My son is 13 and needs a new pump since the Animas Ping company went out of business. I have read a lot about the pros and cons of both the T:Slim and the Medtronic models but I am still confused. Is there anyone out there that can offer their opinion? Is there anyone who just switched who can give some advice? Thanks!
Go with the 670 system. Medtronic is not great in the design department, but the system they engineered for auto mode is brilliant. You will need time and patience to get the hang of it but once you do it’s very rewarding.
Thank you for the recommendation. I just hope my son likes it!
Lisa
I should point out that the Dexcom is more tech-friendly at the moment. Meaning you can view glucose levels on your phone and smartwatch. You can also remotely monitor your sons’ glucose.
Medtronic, at least in the U.S., doesn’t currently have that functionality. If this is a deal-breaker for you I totally understand, but the way Medtronic’s new system prevents low blood sugars is far more important to me. After having it for a few months I can see time and again how it cuts off basal insulin at just the right times to prevent low blood sugars. It’s not perfect, but it’s right now the best device for managing diabetes. You must give yourself time to get used to it and you must let a Medtronic trainer train you in to the system.
I have been diabetic since the 70s, I have had three generations of medtronic,minimed pumps and 2 generations of Animas, they all are good, but each has things that are not ideal. I personally switched to omnipod, for many reasons, not wanting potential employers to see the pump is one, where I can apply the device and eliminating tubes. I would put CGM compatibility high on the list of consideration, I don’t like the medtronic CGM much. If you contact the rep for each device they can find a way to trial each. Happy to get into any specific questions you may want answered.
Lisa, I can say that Omni Pods are amazing! I’ve been on these for 2 months now and love not having tubes or having to stay MDI plus my insurance covers them under prescription benefits. Hope this helps?
Medtronic 670G in my user photo! Screams at me to keep my sugar in check haha! This thing has literally changed and probably saved my life forever.
Hi Lisa!
I would, from personal experience, recommend the 670g from Medtronic. I have been on it for about 9 months now and it is a complete game changer. It is a great system and I have had great success with it as well. My a1c was 6.7 before getting on this pump and after the first three months my a1c went down to 6.0 and now it remains at 5.8 with very very few lows. I live an extremely active lifestyle and the pump is very easy to adapt to that. I like this pump so much that I actually became a Medtronics’ ambassador so if you have any questions regarding it at all I would love to answer them for you!
-Colton
Hi Colton @Colton_Smith, it is good to hear a positive review of the 670G on here - I talked a few years ago with people in the beta-testing and they all has positive reviews too. Your HbA1c of 5.8 sounds good but my question is how often you stay “in range” and what your lower and upper limits are. Indirectly, your standard deviation.
For years with MDI and then with three older model MiniMed pumps [currently a #523] I maintained an A1c between 5.9 and 6.1 but in recent years two independently acting endocrinologists have told me to get it up to 6.5 so for the past three years I’m in a 6.4 to 6.1 range - but way too many hypos.
Way back when I was in the project developing glycosylated hemoglobin, now HbA1c, the target for “excellent management” was 6.5.
I’m looking at all options available while selecting my next system.
My in range time is 90% with a range between 80 and 180 and I’ve only had one really low blood sugar which was 50 over the past 6 months and only three or four high blood sugars but nothing over 260.