Choosing a pump dilemna

[Mogsternut1]

I have been given 5 options on nhs

1. Medtronic 640g
2. Medtronic 670g
3. Omnipod
4. Roche combi
5. Roche insight

I wanted a tslim and dexcom g6 but neither offered to me oh well so..

I'm on injections, decided a while back pump is the way to improve or tweak my life should I say


I saw @everydayupsanddownsarticke on 640g. Very useful but after viewing the device, etc I decided no

670g I'm unsure as I like it but really dont want to do 5 or 6 daily calibrations unless I can go manual and is it worth it?

Ombipod.. best for me maybe, especially as having no tubes but like others above, no cgm

Roche insight appeals as has bluetooth less hassle.. not sure if any these can adapt a cgm, and use say on a phone? Or even with xdrip



The other pumps no go for me



Can someone try help me make a choice as really I want a pump, with cgm and not have to multi calibrate hence why I have a libre and miaomiao currently. Your suggestions (albeit your personal preference) much appreciated

 

[trophywench]

Someone on the forum reckons the Insight is going down the mobile phone route - I have not heard this myself, but if it does I can't see how that helps if you still need to test your blood using a BG meter, or get the phone and pump to communicate so you can operate the pump by remote control, as you can at present via the meter/handset. The pump itself does not currently have a bolus wizard, it's all on the meter/handset, exactly the same as the Combo always did.

 

[MrDaibetes]

I use the 670g in automode but if you're going for this pump I would wait till autumn as the 780g will be out and has more features and Bluetooth so you can see CGM on your mobile.

there's also two other pumps Medtronic will be bringing out for those who want Bluetooth pumps, these are mainly for the 640 and 670G Users who can't upgrade yet but want Bluetooth.

 

[Mogsternut1]

Someone on the forum reckons the Insight is going down the mobile phone route - I have not heard this myself, but if it does I can't see how that helps if you still need to test your blood using a BG meter, or get the phone and pump to communicate so you can operate the pump by remote control, as you can at present via the meter/handset. The pump itself does not currently have a bolus wizard, it's all on the meter/handset, exactly the same as the Combo always did.

Yeah you're right.
I like the mobile route but only if as with me using the libre combination of miaomiao and xdrip, I have a cgm! Just so much better for me personally.. it's all about taking out the little annoying things like bg checking manually which fir me, all these little extra issues mentally affect I think. Having the data streamed to a mobile app or even watch (which I hsvent got) I think just helps in life as a type 1. Not sure if someone else knows of a pump which has cgm and I can view this on my phone as I do with xdrip?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Mogsternut1

Yes, as @MrDaibetes says, the MM780G has just been CE marked, so it may be worth holding on until it is announced which countries will get it first in the roll-out.

Unless, of course, the reason you didn’t like the MM640 was the size and shape of the pump as all Medtronic pumps are currently being developed in the same casing.

Omnipod keep making murmurings about linking up with Abbott’s Libre, but I’ve not seen anything concrete yet.

For x-drip and Android APS type approaches, I think the Roche combo is quite well regarded.

Insight has a reputation for being a bit slow, but I’ve never used it myself.

Good luck choosing - the truth is, that there isn’t a bad option as the fundamentals of flexibility and precision that a pump offers you would get from any of them 🙂

 

[stephknits]

I think all of them will be linking with cgm officially in the near future. You can of course use unofficial ways to link up most systems, so I would go with the pump you like best and not worry too much about the link up for now. I think by the time your pump is due for renewal there will be more of these systems in place.

 

[SB2015]

I have the same list of options to choose from as you do.

I have been a combo user so far, but I am opting for the Insight next time for these reasons:

First and foremost I have been so impressed by the 24 hr support from AccuCheck. I am very reluctant to move away from them, (although I was tempted by the Medtronic 670j

I do not want o have to get out my pump to do a Bolus. The Bluetooth connection means I just tuck it away in the morning and that is it. This is not possible in the Medtronics and was a big factor in putting me off them.

The Insight (in the future) will link with my phone as it’s control set, which I am told will overcome some of the issues around the speed issues reported before.

I will be able to manually enter the readings from my Libre (adjusted to take account of the arrows) in place of finger pricks. I will then be able to use my phone for both the Libre and my pump.

They now have separate infusion sets (without the cannula) so you can change the infusion set without changing the cannula if necessary. Less waste.

Whatever pump you choose four years will pass very quickly and so much is changing at present. Nothing will do all that you want. You will find that there are pros and cons for each. My main drive was wanting to make use of the Libre readings. I considered CGM but it is a big financial commitment and it looks like it is more difficult to restart the sensors now so that makes it even more expensive. I am hoping that the Libre 2 will be available to those of us that have the Libre now so that will include the low and high alarms.

Lots to think about. If this is your first pump it would be worth looking at the book Pumping Insulin, and/or Think Like a Pancreas (new edition).

Let us know what you choose.

 

[Mogsternut1]

Thankyou !

So far, I'm split between the Insight (as long as it's not too slow) and omnipod hmm

Although today I'm talking with medtronic about the 670g however I've read enough to know it's good yet sometimes a pain. I dont want to get out the pump to check levels all the time either. And multi calibrating sounds tedious... I've been trying to avoid finger pricking multi times in day via use if libre miaomiao and for cgm xdrip so at a glance have a reassuring check... it just helps.

