I got my new Medtronic pump about a month (maybe a little longer) ago. The pump is exactly the same as my old pump, but I now have the enlight sensors. SOMETIMES they are accurate, but I never know when that will be. When they are off they are usually WAY off. Sometimes it will put me in Threshold Suspend when my BS is 200. It will notify me that my blood sugar is low after I have already detected the low on my own and corrected it… I have gone over this with my trainer and she says that NOBODY else has the problems I have and I might be making things too complicated. I don’t think that I am… I insert it following the directions, calibrate like I am supposed to and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I went online to this groups and found that most of what people are saying about the new minimed system are negative. People do have a lot of the same problems I do. ALOT of people are saying that the new system is junk and the Dexcom G4 system with a different pump, maybe animas, is leaps and bounds better… Should I return this pump and get a whole different system.
I have had a minimed pump forever! I need to know what else is out there. I would love to hear opinions from other pumpers and cgm users. Thanks
Your trainer is a lying liar. I’ve had these problems, too, and have brought them to Medtronic’s attention. The issues were more frequent when my pump was new, but there are times when I get wildly inaccurate readings from my sensor. (BTW, I’m also using the 530G with Enlite.)
Personally, when I know the readings are way off and I’m trying to sleep, I turn the notifications and Threshold Suspend features off. Then, when I wake up, I take the sensor out and call their 800-humber help line. They always replace sensors that aren’t working correctly. (I’ve had numerous problems with customer service with Medtronic, but they do always replace the equipment that isn’t working correctly.)
I can only tell you what my experience is with Medtronic, as I just started using their pump/CGM in November after 30-plus years of multiple daily injections. If you don’t feel comfortable, then, by all means, return it. The upgrade isn’t worth all the stress. (My one caveat, though, is that my A1C went from 6.7 pre-pump to 6.4 after four months use, so, even with all my complaints over the months, I think my 530G/Enlite combo is working for me.)
I hope you’re able to get some piece of mind with whichever pump/CGM combo you go for. Good luck.
Thank you for your response. It actually calmed me down a little. I am really bad about not wanting to waste a sensor so I keep trying when the sensor is obviously bad, thus being frustrated for a whole week. I might just need to resign myself to spending time on hold with Medtronic every time one doesn’t work right. It doesn’t appear that there are any other sensor/pump combos out there, at least not that I can find. I have a call in to my DE and hopefully she will have some advice for me. Thanks again
To my knowledge Medtronic is the only integrated pump/sensor available in the US. I am also on the 530G/Enlite and yes your problems do occur. I upgraded around Thanksgiving and it took about 6 weeks for the sensors to calm down and become more accurate. I feel like the new pump needed time to “learn to read me”, which is a comment I’ve read from others as well. Those first 6 weeks had me wanting to throw the pump off of a cliff, but I’m glad I didn’t–I’m much happier now and it’s working much better for me.
Also, are you new to CGMs or did you use the Sof Sensors before Enlite? I ask because new CGMers often have high expectations of accuracy that do not exist (for any system, not just Enlite).
Thanks for the info about the 6 weeks, I will keep that in mind. I did use the sof sensors and eventually quit because of the same issues. I was very specific about what I didn’t want to deal with when I purchased the new system. I wanted it to be accurate, I didn’t want sensors to fail, I wanted it to be useful. My sales rep assured me it would be. My trainer said that all of her patients are experiencing blood sugars with 5-10 points of the sensor, rarely an error, almost never a bent sensor… I guess that is where my frustration is coming from. I have an appointment with my endo in two weeks and I think I am going to try to tough it out. Hopefully my sensor will learn to read me… Thanks again for replying
I am the Mom of a son wearing the new Medtronic with the Enlite sensors. Realizing these CGM sensors were designed for adults, we anticipated some issues, but bottom line is that the technology has not quite caught up to the ideal (what they call “artificial pancreas technology”). They have made the entire CGM system very difficult with way too many alerts, alarms and error messages. The sensors failed often and the error messages were just non stop. Fixing the “issues” were counter intuitive, so I had to continuously call customer support- like twice a week. We tried for 3 months, but have returned to the Dexcom. It became more frustrating and more time consuming than it was worth for the threshold suspend feature (which also didn’t function properly). I feel one day Medtronic sensors will get there. They just aren’t there yet. Although unhappy with the CGM Enlite sensors, the 530G pump itself is superb! We LOVE the pump.
Joan I couldn’t agree with you more. The sensors were a fail and the pump was pretty great. After about 2.5 months I returned the entire system. I am waiting for Medtronic to fully credit me and my insurance so I can get a new pump. I am planning on giving Tandem T-Slim and Dexcom a try.
Finally found some others who have problems with this new pump! I have had the Enlite Sensors since December and I just do not like this system at all. My Ping pump never gave me this much trouble, was much easier to insert and I had better insurance coverage. How do I switch back? (As I write this I am waiting for a very high blood sugar to come down. When I changed out my site this evening it apparently didn’t connect correctly and now I feel terrible and am a bit scared.)
