Monday, 7 January 2013

Pumps, selling points and counting down

Three years ago on 25th January 2010, I hooked up to my insulin pump for the very first time. How time flies when you are having fun. I have barely looked back since, save for the occasional pump break or frustrated tubing-catching-on-door incident. Better blood sugar levels, results comparable to the effort I put in and a complete halt to progressing retinopathy issues were among the earliest benefits I saw when I started the pump.

That said, as I enter the last year of my four-year pump warranty, a time when I need to consider what pump I might like when I renew, thoughts of the last 3 years and the pros and cons of my particular pump begin to feature more and more often. I love Medtronic and have found their customer service second to none. This is no secret. I have also always been clear that for me, how 'sexy' the pump appears is far less important than the company behind it; if the pump fails to work at 4am, its va-va-voom will seem worthless when you are trying to reach a company who operate a 9-5pm 'daytime only' customer service line.

But there are elements to my pump that I would look to improve on:

1. Waterproof. My husband and I got together because of a surfing holiday in Cornwall; a holiday we treasure so much that when we got married we took 70 of our dear friends and family there with us. When I went onto an insulin pump surfing became a lot harder because unlike many of the other pumps my Medtronic Paradigm VEO is not waterproof.  In fact it seems barely water resistent when you mention water and the pump in the same sentence to a Medtronic rep, actually. Following my weekend at Loughborough University last year, I have given a lot of thought to how much I would love to swim, but am unable to for more than 30 minutes or so. I also find myself questioning whether that post-gym spike is down to the fact that I have been showering and changing after an intense workout, when every last bit of insulin is key. So I have reached the decision I need a pump with some guts to get wet.

2. Tubing. It has been 3 years since I was able to sleep pyjama-less. This may not seem like a big deal, but having tried it once in 42 degree heat in Thailand, almost completely tieing myself up overnight like a cartoon baddy, being tubing free and able to sleep 'al fresco' again, would be devine. The stares at the gym I can deal with but the tubing, as I've said before, is something of a growing bug-bear.

3. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) capability. In the next four years it is very likely that J-Dizzle and I will be wanting to start a family. At the ripe old age of 30 babies, family and future take up every available waking moment. While I am not funded for CGM and am unlikely to be, Jamie and I have reached the decision that this is a key part of the pregnancy control puzzle we won't do without and will be funding it ourselves. Because of this, pumps with integrated CGM, Dexcom in my case, are of much greater interest.

As Medtronic are not yet rocking a waterproof version and are only able to have their own Enlite CGM sensors integrated, I feel I am almost certainly approaching end of my Medtronic journey.   Instead, my eyes now wander regularly to one of two pumps in particular:

1. Animas Vibe. Fully waterproof with the capability of integrated Dexcom technology, it is a clear leader for me. I have met a number of people from the Animas team and have been very impressed by their customer service and dedication to their 'clients'. Having also chatted in secret with other Animas users (after all, it is we the person wearing the pump who can offer the most real experiences), I am also sure that as a pump, it manages very nicely. I would feel confident that the customer service issue, as well as the sexy pump, would be no problem for the folks at Animas. The one problem, it still has tubing.

2. The Omnipod. What it lacks in integrated CGM (although according to other blogs, this may be on the cusp of change), it makes up for by being both waterproof and completely tubing free. Having only arrived in the UK around 3 years ago, I could have been one of the first people using it in the UK. After an unfortunate false start however, I decided that until the company were more established in the UK and could demonstrate the customer support I rely on so greatly, it wasn't meant to be. Since then, my post about the problems I experienced has brought a lot of feedback. Mostly, I'm glad to say, from very positive Omnipod users who are as adamant about the Omnipod as I have been about the VEO. 

So there it is, my current thinking about which pumps I will be pursuing in the next year. It's a tough one and if I'm honest my dislike of tubing outweighs my preference to have integrated CGM, seeing as carrying around a million and one things is a well-practiced hobby of every diabetic.  Over the next year I will be exploring these further and chatting with both companies to see which, if any, of these pumps most suits my lifestyle and diabetes care needs.


  1. Hey Anna ...
    Ilka, my girlfriend, has written a post about the Omnipod. I myself have the Animas Vibe and i'm super happy.

    regards Finn

    1. Hi Finn,

      Thanks for stopping by. I grew up in Germany, actually, so I can translate most of the post, but not all of it. My brother however still works with the German language and my father still lives there, so I will get in touch and ask them to go through the finer details.

      I could however make out how much smaller and lighter it is, which is really quite impressive!

      Thank you for your help


    2. Hi Anna,
      U grow up in germnany? In which city?


    3. I was born in Warburg and lived in Kassel, Hessen, until I was 7. I still have contacts there but won't put too much up publicly :)

      I went back recently and just love it there. Although
      my German is quite atrocious, it doesn't stop me having fun trying! Es macht mir Spass!

  2. I am in the same boat right now too! I am actually wearing the omnipod right now. I can't imagine leaving Medtronic after all these years, but I think I'm ready for the switch...

    1. Hey The DL,

      Are you trialling one of the smaller demo pods?

      I have loved Medtronic over the years, but the whole 'not waterproof' thing a clincher for me know.

      How about you? What are the things you look for in a pump for your lifestyle?


  3. A year to go? Keep your options open for now - you never know what might be launched in the next few months!

    1. Here's hoping! Either Solo or Cellnovo are also great candidates but getting any info is proving a challenge.

      Keeping cards close to their chest...

  4. I just received my first insulin pump, a purple paradigm veo(I start pumping on the 21st. I had 4 choices, the veo, the accu-chek spirit, the onetouch ping(NEVER using OneTouch again for anything)and the omnipod. I was really wanting the omnipod, but was warned that the pods can fall off with warmer temperatures, I work in a cupcake bakery so that option was unfortunately out

    1. Hi Laura - congratulations on your new pump and welcome to the world of robo-pancreases (pancri?) and portable organs. I hope you are finding the first few steps OK (if not 'good' even).

      That's interesting about the Pods; my main concern is how well it stands when exercising strenusously. I LOVE high intensity classes like spinning and body combat, so this is very useful info and certainly something to think about - thank you.

      Can I ask what it is about OneTouch that has out you off?


  5. It's so hard to make a decision. My son who is 10 is now in the process of choosing. Apparently Medtronic are doing a special deal to include the CGM Kit and 5 free sensors, tempting but 10 year olds need something waterproof so trying to decide between the vibe or the Omnipod. On paper it's a no brainer, he doesn't want a tube, it has to be Omnipod but i'm pretty scared after reading the problems some people have had. Plus the fast cannula insertion looks amazing. Choices, Choices.