If you could pick your insulin pump, which one would it be?

[MeiChanski]

Hello Diabuddies,

I was wondering in a theoretical sense if you could pick any insulin pump, which one would it be?

For me, after some research I quite like the Minimed 670g, Tandem X2 t:slim and medtrum a6 patch pump. Hehehe, it's just my wishful thinking. But if anyone in the UK has any of them or anyone has been offered a pump, but is fighting for their choice. Please do share your experiences.

 

[himtoo]

i had a choice of medtronic 640 and omnipod and i chose omnipod -- love the tubeless -- not sure but i dont think all of those pumps are available in my CCG ( NHS care group )

 

[MeiChanski]

i had a choice of medtronic 640 and omnipod and i chose omnipod -- love the tubeless -- not sure but i dont think all of those pumps are available in my CCG ( NHS care group )

Same, I've heard good things about the omnipod. It's just wishful thinking and I don't know what my CCG offers in terms of pumps. One can dream, eh?
I saw your instagram, but I was too scared to follow you

 

[himtoo]

Same, I've heard good things about the omnipod. It's just wishful thinking and I don't know what my CCG offers in terms of pumps. One can dream, eh?
I saw your instagram, but I was too scared to follow you

@MeiChanski awwww ... you should -- it is an awesome T1d community and i would love if you were part of my journey

 

[MicheleJC]

I would be reluctant to choose any pump that doesn't have insulin cartridges. I love my accuchek insight pump for its prefilled pumpcarts. No more drawing insulin up with risks of air bubbles, I just pop a new cartridge in, so easy and quick

 

[MeiChanski]

I would be reluctant to choose any pump that doesn't have insulin cartridges. I love my accuchek insight pump for its prefilled pumpcarts. No more drawing insulin up with risks of air bubbles, I just pop a new cartridge in, so easy and quick

Oh nice, that's a good thing to note, thank you

 

[Deleted Account]

I would be reluctant to choose any pump that doesn't have insulin cartridges. I love my accuchek insight pump for its prefilled pumpcarts. No more drawing insulin up with risks of air bubbles, I just pop a new cartridge in, so easy and quick

Interesting. I have been thinking of my pump desires and pre-filled cartridges is a no no for me.
Between set changes, I use about 80 units of insulin. From what I have seen, the smallest cartridge is 200 units so I would throw away more than half of the insulin which seems a huge waste (for me). By filling the cartridges myself, I can put about 120 units in, have insulin to spare and waste far less.
In the three years I have had a pump, I have not experienced air bubble problems.

My other pump desires are
- at least 4 basal profiles. My current pump has 4 and I use all of them. I expect, if it has more, I will use more.
- ability to bolus as small as 0.05 units
- ability to set basal in increments as small as 0.05 units
- controller (either on the pump or remote) which is visible in bright sunlight. The Easter sun was gorgeous but having to go indoors to dose for my picnic was a pain.
- as small and discrete as possible. As mentioned above, I only use 80 units so the smallest cartridge and, preferably a small battery rather than the bulky AA that I have in the Animas today.

I have been using a tubey pump (Animas Vibe). It is my first pump and the tube is ok - it only gets caught on things when I don't tuck it in and you quickly learn to tuck.
Next month, I am going to trial a patch pump (the Medtrum). My main reason for this is the last criteria - size. The jury is still out whether a patch or tubey pump is preferred.

And the last (and most important) criteria are:
- reliable pump that does not break
- good customer service if the pump has problems
- easy to order supplies. My preference is online
- quick delivery of supplies. I usually plan ahead but wouldn't want to wait 2 weeks for new sets

And finally, ...
- it is available from my CCG. As much as I love having my pump, the sacrifices I would have to make to be able to afford to fund one myself would be too great if it was not available on the NHS.

 

[DunePlodder]

I chose the Tandem t:slim x2 & so far I'm very pleased with it. This is my first pump so I don't have anything to compare it with though. The exciting aspect is that it is updateable with Basal IQ "coming soon" & a full hybrid closed loop promised for the future (next year in the UK??)

 

[himtoo]

Interesting. I have been thinking of my pump desires and pre-filled cartridges is a no no for me.
Between set changes, I use about 80 units of insulin. From what I have seen, the smallest cartridge is 200 units so I would throw away more than half of the insulin which seems a huge waste (for me). By filling the cartridges myself, I can put about 120 units in, have insulin to spare and waste far less.
In the three years I have had a pump, I have not experienced air bubble problems.

My other pump desires are
- at least 4 basal profiles. My current pump has 4 and I use all of them. I expect, if it has more, I will use more.
- ability to bolus as small as 0.05 units
- ability to set basal in increments as small as 0.05 units
- controller (either on the pump or remote) which is visible in bright sunlight. The Easter sun was gorgeous but having to go indoors to dose for my picnic was a pain.
- as small and discrete as possible. As mentioned above, I only use 80 units so the smallest cartridge and, preferably a small battery rather than the bulky AA that I have in the Animas today.

