I am sure you will be happy. I have been pumping with MM for 15 years! It doesn't take long to get used to the tubing and wearing the pump. And you won't have to carry the Pump controller and the CGMS receiver, you will just be wearing one thing, the size of a pager, that handles both.

Linda B.

Has he seen more than one doctor? There is a wound care center here where I live. Before spending money on products sold over the internet I would find a doctor or facility that specializes in wound care, even if I had to drive hours to get there.

Linda B.

Suzan,

Whether or not your insulin will be OK after being out of the refrigerator for a week, if I were you, I would get FRESH insulin for your trip.
You can then deal with the questionable insulin when you are back in the states. I think the only way to know if it's OK is to use it and see what happens. I would not be willing to do that on a trip.

You could call the pharmacist and ask if they will replace it, and if not, if there is a way to get an extra bottle from your insurance because of a trip and another because you broke one. If the pharmacist can't get it through, you could call your insurance and try again with them directly.


My Novolog costs me $105 per bottle. I have to pay out of pocket and then send the receipts to my insurance. The receipt says the full retail price (at Walgreens) is $133 per bottle.

Linda B.

Many people who first start looking at pumps think they want an Omnipod because it doesn't use tubing. If that is your main reason, we highly recommend that you handle the Omnipod, the Medtronic, and the Animas.

Most pumpers find that the tubing is no big deal.
Some people find the pods are bigger than they expected and they are not comfortable wearing them.

You should get in touch with all three companies, or better still, find a CDE who handles all three and discuss the possibilities.

As Tom said, if you are looking for a pump that has CGMS integrated the only one right now is the MM.

Linda B.

Well I had the total opposite experience.
When I got my Revel and could use the Link feature again (I had to turn it off because it was not compatible with CGMS on a 522) I called Lifescan and asked for a second link meter because I keep one in my purse at all times and the other in my house. The woman I spoke to refused. She said I had to call MM and get it from them. Needless to say MM would not give me one for free, even after I offered to start buying my strips from them. They were even having a promotion sending them to anyone who bought 300 strips. But my insurance only allows me to buy 200 strips at one time.

I finally got a 2nd one from someone in my pump club who had to go off her pump due to finances.

Linda B.

Thank you, Peter for letting us know. I have re-opened the thread.

Linda B.

I have never heard of insurance that is specifically for a pump.
Homeowners or Renters insurance should cover it if it were lost or stolen. I'm not sure how that could happen since you wear it 24 /7. I have heard stories of pumps stolen from beaches or pools - that is why I have a waterproof case for mine, and I never take it off.

If it breaks for any reason, whether or not it was your fault, they will replace it. (how would they know it was your fault?) You just call and say there is a problem with the pump and they replace it.

Linda B.

I would definitely wonder if something was wrong with the pump. Unless you are under a physical or mental strain right now. Stress can really mess with your BGs.

If I were you, knowing that the pump dropped onto a concrete floor, I would call MM and let them decide whether your pump is functioning properly. You can tell if it's delivering insulin properly by doing a bolus of .8 when you are disconnected. Every .4 should cause a drop of insulin to form at the bottom of the cannula. This is part of what they would have you do if you call them.

If you don't want to call them (but I don't know why you wouldn't) you could give the pump one more try.
The first, important thing to do as John said is to use a syringe so that you are starting from a NORMAL BG. Getting down only to the high 100s won't let you know if your pump is working well. Once you are down to NORMAL, you will be able to see if your pump is working.

Linda B.

I started pumping 15 years ago. I clearly remember how surprised I was that it did not bother me at all to be wearing it. I don't really know how long it took before I stopped thinking about where it was. I always wear mine on my waistband, and the tubing is always inside my clothing. I truly don't think about it at all until it beeps at me (I'm not saying it will take you 15 years, more like 15 days)

Linda B.

Just to summarize what Shaku is saying:

MM does not have the capability to control the entire bolus from your BG meter the way that the Animas Ping does. The remote control of the Ping is fully functional to run the entire bolus wizard.

That is absolutely correct.

Linda B.

If you can afford the $399 out of pocket, you should upgrade to the Revel (through the Pathway program). You will be able to use your Ultra Link and the predictive alerts will help you know when you are heading to a low or a high. The CGMS improvements in the Revel are worth the cost.

Linda B.

And to add what Arlene said, calibrating the CGMS with every blood test will throw off your sensor readings. The sensor readings are the most accurate when you only calibrate 2 - 4 times a day when your BGs are stable.

Linda B.

It's funny how we are all very different.
I also have been pumping a long time (15 years) and I never leave in sites that hurt. 95% of my sites do not hurt at all.
I find that if they hurt, they are not going to absorb well.
The wonderful thing about the Sure-Ts is that when you press it in, if it hurts, you can just pull it out, move it over a tiny bit and try again. This requires putting tape over it because the built in tape doesn't stick the second time, but I always put tape over it anyway because they can pull out easily.

I would recommend that anyone who experiences pain with their sets try all the other sets before sticking with the one that causes pain.

Linda B.

I am not a doctor, but I do know that there are many types of pills for type 2s. I also know that my dad took Metformin 2 x a day (I don't know the dose).
If it were my dad I would have him keep records for a few days (test 3 or 4 times a day mixing up before and after meals) and then bring them to the doctor.
He might not need a pump; he might just need to spread out the Metformin with a different dose or maybe add another pill. I don't think one high reading means anything.

