Living with a Medtronic Minimed 640g and sensors

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pottersusan

pottersusan

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Day one:
nearly 24 hours in...

Had a phone call from my DSN before she finished work yesterday, to make sure I was managing OK.

Pro:
  • much faster doing it's calculations than the Roche Insight
  • doesn't need so much blood on the test strip and it gives you time to extract more blood if necessary
  • only one bit of kit hanging around, instead of two
Con:
  • I'm not quite sure where I'll put it on the odd occasions I wear a dress. You do need to get at it more than the Roche 'cos of entering your carbs on the pump.
Last night was the first night for ages that I haven't gone low, but I have yet to experience the suspend feature.
So far I am a happy person.🙂
 
Pleased you are getting on well with it so far. Without wanting to look like Mr Smug of 123 Smuginton Gardens, Bigheadshire, I recently managed to get a sensor to last for 20 days (I'm trying to spread a handful out over the course of the year as I can only afford a few). Smartguard saved me lots and lots of low level hypos over that time, and I had next to no readings below 3.5mmol/L.

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If dress wearing is only occasional (eg special event) I guess you *could* use the remote bolus feature via the Contour Next Link meter. Never had much of a call to use it myself, and it would lack the finesse of a bolus wizard, but could be an option?

Alternatively I gather many women nestle pumps in/around bra area with/without hanging devices. Again, not something I can claim any experience of!!
 
Glad it's working well for you 🙂 Looks like a very complex affair for those of us who point and jab 😱 but I'm really pleased it's doing the trick. I love the idea of suspending insulin that sounds like a great feature 🙂
 
Day 3 (yesterday):
First cannula change went ok.

Had the first 'suspend insulin' which was fantastic, as I was totally unaware I was heading hypowards.

Day 4:
the pharmacy hasn't got my script for the new test strips yet, so am being very economical . this means that my bg is a bit higher than I like, but I might get them later today - with a bit of luck
 
Hope the strips turn up Susan 🙂 Great that the system warned you, and reassuring that it is all working! 🙂
 
Day 6

2 nd cannula change and first sensor change - blimey that sensor was stuck on well😱. Medtronic seem to use more powerful glue than Dexcom:D

Just realised that it suspended my insulin a couple of hours ago and restarted it recently. It is really a clever piece of kit.
 
Day 8
First cannula change, that I've been trusted to do by myself🙄, achieved successfully.
It decided to suspend my insulin while waiting for my lunch at the Southampton meet. I had some porridge in Wetherspoons - the joint thoughts on amount of carbs overestimated! But I am one of those whose bg goes up significantly with porridge (slowly to start with and then zoom!)

Battery Life compared with the Insight:
Insight pump battery lasted barely 6 days, Medtronic 8 days and still going
Insight glucose tested needs charging every day, Medtronic 8 days and still going
 
I get about 3 weeks from a standard alkanile Energiser battery in the pump. Doesn't seem to notice that much if I am using a sensor or not.

Rechargeable BG meter (Contour Nextlink USB) seems to last at least 3-4 weeks between charges, but to be honest they are infrequent enough that I can't say I'm really counting!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
I get about 3 weeks from a standard alkanile Energiser battery in the pump. Doesn't seem to notice that much if I am using a sensor or not.

Rechargeable BG meter (Contour Nextlink USB) seems to last at least 3-4 weeks between charges, but to be honest they are infrequent enough that I can't say I'm really counting!
Click to expand...
Me too. I really don't notice how long they last. As for the meter, I tend to leave it on charge after I've downloaded the pump records - which is probably every 6-8 weeks.
 
Day 12 (I think!)
Just done the first sensor change without the DSN (watching like a hawk!). It will become easier with practice, I'm sure. Thank goodness for You Tube.

The Medtronic battery life for the pump and handset reinforces my thoughts on the Insight - the battery life is appalling poor and it takes ages to do anything. The Insight is meant to be an improvement on the Combo - not in my opinion and experience.
 
pottersusan said:
Day 12 (I think!)
Just done the first sensor change without the DSN (watching like a hawk!). It will become easier with practice, I'm sure. Thank goodness for You Tube.

The Medtronic battery life for the pump and handset reinforces my thoughts on the Insight - the battery life is appalling poor and it takes ages to do anything. The Insight is meant to be an improvement on the Combo - not in my opinion and experience.
Click to expand...
Glad things are all going so well Susan.
 
Lost count of days:D

Just been talking to Medtronic in the States 'cos my sensor had died early😱. After a million and one questions (at least that's what it felt like) they are sending me a new one. I think I've got to make sure the NHS gets value for money - it would be easy to just insert another and forget about the one that went wrong. They reassured me it wasn't something I had done - you cant help wondering when it's still all very new.

So I'm now waiting for the sensor to 'warm up'.

With the Medtronic you are sensorless for about 3 hours when you have to change it:
about an hour to recharge the transmitter
about two hours for it to warm up.
 
Hope the new sensor works longer, and better 🙂 You are right to try and get value for money, I'm sure an awful lot of money would be saved if people gave it a little more consideration 🙂
 
Hi, so Im interested by this post ... you are using a Roche insight pump or sensor but you're saying you dont need to test as much which I am surprised about? I have a medtronic 640g and the cgms linked in but I still need to test as much as I did before as whilst the sensors give you a guide (from my experience), the dont give you the here and now situation rather frustratingly .... has anyone else had the same issues or dare I say it, is it me 🙂
 
Thanks for doing this one - fascinating!

I am a committed Libre user, although I have to say that even though it gives me the info I can't always do anything about it in the way I want, so the suspend sounds good (ie when I am going low I often miss it, and when I am going high it is too late and then takes at least 2 hours to come down)
I was also interested to hear about the Contour Meter, as I feel I would struggle if I had to keep hoiking the pump out from underneath clothes - my favourite thing about the Roche pump is the bluetooth meter (I have a Combo though, hopefully ! can refuse the Insight! Are you at the Bournemouth hospital like me?)

Food for thought about changing if ever given a chance!
 
Are you wearing the sensor/transmitter vertically @pottersusan? And have you been given guidance about when (and when not) to calibrate?

Sounds like the one you had was just a bad 'un though if Medtronic are replacing it. Did it just stop altogether? Or was it after calibration errors?
 
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