I have been using a tubey pump (Animas Vibe). It is my first pump and the tube is ok - it only gets caught on things when I don't tuck it in and you quickly learn to tuck.
Next month, I am going to trial a patch pump (the Medtrum). My main reason for this is the last criteria - size. The jury is still out whether a patch or tubey pump is preferred.

And the last (and most important) criteria are:
- reliable pump that does not break
- good customer service if the pump has problems
- easy to order supplies. My preference is online
- quick delivery of supplies. I usually plan ahead but wouldn't want to wait 2 weeks for new sets

And finally, ...
- it is available from my CCG. As much as I love having my pump, the sacrifices I would have to make to be able to afford to fund one myself would be too great if it was not available on the NHS.

Hi @helensaramay

Omnipod fulfills most of your desired criteria
7 basal profiles
smallest bolus increment 0.05u
basal increments 0.05u
PDM ( pump controller not great in bight sunlight -- but New Dash system ( not sure when available in europe yet ) will run off a smart phone looking controller so might have improved abilities in sun
minimum pod fill is 85u , max fill is 200u
fixed time -- max 72 hours ( but will continue to deliver basal insulin only from hour 72 to 80 )

harder to answer this one as i get on famously with my omnipod -- I have had 3 failed pods ( screamers ) in approx 430 pods ( 43 months )
I have changed out early due to absorption issues in another 6 or 7 pods in 43 months -- so for me a total failure rate of 2.3%

I know many people that get on as I do on omnipod , but i know 2 people that experienced massive issues with leaking pods -- and collectively we have decided they just did not get on with the angled teflon cannula -- and have since moved to tubed pumps and are using 90 dgree steel cannulas with no issue

not sure what pumps are offered in your CCG -- do you have a choice of more than 1 CCG in your geographic area ?

and finally --this week sees the launch of DIY looping for omnipod so the PDM will become redundant and can be stored in the supplies cupboard in case of an emergency back up
so as long as you are happy with your phones ability to be seen in sunlight another issue resolved hopefully


customer service has always been very good for me-- the actual deliveries take 2 - 3 business days as the pods are despatched from the Netherlands by UPS courier.
to my knowledge they dont do online ordering but i have never actually asked tbh.

hope this helps
cheers
himtoo​

 

[Deleted Account]

@himtoo thanks for the OmniPod review. It definitely sounds good.
Unfortunately, the one box it definitely does NOT tick is "it is available in my CCG"
The official line is Medtronic 640G or injecting but I have managed to wangle a Medtrum trial.
There are some unknowns but I hope to check them out next month.

 

[himtoo]

@himtoo thanks for the OmniPod review. It definitely sounds good.
Unfortunately, the one box it definitely does NOT tick is "it is available in my CCG"
The official line is Medtronic 640G or injecting but I have managed to wangle a Medtrum trial.
There are some unknowns but I hope to check them out next month.

@helensaramay
is it because they do not have a nurse trained for omnipod or because of cost ( omnipod is more expensive compared to a tubed pump over a standard 4 year warranty tubed pump
(initial outlay is less obviously)

 

[MeiChanski]

Interesting. I have been thinking of my pump desires and pre-filled cartridges is a no no for me.
Between set changes, I use about 80 units of insulin. From what I have seen, the smallest cartridge is 200 units so I would throw away more than half of the insulin which seems a huge waste (for me). By filling the cartridges myself, I can put about 120 units in, have insulin to spare and waste far less.
In the three years I have had a pump, I have not experienced air bubble problems.

My other pump desires are
- at least 4 basal profiles. My current pump has 4 and I use all of them. I expect, if it has more, I will use more.
- ability to bolus as small as 0.05 units
- ability to set basal in increments as small as 0.05 units
- controller (either on the pump or remote) which is visible in bright sunlight. The Easter sun was gorgeous but having to go indoors to dose for my picnic was a pain.
- as small and discrete as possible. As mentioned above, I only use 80 units so the smallest cartridge and, preferably a small battery rather than the bulky AA that I have in the Animas today.

I have been using a tubey pump (Animas Vibe). It is my first pump and the tube is ok - it only gets caught on things when I don't tuck it in and you quickly learn to tuck.
Next month, I am going to trial a patch pump (the Medtrum). My main reason for this is the last criteria - size. The jury is still out whether a patch or tubey pump is preferred.

And the last (and most important) criteria are:
- reliable pump that does not break
- good customer service if the pump has problems
- easy to order supplies. My preference is online
- quick delivery of supplies. I usually plan ahead but wouldn't want to wait 2 weeks for new sets

And finally, ...
- it is available from my CCG. As much as I love having my pump, the sacrifices I would have to make to be able to afford to fund one myself would be too great if it was not available on the NHS.

