I just wanted to share something with you all and to see if anyone has any other helpful ideas for pumps.
I have had a pump for 10 years but my blood sugars have been low and high and high and low and no matter how hard I try I cannot recognize my lows. My Dr. reccommended that I get a CGM, which will check my blood every minute or so. There is a new pump by Minimed that had a CGM attached to it. It also comes with a onetouch that is synced to the pump. If I check my blood and it is 220, my pump will automatically give me a correction bolus. After doing some research on the Medtronic and other possible continuous glucose monitors, I knew the Medtronic was the pump for me.
My insurance company would not pay for the new pump or for a CGM. The cost of the medtronic and CGM is over $7000. After several appeals and working with the medtronic representatives, my parents and I decided to buy the pump ourselves and appeal for a refund from BCBS (we have been working on this since December).
We called the pump people (that helped us appeal to my insurance company) and then called Medtronic, expecting to pay a whopping $7000 for this device. It turns out that Medtronic is having a special where if you currently have a pump, they will send you the medtronic for FREE to try for 30 days. If you like it and want to keep it, all you have to do is send them your old pump. (I currently use an Animus pump) AND YOU PAY NOTHING! If you answer surveys every 2 weeks they will also give you $200 off of supplies (which are crazy expensive). Instead of paying $7000 for the pump and CGM, we wound up only paying $1000 for the supplies and CGM. We are going to appeal to BCBS AGAIN and hopefully they will reimburse us for these expenses and pay for my pump and CGM supplies.
When I got my first pump, I was one of the first children to get one so insurance did not want to pay for it (this was 10 years ago). With a lot of fights, phone calls, and letters, we got them to pay for my pump then and I know we will do it again for the CGM. I know that the CGM may not be for everyone, but if anyone is out there with severe hypoglycemia episodes so unknown highs, the CGM might be something for you. I am going to begin teaching Kindergarten in AUgust and I know that I cannot risk dropping low in the middle of the day. I am also traveling in Italy for 2 months this summer and I think the CGM will help me control my blood sugars in another country.
I have had several doctors and endocrinologists since my diagnosis in 1992. Some of them have been amazing and have pushed me to try new inventions and to get the best help in order to have the best control. Others have not cared about my issues and have not worked to help me improve my control. Find a Dr. you can trust and one who can help you find the best devices for your body. And think about the medtronic if you need a new pump because the deal they are having is really amazing!!!