My 16 yr old is getting her 670G training Feb. 12. Nervous Momma!

Hi everyone! I just joined today!

My youngest daughter got diagnosed as T1 on June 2, 2017. Currently she uses Humalog/Lantus pens, and wears the Dexcom G5. We have been so pleased with the Dexcom! I love the fact that her Daddy and I can get blood sugar notifications on our phones. However, Emily is starting her pump on Feb. 12. While I am excited for her, and the control we are hoping it will give her, I am also nervous. From the reading I have been doing, it seems like there is a learning curve with the 670G. I think part of my nervousness is because we can't link her sensor to our phones to get blood sugar readings and alerts. I worry because sometimes she doesn't wake up when her Dexcom alerts her, but we do because we do hear the alert on our phones. Any advice for this nervous nelly?

 

Having the 670g should help ease your worries about her not waking at night, especially when college is within the range of her pump warranty. Our friends on closed loop systems say the nights are amazing.

Switching to a pump is a HUGE learning curve that you'll feel, even with the closed loop. Basal rates will need to be figured out and programmed to have the system work well. Figuring out what infusion site works best is another learning curve. We started out with the Medtronic silhouettes and then switched to Mios after a year. The difference in tissue damage was huge; the Sils left lots of scars. But, with the Mios, we got lots of kinks, so eventually we switched to the steel needles and haven't looked back. They sound horrible, but my daughter prefers them. She appreciates the lack of highs from kinks.

We keep Muropricin (prescription antibiotic cream) on hand for site infections, along with Prid. We rarely see them, but she got some bad ones for a bit with a complicating factor as a trigger.

For me, the biggest fear about pumping was the loss of the background basal of Lantus and the increased risk of DKA. With having CGM, it hasn't been a problem because the alerts are going off long before DKA would set in.

I'll never forget the smile on my daughter's face as she ate an apple on the way home from pump start for the first carb eating in over a year without a shot. However, getting it adjusted at home was not smooth and I would have been content to toss it if it hadn't been her determination to make it work. If you have concerns about the settings, don't wait until the specified time to call in. It's ok to call earlier and say the settings aren't working and need adjusted. When I did, within four hours, my daughter was feeling good rather than being miserable and lying around.

 

My 7 year old son just upgraded to the 670g from a 530g. We started with the 530g 4 years ago because it was the first pump to communicate with the cgm and have threshold suspend feature. After a year on the 530g, Dexcom came out with the Dexcom Share app, the idea of being able to see how our son's BG was doing when he was away from us sounded amazing, so we stopped using the Medtronic Enlite sensor, and got a Dexcom. The Dexcom Share app allowed us to get more sleep at night because we could check our phones to check up on his BG instead of having to get up and go into his room to check his pump. We also knew the alarm would wake us up if he was too low or high. It also allowed him to have play dates with friends, and even go to day camp. I could keep an eye on his BG onmy phone without having to sit at camp all day. About a year later Medtronic came out with the Carelink Connect app and an uploader to share BG in the cloud as well. We were happy Medtronic "caught up" with the technology side of Diabetes. When my son's pump warranty expired in Dec, it was a no brainer for us to go with the 670g because of the new Auto Mode. We were so excited to receive the pump, but I naively assumed it would still link up with the Carelink Connect app. I was shocked when we set up his pump and realized it is not compatible with the Carelink Connect App. I don't understand how or why Medtronic would backtrack with the share aspect of diabetes. How can they be a leader in getting artificial pancreas technology approved by FDA, but then not include the share aspect to the cgm like they did before? I know the pump is FDA approved for 14 yrs. and older, (we got an off label prescription) maybe this is more of a pediatric concern to be able to share BG in real time, but it is almost a deal breaker for us! We are back to being in the dark with how our son is doing when hes away from us. We are still getting started, and like the pump so far, it does have some great features, but hope Medtronic will create an after market feature to add Cloud sharing! I just ordered a cheap baby monitor to put in his room, so we can hear the pump alarm at night.

 

We started on the 670 G a couple weeks ago. Long time Dexcom / OmniPoders. As long as he’s below 200 heading into the night, he wakes to a smooth 115 every morning. But we still require night surveillance. We use the DIY NightScout system to replace Share until Medtronic catches up. Join the FB group NightScout for Medtronic. Read and follow the pinned document. It walks you through set-up and use. Group is great about answering questions. You will need an Android uploader phone. We use it (no phone contract only WiFi) for our 14 year old son for nights only. I’ll try to attach photo of my iPhone (any browser can see this) screen now. He ate crap today but result are descent. Shows BG trend, boluses, basal rates, IOB, units in pump and lots more. Also can set alarms. 670g is not the magic answer we’ve all been waiting for but we sleep MUCH better. Good luck!

 

We just switched over after 8 years on Ping. We loaded up on Dexcom sensors and he’s still wearing one until we crack open Nightscout once again.

One of the most frustrating things so far is the sites are making it a little over 48 hours on average. The Animus sites lasted three days or more.

 

Than you all for your replies! She is officially a pumper! It is all so over whelming though! Once we get through the learning curve, I really feel like this pump is going to be a great choice. The sensors concern me though. The same day she got her pump, we had a change sensor alert on the pump. We go in today for a follow up, goodness knows I/we need it!

 

Thanks for this info, I will look into the Night Scout system!!