Tag Archives: Minimed

First Impressions: Contour Next Link USB Meter

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Friday at lunch, I came home to a surprise. Minimed shipped out the new Contour Next Link USB meter that they have available. I’ve been waiting for over a month for this little thing. Just so happened that Friday was also site change day, so I put away my Ping and pulled out my Revel so that I could do a run with the full experience.

First thoughts was that this little meter is sleek. It can easily fit into my “meter-case” section of my wallet (VERY important to me… because I LOVE that wallet!) Color screen is cool, and just the fact that the meter is now like the baby of the Contour Link and the CareLink USB device… it’s all-in-one. This same meter that you check your sugar with is used to upload your pump into CareLink. How cool is that? No extra dongle or wires to keep up with.

Setup was easy and just like any other meter – entering in the time, date, etc. No big deal. The screen is bright and, to me, easy to read. Charging it is simple. Just plug it into the charger that it comes with either directly or use the supplied cable to attach it if needed. I ran a few tests against the Verio IQ since I know a lot of people who use that meter, including myself. It tends to read much higher than other meters such at the OneTouch Ultra-family and a few others. And, truth be told, the Link was lower than the Verio, but it seemed to be a consistent amount:

Checking is simple – insert strip, apply blood, and wait. After this, you can tag before or after meal or choose not to have a tag at all. You have the option of including notes that include “Don’t feel right”, “Sick”, “Stress”, and “Activity”. You can even note how long after the your meal this test was.

The pros of this meter (to me) are that the strip goes in on the side. I hate a meter that has a bottom-loading strip. Sure, I could just turn the darn thing around, but still… for some reason, it’s a pain-in-the-butt to me. My hands shake when I try to do little things like lining up my finger to a strip end and it just makes more sense to put the strip on the side or top.

It’s small, compact, and yet still does a lot. It’s, as I said before, a marriage of the meter and upload dongle for the Minimed pump, so less stuff to have to keep up with. The strips for this meter are A LOT less and still fit the newer guidelines for accuracy. These, for 100, average about $75-80!! They’re even less than their prior strips, which were about $110 per 100. (whereas ones for like the Verio and iBG Star are more around the $140-150 range for 100. Trust me… I bought a 50 count bottle of iBG Star ones OUT OF POCKET and the ticket was $72. NOT COOL. I bought a 50 bottle of these and paid only $43.) Why buy them out of pocket? Well, because I like to have more than just 25 strips to test with to “try out” a meter, and I don’t want to go through the hassle of asking my doctor for a prescription for strips for a meter that I’m going to stop using in a week or so anyway. Which this one I may use anyway – Revel or not. I like it. More than the Verio because it’s just hard to get used to the higher numbers of the Verio when this one does read higher, but not as high. It’s sort of middle-ground.

I also like the Glucofacts software that’s on Bayer’s site. I’ve uploaded to it a couple of times and it’s pretty neat. Not perfect, but I like it a lot better than some out there. Oh, and the meter charges while you upload!

And this is where the “cons” I was speaking of in my last post comes in: There is a light around the strip port. But it’s not there to help you see where to put the strip in in the dark. It’s there to show you that the meter is charging. The light flashes as it’s being charged, and stops when it’s done. I think they could have done a better job at making it multi-functional. (ACTUALLY – The port-light can be activated before inserting the strip by double-tapping the power/menu button. Thank you for the comment, Emily!!!) The second “con” is that this meter is only available as a Minimed “Link” meter, not a stand-alone USB like the original Contour USB, and only available through Minimed. This is a great meter (in my opinion) and to be strictly for Minimed sucks because I think a lot of people could benefit from it functionally and cost-effectiveness if they were able to market it to more than just MM pumpers. There is the Contour Next EZ meter, but it’s the bottom-loading disk-shaped one. It is affordable at about $10-ish dollars, but it’s no USB with color screen, and you would have to have a special cable to upload it.

I think I might stick with this meter for a while. I really do like it. I like that I don’t have to use it with the MM pump (I can turn the Link function of it off), and if in a bind and Wal-Mart has an issue getting my strips as they’ve done in the past – I can pay out of pocket for another bottle of these easier than I could for ones for another meter.

 

The One Where I Become My Own Philosopher

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Choices.

Preferences.

We all have our own. We’re all different – some more than others – and we have to live our lives with whatever choices or preferences are best for us, not for everyone else.

I’m the sort of person who gets easily wrapped up in the common thing. The popular thing. I’m also one to want the latest and greatest of all technology to feed my inner geekiness.

