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Medtronic 780G, new pump user!

Maco

Well-Known Member
Messages
278
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi guys, quick introduction. I’m 26, been diabetic since I was 13/14. Never accepted diabetes in my teenage years & always had problems like most of us do. I was previously receiving pump medication when I was 16 & I was using a Medtronic paradigm.

So in November after a phone call with my diabetes nurse we spoke about pump therapy again. Having never previously been on Dafne she explained as a minimum & due to COVID a BERTIE online course would be accepted as a way back onto a pump. So after a few days completing the course I got back in touch with them & after speaking to my consultant they agreed to allow me back onto pump therapy. On Wednesday I got the email to say I would be receiving my pump in the new year & will be going live with it on the 7th of January after a 3 hour online meeting. I’m currently using the Libre & thankfully I will also be getting the Medtronic CGM funded alongside my pump.

Anyway my question is, how good is the 780G? After joining multiple Facebook Medtronic groups I am seeing a lot & I mean a lot of complains or twisting about the pump and the CGM. A lot saying the CGM is terribly inaccurate & a lot of others saying the pump is also terrible ie the auto mode is rubbish. Most of these people are American as is always the case with diabetes technology but it is worrying when they are all trying to get there insurance to allow them to move onto Tangem/omnipod pumps to work with Dexcom.

Personally I’m really excited to start the 780G, the features look great and having the CGM to run alongside is going to be life changing (if it works). I haven’t been back in contact with my diabetes team to question Medtronic or ask about other brands as I know they jumped through hoops and have managed to get me back onto pump therapy within 6/8 weeks so basically I don’t want to p**s them off.

Any feedback from Medtronic users or even other brands would be great. Thanks
 
My honest answer is that Medtronic's CGM isn’t that good. Their pump is very good. I like their pump, and I like how they stand behind their pumps.

How well did Libre work for you? It might suggest how Medtronic’s CGM might go. I really wish people could just try these things before committing.

You could back down the pump to only get a pump, but then it won’t loop. But if Medtronic’s CGM doesn’t work you won’t be looping anyway.

You are going to need to learn to carb count. To be really successful at anything diabetes this is a must.
 


Hi jolly & thanks for the reply.
Currently Libre works wonders for me, Hba1c of 82 before Libre & currently around the 52 mark with the Libre. Time in target range is currently between 70/80%.

Regarding carb counting, I am currently using Novorapid so counting carbs is something I do on a daily basis.

Slightly worried how many people agree on how poor the Medtronic CGM is.
 
different people find different sensor's work better or worse for them as everyone is different i find my Guardian™ Sensor 3 work's fine for me and had no hypo's for 8+ years with the 640g
 
Thanks for raising this question, Maco. Our DSNs have said that Medtronic 780G, tandem and Omnipod are all offered through the clinic (but not CGM) and am currently using Freestyle Libre 1. I have encountered very similar negative comments about Medtronic and the accuracy of their CGM. I would like to move to CGM to effect hybrid closed loop (MHRA regulated) if at all possible. I am currently tilting towards a tandem ( as likely to link to future iterations of Libre). Am currently on an out of warranty Accuchek Insight and get good control using this and freestyle, though still get hypos (HbA1c 45 mmol/mol)
 


I’ve briefly looked into the Tandem & for me I didn’t really like the look of it. It seemed quite complicated but maybe that’s because I’ve got my heart set on the 780G. Fortunately my local CCG funds the pump as well as the CGM for the Medtronic system so that’s a huge bonus for me. I’m currently using the Libre and I love it so hopefully the Medtronic CGM can come close.

I’ve joined more Facebook groups to enquire more about the guardian 3 & I am starting to get a lot more positive feedback especially from people who are now using the 780.
 
Add another to that count! I've just swapped from the medtronic 640G and gaurdian CGM system to the t-slim and dexcom. The dexcom is in a different league - far more accurate, a LOT less faffihg about inserting it (you need literally 2 pairs of hands if you want to stick the enlite sensor from medtronic anywhere other than your abdomen), it lasts 10 days rather than 7 and doesn't need calibrating 2-3 times a day. I don't know about the 780G but I know the model before it used to kick you out of the automode (medtronic's closed loop system) if you failed to calibrate it, or if it lost contact etc. I've used the libre before and the dexcom is very much like that, although doesn't last 4 weeks and of course is a cgm not flash

The t-slim is excellent with one exception - using fiasp in it has a lot of potential issues.
 
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Thank you MinaRotter, more information and impressions, both positive and negative are useful as commitments to most of the pumps seem to be for 4 years, so as informed a choice as possible seems sensible.

I change my Libre every 2 weeks, as it is provided through my CCG/the NHS. I didn't know it could be extended to 4 weeks.....(!).

