Hey I'm having a hard time with trying to manage my diabetes on top of the many other things in my life. My doctor suggested the Minimed CGMS, does any one have any comments, pros/cons?
There are definite benefits and negatives to the Minimed CGMS system. I have been using the pump since July 8th and roughly began using the sensor a month or so later.
Pros:
Once taught very easy to use
Relatively accurate if done right
One system for both pump and transmitter
Because of the monitoring you should be more aware of both Highs and Lows
Reminds you to test if you don't
Cons:
Cost, not yet covered through most insurance companies w/o a fight or long process
Can be somewhat uncomfortable to wear when first getting things sorted out, i.e. locations and where to place it.Not gonna lie the needle for injection somewhat disturbs me still, but you get used to it. And the needle does come back out.
Sometimes can be less accurate than what you would hope for
Making sure the location is secure using IV-3000, I have lost one or two sensors due to poor placement and such. Again, it does not happen often.
In the end, the decision is yours, I am truly greatful to have the sensor and all the benefits it offers me. Granted being in school I need to work for the money to afford it. My ew Years resolution though is to fight my insurance for coverage. At the end of the day the benefits for me out number the negatives. Ot does so much good and being more aware of when my sugar drops is really key for my management. Any other questions feel free to ask.
Thanks for the reply, where i live i dont know a lot of people with pumps or the CGMS let alone diabetes. i currently use IV tape with my sites already because i have a tendancy to get my tubing caught on things and they get ripped out. I was wondering is there a certain distance the infusion site has to be from the sensor or can they be placed next to each other? Also, where can you put the sensor? Does it have to be put around the stomach?
I was told by my trainer that it is best to keep the sensor at lest 2 inches from where the infusion site is. This is just to prevent skewed readings. That close to the infusion site there is alot of insulin floating about so the sugar levels would be lower.
Otherwise, I keep it on my abdomen as of right now, however it is rotatable just like the normal insertion devices. Mini-med on their site just says, "Do not choose sites that are prone to movement or would be under tight clothing." Otherwise, I think it would be fine.
I'm having the exact same problem, and I'm thinking of the same solution. When I'm in control, I get a lot of lows, which frustrates me and makes me not want to have the control anymore, just to escape the lows. But I know going high is no better for my body than the lows. Highs are just easier to deal with. I'm talking to my endocrinologist on Wednesday about it. I think it'd be a good thing for me.
I have used both the Minimed and the Dexcom CGMS (as has my brother). My experience is that the Minimed sensors don't last as long, hurt more and are WAY less accurate than the Dexcom sensors secondary to the acceptable lag time for the Minimed (20 minutes vs. Dexcom's 5 minutes). Both my brother and I started on the Minimed Paradigm pump + CGM and were infinitely frustrated before we switched to Dexcom. No CGM is perfect but I much prefer the data offered by the Dexcom to that of the Minimed, despite the need to carry 2 devices (something to which I was adamantly opposed at first but now I don't even notice).
Hayley,
It is really interesting to see other people’s experiences. I couldn't get accurate numbers from the Dexcom to save my life. I tried both the original and the 7 and my readings from the MM were almost always (except during drops) within a few points of my meter. The Dexcom always read about 30 points low which meant I couldn't get rid of/silence the low alarms (it showed 50) when I was in my 80's. I’d recalibrate- I’d be great for an hour (maybe) and then—back to goofiness.
That said, I didn't have an integrated option with my pump (Omnipod)- and I went with the Navigator (yes, I keep picking devices that hide the needle).
Anyhow - All of that to wind my way back around to saying that I don't imagine there is any substitute for having a trial on the various devices!
Cheers!
A-D
I could have written this Hayley! I have the Dexcom, tried the Minimed and agree with everything you said, both about the problems w.the minimed and adamently opposing having 2 devices. Still hate carrying the dexcom around, but choose to deal with that to have more physical comfort (couldn't stand how much longer minimed wire is and horribleness of having to put tape over it, they NEED to redesign that!).
Rachel,
Your description makes me wonder if you tried the MM when they had the old lollipop transmitter.
