Hi
@Fredm, This is from my past experience, not as professional advice or opinion.
Firstly, you are probably aware that J&J, the makers of the Animas pumps, are exiting the insulin pump market. You should have received notifications about this, but if not, contact Animas or your local supplier to find out what the options are in your country.
In Australia, for example, most diabetics on the Animas pumps are already being changed over to a new brand of pump.
So wherever you are, you will not have to worry about Animas alarms for too long.
What is below should always be discussed with your DSN first before doing anything.
My reminders would start with the 'Fur Elise' tune and if this was not dealt with then after a few minutes the sound escalated.
So - are you not hearing the reminder tune? Is the volume for reminders/alerts too low? The volume can be increased in the ? Status section of the pump menu but I am going on memory, it may be elsewhere.
Shrill alarms are there for a reason and it would be perhaps unwise to disarm them all. For example, the alarm indicating the pump is out, or nearly out of insulin. Attending to the action that alarm signals is the only safe way. Yes, if I was in a awkward spot where I could not carry out the action required I might need to turn off the pump temporarily. That is something that
definitely needs to discussed with your DSN.
Some settings for alarms are located and can be altered in the 'Status' section of the Animas pump menu, Status -> advanced - and work through the numbers of program to the one on alert for 20 units of insulin in cartridge or of the volume setting. I have never tried to stop the no insulin left in cartridge alert, nor would wish to stop it.
Another annoyance is where the tubing is temporarily kinked, like when I bent down sometimes to pick something up. Or a small air bubble starts to go up the tube.
The Obstruction alarm sounds off. (Fur Elise and later the shrill call).
The
only way to stop it repeating itself is to detach the tubing from the needle insert port and follow the instructions in the Load and Refill option on the menu (I forget the name of it already but it is about the last on the list) the fill tubing and fill cannula sections prompt you to flush the tubing and reattach it to the needle port and flush the cannula. In the Status- advanced the obstruction alarm sensitivity can be switched form Hi to Lo but this is not always a wise move.
Repeated obstruction alarms were a real pain, and I always try to use room temperature insulin (but not where room temp is > 30 degrees C as insulin might denature and be ineffective if it heats up to > 30 degrees C)) as less bubbles seem to form, try to ensure no air bubbles remain in the cartridge and tubing filled with insulin) and try to reposition my pump (usually it is situated on a belt clip) to make it less likely to kink off at where the tubing exits the pump with various movements of my body.
Of course prevention is the best practice, changing a cartridge and needle insert a little early saves being caught out with the alarm going and having to change things on the fly.
I hope the above helps and that whenever you start on your new pump that things go easier !!
