WHich pump is best?

[WendyAchilles]

Walston has not had D very long but we are going to try the pump. I am overwhelmed at all the choices. He is 9. How did you decide which pump was best for your child? Thanks!!!

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

Wendy~
Boy that's a hard one to answer. Everyone has different reasons why they chose the pump that they did. Just to list a few...

Some like the water proof pump, and swim often

Some like the CGMS feature.

Some want to give the tiniest bit of insulin

Some don't want the tubing attached to them.

I'm sure I'm missing more than one advantage that others considered when choosing a pump. It really depends on the child, age, lifestyle, and preference. I REALLY suggest you get in contact with all the pump rep's and find out what they have to offer. If you haven't already, also check with your insurance and possibly find out what pump is or isn't covered.

Have you asked Walston what he would like or wouldn't like regarding the features?

[D-Dad]

you can't go wrong with any of them. call them all and have a rep come to you so you can see them all. We started with Animas (for small basal, small size and waterproof) and will likely soon switch to Cosmo (as there seems to be a great deal of customizable features, the size is about the same and it seems more intuitive for out 7 year old to learn).

[WendyAchilles]

Yes, and he says he does not care. Duke University, which is where his D team is, has a pumping 101 class which we are taking. I have seen so many options. I just wanted the opinion of parents who had children on the pump as the reps are a great source but so are all of you who live with it every day. Thank you for the information.

[Thoover]

My daughter was diagnosed Jan of 2007. We had Animas come to the house and she loved it. I like the fact that it is water proof for the summer time and her being so young if it gets wet it will be OK. She gets hooked up on June the 4th. She is so excited and has been such the trooper going through this life change. Best of luck to you

[theo'smummy]

Theo wasn't given a choice, we were told that he was getting mm pardigm 522. we didn't get a chioce of what colour we wanted.







mum to theo aged 3 dx 19.01.06 @22 months
mum to sol aged 5 non d

[Momof4gr8kids]

I think the best way to figure it out is to meet with the reps, and play with the pumps. Also there are some great comparison charts out there. Here's one that helped us figure it out. Also, find out if your insurance company has a prefrence, or contract with any of the companies.

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_technology/insulin_pump_models.php

[staciebco]

The best advice we got when trying to pick a pump was this..." the most important thing any of them do is pump insulin, the other stuff is just gravy" So pick the features that would benefit you the most and you'll have a winner.

For us we didn't care so much if it was waterproof or not, but the CozFoods, now that's cool! We liked the attached glucose meter and some of the other customizable features are priceless for our family needs.

Look over the literature, meet with a pump rep, you'll see what you like and what you don't. Good Luck!

[badshoe]

Tale a good look at and try on sets. Try setting, inserting etc. Some kids are more scared than others by sets. Sets can be a big factor in the stress of pumping. A lot of pump sales people try impress you with bells and ringers on the pump itself and tend to gloss over sets. Sets are the pointy end of the deal and your child's comfort factor with the set is huge.

[khannen]

Wendy- I see you are going to Duke. We're in the same area (live in Cary) and also see the endo team there. Are you working with Jean, the CDE? She has been a lifesaver for us! :)

We narrowed our choices down to Animas and Cozmo when we made the pump decision in April. I had the two reps come to our house and go over everything with us. It was nice to actually have it in hand and push the buttons etc. We ended up going with the Cozmo, but had initially been leaning to the Animas. I'm convinced we would have been happy with either choice, but in the end it just depends on the features you like the most. The attached BG meter is one thing that sold us on the Cozmo.

[WendyAchilles]

Yes, Jean has been great. I don't think I would have made it without them. Actually the entire team have been amazing.

I know exactly where you are - my husband currently works at Donnelley in Cary.

Thank you for the info. I think the attached BG meter would be a great addition.

[WendyAchilles]

Thank all of you for the great information. This forum has been a lifesaver :)

[Twinklet]

I'm chiming in late here, but to echo what others have said all of the "big 3" with tubing are great (Animas, Minimed, Cozmore). E-Mail each company and have them send you an information packet. Make a list of the pros and cons you have for each one.

Our daughter is 9 and chose the Cozmore (we let her choose since she is old enough and would be wearing it and doing the school care with it). It is very intuitive and extremely easy for her to work. Cozmore speaks in plain English, so there's no question about what is alarming and why. It's also very customizable, which has been a HUGE help to us for missed meal boluses. I also set the pump to buzz 10 minutes before her snack time and lunch time at school to remind her to check her BG (she hates checking at lunch--it takes away from her eating time).

She loves the attached meter--one less thing to carry.

Of course, there are things I don't like about it, but that would be true with any of them.

Another thing to do is see if your Endo has loaner pumps s/he can allow you to take home and play with for a couple of days. We also did this and that's what sold Emily on the Cozmore--she thought it was super easy to work.