 

[stephknits]

I have the Omnipod if you have any questions relating to it, I'd be happy to answer. It is my first pump, so can't compare with anything else. I am very happy with it and the customer care.

 

[Mogsternut1]

Why not! Thankyou...

Omnipod.. chage it every 3 days. No tubes. Great.

Concerns are quality of the omnipod as I imagine being a disposable mechanism, is potentially cheaply made and getting more chance or inaccurate insulin delivery etc us a concern.


As well as above last questions i have..

1. Does it work with a phone and no need to use the control it comes with? Does it also work to a watch, or maybe from phone then via bluetooth to watch. Not major to know but as I now exercise a bit, I'm starting to use technology for health and just convenient

2. Cgm? What's the deal. Eg. Compatible with xdrip or an official cgm? I cannot afford dexcom you see

Thanks for your help

 

[trophywench]

I'll be truthful - having had the Combo, so the remote/meter for that was a Bluetooth enabled AccuCek 'Expert' meter, I changed to the Insight when the time came. A friend from Cornwall still has the Combo. We've had various social weekends we've both been to so have sat down together for a meal out on a few occasions. We both get meters out at the same time and test, enter carbs, calculate bolus required, press button to deliver - Insight hasn't finished calculating bolus yet and she's starting to eat her meal. Because I can't bolus ahead and NEVER anticipate a meal out until it's on the table in front of me (been had going hypo too many times over the last 40+ years thankyou) I very rarely get a piping hot meal.

Does save me burning my tongue of course, BUT usually means when eating out - nobody else can get their dessert delivered yet. When it's family, young children get bloomin fed up having to wait for their ice cream until great grandma's finished!

 

[stephknits]

Hi, the Omnipod comes with a PDM on which you manage everything. The new Omnipod DASH used basically a mobile phone as the PDM, but not your phone. I don't know a lot about linking with CGMs I'm afraid although their are communities like Omnipod UK on Facebook where people do.
Occasionally the pods do fail - they alarm and you have to change them. This has happened to me twice in three years. When I try, I can get over 90percent in target, so I presume they are working ok.

 

[Mogsternut1]

For now, I'm going to have a further think! Grateful to all.

I'm thinking now go old school use the combo .. I tell to apply insulin I dont mind this. But, beauty of combo is it can work alongside xdrip if I choose or have to go that cgm route. Otherwise, I'm waiting on the Medtronic 680g. 670g a little needy.

Insight is too slow.

640g too old.

Omnipod I'll wait for anyone to advice otherwise that's it.

Thanks all!

 

[Mogsternut1]

Hi, the Omnipod comes with a PDM on which you manage everything. The new Omnipod DASH used basically a mobile phone as the PDM, but not your phone. I don't know a lot about linking with CGMs I'm afraid although their are communities like Omnipod UK on Facebook where people do.
Occasionally the pods do fail - they alarm and you have to change them. This has happened to me twice in three years. When I try, I can get over 90percent in target, so I presume they are working ok.

This is very handy to know. A good device and I'll definitely have a think thankyou so much.

Thus is one if the only forums people actually reply! Take care all

 

[trophywench]

The Insight pump is not slow, neither Roche pump has anything very complicated on it. The bolus wizard is on the handset not the pump. It's the handset that's slow in comparison to the original Combo one. The Combo is still available BUT!!! - I am honestly not sure whether the older 'Expert' type handset is still available or whether you have to use the same one as the inset, because according to the NHS my pump doesn't need replacing until December even though the pump itself tells me it runs out in 83 days, so that's blooming odd. Roches pumps don't actually die at that point but if it happens to malfunction once the timer has run out, they won't automatically supply a new one direct to you - and they don't courier them to you anyway, so you have to always keep emergency pen supplies in the fridge anyway and in any case with any pump you should cos if you shoot into stratosphere for some reason (like eg when I tripped up and smashed a kneecap) pen corrections in another fleshy area away from where the pump cannula's been sitting for a day or 2, work a lot more quickly than via the cannula. Anyway - when I have my clinic appt cancelled from April now rearranged for the middle of August, that's a question I need to ask - the handset. I chose to swap to the Insight originally because although I remembered how to fill a syringe and pump reservoirs are much the same but just bigger (300 units!) I hadn't remembered what a ruddy drag it was/how much I disliked doing it - so the 140u prefilled cartridges for the Insight was the main reason I chose it.

Also depends how much insulin you get through in a day - which should be a fair bit less than on MDI once you've got it nailed down a bit more than it will be at first cos though Roche use an algorithm to make a best guess at hourly basals - believe you me it's nowhere near what my body needs - also it's only Novorapid that make the little cartridges so if you use any other insulin you can't use it. However on the assumption they based it on collating data from real T1s using their pumps, perhaps I'm mega unusual.

There's an awful lot more to consider, but one of the things that does strike me as being useful maybe to someone who is prepared to put the analytical work in which perhaps you can be with a proper CGM - is the fact the Insight can change basal rates in divisions of 15 minutes whereas the (original anyway) Combo it was every hour, Hence I could have one basal rate for an hour and a quarter then a bit more or less for the next 3 and a half hours, etc.

You have to think about A Lot ! Much easier to be simply told you'll be getting a Combo like everyone else here cos Roche are the only pump company we use. Well you can have another make, but in that case we can't be as much help with it. LOL