Hello again!

keep us in the loop, as far as I'm aware the Medtrum A6 patch pump is the only one with CGM integration, which is interesting.

 

[MeiChanski]

I chose the Tandem t:slim x2 & so far I'm very pleased with it. This is my first pump so I don't have anything to compare it with though. The exciting aspect is that it is updateable with Basal IQ "coming soon" & a full hybrid closed loop promised for the future (next year in the UK??)

Oh nice, the desirable pumps that i'm looking at have the safeguard tech and can be linked with CGM, whether they are available in my CCG, I don't know. I'm quite tech savvy, so it'll be interesting to see the updates.

 

[Deleted Account]

@helensaramay
is it because they do not have a nurse trained for omnipod or because of cost ( omnipod is more expensive compared to a tubed pump over a standard 4 year warranty tubed pump
(initial outlay is less obviously)

It is definitely a cost reason.
The Medtrum is much cheaper than OmniPod.

 

[Deleted Account]

Hello again!

keep us in the loop, as far as I'm aware the Medtrum A6 patch pump is the only one with CGM integration, which is interesting.

I certainly will. However, I will not be trialling the Cgm integration.

 

[Capt-Slog]

Hi @helensaramay

Omnipod fulfills most of your desired criteria

and finally --this week sees the launch of DIY looping for omnipod so the PDM will become redundant and can be stored in the supplies cupboard in case of an emergency back up
so as long as you are happy with your phones ability to be seen in sunlight another issue resolved hopefully

hope this helps

cheers
himtoo​

Hi HimToo,

I have just been given the list of Pumps that i can choose from in my area and have been scouting around for information to help me choose. I was going down the list of posts in this forum when a comment in your post caught my attention.
You said "this week sees the launch of DIY looping for omnipod".

Please can you expand upon this and maybe supply a few URL links to further information.
If i can achieve DIY Looping with an Omnipod then it will become a complete no-brainer for me.

Many Thanks
Slog

 

[Capt-Slog]

Hi Guys,
I am beginning to realise that i am quite lucky with my area.
This is the list of pumps i have been given:

Insulet - Omnipod
Roche - Accu-Chek Insight
Roche - Accu-Chek Combo
Ypsomed - Mylife YpsoPump
Medtronic - MiniMed 640G
Medtronic - Minimed 670G

I love the idea of tubeless, so Omnipod was high on my list.
However, i was drawn to the idea of a Medtronic Minimed 670G, because of the CGM interface (but the compatible CGM is self-funding in my area).

Currently i am using a Libre FGM and a MiaoMiao to give me CGM information via xDrip+ and Nightscout.
I really like xDrip+ and even the slightest possibility of being able to interface xDrip or Nightscout to the Omnipod would be my ideal solution.

I have heard very little on the forums about the Roche pumps.
I currently use an Accu-Chek Expert meter and the Accu-Chek Combo pump seems to have an almost identical controller.
But that isn't much of a reason to get it.

Any thoughts?

Slog

 

[endocrinegremlin]

I have found this post interesting. I don't get a choice. There used to be either animas or medtronic but that was luck of your start date not a choice. Now animas has pulled out, my area gets the medtronic they are given or nothing. It is very frustrating as I find the medtronic sets utterly horrendous. Something to think on.

 

[MeiChanski]

Hi Guys,
I am beginning to realise that i am quite lucky with my area.
This is the list of pumps i have been given:

Insulet - Omnipod
Roche - Accu-Chek Insight
Roche - Accu-Chek Combo
Ypsomed - Mylife YpsoPump
Medtronic - MiniMed 640G
Medtronic - Minimed 670G

I love the idea of tubeless, so Omnipod was high on my list.
However, i was drawn to the idea of a Medtronic Minimed 670G, because of the CGM interface (but the compatible CGM is self-funding in my area).

Currently i am using a Libre FGM and a MiaoMiao to give me CGM information via xDrip+ and Nightscout.
I really like xDrip+ and even the slightest possibility of being able to interface xDrip or Nightscout to the Omnipod would be my ideal solution.

I have heard very little on the forums about the Roche pumps.
I currently use an Accu-Chek Expert meter and the Accu-Chek Combo pump seems to have an almost identical controller.
But that isn't much of a reason to get it.

Any thoughts?

Slog

Hello Slog,

I love the variety that you have in your CCG. I too, like the idea and the way minimed 670G works and it looks updated compared to it's sibling, 640G. (Feels like it's been given a "facelift").

 

[MeiChanski]

I have found this post interesting. I don't get a choice. There used to be either animas or medtronic but that was luck of your start date not a choice. Now animas has pulled out, my area gets the medtronic they are given or nothing. It is very frustrating as I find the medtronic sets utterly horrendous. Something to think on.

Hello, Oh dear, i'm sorry to hear have you expressed it to your team? I haven't heard anyone fighting for another choice for their chosen pump. I'd love to hear any updates on your pump situation.