The observation that Fiasp in the tandem is problematic is also helpful as using NovoRapid I often think that the insulin is two hours behind my blood glucose and decision points for carbs, boluses etc (but that might just be me/my metabolism). Could you expand on the Fiasp issue in the tandem please? (only if you're comfortable doing so of course)...
 
i think the problem with fiasp is the t-slim is programmed for the response curve of nova rapid insulin and fiasp does not last as long and has a faster peak effect
 
As far as I’m aware Libre still only has a 2 week lifespan? Could be completely wrong but I’m currently using the Libre while waiting to get my Medtronic CGM & I only get two weeks. I’ve seen a few people mention about the Medtronic system chucking them out of automode when not calibrating but from what I can gather from my 780G user manual you have upto 3 hours to enter a calibration. I can’t really comment on Fiasp as I’ve only ever used novorapid alongside Tresiba.
 
I'm on the 670G system. I find the sensors ok and am in Auto mode for most of the time. There's the occasional hiccup but on the whole it's a good system. However, we can't vary the target range on automatic, which annoys those aiming for an Hba1c of less than 6.5. I have read that the 780G does allow different target ranges and also gives corrections when BG rises. That would improve my results, so I look forward to hearing more about the 780G.
 
Sorry, yeah it's 2 weeks for the Libre - it's a few years since I used it and my memory's not great

The issue with Fiasp in the t-slim is that it suddenly stops working after about 2-3 days in a LOT of people. This causes sudden unexpalined highs (that I can personally vouch for - I hit 18mmol/l and got no response from multiple boluses, having to change the whole giving set and give a S/C injection to bring it down again). This is apparently well known and is specific to the t-slim (it was fine for me for over a year in a Medtronic). Google it or ask the t-slim rep, mine knew about it but forgot to tell me! Some people get around it by changing the cannula/cartridge etc every 2 days. It may not affect you but from googling it, there appears to be quite a few that it does and in one post about a trial I read about there was something like a 40%+ of increased occlusions and cannua changes using Fiasp compared with humalog - The end of the line with Fiasp | Diabettech - Diabetes and Technology

I should also add that I really like the Medtronic as a pump and have used one for 12 years. My last one was a 640G. The big factor for me was the CGM, it's like night and day. The Medtronic's Enlite sensor and Guardian transmitter is a fiddly pain to fit, it takes probably 10 times longer to fit than the Dexcom, it involves pulling tapes off, putting an overtape on, slidding a transmitter on, taping over that transmitter and then adding another overtape. Try doing that in the back of your arm! Compared with a snap and shoot of the Dexcom that takes literally a second and can be done one handed, pretty much the same as the Libre if I remember correctly. Also the Guardian needs calibrating 2-3 times a day minimum, alarms both 1 hour before and at the time the calibration is due - thats an additional 6 alarms a day if you cancel the first alarm and forget . Used to drive me nuts. The Dexcom is also much more accurate and has been found to be so in trials. It also lasts 10 days. And it doesn't need calibrating ...I may have mentioned that but think it's so important that I thought I ought to mention it again
 
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I would love to have a closed loop system. I am on a Medtronic 630g and a dexcomg6. I don't think it would be worth the hassle to get such a system from Medtronic as it does not connect to Dexcom. With the extra calibrations, taping and inaccuracies I think it is best that I do the extra workload on my own and stay with what I have. It is working for me.
 
Just had word today my 780G was dispatched Friday, probably won’t arrive till after Xmas but my training day isn’t till the 7th anyway. From what I can gather the 780G works well with guardian and doesn’t need as many calibrations. Certainly hope so
 
Wonderful! I still have 2 years before I am eligible for a new pump. Hopefully Medtronic will allow me to do an upgrade and connect to dexcom when the 780 is available in Canada.
 
Dee 11 said:
Wonderful! I still have 2 years before I am eligible for a new pump. Hopefully Medtronic will allow me to do an upgrade and connect to dexcom when the 780 is available in Canada.
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That would be a good pairing but unfortunately one that I doubt will materialise. I would think that Medtronic have invested quite a lot of R&D monies into their own CGM, so doubt that they would support a 3rd party CGM. Hopefully they will improve their own CGM system as they are aware it needs a bit of improvement. I hope you get on ok with it. It certainly is very useable, it's just a lot more intrusive and awkward to fit and monitor than Decxom's.
 


Medtronic have a couple of CGM’s in the pipeline, the one nearest to release is the Zeus. The Zeus only needs one blood test calibration on start up supposedly. I’m not sure how close it is to release in The uk and Europe but it has finished clinical trials in the US & has been sent to the FDA for approval. COVID has obviously put things on the back burner but they where still aiming to release it early 2021.

They are also looking at producing the synergy CGM, but that isn’t looking like it will be released until 2023. Again, 1 calibration on start up. East 3 step insert, 50% smaller, no overtape needed & it will be an all in one sensor transmitter.
 
 
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