The transmitter now is pretty small and there was no need for extra tape through the first 6-7 days of wear when I tried it… is this: http://www.minimed.com/products/guardian/features.html (the picture with the new clam-shell transmitter is about ½ way down) the one you tried???. Even with that, the inserter and needle were a LOT bigger than Dex and I will concede that I have never been a good person to gauge discomfort...
Cheers!
A-D
The big disadvantage of the Dexcom CGMS is that the people who work there. It takes forever to get insurance coverage if they ever submit it and the technical support is so hit and miss. I've spoken with one or 2 people with good advice and a handful of others who are lucky if they know what diabetes means. Arrrgghhh!!!! Its been one of those days and I'm very frustrated with the Dexcom people right now.
This may be a little lat of a response as I'm not sure when you first posted the question... I probably should have looked at that before responding :) But anyway, since I didn't, here it goes: I have the Minimed CGMS, and I absaloutely adore it. At the beginning, I've had troubles with keeping the sensor in, but I just recentley got some Tegaderm for the site that is larger than the original stuff; so far so good, I haven't had problems with it for a week or so now.
Umm... if you have a Minimed pump, which I assume you do if you're looking at the CGMS, it reads right to the pump, so there's nothing extra that you have to carry around. Definate pro. Cons... can't think of any, except for that not all insurance companies cover CGMS, but I'm sure you've heard that as well, and it's not just for the Minimed CGMS. I didn't have any problems getting mine; but then again my insurance company covers it :)
Although the MiniMed sensors are marketed as 3-day, I get much longer use from them than that.
I simply restart them after the 3-day cycle, then recharge the transmitter after the second 3-day cycle, and
continue on. Most of my sensors last a minimum of 2 weeks. When I am paying out of pocket for them,
I certainly appreciate that!
I'd have to agree w/extending the sensor life. Most of my MM sensors give me at least 12
days....I've even gone 18 with two of them. I started using the MM CGMS in 07/08 and am on my
3rd box of sensors. I love the system. It has a learning curve the first few months you use it..but
once you learn the tricks, it is pretty darn good. And if my numbers aren't exact..they're close
enough for me to see the trends and figure out what to do next. On the rare occasion my numbers
are way off..i just turn the sensor off, wait a few hours for my BG to calm down and be more stable
and start it back up.
My biggest and about only complaint is how the inserter won't release easily....and when it does
release..it wants to keep the sensor in its grasp. I often feel like I have to wrestle it out of the
insertor device.
Taping it down is SO important. I've figured out for me, that Tegaderm works better than IV300,
and that it needs more than that to stay tight. I use hypafix tape to keep it secure. Started with
the 2 inch stuff and made a cross over the sensor. Just got a box of the 4 inch stuff and used
it for the 1st time last night. So far so good. A lot of folks suggest using the clear Opsite fLexifilm,
but i dont' find that I need to see the sensor , so I have not tried that yet.
As I said, lots of little tricks to learn, but lots of places to learn those tricks.
Good luck to all.
Michelle
Michelle,
Its so funny you posted this because I just made a post on my personal blog about the same exact thing. The IV 3000 tape for some reason has not been working for me lately. It has been bubbling up and I think it has been causing my sensors to come out of my body. Check it out here I put up some photos with it as well.
Hi Gina. I too got the sample kit from MM....and haven't used much of it. I do prefer the Tegaderm over the
IV3000 amnd will order that tne next time I order from MM. For some reason, they sent me a huge box of
IV3000, so i use that when I use sils for my sets (i bounce back and forth between quicksets and sils).
I find the sils to not be secure enough, so I add a IV3000 to it to keep it secure. Or at least as secure
as I need till I shower and take it off daily.
I've only had one major bleeder with sensor insertion, and really didn't know about until the next morning
when i got up and started the sensor and noticed blood. Now I pay more attention when I insert as to
whether it is bleeding or not!
[quote user="Brian"]
There are definite benefits and negatives to the Minimed CGMS system. I have been using the pump since July 8th and roughly began using the sensor a month or so later.
Pros:
Once taught very easy to use
Relatively accurate if done right
One system for both pump and transmitter
Because of the monitoring you should be more aware of both Highs and Lows
Reminds you to test if you don't
Cons:
Cost, not yet covered through most insurance companies w/o a fight or long process
Can be somewhat uncomfortable to wear when first getting things sorted out, i.e. locations and where to place it.Not gonna lie the needle for injection somewhat disturbs me still, but you get used to it. And the needle does come back out.
