Type 1 Insulin pumps.

[Neil.]

Hi All.

It’s been years since I was last on this site but yet again I need some help.
My last 3 pumps…which I will leave out the manufacturer have all cracked within 6 months to 3 years on the insulin holder and now the battery compartment.
Think you can guess manufacturer now for those using this pump.
I started on pumps around 20 years ago and the quality was very good but sensors not after they were first introduced.
I’ve been on a closed loop system for 2 years now and can’t believe how much my HBA1C has dropped. Within the first six months I went from 99 to 62 and hypos massively reduced so cannot fault the system.
My question is…Are there a lot of people who are experiencing the same problem as I spoke to the technicians and they are in agreement with myself about it being your own body temperature that is making the plastic brittle.

Would appreciate a gauge of how many of us are walking round with this same problem.

Thanks all.

 

[sleepster]

Hi @Neil., I've had 2 pumps that cracked, the first one was the battery compartment that cracked after I'd had it about 3.5 years and then the replacement cracked on the front after a few months, just a small crack on the central button, but I kept using it as it was out of warranty and I had no indication of when I might get my new pump. This one I've had about a year now and no problems so far. I use a silicone case so that might help protect it a bit, not sure though
Out of interest, do you use any kind of case/protector if it is caused by body heat?

 

[In Response]

My old pump cracked twice (it was replaced in between) round the battery compartment.
I am sure it was a different manufacturer to yours as they pulled out of the pump market a few years ago.
My problem was not body heat related but over tightening the cap on the compartment… at least that is what they told me after the second replacement.

The first crack was very annoying - I didn’t notice it until I got a pump fault alarm in a cafe and couldn’t remove the battery to stop it.

 

[Neil.]

Hi @Neil., I've had 2 pumps that cracked, the first one was the battery compartment that cracked after I'd had it about 3.5 years and then the replacement cracked on the front after a few months, just a small crack on the central button, but I kept using it as it was out of warranty and I had no indication of when I might get my new pump. This one I've had about a year now and no problems so far. I use a silicone case so that might help protect it a bit, not sure though
Out of interest, do you use any kind of case/protector if it is caused by body heat?

Hi @sleepster.

No, I don’t use a protector due to the heat retention it would cause.
It’s definitely body heat as they virtually confirmed that it was the explanation coming back from the lab after tests.
My real worry is that my when it came to my pump renewal I was fold by the diabetes nurses that I’d had a replacement 3 years ago so my warranty was extended and my pump was replaced later than it would of been putting me behind to 3rd generation sensors and not fourth.
This according to the manufacturer is not true as the guarantee runs out from the when the pump is issued and no matter how many pumps they replace the guarantee and product support are only covered for four years under original guarantee.
For quite a while I was walking round with a pump that was out of guarantee and had no serial number on or product cover.
This is something again I questioned as this is impossible to run as a business model.
Apparently this is against all manufacturers guidelines and the trust should definitely not be doing this.

 

[dancer]

Hi @sleepster.

No, I don’t use a protector due to the heat retention it would cause.
It’s definitely body heat as they virtually confirmed that it was the explanation coming back from the lab after tests.
My real worry is that my when it came to my pump renewal I was fold by the diabetes nurses that I’d had a replacement 3 years ago so my warranty was extended and my pump was replaced later than it would of been putting me behind to 3rd generation sensors and not fourth.
This according to the manufacturer is not true as the guarantee runs out from the when the pump is issued and no matter how many pumps they replace the guarantee and product support are only covered for four years under original guarantee.
For quite a while I was walking round with a pump that was out of guarantee and had no serial number on or product cover.
This is something again I questioned as this is impossible to run as a business model.
Apparently this is against all manufacturers guidelines and the trust should definitely not be doing this.

It sounds like your nurse got it wrong and was just trying to save the hospital money. For a crack, or any other fault, a pump is replaced by a reconditioned one which is covered by the original pump's guarantee.