As with all things, sometimes, it’s best to step back from the OOoooo’s and AAAAHHhhhh’s of whatever it is you’re looking at and just think about the basics and compare needs to options and make the best decision for YOU, not because someone else is doing it.

Think about what is going to work for you for the long-haul. Think about what is going to make your life flow. Every choice will have speed bumps to go with it, but it helps to think about it and make the one the choice that will have the least speed bumps in your own flow of life.

Make reasonable choices off of the facts.

Not all that glitters is gold… and all gold doesn’t glitter at every angle.

I’m not just saying this in reference to insulin pumps or meters or any other diabetes technology, although it is what spurred the thought process for me. But it also applies to anything in life, really.

Okay, I’m done being my own philosopher today.

Have a great Wednesday!

Abby Cadabby Returns

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Abby Cadabby returns.

After a week or so on the Animas Ping and the month on the OmniPod, I have decided to go back on my Minimed pump.

Why?

The Omnipod didn’t work because I need a longer cannula length.

The Ping.. well, I used it without the remote after a few days. The remote is nice at times, but it was irritating at times too. By the end of it, I was just bleeeeh about the Ping. It’s okay, and a very stable, good pump. I honestly don’t see anything wrong with it.

So why the switch?

Connectivity.

Ease of use when it comes to technology is very important to me, and this system has the easiest (in my opinion).

It came time to upload my pump and meter and the software, for me, is a pain in the buttocks. I still like the fact that everything can be logged into the Revel so that all you have to do is upload it via the USB device and there’s your whole complete logbook.

I’m still not quite concrete about the decision yet. But I do feel better about having weeded out the OmniPod option. Now it just comes down to the Revel and Ping and whether remote bolusing means more than easier upload of data.

Change of Plans

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First, let me say that Medtronic has a good insulin pump. The features that it offers – bg-check reminders, missed bolus alerts, an optional CGM component, ability to see almost anything you’d want to see from any menu you have available in regards to basal, bolus, average bg, insulin on board, etc – are great. It’s also a very durable pump as I have knocked, dropped, and sat on the darn thing on not so soft of surfaces and it has held up. I have put it through the ringer, I promise, and it has proved to be a very durable, reliable insulin pump. My only complaints that I can find about it are 1) it’s only water resistant, not waterproof, and 2) there is no remote-bolus option – two things that are very important to me, but can be worked around.

The ease of ordering supplies either by phone or ON my phone via the myMedtronic app has been great. I’ve also had the pleasure of calling the reorder department about an order that I already had received but needed to change the set and they were able to do that. I don’t believe I have encountered any other company that works so extremely well with customers and getting the supplies they need.

Oh, and their customer service line? One word: Awesome. I never ever had an issue with them. I’ve worked with other companies that, when I encountered an issue, the problem would be placed back on what I had done or was made out that their product was perfect as is and it was obviously my problem (drip that with sarcasm). Granted, I have spoken with customer support before about my calibration issues with the CGM portion, and that is still something I cannot figure out why I can’t get right on a consistent enough basis, but they put up with me through it, making as many suggestions as possible, and even following up on my complaint later.

Which leads to my point of this post….

While I believe that Medtronic is a good company who has excellent customer service and a good insulin pump product, I personally do not choose to use the pump as a pump+CGM combo any longer. The issues of the CGM that I was beginning to have led to more frustration than I wanted to have.

Since the end of June, I started becoming more and more dissatisfied with the CGM and the requirements of calibrations for it. I tried everything and made a full honest effort to stick to the rules, but it just wasn’t working out for me. Granted, I absolutely LOVED that it is integrated into the pump. That part is absofreakinlutely the most awesome thing ever to have both a pump and CGM in one and not have to worry about an extra device to keep up with. Accuracy wasn’t too bad at all either as long as you calibrated as required. Most of the time, I’d say, probably about 80-90% of the time, it was almost spot-on or within the allowed 20% deviation range. The only time I had issues were when I either hit a bad bleeder, the sensor wasn’t all the way in, or if the area chosen was just not a good placement. I had a pretty good system of being able to insert it manually and cover it with tape in a way that prevented most of those problems, but sometimes it still happened.

After speaking with Erik over the past few weeks and with my endocrinologist, we have made the decision to switch back to the Dexcom. This was not an easy decision to make as I hemed and hawed, thought and thought, even made a spreadsheet to help me reasonably make a choice that would be the best for me and what I needed. The only reasons are that it seems to work better at following my low or high swings, the pain of insertion is not nearly as bad, and the sensor lasts 7 days. Granted, it’s a pain in the butt having an extra device to carry around as I’ve already left it at home a couple of times on lunch break, but I don’t mind it being separate over all. I also don’t like that I have to avoid Tylenol again, which was one of the biggest factors of the Minimed CGM that I loved other than integration– no Tylenol restriction!

