since animas is going out of business and they suggested to go with medtronic, i was going to go with tandem as i like how it is set up. I called the vendor i use for my supplies to find out i cant get the tandem due to the warranty. i would have to go with medtronics. im trying to figure out which one of their pump to go with. reading about them online its hard to figure it out. i was told the screen is brighter on the medtronics which will be good because i cant see much with the animas one. its not as bright as i once thought it would be.
so anyone can give me some insights, etc. i know what i want to do but it doesnt hurt to hear from peoples experiences.
Have you tried pump reviews on Youtube? There are a lot of videos from different people’s perspectives that can be searched for and watched. Watching them and hearing people’s perspectives can possibly help you make a decision.
what keywords can i look up so i can find them and watch them? i think if i looked up the right ones i can at least have a bit of success…i always have trouble finding the right keywords to find what i am looking for
so the questions i have is pretty much everything about the pump, the good the bad, the features that screams out to be awesome, some that arent, what makes it different from the 670g, etc. so bascially anything you can tell me
So, here is my list for the 630g. Most of these would apply to the 670g too except of course things that relate to auto mode…
Good:
Pretty much all the pump features you would want, e.g. multiple basal rates, active insulin, alert settings, etc. It’s been solid for me, I haven’t had any pump failures or anything.
CGM integrated into the pump
Auto-suspend on low. This is a great feature if you have lows at night. It has kicked in a couple times for me and it works, the pump turned off basal and my BG started going back up
Color screen, easy to read trend data and pump vitals
Tough and waterproof
Wireless communication from meter
Bad:
Takes a lot of button presses to navigate around
Somewhat hefty, people won’t ask if it’s a pager (they might think it’s a mini cell phone)
Not very comfy on a belt clip, the top of the pump where the tubing sticks out jabs into my stomach, it’s more comfy sideways (they do make a case for that). On the belt clip you have to be able to read upside down unless you want to take the pump out
Java applet to upload data from pump to Medtronic’s site get reports is totally antiquated and only runs on a couple browsers, the actual reports it generates are pretty good though
No share feature (unless you go third party kind of complex route)
Enlite sensors are not as good as Dexcom (Guardian on 670G is supposed to be as good). Enlite is still decent, at least for me, certainly good enough for trends. It takes the first half day or day to settle in. A sensor is only good for 6 days.
Infusion sets are proprietary, don’t use the luer lock
I have heard several Medtronic customer support horror stories, but my experience has been pretty good. They have a couple of pump trainers in my area that were really helpful. They have a phone app that I’ve used sometimes to get assistance. Calling on the phone does require going through the phone tree but usually I don’t need to wait on hold and they’ve been pretty responsive.
I’m sure there’s more pros and cons but that’s what comes to mind!
Ill send you a message with my response to all of this…i thank you for the response and detailed! if i have to switch i may have to use the luer lock temporarily as that is what i have with the animas. then i can go with whatever they have unless they have the luer lock. So be on the look out for a message from me
If you are still interested in the Tandem pump, you might want to check with Tandem directly, it looks like they have a pump program for Animas customers with remaining warranty.
Ditto. And hoping for more love with the upcoming PLGS update.
Two of the big catches on the offer to switch to Tandem prior to the expiration of the warranty on your Animas pump are:
You must provide an up-front $999 to Tandem. True, you get this credited back toward the purchase of a new Tandem pump and/or supplies however it still needs to be up-front which can be an unreasonable financial burden for many.
The fine print on the offer (actually same size font - but you know what I mean - lol) excludes this offer from any patients under 6 years of age as well as excludes:
“… any patient insured or subject to reimbursement in any part by Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, or any other federal or state health programs (such as medical assistance programs); members of a Kaiser Permanente® Health Plan…”
plus some other limitations.
Another option which usually is a valid choice is to ride out the remaining length of the warranty on the current pump and then simply choose which pump you want.
i did…it will cost $999.00 to switch over. i dont have that kind of money. i asked them about insurance too…they cant deal with what i have that i would have to go through a medical suppier. even at the foot notes they dont take my insurance or my state is not eligible.
Your current Animas pump warranty expires sometime in 2019 - correct?
You could always wait it out for the warranty to expire. Do your research before so when the warranty expires, your insurance should allow you at that point to pick a new pump with no issue. Hopefully your insurance would not restrict your choice so you could pick what would work best for you.
sept of 2019…i am wanting to decide now…i dont want to have any issues where i have to call tech support for my pump…ive already had to do that. the second issue has resolved itself. i am doing research …im going to be talking to medtrnoics soon to get some questions answered, etc. its the 630g that they will give the animas customers. i got that answer from someone. which isnt too bad. ill use whatever lol…if i dont like the cgm part i can go back with dexcom. ill find out more about the warranty stuff too.
i have been a Medtronics fan and patron for 17+ years now. it was my first pump, and now i am on my 4th or 5th. currently, i am using the Paradigm 523 and i love it. the screen is large and very bright, easy to read, it only requires 1 AAA battery (which lasts quite a long time), it is very easy to use and yet has many features that i make the most of. And, it syncs with a CGM. there are features i would like to have that it doesnt, i.e. waterproof (for my swimming).
their customer service is superior to many other D companies. they are on the ball 24/7 and will even ship you out replacement needs over-night with no-questions-asked and with a pleasant, happy attitude, many to most of their reps are D themselves, or are family members of PWD, so they are extremely sympathetic.
DM, do not under any circumstances sell your pump, turn your pump into Medtronic for an upgrade, or get rid of it.
There are people trying to do OpenAPS and are willing to do all kinds of things for that pump model (if it is at firmware 2.4A or lower).
Since you like that pump, do not let anyone talk you into an upgrade or a swap, okay?
If someone calls you, saying they from Medtronic and want you to send your pump in for a free upgrade, or anything like that, do not do it! There are scammers out there trying to get that particular pump model. Hold on tight to it!
