Today was Kacey's Endo appointment and the D-report card results are in! She's back up to a
8.6%
Can you say...YUK! Thank you hormones and high blood sugars. YOU SUCK!
OK, I feel better now! :) That being said, we were smacked with a bit of bad news. The doctor brought Kacey's Cozmo pump back in and said she was not able to download the settings or logs because Cozmo no longer supported online downloading. WHAT?!?! What does this mean? This means that we can still access her logs and settings at home and email them to the doctor but they can't access then when we're there. So now what? Well, it's kind of bittersweet. We were looking to start a new pump upgrade toward the end of the school year in May/June but now this means we can push forward with the upgrade. There is a pump class coming up on January 6th. So I called to get Kacey registered for the class. Hopefully it works out and we will be able to actually put our hands on the Animas and the MiniMed. She is not interested in the OmniPod at all. I know I had asked for help before with the two pumps. Each of you loved them for different reasons and I'm so torn as to which way to go. The ultimate decision is up to Kacey and after looking at both pumps on the websites and watching the videos. She's still up in the air with her decision but I'm guessing she is going to lean toward MiniMed. I know getting the CGMS is part of the deal. She definately wants that but she doesn't want the 2 seperate devices attached to her. And with middle school in her near future and watching her conceal her pump now...I DO understand her reasoning and its her body and her decision. Also, as we watched the Animas video, it seemed like there was alot of steps to go through when bolusing and such. Is that correct or were we misunderstanding it all? (Wendy, help here! You know the boat we're in!) Kacey is all about dosing and putting her pump away quickly so she can eat or go on with the activity she is doing. When we watched the MiniMed video, it seemed like it was a shorter process.
AHHHHHH the confusion! Anyone that can offer advice with these two pumps...PLEASE HELP! If you were on one pump and you switched, do you like it? If not, why? Do you regret your switch? What are your favortite features? Your least favorite?
Ultimately we have a few favorite features with Cozmo. Our 1st fav...IOB! :) My next fav is the alerts....15 min after a low and 2 hours after a high. Kacey's pump will beep and tell her to test. This gives her the freedom to treat herself with and without help. If she was low, then it reminds her to make sure her sugar comes up in safe range and if shes high then she can retest to see if she needs another correction. I also like the alert that reminds me to change her site every 3 days. Yep, all the alerts and beeps are important for us so we need a pump that is going to do that. I don't know all the features of the two pumps so I'd love the feedback!
Also....Noah....our Endo office LOVED your blue flamingo idea and our Endo thought it was a VERY cool idea! While we were waiting in the waiting room, a very nice Christian lady asked what Kacey had in her arms? Kacey shared Deputy with her along with your letter (which we laminated) and gave her a mini lesson while we sat there. The nice lady was so impressed and she said to tell you...."Continue to do great things and you will be blessed." So we wanted to share that with you. One person educated....millions more to go! We've got more pics to upload! THANKS NOAH!!
8 comments:
We are medtronic users/lovers because of the simplicity....AND the fact that the Minilink sensor is the smallest AND integrated with the pump! No extra device to carry, but of course you still have a sensor site.
If you use a good old fashioned log book (when numbers go wild) like me, then the other guys fancy menus arent used anyway. I'd ask everyone how useful those menus are in making the actual adjustments. I know I wouldnt use them, just because Im old school!
Carelink is an AWESOME software that comes with the pump too....
Downfall...its not waterproof, but who wants to swim with a pump attached anyway? I vote for some occasional freedom from wearing the pump!!
Customer Service with Medtronic IS AMAZING!!!
If you want simple, Medtronic is simple...I tend to think the size is smaller too, isnt it?
Ugh. D. SUCK IT!
Ok, with that out of the way.... We love our Animas Ping! I don't know any different but I don't think it is complicated to do. I love being able to bolus from the remote! LOVE IT. I love that it's waterproof. I love that it gives us those tiny little doses.
Those are the biggies for us - because of her age. I like being able to bolus her without making her stop playing. I like that she can swim or play in the water or something and it's ok. I like that I don't have to worry if she "accidentally" gets wet. And we NEED those tiny increments - which are often still too much of a difference when messing with basal rates.
The biggest downer for me is that we had to get a whole other device for a CGM. Integration would be Sa-WEET!
Honestly, I was pretty impressed with the small size of the Omnipod that I just saw....
That's my 2 cents. Your "must haves" may vary from ours but we do LOVE our pink ping!
Good Luck!
Sorry, have to laugh at Kelly's comment the minilink is the smallest sensor. Sorry that is bunk. The dexcom has a small footprint and is almost flush with the body. She will still need two sites on her at all times. If she normally carries a purse with her. She could just leave Mr/Mrs./Ms. Dexi there. Oh now dawning my anti firesuit cause the flames will be shooting at me.
My name's Diane and I'm in the UK. I've had Type 1 since I was 9, I'm now 23 and have used MiniMed for a while. I wanted the OmniPod but that only came here recently and is still almost impossible to get. I might try again after my warranty for the Mini runs out.
I chose Mini because it seemed a bit smaller and is so simple to use. It is quicker to bolus with, I think. The Animas Ping wasn't out here then so I was choosing between Mini and the Animas 2020- the same without the remote.
I wouldn't get the Ping because of the remote as I prefer Freestyle to One Touch. One thing- about the CGM sensor with Mini, personally I find it horrible. It irritated my skin and it hurt a lot to insert. I bought a Dexcom out of pocket as the sensors are smaller and so much less painful. The extra device to carry is so worth it.
Both pumps are great products so you really can't go wrong.
All the best!
You/Kacey cannot go wrong...both products rock and the customer service of both companies is fantastic.
We are Animas users. LOVE the remote with the glucometer that comes with it. Love the LED screen. Love the small increments for basal (but Minimed caught up w/ the times and has this feature as well, I believe). I have used both pumps and honestly the one extra step the Animas has IS NOT a big deal. I think it actually makes you stop and think about what activity your have been or will be doing and then tweak your bolus amount accordingly...before just pressing "ACT" or "OK". I know you can adjust the Minimed bolus as well...but...honestly, I don't think it is a big deal either way.
Both are great companies. Oh...and I get it about Dex. The insertion site is smaller, but carrying around the extra device is a bummer...Joe wears his in his pack, but he is only seven and body image escapes him at this point of his life.
Sorry for the rambling.
We of course have only been on the pump for a couple of months so we have no advice on different pumps. I'm sure we will be faced with these same dilemmas some day.
Sorry about the A1C...totally know how you feel!!!
Hey....Kacey beat Jessi by .1!
They're going through the same things...they are the same age. :)
Before Jes went back to MDI's.....she used the Animas Ping. LOVED it! Just the fact that you can dose without hunting under her body for it at night was great. And it had the IOB feature as well...something I miss with shots!
We started with Animas as she needed the smaller basal increments (now Minimed Revel has both smaller basal increments AND smaller bolus increments which comes in very handy). We upgraded to MM Ping (but never used the remote; got before warranty up because we thought Ping would communicate with Dexcom and had switched to Minimed pump). We now have Minimed Revel. Yes, less button pushing, and Minimed holds 300 units of insulin which puberty and teen years helps a lot. But we hate MM sensor and use Dexcom which is SO much more comfortable. We miss Animas colored screen and Animas is definitely more waterproof, regardless of what MM says. Bottom line: If Animas integrates with Dexcom we will switch back but if and ONLY if Minimed's comfort sensors are not truly comfortable as promised. The decision will be made when her warranty run out next year so whichever pump is ahead. Both pumps are great; customer service great. It will be up to your daughter and which one she likes.
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