You didn’t mention your insurance type, but most supply in a 90 day cycle. When you’re eligible, you can change to another sensor or infusion set type. The pumps are warrantied for 4 years, so that’s a bit more of a process. You would have to investigate the return process. I wasn’t clear if you wanted to switch pumps or CGMs. You may want to try the Medtronic without the sensors to see if you like the pump itself. The Enlite sensors are problematic, but Medtronic has had one of the highest rated pumps for years. We’ve had no others for comparison, though. I just researched them well. We (my son, age 11) use the Dexcom CGM and it is hands down the best in all research. We have found it incredibly accurate and it reads from a football field away! This is quite useful while playing sports. He can leave the Dexcom in his sports bag & check it during water breaks.
JoanC thanks for offering some advice! I switched to Medtronic pump before the Enlite Sensors came out and did like it. I truly thought that the sensors would help add to better control, but the frustration of the readings continually being off and the price of all the Medtronic supplies is killing me. Test strips aren’t covered fully either. I have been a 90 supply purchaser for years. (Unfortunately my insurance prefers that I use Ping pump and corresponding testing supplies)
Hating to sound completely foolish, but who do I contact at Medtronic to voice my concerns about how much to do not want to continue to use the CGM and simply go back to the one I used before? I used to receive follow up phone calls about the pump, but they have stopped now that I have issues.
I am so happy to have found a place that has other folks with pump issues and potential solutions!
Yes, I have been told many times “this is the first time we have heard of this” etc. The Medtronic CGM (the old and new one) are JUNK! I ordered and paid for the previous CGM (3 years ago) and wasn’t able to use it after 3 months because it was often off more than 50-100 points most of the time. I ordered the new pump and CGM in January 2014 after promises it was 1000% better than the old system. I attempted to use it for 3 weeks with never ending highs and lows that kept me on edge because of the constant alarms. The Dexcom never has this issue. When checked against a meter it was off 50-70% of the time. The other issue is when I sleep it loses connection A LOT because I roll onto my stomach and side. I called Medtronic to explain the issue and that my Dexcom was never this bad and rarely off more than a few points. I was told that due to my rebate agreement I needed to stay on it for 2 months. I tried it for a couple of more weeks to the point where I couldn’t trust it.
I called Medtronic and was transferred to everyone under the sun and basically ran out of time because I needed to work so I couldn’t spend hours on the phone. I emailed my rep over and over and was told they would take care of it. After many months of the CGM sitting in the box with the supplies I can’t use I am being told by customer service “sorry its over the 30 day return period.” Until my search today (which I should have done back in January) I wasn’t aware of how many people actually had this same issue. AGAIN JUNK! I am on the Dexcom today and have been for 2 years now and it’s the best move I could have made. I love it.
At this point I am not going to accept no as an answer from Medtronic and will keep moving up until a return is granted. I don’t know what happened to Medtronic but this is my 5th pump and this is the first time I have ever had this degree of problem with there communications and poor customer service.
Hi All -
From my experience and listening to the diabetic educators at my clinic, Dexcom is the bomb! I would never use Medtronic’s CGM - they hurt to insert and are very inaccurate. Sorry, Medtronic - you really do great pumps and I have an older one - Paradigm Mimimed 522 that has worked for 5 years. But you just do not have the technology that Dexcom has. Also, I pay privately for my CGM sensors and although the company says to replace every 7 days, I have had them last up to 20 days. This is money in the bank and peace of mind knowing my blood glucose is very close to the readings on my Dexcom receiver.
The best news is that Animas already has integrated the Dexcom 4G sensor/transmitter into their pump so you don’t have to carry the receiver. Animas is similar to the Paradigm Mimimed I currently own. Thinking about getting the Animas, but I am waiting for Tslim to integrate soon - probably by January 2016. Tslim is touch screen as opposed to having to punch buttons and I like that idea.
Wow! It’s been awhile since I’ve been on this site and I stumbled on this discussion…I’ve completely stopped using my CGM because I was having so many problems inserting the Enlite sensor! I do love my Minimed pump-I had an Animas Ping for 6 years and used a Dex-com with it, but the Enlite sensors more often than not, don’t penetrate into my skin! I’ve gone to my CDE and I’m doing the right things, but 3 out of 5 times, it will not go in.
Very frustrating! I’m tired of sending back and receiving new sensors…but my a1c is going up and I need to figure something out…
It is encouraging to know that I’m not the only person who has had issues with these sensors
I have been with Medtronic for 10+ years and my warranty is coming up due in August. I have had the same problems as you with the inaccuracy of the CGM. I do not have the enlite system but I do have the sof sensors and I actually hate wearing my CGM for the fact that it is so inaccurate and that it irritates my skin.
Since my warrenty is coming up soon I have been looking into my other options. I have heard so many great reviews on the Dexcom, a CGM system. From what I have read the accuracy is a lot better than Medtronics and I hear it is more comfortable and easier to insert. Dexcom is now integrated into the Animas Vibe system if you want to have the CGM and pump “all in one”. Or you can just purchase the Dexcom CGM as its own unit. I am currently looking into purchasing the Animas Vibe; as much as I dislike change, I think it is time for a new system that will actually benefit my diabetes.
