Thank you! that's good information! Do you know if a child can wear the 640?
Hi,
my diabetic nurse fits the 640g pumps to babies so it would be perfect for your daughter. She says that their parents are reassured as their child has less chance of going hypo, as there are settings on the pump to vibrate and alarm if the pump algorythm detects a continuous drop in blood levels, then will automatically suspend insulin until the pump detects a sustained rise in bloods, when it will automatically resume basal insulin delivery.
When using the continuous glucose monitor, a graph is visible on the screen on the pump so you can see the level of your blood day and night. This inspired me to try to keep my bloods within ranges I'm happy with, doesn't always work, but my intentions are good (I had a heart attack 3 years ago & have proliferative diabetic retinopathy) so any improvement in my Hba1c will help long term.
You can also input events, such as illness, exercise etc, and pre programme temporary basals to avoid bloods fluctuating and its really easy to use - if you can use a mobile phone, this is childsplay! The graph is particularly useful for me, as my finger bms all looked great before meals, but I was unaware that my bloods spiked dramatically post prandial (after meals) then plummeted hours later.
It is used with the contour blood monitor, which bluetooths your finger prick bms to the pump, but also acts as a remote to deliver boluses (if you want to) There's a care package available free to download to your computer, where you can upload your pump results in data and graph form, so you can detect trends and alter the insulin accordingly. I tend to email these to my diabetic specialist nurse, who looks at them & helps me with modifications to my insulin regimen.
Accessories available include hard cases(useful when doing sport) and leg holster, so the pump can be hidden under trousers (I tend to just clip it to boot socks or knee length boots, or to my bikini on the beach, works a treat) There's various plastic or needle cannulas in varying lengths (all visible on the Medtronic website if you fancy googling )
I have had 2 minimed pumps in the past (both medtronic) but this one is by far the superior.
Hope I haven't given you too much info but I can't recommend this pump more highly, I absolutely love it.
This is from a diabetic who still hates injections, and changing the cannula & cgm is pain free (& you don't need to see the needle if you don't want to)
Good luck with your & your daughters' choice; you know where I am if I can be of any more help
Ann x
ps: look up "64 days on 640g" on youtube for more information