Sorry for such a late reply, I’m a new user and just found this.
You’re not alone dumping Automode, I went off of it 6 months ago and am more content with just “suspend on low.”
IMO Automode software is way, way too conservative–doesn’t give any of us enough control of target BGs, nor any customization ability.
I couldn’t agree more with the list(s) but Medronic will never listen. I am extremely insulin sensitive(15-17 units/day) and it never fails I get an alarm in the middle of the night just to say I’ve been a minimum deliver for 3 hours and need to enter a BG. Now that’s exactly what I want to do at 2:30 in the A.M. Seriously I have found my BG is actually better when I’m in Manual Mode, but my Endo seems to look at % spent in Auto Mode until I share with her my trouble.
Remove the battery and insulin bottle icons — useless and waste of screen space. I want a way to see exactly how many units are left, not tell me I have 25 units left and I need to replace immediately. The cost of insulin is very high - I need to use every last drop.
Here are some of my gripes…
Must reenter BG every time the pump exits out of Automode (like an infusion set change) even though the current BG value from the CGM is being displayed.
The displayed BG will change when you enter in THE SAME value being displayed in manual mode, to get back into Automode. Your BG value has nothing to do with which mode you are in!!!
I cannot use the fast delivery mode. I get “Insulin Flow Blocked” errors. Their reservoir plunger force detection has some design fck-ups.
Different carb ratios are needed for Manual Mode and Auto Mode to account for micro-bolusing being cut back after a large meal bolus in automode. Your carb ratios should not change depending on what mode your are in!!!
Those were the big complains (that were not already mentioned in this thread) that I have.
Minimed has been unresponsive to my repeated complaints about excess everything the software is used unfriendly. I believe after 20 yrs this will be my last minimed product. I miss bolus’ are bother by repeated bg requests.
Times out on max or min basel all the time. This is caused by inadequate range to correct. In my case it will recommend bolus when high that’s about 20% of what would work. Rep told me the extra screens are because we asked for additional safe guides to prevent accidental bolus’. Why not make it user selectable ?
Not allowed to comment. Also don’t you love when the pump is showing multi able arrows and demands bg to stay in auto mode. Put in current blood sugar ruin sensor.
Hardware by Einstein software by liability lawyer
I agree with what is being said. Sorry, but I just joined this group today.
I have been using the Medtronic sensor, now the MMT-7020A, and the accuracy really stinks. I rarely have a sensor where the accuracy is +_20%. Whenever I call Medtronic they respond as if I only started using the sensor last week. After 3 years of this frustration of lousy sensor accuracy , I called the FDA today and filed an official complaint. Probably won’t do much good, only time will tell.
I am thinking of using the DEXCOM sensor instead of Medtronic. Is there anyone who has used both sensors that can tell me if the DEXCOM is any more accurate than Medtronic?
Skitter,
What kind of glucose meter are you using? I had to switch and use the Bayer Contour meter to calibrate the sensors with. I had lousy performance when I used my cheap BG meter.
I am also using the Contour next EZ from Bayer. It seems to do a good job. You should be checking the calibration at least twice/year.
Why would the disposable sensors be any better than what is offered now for the 670G (Guardian 3) ?
It’s still a while out, possibly another year or two, but the advantage of having a single device is that:
Other benefits include are that it’s expected to last 10-14 days between changes and it won’t require calibrations. If the FDA approves that, it essentially would be that it’s reliable enough to not require it.
CGM technology is still in its infancy.
Do you know if and when Medtronic will come out with an App similar to the one that Dexcom has that allows several people to see an SG trend / alarms? I called Medtronic yesterday and from what I was told there is nothing coming out soon.
If I had seen this forum I would have not gotten my 670 g. In fact I plan on trying to print this and bringing it to my endo’s office. In the few months I’ve had this buggy software ridden product I think I have had just about all of the problems listed. I’ve been type 1 for more than 40 years and this is my first CGM and pump. At this point I suspect it will be my last medtronics though. For the last several years I was taking levimir and humulog along with 4 finger sticks/day. I honestly felt better using the injections even though I was starting to get too many hypoglycemic episodes. The amount of alarms are too annoying, create stress and or get ignored more and more often.
Dennis
I actually discussed some of these issues with the medtronics training rep. particularly the problem of exiting automode on minimal or maximum delivery. She spent a half hour trying to convince me that these were good things because they don’t really trust their sensors that much… I wouldn’t put too much stock in them even trying to fix them.
Actually, I find the clip on the 670g to be better than the Animas. One thing I like to do is to pull the pump at the bottom so that the hinge lets it swing up for access (I wear it on my belt). An orientation sensor that would adjust the display in that case would be nice–though I’m pretty good at reading upside-down text.
The alarms SUCK, and particularly so when you need to scroll down to acknowledge them. One-button kill is a must.
You’ve captured a lot of the things I dislike about this unit.
I recently switched from the 530G to the 670G, and this thread also captures many of the issues that I have been experiencing with the new device. I had been using the 530G with the Enlite Sensor since 2016 and, despite the typical issues with the sensor not always being accurate and having an allergy to the adhesive tape, I was extremely happy with the system. My blood sugars and A1C improved enormously after starting the 530G with the Enlite Sensor (I have been on a pump since 2005 but only got a CGM in 2016).
However, I received notice this summer that the warranty on my 2016 pump had expired and I therefore had to switch to the 670G. I was informed that the Guardian Sensor was “more accurate” and “lasted longer” (the difference between the Guardian and the Enlite: 7 vs. 6 day life, i.e. hardy a difference). After having been on the 670G for over a month now, I see no benefits to it. My control got worse using auto-mode due in large part to the inaccuracy of the sensor and the FDA-imposed target BG of 150, and I am extremely frustrated by the excessive changes to the interface.
I echo what others have said: these are superficial changes that seem not to have been tested on actual diabetics. Ironically, the pump has become far more visually oriented, despite the most infamous complication of Type 1 diabetes being the loss of sight. When I brought this up to my Medtronic rep, she said she hadn’t even thought about this in regard to Medtronic’s visually impaired customers.
I still don’t understand why there is no option to receive alarms as a vibration, like in the 530G; they are only aural, and quite loud. I work in the classical music industry and cannot have alarms going off during a concert. It is extremely disruptive and unprofessional.
The pump itself is bigger and heavier than the 530G, and as others have pointed out, the screen is now oriented vertically, rather than horizontally, so you have to flip the entire pump around in order to look at it.
And again to repeat another complaint: why has the menu been reorganized? Frequent commands like replacing a reservoir set or setting up a new sensor require navigation through a tortuous menu system. The 530G’s menu system was far more user friendly, despite the 670G’s “fancy” look.
Prior to this I was really happy with Medtronic’s service and customer care. I am now extremely upset and feel that if they put all of the money they spend on advertising this sub-par device into funding research for a cure, we would all be better off (except of course a company like Medtronic who depends on us for their business). I for one want to switch back to the 530G. Are there others who have experience something similar?