Pumps

[Snapsy]

I'm on the Insight too - I aim to change cannulas mostly every 3 days (although sometimes 2.5 days or 3.5 days because of life getting in the way of stuff). Because I change my cartridge much less often than I need to change the cannula, I tend to not change the cannula then, as it doesn't often coincide timewise.

 

[Sweetheart66]

Did I see on the Medtronic website that there is a blood glucose meter that is compatible with the pump and that you can use it to send bolus instructions to pump?

 

[JimC]

The handset for the insight is your bgm too and if your bg is a bit higher it works out the correction dose and sends the info to the pump and delivers your dose! I was quite surprised how well the insight works! Just have to make sure you charge the handset lol

 

[rockape37]

Did I see on the Medtronic website that there is a blood glucose meter that is compatible with the pump and that you can use it to send bolus instructions to pump?

Yes it comes with the Contour Next Link 2.4 meter made by Bayer.
I asked them for a spare meter but they won't give a compatible one out for free but one that takes the same test strips. However you can get the pump compatible meter from Rowlands Pharmacy online for £24.99 plus p&p.

It just means that if your spare meter doesn't communicate with your pump you have to enter the BG results in manually.

All your consumables are odered from Medtronic once your account has been set up with you, your hospital and Medtronic.

I use the large reservoir and change the tubing/ canular every 3 days. I used to completely fill the reservoir and just change that when needed.

Having said that as i now know how much insulin I'm using over a 3 day period i just fill it to what i need.

When you first start off with yor pump just fill it up till you settle down and know what you need. Dont worry about a bit of waste, remember when on MDI, you doing an air shot of 2 units prior to every injection so if you add all that up over the course of the day thats a lot more than a bit of waste after 3 days on the pump.

Its a good pump, but then its the only one I've had so don't know otherwise.

"Love your Pump"

Martin

 

[tim2000s]

One of the reasons that I don't like to change the reservoir every three days is that each of those little lumps of plastic costs £10. You save the NHS £600 a year by changing them every six days instead of every three. If you refill them for two weeks (again totally feasible and what a lot of self-funders do and I'm not aware of them suffering issues with this approach) then you save the NHS £900 a year. It starts to add up.

 

[Sweetheart66]

The handset for the insight is your bgm too and if your bg is a bit higher it works out the correction dose and sends the info to the pump and delivers your dose! I was quite surprised how well the insight works! Just have to make sure you charge the handset lol

The Insight did look good to me but I dont think the capacity of insulin it holds is enough for me. Im on quite a lot each day (some resistance creeping in with weight gain!) so I think I may go for the Medtronic 640g

 

[Sweetheart66]

I was wondering does Metformin help with Dawn Phenomenon, to help reduce insulin consumption to deal with it?

 

[novorapidboi26]

One of the reasons that I don't like to change the reservoir every three days is that each of those little lumps of plastic costs £10. You save the NHS £600 a year by changing them every six days instead of every three. If you refill them for two weeks (again totally feasible and what a lot of self-funders do and I'm not aware of them suffering issues with this approach) then you save the NHS £900 a year. It starts to add up.

So are you changing sets every 6 days?

How is the performance after 3 days?

 

[JimC]

I'm on metformin and that helped a bit but still suffered with dawn phenomenon! Still on it with the pump and has improved greatly within 3 days!

 

[donnellysdogs]

The 640g cartridge is still pretty small..
It has got a blood meter that talks to the pump... You can also manually type in your blood from a libre sensor (if you trust it) to the 640g. You can't do that with the Insight.
You cannot easily give an exact calculated bolus from the 640g remote. You can the Insight.

If I remember correctly, you can also change the basal rates on the Insight remote which you can't do with the 640g. You have to make all the changes on the actual pump with the 640g. On the Insight, I'm sure I could do everything on the remote. Which for me was essential when I had 6 layers of clothing on during winter months. No way did I want to faff around with dirt y hands on my pump.

 

[Sweetheart66]

My ratios are good when I'm at work rushing around but when I'm at home and dont do a lot or ill (frequent infections because of Humira use for RA) I use a lot of insulin.

 

[donnellysdogs]

All pumps can allow for different basal rates and percentages for off days but bolus ratio's can only be increased by a percentage at those times.. As effectively only one bolus ratio allowed for however many times slots you would have set up.

All pumps are pretty standard on those things although the Insight allows names for different basal profiles.. I had one listed as workdays, rest day, late shifts, am shifts.. Just swapped them over the night before.

How much total insulin would you have on a bad day compared to a good day?

 

[Sweetheart66]

66 u on a good day 110u on a bad day

 

[donnellysdogs]

Pity that the newer pumps all have smallish cartridges compared to the old combo pump. You should need less on a pump but on bad days its going to be a fairly close call with priming tubes etc...

 

[tim2000s]

The 640g cartridge is still pretty small..

@Sweetheart66 The 640G can use two cartridges. It has a 300u cart (the same as a Combo and an Insulin Penfill) and a 180u cart. @donnellysdogs I think you said you were on the 180u cartridge. I was given 300u cartridges.

 

[Sweetheart66]

I've been watching u tube videos on medtronic 640g and apparently they still do the Accu chek combo at Addenbrookes so I watched utube videos of that too. The Medtronic looks good for a beginner tho so still leaning towards Medtronic

 

[donnellysdogs]

640g is good and more up to date than the combo...

 

[donnellysdogs]

@Sweetheart66 The 640G can use two cartridges. It has a 300u cart (the same as a Combo and an Insulin Penfill) and a 180u cart. @donnellysdogs I think you said you were on the 180u cartridge. I was given 300u cartridges.

Tim
Do you know if the pump dual fits a large and small cartridge? Or if they have to specifically order a 640 pump with a larger cartridge? I got given the one with small cartridge and as you know hated it. Looks like the chances are that I may have to accept the 640 but the bigger cartridge for me would make a huge difference....

 

[tim2000s]

Tim
Do you know if the pump dual fits a large and small cartridge? Or if they have to specifically order a 640 pump with a larger cartridge? I got given the one with small cartridge and as you know hated it. Looks like the chances are that I may have to accept the 640 but the bigger cartridge for me would make a huge difference....

I know mine accepts both cartridge sizes. There were rumours of two sizes of pump, but I think they only ever released the larger one in the UK, so yours should work with the 3ml carts.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Haven't got one at moment but will make sure I ask. The MDT team still have to decide whats best and got the prospect of maybe needing a diaport... Will prob be Xmas before sorted but will bear this in mind as I dislike changing cartridges. Nurse training on the 640 insisted cartridges changed ev 2 days and I only filled up to 90 units to not waste insulin!!