This has not been an easy post to write. As a matter of fact, it has been in my draft que for days and gone through several revisions because even though I made the switch over to Dexcom, that does not mean that I believe any less in Medtronic’s products. I contemplated not saying anything at all, but I also know that as a blogger, I believe in honesty and disclosure to my readers. Things that I have blogged about in the past in reference to how I may or may not have liked the Revel system as a whole still are true, but reflect my feelings as of the date of the posting. Things change. People change. Our needs change. And the change from the Minimed CGM to the Dexcom is just one of those changes for me.

I haven’t totally given up on the Minimed CGM though. I still have supplies for it and if I want to hook it back up, I can. But I feel that right now, I have to do what’s best for me and my diabetes treatment and, most of all, my sanity. And who knows? Next year, hopefully when the Enlite sensor is out, I can try it out and I may switch back. Just depends on how it compares and how it works for me.

*************************************************************************************************

The past year, as mentioned in my Disclosure, I have been a blogger for Medtronic on their site, The Loop Blog. Working with Karrie, Amanda and the Medtronic team has been enjoyable as well as a learning experience. I am so grateful to have had that opportunity. The contract has ended, but I hope that the friendship can still remain. A few posts that have been submitted for review may appear later on their site (which is up to their discretion), and do reflect my view of the topic honestly at the time of the writing.

dTech Stress.

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I’m probably taking a risk here, but I need to vent.

I’m irritated.

I think my body hates me. My bg’s are all over the place – mainly due to stress and eating wildly (I tend to eat when I’m stressed, and lately I’ve been VERY stressed), I’m sure.

But most of all, my sites are being a royal pain – in – my –  tushie. I’ve tried the different sets. The only one that works consistently is the Sure-T needle ones. I hate that I can’t use the cool colorful ones anymore because my body somehow manages to kink them within a day.

My CGM sites? HA! I’m so mad right now I could scream. I follow my calibration times and rules. Yet, some last 3 days, one even lasted me 8 days recently, and others only last a day. TOTALLY irritating when you lose a whole entire day of inaccurate data that will be factored into your average that the doctor sees. I thought there was a correlation between where the sensor was placed and the accuracy… nope. Maybe between consistent calibration times? Better, but not really. Outside effects on the sensor? I can cover it and not let a wick of outside moisture hit the darn thing and it can still mess up, so no, that can’t be considered in it either. Not to mention they HURT like the dickens now too. I swear I’ve become more sensitive to them all of a sudden. What’s most aggrivating is that it seems that I have to follow just as much of a schedule to calibrate as when I was on shots for taking them. And isn’t that a major part of pumping? To be able to have lax schedules that fit your life?

Maybe I’m just going through a mental PMS and I need to just suck it up.

Of course, it’s probably because my bg is high right now too and it’s one of those that make me mad at anything.

But it’s good to vent, right?

I think it’s time for me to sit down and write out all of pros and cons to my current diabetes management system. Maybe I just need a break from d-technology for a while. I just don’t like the idea of it for fear that I will give up completely. Advice?

Slow-Poking

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Arm sites for my sensors have been awesome. My readings are great, and I’ve been able to use my sensors for a full 6 days, as opposed to only 3 as before. I’m not sure what it is about that area, but apparently it’s the best one yet. Maybe because I rarely use it for insulin sites, so there’s not that much scar tissue?

Anyway, I’ve been doing my sensor insertions there manually (GASP!). Why? Because I can’t get the darn Sen-serter off. After a conversation with Scott from Rollin In The D (@Scott_InTheD) and Shannon (@ShanMarengo), I made a video showing how I do them:

The next thing that Scott brought up was the straightness of the sensor. It would seem that manual insertion might would cause it to bunch up or kink possibly or something, so I took a picture of the used sensor after I removed it:

Used Manually-inserted Sensor

Not bad.

So I don’t know if it’s because I manually inserted it or if my arms are the holy-grail for my sensor sites or a combo of both or none of the above and I just have had 2 great sensors, but either way, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so ain’t fixin’ it. ;-) (Had to throw a little southern charm in there, ya know.)

Lenny – FridayFind 5

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One thing (person?) we were all introduced to when I attended the Diabetes Advocates Forum at Medtronic last month was Lenny.