Sometimes can be less accurate than what you would hope for
Making sure the location is secure using IV-3000, I have lost one or two sensors due to poor placement and such. Again, it does not happen often.
In the end, the decision is yours, I am truly greatful to have the sensor and all the benefits it offers me. Granted being in school I need to work for the money to afford it. My ew Years resolution though is to fight my insurance for coverage. At the end of the day the benefits for me out number the negatives. Ot does so much good and being more aware of when my sugar drops is really key for my management. Any other questions feel free to ask.
[/quote]Hi Brian!! I hope you will get this, i am still new to this.
My Son Daniel just got on the minimed medtronic pump and we love it. We also got the CGM but because this is his first week on the pump, it will take some time for us to get on the CGM which that is the only reason i choose this pump for Daniel BUT the only thing that really scares me is the size and WIDTH of the needle.
Brian - You are partially correct. Some insurance companies are not covering the CGM systems (Blue Cross/Blue Shield primarily). However, since the study was published in the October issue of the New England Journal of Medicine providing evidence that use of CGMS improved glycemic control in certain populations, most insurance companies are now covering them. If yours still is not, speak with both your physician about a letter of necessity and Medtronic to resubmit to your insurance claim.
@ Dorit Tovi
Take your time with both the pump and CGM, it does take a little time to get used to both aspects of it. Make sure your son has full knowledge of the pump before adding everything else. I waited a month before I started to use the CGM. Also, yes the needles are a little freaky and long which bothered me at first (I am 27), however, it is really not all that bad. It is a quick pinch and really no worse than a normal shot, since you are going into slightly fatty tissue. I never felt any major issues with it and it is definitly much less than when you go for your typical bloodwork.
@ Hayley
Well, when I posted that was still the case in regards to insurance companies, which as you pointed out seems to be changing for the better.
I was actually all prepared to start the process with my insurance company, when the last order of sensors that I placed online through the Minimed Store went through without the typical call of "your insurance denied the claim..." I am not certain where I stand with this yet though. It could be that Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of NJ has approved my request or there was an error from Medtronic, I will know that when I see the next statement from them. From what I have been reading from people it does seem that the insurance companies are adjusting their stance on the matter.
In the last e-mail I saw from the JDRF Advocay group they had listed their current findings about the policies for CGMS for differenct companies at:http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=111281
So it is getting there, thanks in part to the advocates out there and mostly due to the work of organizations suck as the JDRF.
[quote user="Brian"]
There are definite benefits and negatives to the Minimed CGMS system. I have been using the pump since July 8th and roughly began using the sensor a month or so later.
Pros:
Once taught very easy to use
Relatively accurate if done right
One system for both pump and transmitter
Because of the monitoring you should be more aware of both Highs and Lows
Reminds you to test if you don't
Cons:
Cost, not yet covered through most insurance companies w/o a fight or long process
Can be somewhat uncomfortable to wear when first getting things sorted out, i.e. locations and where to place it.Not gonna lie the needle for injection somewhat disturbs me still, but you get used to it. And the needle does come back out.
Sometimes can be less accurate than what you would hope for
Making sure the location is secure using IV-3000, I have lost one or two sensors due to poor placement and such. Again, it does not happen often.
In the end, the decision is yours, I am truly greatful to have the sensor and all the benefits it offers me. Granted being in school I need to work for the money to afford it. My ew Years resolution though is to fight my insurance for coverage. At the end of the day the benefits for me out number the negatives. Ot does so much good and being more aware of when my sugar drops is really key for my management. Any other questions feel free to ask.
[/quote]Hi Brian,
Just like I mentioned earlier, the only reason i went a head and chose medtronic for my son was because of the sensor but one
thing that bothered me regarding Medtronic is, when I asked them what happens if I loose my job and Have no insurance coverage, will they or do they have any finanical or reduced rate program for their supplies and the answer was no.
Where when Animas I believe was here to show us their pump, they mention that they do have some kind of a programe where
they help out with their supplies if you loose insurance coverage.
It sad here in the USA that we depend on our jobs to offer us insurance coverage when I think living here in the USA one of the
richest countries in the world, it should be like Canada, where everyone can afford to have health insurance.