Good luck, it's not an easy decision!

[Mama2H]

We went with the minimed 722 for 2 reasons

1. The integrated CGMS is absolutly wonderful! I wouldn't live without it now that we have it

2. Minimed has been around the longest and has excellent history and are on the leading edge of technology that *I* find important to the care of our daughter. If something comes out that is better you are allowed to upgrade for a much smaller fee than it would cost to go out and buy a new pump.

As everyone else has said, you need to decide what is the most important to you. Is water proof a must? CGMS? Small dosing increments? What is a deal breaker for you? Do you want the bg meter integrated? Are you allowing your D child a say in which pump? What does Walston want in a pump?

Talk with the reps, talk to other pumping parents, and do your research for what is most important to you.

[Tori's Mom]

The best advice we got when trying to pick a pump was this..." the most important thing any of them do is pump insulin, the other stuff is just gravy" So pick the features that would benefit you the most and you'll have a winner.

We've gone through this same decision over the past month. What Stacie said is true. One of the pump reps told us, "Quite honestly, whatever pump you pick you will love because pumping with any pump is so much better than MDI's."

I think that is what the bottom line is. We chose the Minimed pump over the others. Tori was allowed to vote because even though she is 6 she needs to contribute to the decision. I think Minimed won because it is available in PURPLE!!! Only thing better than that would have been PINK:p

[liasmommy2000]

I think Minimed won because it is available in PURPLE!!! Only thing better than that would have been PINK:p

We have decided on Animas due to the waterproof and tiny dosages ability. However it would be really cool if any of the companies offered a pink pump. How many little girls would LOVE that. When I asked Lia which color she wants and told her the choices were black, silver and blue, she said none, but how about pink? She was not happy when I told her pink was not an option lol.

[swimmom]

You might ask your doctor or nurse practitioner which pump they are most familiar with. If 80% of their practice uses a particular pump, you might not want to be the exception.

[Hollyb]

We ruled out the Cozmore because Aaron didn't like the look of it (he does, after all, have to wear it 24/7). My impression, though, is that most people who use one love it.

We ruled out the Minimed mainly because of the restricted choice of infusion sets (and that turned out to be a good decision, because at the time they didn't offer a short angled set, which has been really good for his belly area, and he is now using the Inset II and really prefers it over the Quickset).

Went with Animas because he liked the look of it, I liked the sales/service approach, it had a wide choice of infusion sets, and allowed tiny basal adjustments (which, suprisingly, we have used and continue to use, despite the fact that he's going through 60+ units a day now).

So far the only thing we regret is that the Animas has a relatively small cartridge size -- not an issue for a young child, but definitely an issue for a teenage boy. He usually has to top it up before his set change time.

[Amy C.]

So far the only thing we regret is that the Animas has a relatively small cartridge size -- not an issue for a young child, but definitely an issue for a teenage boy. He usually has to top it up before his set change time.

My 13 year old son is a little reluctant to change the site. It is more motivating for him to change the site every 3 days (or nearly three days) if he is also out of insulin.

He tested out the Inset II and really liked it, but Animas decided not to market this in the US.

[miss_behave]

My parents and I chose MiniMed because it seems to be the world leader in technology. It is the only pump with an inbuilt CGMS, and it consistently gets its newer, better upgrades approved quite quickly.

For those of you in the USA who dislike the proprietry sets, Applied Diabetes Research manufactures a reservoir that converts the sets to luer lock. http://www.applieddiabetesresearch.org/model332_326consumer.html

[allisonsmom]

Has anyone tried the reservoirs from Applied Diabetes Technology? We are considering switching to the Paradigm but I have a lot of insets I would like to use.

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

I'm curious to know the same thing....

Has anyone tried this? http://www.applieddiabetesresearch.o...6consumer.html

[Barry]

Omnipod, hands down

[miss_behave]

Omnipod, hands down

I guess its a matter of opinion... I would never want the OmniPod because of the inability to wear it under the tight clothes I like to wear, without it being very obvious. If they made it smaller, and flatter, then I might consider it.

[Alyssasdad]

we don't have a pump yet, but in doing research, I noticed that Minimed offers skins for the Paradigm and Guardian pumps, and pink is available. My daughter is pretty happy about that...

[Momof4gr8kids]

We use the animas. We wanted to be able to adjust the basal by the smallest amount possible, and we also liked the water proof feature.

The 3 major brands Animas, Cozmor, and minimed you can't go wrong. I've heard both good and bad about omni pod with insurance, and then the pod being attached is an issue for some for various reasons (clothing fitting right, can't put in frio pack for summer, and hot tubs are the main ones) I personally like being able to disconnect my daughter when needed so that might be something to think about as well.

Basically all of the pumps give insulin. The additional stuff looks like a lot to sort out, but just figure what is the most important things for you.