im going to get a pump really soon. ive done my reasearch and im stuck between animas, minimed and cozmore pumps. can anyone give me tips on things to make the transition easier and give me your thoughts on these pumps(and please putwhy you think that, it will help me know why it might or might not be the pump for me.) thanks!
I've used the Minimed for almost 15 years. An excellent pump and an excellent company. VERY reliable and easy to use. Might be good one to start with.
I now use the Cozmore, only because it offered more features that better fit my lifestyle. From what I understand, the Cozmore and the Animas are VERY similar in features. The Animas screen might be easier to read because it is a color screen, however, that's just a guess. The features that the Animas and Cozmore feature that the MiniMed doesn't are:
- Built in food lists to automatically calculate bolus amounts
- Waterproof
- A "disconnect" feature. If you disconnect from the pump, it will tell you how much of your basil insulin you will miss and allows you to give yourself a pre-disconnect bolus and then a "make-up" bolus once you reconnect (true of Cozmore, not so sure about Animas)
- Hypoglycemia notice. If you are about to bolus insulin, the Cozmore will warn you if it might cause you to have a hypoglycemic reaction because of the insulin you already have "on board" (Not sure if the Animas does this)
- Hypoglycemia correction. If your blood sugar registers low, the Cozmore will suggest how many carbs to eat to correct your level without over-doing it (not sure if the Animas does this)
All three pumps are VERY sturdy.
Hope thsi helps.
Hello, I currently use the minimed pump. It has really helped me with the control of my diabetes. I have been on it now for 4 years. Unfortunately, I can not say anything about the other 2 options, but I would suggest asking your endocrinologist what they suggest only because they will need to know which one you are on as well. Some endocrinologists have a great working relationship with certain companies (as did mine with Minimed), and it is easier to get things from the doctor if in an emergency situation (like a breakdown of the pump for any reason).
Good luck and keep us all informed.
Jim
I am on the Animas pump and I love it!
The screen is really easy to see.
The infusions sets are really easy to put into place.
Overall, its a wonderful pump!! Its my constant companion!! :)
From what I have seen and experienced being around people with the cozmore is that it is cheaply made, bulky, and breaks easily. such the reservoir coming out or coming dis attached so insulin leaks out. They may have fixed some of that... but past experience says no.
Stick with the animas or minimed. I have yet to hear a good reason why the pump is not a good choice, only that it will take commitment, but not much more then you already put in, but the payoff is worth it.
Once you get the pump, read the handbook and look into some other books listed on this site for pumping better.
One other thing is play. Play with your pump and as bad as this may sound, push buttons, see what lurks behind the different history and options.
Good luck and have fun.
I haven't had any problems with my Cozmore pump. It's no larger than a MiniMed and seems to be built as well (I used some form of the MIniMed for about 15 years). No complaints here.
[quote user="Sparrow"]
I haven't had any problems with my Cozmore pump. It's no larger than a MiniMed and seems to be built as well (I used some form of the MIniMed for about 15 years). No complaints here.
[/quote]
That is great to hear. cuz they rrreally used to suck...
Hello Sparrow,
Daniel is getting on the pump this monday and boy I am so scaird as a mom and hoping everything will go right in the next coupld of days and weeks.
I have a few questions like correction when you high during the day or night. It seemed like there was so much information last thursday when we went to that full day pump class and a lot of things just did not sank in.
I had the pump since Thursday and I took it off tonight and Danile will go life with the pump on Monday and it seemed as if it was easy while it was on me just to bolus it but when i am thinking of the basal dose and how to program that, that scares me.
I also know that in a coupld of weeks all of this will be one big piece of cake to handel.
Hi Dorit!
Congratulations on the pump!
The classes CAN be a little overwhelming! There's a lot to learn, but it will come naturally as time goes on.
Is your doctor or diabetes educator not going to give you the settings for the initial programming? They will usually do it. I would definitely ask them. There are a couple of formulas that they use to get a "starting point" for programming.
