Thinking about converting from manual syringe use to equipping myself with an insulin pump, specifically the medtronic. Have watched a couple videos on usage and got feedback from a few people about pumps in general. Medtronic keeps coming up as a recommendation. Im looking for feedback from medtronic users on how easy it is our any difficulties that u may have had with the machine. Please get at me with any info on the pump that will help me with my decision. Thank you
Medtronic insulin pump
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I am a pump user too and have used a medtronics pump for over 3 years. Any problems I ever had were operator errors and not the pumps fault. They build them to last and they do. It will take patience and understanding on how the insulin you use works. But once set up properly it will calculate all your bolus amounts for you and corrections too should you miss count your carbs. It is a lot of work and requires a lot of testing.
I have been using the Medtronic Paradigm 523 pump for about 2 months now and I LOVE it. Probably the best thing that has ever happened to me since I was diagnosed w/ Type 1. It was pricy (something like $6000), but if you have good insurance or the money to spend, GO FOR IT! (My insurance covered the entire cost of the pump plus supplies. :-D )
The only issue I have had were with the infusion sets. I kept having problems with the plastic cannulas on the Quick Sets, but since I switched to the infusion sets with metal ends (Sure-T), I haven't had a single issue. My blood sugars before going on the pump averaged in the 170's and 1.5 months later, they were averaging in the 140's and continue to improve. I have not had any issues with the pump itself.
As far as ease of use...it doesn't get any simpler. It is A LOT easier than giving manual injections, in my opinion..not to mention much more precise. You'll see a Medtronic representative who will instruct you how to use it and, with your doctor, will help you set the bolus/basal settings. For meals....test blood sugar, enter in # of carbs, the pump will automatically calculate your dose based on your personal settings (to the tenth of a unit), press a button and it will start giving you insulin. For random highs, it will calculate your correction dose, subtract any insulin on board, confirm the dose and it will start pumping in the dose. The basal insulin will constantly pump into your body all day & all night without any intervention. Another nice thing is it will always tell you how much bolus insulin you still have on board...which is great, especially for bedtime testing.
If you don't currently see a diabetes educator, i'd strongly recommend making an appointment with one. It only makes it that much simpler and ensures proper settings and continued adjustments.
It does require a lot of testing, especially in the first couple of weeks. I was testing 8-12 times a day my first 2 weeks, but it is worth it.
One more nice thing about the pump is the temporary basal feature. Whereas with Lantus (or other long-acting insulins) you are sort of locked in when you can eat..with the pump you can eat pretty much whenever you want. And I find that I have considerably less # of low readings while I work out because of the temporary basal feature. Oh, and it is nice to only have to 'inject' myself once every 3 days rather than 4+ times everyday.
The only issue I have had were with the infusion sets. I kept having problems with the plastic cannulas on the Quick Sets, but since I switched to the infusion sets with metal ends (Sure-T), I haven't had a single issue. My blood sugars before going on the pump averaged in the 170's and 1.5 months later, they were averaging in the 140's and continue to improve. I have not had any issues with the pump itself.
As far as ease of use...it doesn't get any simpler. It is A LOT easier than giving manual injections, in my opinion..not to mention much more precise. You'll see a Medtronic representative who will instruct you how to use it and, with your doctor, will help you set the bolus/basal settings. For meals....test blood sugar, enter in # of carbs, the pump will automatically calculate your dose based on your personal settings (to the tenth of a unit), press a button and it will start giving you insulin. For random highs, it will calculate your correction dose, subtract any insulin on board, confirm the dose and it will start pumping in the dose. The basal insulin will constantly pump into your body all day & all night without any intervention. Another nice thing is it will always tell you how much bolus insulin you still have on board...which is great, especially for bedtime testing.
If you don't currently see a diabetes educator, i'd strongly recommend making an appointment with one. It only makes it that much simpler and ensures proper settings and continued adjustments.
It does require a lot of testing, especially in the first couple of weeks. I was testing 8-12 times a day my first 2 weeks, but it is worth it.
One more nice thing about the pump is the temporary basal feature. Whereas with Lantus (or other long-acting insulins) you are sort of locked in when you can eat..with the pump you can eat pretty much whenever you want. And I find that I have considerably less # of low readings while I work out because of the temporary basal feature. Oh, and it is nice to only have to 'inject' myself once every 3 days rather than 4+ times everyday.
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Medtronic pumps are good ones, and yes they are pricey. But you geta lot better pump with Medtronic than some of the others that are out there. You need to have this co-ordinated with your endocrinologist. He/she will be able to tell you which one will serve you better. There are different models from each manufacturer for different reasons and you need to look and read up on these to get a better idea. Medtronic is the best out there that I personally have found, but then I did my homework to find out what was best for me at that time. I have been on a Medtronic 724 now for over 4 years and it has made my life so much easier.
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79 Posts
iam on the medtronic mini med no problems with the pump you will need to test very often to stay in your range been on the pump for about 2 years need to watch out so you dont run out of supplies they can overnite if they have to they dont like to but they will
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5 Posts
I have had my medtronic pump since 2008 and have loved it. I was giving myself at least 4 shots a day and taking metformin. Now I change my site every 3 days making life much simpler especially with travel. I have had no issues with the pump itself but at first there was a time of trial and error with the correct amounts for basal and bolus rates. There are times there are still issues and they have to be adjusted but life is so much easier now.
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I have the Animas Ping and am happy with it for the most part, although I do sometimes wish it had more options for temp basal rates and more options in general. Someday I will probably change but for now I am okay with it.
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