Lenny the Lion, that is.

We all know Lenny from his Carb-counting game app for iPhone, iPad and Android, but now he comes to life for children (of ALL ages) everywhere!

Medtronic worked with Build-A-Bear to make these special bears to help give courage to kids when learning how to use an insulin pump and insert sites. Every child, 12 and under, who go onto the pump for the first time receives their very own Lenny from their trainer. He has special little spots on him – tummy, thighs, upper arms, and butt, for learning specific places that they can insert pump sites into. He even has one on his paw for testing blood sugar! The spots are made of a denser foamy material that make it feel like a real insertion, not just hold on to the site once it’s in. The idea behind Lenny is to help kids learn to have courage, and to not let diabetes hold them back.

Lenny came with his own material too:

 

{How to register YOUR Lenny to receive a birth certificate so you your child can go play with him in Bearville!}

{Tips on Site Rotation and how often to change them}

{A few more quick tips}

{I put some of BabyK’s 3-6 month clothes on him. Poor thing was “nakey”. ;) }

And, from Medtronic themselves, here’s a fact sheet on Lenny:

{Click to see the full version - Used with permission}

One question that came up a lot on Facebook after a few of us posted the pictures was, “HEY! I want a Lenny! Where can I get one?” Well, my friends, he is available in the Medtronic Store, as well as a mini-version of himself that can hold an insulin pump inside (or Guardian CGM). I think this is great because there are those of us who are *slightly* over 12 (not pointing fingers at myself at ALL) who would want one but didn’t get one in pump training.

The only thing I wish he had (and actually it was mentioned to Medtronic during the forum) is his very own pump of somesort… and a CGM if the child is going to go on both. Some even mentioned Lenny having a sibling. I think Lenny needs to have a Lioness best friend – Lynn? Leona? Lenora? – who is diabetic too.. for the girls. Cause, come on… you know you would want to put a cute frilly outfit on her! (Possibly be a good way to show them how to “hide” their pumps? No?) This was actually brought up as a question in the forum – “would there be a girl version?”, and the answer was no. But I’m thinking that maybe, as with most companies, if the demand is high enough, they might consider it… so, would you like to have the choice of getting a Lenny or a Lenora? Let me know and I’ll pass it along!

Now, I’m off to shop for more clothes from Build-A-Bear for him, then snuggle and play with the app for a bit!

Suga-Rating for this FridayFind?

♥♥♥♥

4 out of 5

Disclaimer! I did receive Lenny at no charge to me from Minimed. They did not ask me to blog about him, nor feature him in a Friday Find post. The kit that was sent to me had everything as shown above, and did not include 6 infusion sets as mentioned in the online product feature (I’m assuming this is because I’m already a pumper and the 6 would be for the child to practice with during training).

Continuing to Step in the Right Direction

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This afternoon, I received an email that Medtronic has just sent out a press release regarding the ASPIRE study – the one where the worlds first insulin pump with LGS (Low-Glucose Suspend)! Results are awesome, too! According to the information, there was a 19% reduction in time spent below 70 when users were on this pump system. That is awesome, folks. A huge step in the right direction, in my opinion.

While it isn’t a cure, I do applaud these people who are working so hard to get better technology like this for us so that we can hopefully live longer, better lives, and maybe reduce the number of blue candles lit for lives lost due to hypoglycemia. And also, a huge thanks to those who are in the study, being human lab-rats for us.

:-)

If you’d like to read the release, you can find it HERE.

The Right Stuff

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I don’t know why this seems to be a “revelation” to me this week, but it has been. Blame it on the fact that I realize now that the reason why I’ve never been able to let my hair just “air dry” is because it’s wavy – I just have to put a little effort into it. But that effort is null without the right product. So, I’m on the hunt to find out the right product to emphasize and bring out that natural wavy goodness.

Cheezin

 

What does that have to do with diabetes? Everything.

We all know that diabetes is different for everyone (YDMV {Your Diabetes May Vary}), but everyone’s treatment is also different. It’s not a one-size-fits-all disease. Not everyone needs or wants to use an insulin pump, and not everyone wants to use shots all their life either. And those who do use pumps, there are many many many different brands. Where you might like an Animas Ping Pump, others might prefer their Minimed Revel {raises hand!}, or you might want to go “wireless” all together.

Some prefer not to have a CGM (why, I’ll never know), while others practically fight tooth, nail, arm, leg, and foot to have one. Some go with the “egg“, others either integrated into their pump or separate if on injections.

