To much information

[carlos]

I have been going through the process of getting a insulin pump
Have finally got to the stage were I can see daylight
Have been offered 3 pumps
Omnipod5/medtronic780g/t slim2

Been looking at all the information on 3 pumps and must say I like the sound of the omnipod 5
What are people's experience with any of these 3 pumps I am quite active and more worried about the convenience of the other 2
Thanks in advamce

 

[Nicola M]

Hello,

I only have experience with the Medtronic, I personally like it especially as a hybrid closed loop system. It’s what works for me and even though it is a tubing pump I don’t find it particularly gets in my way even if I do exercise. For the most part I’ll keep my pump attached to me as it doesn’t get in the way but for instances like swimming I’ll take it off, I’ll reconnect within an hour as that’s the recommendation, I generally drop significantly when swimming so I’m never overly bothered if I am not having insulin for an hour. It is quite a weighty pump I’d say but I wear it on my bra so I guess I just don’t notice that much. The sites are relatively small and the tubing comes in various lengths, I think mines the second longest and I’ve never caught it on a door handle or anything like that and pulled it out. Changing sets is super easy, I procrastinate doing them every time but it takes less than a minute at most to swap everything out.

When it came down to deciding for me the biggest thing was deciding whether I was going to be happy with something that is stuck in one place for 3 days no matter what or whether I wanted something I could move around whenever I wanted to. I preferred the option of being able to move it around even if it did come with a tube.

I can’t speak for the overall tslim experience but the thing that does put me off of ever having that is that it does require charging much like a mobile phone, I prefer just being able to change a battery in my Medtronic pump and go but each to their own and Imsure in the grand scheme of things it probably isn’t that inconvenient. Out of the 2 tubed pumps I do think the tslim is probably smaller and lighter.

I know @EllieM has a tslim so will probably have better insights about that than I do.

 

[EllieM]

I am reasonably happy with the tslim and have to say that charging isn't an issue at all, more like 5 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week? (I don't charge every day). You can charge it while you wear it if you wish, just sit somewhere near a power point. The pump is certainly a game changer after MDI.

My issue is that it doesn't cope that well with highs. My insulin resistance goes up if my bg is over 10 and therefore I often have to manually correct if it goes that high, because it only allows you to put in one insulin to bg ratio per time slot.

Also, it's up to you to put in and modify all your ratios, which is fine if you like doing that but not so good if you want the machine to make all the decisions. I had the choice between tslim and medtronic and don't regret my choice, but do sometimes wonder if the medtronic would be better. (The New Zealand government has just revised its pump list for diabetics and the medtronic is off and the ypsomed is on instead.) My main reason against the medtronic was their linked cgms, which have somewhat of a mixed reputation. Also, the tslim customer service is really good, genuine 24/7 phone support.

My tslim is coping pretty well with my current overseas trip: multiple time zone changes, activity levels and meal arrangements and styles.

edited to add thanks for the tag @Nicola M

 

[In Response]

The right pump is the right pump FOR YOU.
They are all good options so you need to consider what is important.
Do you want to be able to disconnect easily for example during exercise? In which case, a patch pump like Omnipod is not ideal although you can suspend the basal.
Do you want to carry around a separate controller? the Medtronic and t-slim are controlled through the pump but Omnipod needs a separate phone type remote control.
Are you offered HCL or will you need to self-fund? I believe they are all HCL-able but use different methods. I am not sure about the Omnipod but Medtroinc uses machine learning to work out your basal needs whereas t-slim requires you to program it and then it will suspend/give extra. If your basal needs are the same most days, either will work but if your exercise is irregular, for example, t-slim may be better. You may also want to look at the different CGMs they use as that could affect your choice.
Is size important? I am quite small and found all tubed pumps bulky and unable to hide them but for most people this does not matter.
It is also worth checking your TDD (total daily dose) and make sure they all hold at least 3 days' of insulin for you . with a bit to spare in case you have a carb splurge or are unwell.
If you are insulin sensitive, it is also worth looking at the minimum doses they offer as they may differ.

There are probably more things to consider but this is off the top of my head.
I recommend looking at the specs and videos and comparing them.

 

[Juicyj]

Any pump will work if you're active, you just find a way to make it work for you. I use the T Slim so on a tubed cannula set, the T Slim is hybrid closed loop with the Dexcom CGM and the pump has exercise mode (as all do) and you can set up your own basal pattern too if you prefer to manage exercise (as they all do).

They are all pretty similar, my own reason for not using a pod system is that I react to the adhesive and teflon set so get painful lumps which take a a good week to dissipate so use the sure t steel set instead.

They all have pros and cons but in their own space each system is amazing so you can't get it too badly wrong.

 

[carlos]

Thanks for replying I opted for the omnipod 5 and dexcom changing from freestyle I'm just waiting now on the DN to give a start date i belive you can move the dexcom sensor.around so it's a better alternative for me than the libre how do people find this sensor how did you all get on when placed on pump did you have to go sick from work or was it straightforward ?

 

[Juicyj]

Hi Carlos, I only briefly used the libre and now use the Dexcom G7 after migrating from the G6, personally I prefer Dexcom for both reliability and accuracy.

I didn't take time off work with the pump, it shouldn't impact greatly, as long as you're carrying glucose at all times there's no need to adjust your lifestyle to settle into a new pump regime.

 

[In Response]

did you have to go sick from work or was it straightforward ?

I think it may depend a lot on what your personally is like (do you get anxious with change?) and what is your job (a physical job may be more of a challenge ... but not impossible .. than an office job, a stressful job may be harder).
I wouldn't say my change to a pump was straightforward but I took no time off. I am happy with change (some may suggest I flourish in a changing environment) so I was not anxious, my job certainly has stress but it is office based and I did not want to set my pump up for an "artificial life". I wanted it to be ready for my "real life" and not need to go through two lots of learning.
The biggest challenge is setting up the basal profile but if it is wrong, it is easier to give yourself a top up bolus with the pump or down some hypo treatment.