Insulin pumps and cgm's

I use the Animas Ping Pump and I like it quite well. The meter uses One Touch Ultra Strips, and the meter and the pump communicate by remote control. You can check your blood sugar, and if a correction is needed, or you are going to eat and want to bolus for carbs, you can do it right from the meter without having to mess around with taking the pump out and doing it. Also has some other really nice features that I felt were great for me.

As far as CGM's, I had one for approximately 4 days in order to find out when my blood sugar rises during the night because of dawn phenomenon, but yes they stay on all the time and you don't necessarily have to prick your fingers for testing. You can also have a CGM that sends the reading directly to your pump or meter. All very electronic. I do not have a CGM, but I might look into it.

There are many different pumps and CGM's out there, and they all have their own special features. Do a search and compare. That is the only way you will know for sure which one will fit your lifestyle and work for you.

Good Luck.

Hi y'all long time no see... Well I went to my pump class today thinking one thing and coming out thinking a lot more things. I'm am stuck between two different pumps. The Omnipod and the Animas Ping. Right now I have the Omnipod sample on. It's not the saline vs. it's just a pod to stick on my body to get a feel for how it feels. And to be honest I'm surprised that I literally forgot I had put it on not long after doing so.

I like the idea of the Animas Ping because I am going to try and get the Dexicom (sp?) CGM and the two companies are in a working relationship....my main concern with the Ping is sleeping. Does the tubing become an issue? Also the infusion site and injecting of the canal...Seemed a little cumbersome....I like that you don't even see the needle on the OmniPod.

Feedback is welcome! Also just a sidebar...my mom is worried about the pump malfunctioning and emptying all of the insulin into my body all at once...has anyone heard of that happening?

Thanks,

Jj

I'm using the new Omnipod system and Dexcom CGM.

I really like both and have become particularly addicted to the Dexcom CGM which is usually quite accurate.

Now, when I get in the car, a quick glance at the Dexcom tells me if I'm too low to drive.

Saves a lot of strips and finger pricks!

I found a small canvas bag at Staples made by Targus intended to carry one's iPad that conveniently and compactly contains both Omnipod and Dexcom monitors along with other supplies as well as cell phone and the aforementioned tablet.

An armband I found on-line holds the Dexcom monitor during various physical activities.

The only drawbacks to Dexcom I've found so far are some software OS limitations and difficulty with sensor application. Neither is anywhere near a deal breaker.

I have had the Dexcom G4 since the end of June and the Animas Ping since the end of August. The Dexcom has helped greatly in alerting me to the lows that I am sometimes unaware. I spent 36 hours in the hospital after seizing from low blood sugar. I use it not as a substitute to the finger sticks but as a monitor on the direction that my blood sugar is heading.

It is true that the Animas Pumps and Dexcom are working together and will be introducing a new Pump later on this year or the beginning of next year depending on the FDA. I am not sure that I would like the all in one unit for the same reason that I do not like DVD/VCR combos. When one craps out . . . .

I have had zero problems sleeping with the Ping Pump or the Dexcom sensor. I sleep in an inside-out pocket t-shirt. I put the pump inside the pocket. The tubing stays under the t-shirt. I am currently alternating between 23in and 43in infusion sets. I actually sleep better now that I am on the pump. I do not go to bed sore from the Lantus and wake up sore from the Lantus.

I thought about the Omnipod, but like the idea of being attached to the pump. The remote is great with the Ping because I got everything on the pump that I can do on the remote except take a blood sugar reading and change the basal rates.

If you are able to talk to your endo regularly and he or she can see the readings from the pump and cgm, then let this go for now.

I went from bouncing from extreme highs to extreme lows resulting in seizures when I was taking injections. My first month on the pump I was still running low. My endo team wanted me to be high and then they bring me into the right zone.

Three months after starting the pump, my A1C is 7.1 with a narrower range between my lows and highs. I am now eating much more crappy food (cake, Reese's, Milk Duds, and the like). The difference is now I am using the pump to take the insulin that I need to eat the carbs that all of this represents. I can do it ANY time I want. If I need to correct, I correct. Easy as pie. Speaking of which, I think I will have a piece.

Trust your doctor.

Ride out the highs and life will get much better.