The Lantus injections I was taking were killing me, in my opinion. I am glad I am on the pump.

I love the Animas Ping. I find this much easier to use than the Medtronic and Omnipod that I looked at before going with the Animas. I like the idea of being connected to the pump. I carry a lot of crap in my pockets during the day and it is nice to know that I am attached to the pump. The Animas does require a few more steps to either program or deliver a bolus than the Medtronic, but I have bumped the pump on a few occasions and have found that bump advanced it to a new screen that might have caused a dosage delivery with the Medtronic. I also liked the easy connection of the infusion sets with this pump over the Medronic. You hear a snap when it is connected. I felt that I could be accidentally disconnected from the Medtronic pump. The battery life seemed better to me with the Animas Pump as well.

My only real complaints with this pump are: 1). Its weight. I think I would like it to be slightly heavier. 2). Its size. It is about half the size of my cell phone (Samsung S4). and 3). The carrying case for the remote. I would a blue one.

For me, I think the Animas is a perfect fit.

I made appointments with representatives of each pump. The Animas rep spent way more time with my wife and me, took me step by step through various setting with the pump, talked about the real pros and cons over their pump versus about three other companies, knew my doctor and her staff well, and never once pushed me into going with Animas. The Medtronic rep never really looked me in the eye during our meeting. I knew from the start that I would hate every second with the Omnipod.

My recommendation to you would be to call the companies that make the pumps you are interested in, make an appointment to talk to a representative, and put that representative through his or her paces. Be as brutal as you can be with your questions. Hold the pump, push the buttons, change settings, program it, set basal rates, have it administer a bolus, in short look under the hood and kick the tires. The way the representative treats you will be a good indication of how the company will treat you. Call the support number.

Also, do not overlook the goofy stuff like color choice, skins, cases, and the like. You will have to live with this thing for at least four years before you may be eligible to change to another. If you find yourself with a black one and really wish you had gotten the green one, you will start to loathe it after a while. Treat it like you are buying a car.

Once you do this, you will love having a pump attached to you. The freedom this will bring to you is incredible.

Enjoy this journey of your search. You will learn a lot about you and this condition we live with and survive well despite it.