Linda B.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/Welcome 2.gif) to our forum and congratulations on ordering your pump.

If you have been reading the forum you know that we tell all new pumpers to get the book, 'Pumping Insulin 4th ed.' by John Walsh. It will give you a great overview of all the intricacies of pumping, and can be a great reference when you start making your own adjustments.

There is lots of good info in the 'Prospective Pumpers and Newbies' section that might be helpful if you feel like poking through them.

Don't hesitate to ask questions, that's what we're all about!

Linda B.

I have read about official plans for when children are in school on the insulin-pumpers.org website. I have never read the forum, but I am sure that this must be discussed on the childrenwithdiabetes.com website also.
Try those forums where there are more parents with children who have diabetes.

I believe the key is for you to package any food with a note about the amount of carbs. They need to check her BG before she eats of course, and then the pump should do the math.
I'm not sure about setting temp basals - that really might be a lot to ask. Until you see how she does, maybe you want to lower her basals a little bit and let her run higher. If she is going to be more active in the school than at home she might need her basals adjusted.

Can you attend school the first few days and literally direct all the activity until the teachers get the gist of what you do? That may be extreme but it might be the best way to teach them.

I'm just rambing...check those other forums. And do an internet search for medical plans for school children.

Linda B.

I should have known better than to say 'most' (or always, or never) Silly me.

I just turned 60, so it's not age that makes the difference. I had so many Sure-Ts conk out during the third day that I now leave them in only 2 days. Since doing that I have had no problems, and I now use them almost always.

Linda B.

The trainer should be able to get you samples of ALL the MM sets, but if you prefer you can get them yourself by calling the HELPLINE (not the order department.)
She should get samples of the 13 mm Silhouette (that goes in at an angle), the Mio, and the Sure-T. One of them should work without pain.

Linda B.

Liz described it very well, but I just want to agree.
They go in SO EASILY there's nothing to it. I just lay it on my skin and press. I don't even pinch the skin up. I LOVE the Sure-Ts and am using them most of the time.
The one thing that is VERY IMPORTANT is that most of us who use the Sure-Ts can only leave them in for 2 days. The body reacts to the metal under the skin and causes absorption to decrease by the beginning of the 3rd day.
I don't mind changing that often, because they are so painless.

Linda B.

I started pumping 15 years ago - and even then I was kicking myself for waiting as long as I did. The possibility was suggested to me almost a year before I finally did get one.

I imagine the entire forum will 'be with you'!

I'm glad that we helped you go for it.

Linda B.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/Welcome 2.gif) to our forum, Mike.

I see from your other post you are an experienced pumper starting with an Animas and with a MM 722 now.

MM just upgraded their pump and CGMS to a new model called the Revel. It has improved CGMS features, and some improved pump features as well. There are many posts where we talked about all the changes. Mostly customizable predictive alarms that should help you be aware of your lows before they happen. (with the x22 CGMS many people found the delay in the CGMS meant caused the warnings for lows to be too late to be useful). Now there are PREDICTIVE alerts that fix that problem for most of us.

I have been pumping with MM for 15 years, and using the CGMS for 4. I can't imagine being without the CGMS - it has warned me about many lows and highs before I was aware of them. It has tightened my control considerably.

You should have no trouble getting it approved considering your hypo episodes (sorry you had to go through that).

I don't have any experience with Decxom. I believe it was better at catching lows compared to the MM x22 CGMS, but now that there are predictive alarms I doubt that is true any longer.

Linda B.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/Welcome 2.gif) to our forum!

We always recommend new pumpers get the book, 'Pumping Insulin' by John Walsh.
Since you are in CA, if you are reading the forum with the mocha skin, there should be a link at the bottom of the page to take you straight to a Canadian book store for purchase.

You will love pumping.

Linda B.

I think most people assume it's a pager.
I don't take it off my waistband to check my Sensor readings so my tubing is not visible. (not that I care).
When I do my bolus, I usually leave it on my waistband as well, but if I take it off I'm sitting down and it's in my lap so the tubing still not really visible.
I've never felt that anyone was giving me 'strange looks'.

Linda B.

ABSOLUTELY! If you use the CGMS it is MUCH better. If you don't there are still improvements in the insulin delivery speed and the fact that you can see the active insulin amount on the status screen or by pushing the easy bolus button.


I can't imagine what the 'something better' would be in the short timeframe. One wonderful thing with MM is that they have the Pathway program which allows you to upgrade every time they come out with something new for a nominal fee ($399 this time) as long as you are in warranty. So you don't have to worry about 'locking in' to a 523/723 for 4 years (unless you just can't afford to do the Pathway).

Linda B.

Now that MM released the Revel (the 523 / 723) they have the same tiny rates of basal and bolus that Animas has had.

MM had a pediatric version but I'm not sure what the difference is, or if there still is a pediatric version now that they released the Revel. When you look at their website, they claim to have 'pediatric friendly features' (whatever they are)
http://www.minimed.com/products/insulinpum...pare/index.html

Since you already are familiar with the MM infusion sets and reservoirs and menu structure, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't stick with them.

There is a website that might be helpful:
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/

Linda B.