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Living with a Medtronic Minimed 640g and sensors

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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.

17390780_1443008312396726_337487127206778826_o.jpg
 
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?
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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