What pump did you choose? If you chose the MiniMed or Cozmore, I might be able to give more detailed or specific answers (because these are the two pumps I've used).
The basal rate and the "insulin to carb" ratio (used for bolus dosage) is different for adults and children. Children usually require less insulin than adults. Plus, the basal rate may change at different times of the day due to activity level (i.e., it may be higher during the night because the body is less active while asleep).
With most pumps, the basal rates are set before you initiate use. Even though they may change at different times of the day, these changes are programmed into the pump (again, usually with assistance from the doctor or diabetes educator... some pump companies help with this also). After the "initial" basal is set, it may be adjusted over time according to Daniel's lifestyle. (If he is very active, he may require a lower basal rate. If he is not so active, he may require a higher basil rate.) Much of this, as uneasy as this may sound, is determined by "trial and error". That's why it's very important to have your doctor or diabetes educator in on it.
With most pumps, the insulin to carb ratio will determine the insulin bolus amount. All Daniel does is put in the amout of carbs (as determined by food packaging and serving size) that he eats and the pump automatically determines the correct amount of insulin.
For more on the insulin to carb ratio, check here: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2003/02/01/3102.html
"Correction" boluses are determined much the same way as meal boluses. The pump (depending on which one you have) will determine how much bolus insulin to give based on the glucose reading Daniel enters into the pump.
With the Minimed, there is a "meal bolus" screen. You enter the carbohydrate amount there and tell it to administer the bolus.
With the Cozmore, there is a "meal bolus" screen and a "meal maker" screen. The "meal bolus" screen is the same as Minimed's. The "meal maker" screen actually gives you a food list to choose from, with the carbohydrates the foods contain, and you just enter the serving size. Then it adds up the carbs and administers the correct insulin.
I hope this has helped some. If you let me know which pump you chose, again, I might be able to help more (even along the way).
Sparrow
I have the minimed pump and i ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. before i went on the pump, i decided to go to a diabetes camp first so i could see all the different pumps and how people liked them. i got to see what they looked like, how people reacted to them, etc. out of all the people i asked most of them said they liked the minimed the most. a lot of girls liked the cosmo too, but a lot of them said the minimed because it was easy and it did not hurt at ALL to put in. so i came back from camp and i got the minimed pump. it's fantastic! i'm really active and play a lot of sports, and before i went on the pump sports could be challenging for me, but now that i have the minimed it makes it sooo much easier. you can set "temp basals" before you begin your exercise and that will increase your blood sugar how much you want it without you having to do anything! the infussion site does not hurt AT ALL. i use the Quickset, and it goes it so fast and the needle it tiny. the Minimed pump has made my life SO much easier, and i definetly have a better control of my diabetes with it.
Hi Meghan,
My son got on the minimed just a few month ago and he just started playing football but I dont remove from him because I dont want him to have high blood sugar. Do you remove yours when you play sports??
Hey Coutenay. I use the MiniMed, it's the best ever!!! I was just like you when I got my pump. I would go with either Animas or MiniMed. Cozmore is kinda weird and hard to use. It's got a bunch of features, but most of them you'd never need. Animas and MiniMed are much less confusing. The one advantage to the Cozmore is if you are really forgetful. (It'll remind you when you need to change a site.) Some tips for any pump are: a) don't go hog wild on junk food. Just cuz you can doesn't mean you should. Learned this the hard way, and b)test alot. It helps you get an idea of a pattern.
Best of Luck!
Yes, I always take off my pump when I play sports that involve contact, like basketball or lacrosse. I take it off during games, but usually I'll leave it on for practices. When your son plays football, I would highly recommend that he takes it off because he could get it caught on something when he's playing and that could cause it to not work or fall out. As for the high blood sugars, I don't usually find a problem with that when I have my pump off because I run so much during the games that it keeps my sugars down. Hope this helps!
thanks
Daniel does a lot of running as well, so I dont understand why will he be high, he can start the game with 150 blood sugar
and 20 min later I will check him and he will be 200.