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Animas or Medtronic

jemmaedias

Active Member
Messages
44
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hey guys, I'm new to this so not sure if I'm doing this right!

I was diagnosed T1 6 months ago and I've been doing really well with injections but I'm desperate to get a pump in the hope of finding a treatment that's as close to a pancreas as possible, as I'm sure you all feel too!

I've been offered an Animas pump (they haven't specified which unfortunately) or a Medtronic Minimed 640g. I know I'd like a smaller pump which is more discrete and takes less regular checking of sugars possibly.

Does anyone use either of these and what do you think of it?

Thank you!!!


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To be honest there's probably more checking of sugars with the pump! But if you work hard at it, put the effort in and commit to making the pump work for you, it's brilliant for improved control, more flexibility and less restrictive in terms of being able to adjust a basal rate and not being stuck with the dose you've already given for that day and having to work round the basal!
I went for the animas because it's waterproof and I can swim with it attached. I've found it easy to use and work with.
Gemma

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Animas only do one pump, the Animas vibe.
Pumping you have to do a lot more testing then on MDI, you also have to set your basal pattern which can mean testing every hour for at least 6 hours plus skipping meals and losing sleep due to having to basal test at night. If you think the sensors (CGM) comes included think again as you have to self fund this yourself. Bottom line is pumping is a lot of hard work and not an easy option and def not a plug and play machine. Have you been taught to carb count yet, do you understand correction factors and carb ratios?
 


That is not entirely true, here in Canada we get the option of the Animas Vibe or the Animas Ping. The Ping is essentially the Vibe but without the ability to pair with the dexcom.

In regards to the original question.

I think based solely on looks the Medtronic looks significantly better and you would get less questions about it. However, I would much rather use the dexcom system for my CGM then a medtronic system, so the Animas Vibe with Dexcom paired would likely function better in the long run.

Soooo its one of those strange situations where one looks way cooler, and is proven to work much better...

My vote goes to the Animas Vibe with Dexcom sensors, just until Medtronic can build a better CGM reputation to sway me.
 
I have an Animas Vibe and chose it partly because of the Deccom as @Diamattic says above (although I can't afford that yet). I also like the look of it. It's robust, waterproof and intuitive to use
 
azure said:
I have an Animas Vibe and chose it partly because of the Deccom as @Diamattic says above (although I can't afford that yet). I also like the look of it. It's robust, waterproof and intuitive to use
Click to expand...

The dexcom sensors are a large added cost. I have been able to get good results stretching them to around 21 days which cuts the cost significantly.

As far as I know you can only stretch the Medtronic sensors to 7-9 days before the rechargeable battery needs to be removed for a recharge.

Make sure that you factor in the cost of the CGM in your cost analysis OP, otherwise you may be in for a surprise down the line.
 
jemmaedias said:
I know I'd like a smaller pump which is more discrete and takes less regular checking of sugars possibly.
Click to expand...

Can't offer an opinion on the two pumps you've mentioned, but no matter what pump you decide to go for regular bg testing is a must, you have to remember that a pump provides both your basal and bolus insulin.
 
Just to butt in here, I'm very happy with the Medtronic pump, and the majority of the people I've spoken to have been able to get 15 or so days out of the Medtronic sensors. We've also now got the 640G hooked up to NightScout so you can use open source software to manage yourself.

Personally I'd take the 640 over the animas vibe.

Adding to this, details of Animas' next generation pump are starting to appear on the internet, and it looks as though they are likely to introduce capabilities that are similar to the 640G or 670G. All makes for a much more exciting time as T1Ds!


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Last edited by a moderator:
tim2000s said:
Adding to this, details of Animas' next generation pump are starting to appear on the internet, and it looks as though they are likely to introduce capabilities that are similar to the 640G or 670G. All makes for a much more exciting time as T1Ds!
Click to expand...

Ooh have you any links please as would love to have a read Ta very much.
 
CarbsRok said:
Ooh have you any links please as would love to have a read Ta very much.
Click to expand...
Only an article on childrenwithtype1diabetes.org at the moment. They seem to be expecting something in 2016/early 2017.
 
@tim2000s - Thats great to hear about the Medtronic!

Canada still doesn't have the 640G as far as I know - We actually just got the Vibe last year lol I actually think I was the first person in my small city to get one haha

The 640G has the low Glucose suspend which i think is brilliant!

I dont think you can go wrong with either provided you get, and continue to use the CGM capabilities - if you dont plan on using the CGM I would go Medtronic for sure - it looks so much better, and seems like it would fit better in a pocket haha
 
Thanks so much guys, I'll have a talk with my DSN about them next week and try to have a look at both but will definitely bear all your opinions in mind! Sounds like the Animas Vibe is a winner for me at the moment but thank you for opening my eyes to the need to test regularly, as this hadn't been pointed out to me before.
 

I've been carb counting since diagnosis so its first nature to me now! My ratio is 1:10 (1:15 for breakfast if I have to walk to school) and correction dose is 1:2.5 (1:2 if I'm having trouble bringing my bg down). Thanks for the heads up about the more complicated side of the pump which my DSN actually hadn't mentioned to me!
 
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