Some pull out measuring cups, spoons, weight scales and all manner of measuring devices for each meal to get spot on carb counts. {During pregnancy, I was one of these people. Anal, yes, but hey, it worked for me!} While others are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants SWAG {scientific wild a~~ guess} champions who eyeball foods based on carbs known in portion sizes… mostly relative to sizes of fists, palms, and thumbs.

All in all, you have to make your diabetes work for you. You also have to use the tools that work best for you. What works for someone else may not be what works the best for you. Research the options to their fullest extent. Ask yourself, “Will this really benefit me? Is this something I can keep up with long-term or is it just a “oooo, pretty!” decision?” And most importantly, keep in mind that the technology we have is pretty darn awesome, but it’s not perfect.

Now, off to research hair products.

 

My CGM Tips

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So, most of you know who have been reading my blog know that I am using a Minimed Revel pump + CGM for to control (or try to at least) my diabetes. Lately, I simply could not figure out what I was doing “wrong” with the cgm and why it wasn’t catching my lows or highs and things like that. I even posted a request on my DiabetesDaily blog asking for help from other Minimed CGM users as to what they do for more accurate readings. Well, after a week or so of buckling down to really try and figure this thing out, I have a few tips to share that may help you if you’re using the same CGM (or even a Dexcom – I’m not biased!). Of course, these are only tips that work for me. I am not saying you have to do these things, and as a matter of fact, I would rather you speak with your health care provider before trying these just to get the OK from them.

1. Undercover and overcover. (This one applies to the Minimed sensor – Dexcom users can’t do this one, sorry!)

After inserting a sensor, but before attaching the transmitter, put a piece of tape to cover the “sensor head” (the part that is purple-ish and flat), but under the “feet” of it. Take a piece of Tegaderm or IV3000, and cut it in half. Then, cut a slit in it that would look like your eyelid opening (just imagine this: () ). VEEERY carefully, slide the feet and connector end through the hole, so that part of it is under the feet and connector, but the other part is over and completely covering the sensor head, and secure it down.

Why do I do this? As an added layer of protection against water. I have found that if it gets wet and just a smidge of the sensor is above my skin, the sensor readings aren’t as accurate as they could be. Since I have done this, my readings have improved a lot!… but not as much as also doing this: (proceed to tip #2).

 

2. Don’t just let it get wet…. SOAK IT!

That’s right. Soak it. Overnight. If you put a reminder on your phone (or use the Medtronic app on your iPhone to remind you!) for the night before the sensor-change day. Insert a new sensor, secure it with the under/over cover method, and also with a total over-cover. Take another Tegaderm or IV3000 patch, cut a small square out of the paper that would be big enough to over the sensor, place it in the middle of the tape, then place the tape over the sensor. That way, you won’t accidently rip it out overnight or scratch it out (as I have done before). Then, the next morning, carefully remove the top layer of tape, and connect your transmitter, and add a final top layer of tegaderm to secure it and add that top layer of waterproofing. (Which, I have to say – the system is approved to be waterproof, but as I said before, I do it just for sensor accuracy for me.)

Sensor Change

Photo 1: Sensor under/over covered and covered for bedtime.

Photo 2: Carefully removed the top “sleeping protective” cover.

Photo 3: Connected the transmitter. Yey, green light!

The reason why I decided to do the soak it trick is because I noticed that my sensors (seeing as you only get 3 days out of these suckers) would be best  only on days 2 and 3. And, with me, extending the sensors just is not an option because I don’t get very good readings by day 5, so, I thought “hey, maybe let it soak and see what it does”. Well, by golly, it worked. And has worked ever since. (note: I also used to do this with my Dexcom, and it worked very well too!)

 

3. Log to calibrate.

I know it may be a hassle to do, but take one week to log everything – food, insulin doses (for food or corrections), exercise, etc, and find out your “quiet” times. The times when your blood sugar is going to be the most stable. Granted, yes, I know you Dexcom users are probably thinking, “Yeah, well, I don’t have to do this because I can calibrate at any time.”, and this is true, but trust me, it helps you guys too. Use these “quiet times” to calibrate your sensor. My times are (1) first thing in the morning, (2) mid-afternoon and (3) before bed. Your times may differ, just as your diabetes may differ from mine (to an extent). The reps will tell you to calibrate 4 times per day because though you’re required to every 12 hours (2x per day), 4 is the optimal amount of times, and more than that just gives it too much info. But for me, 3 times is a good number because it’s one more than 2, and one less than 4 – sort of the safe zone, so that it has enough information, but I have an extra “okay to calibrate” card up my sleeve as well for when it’s needed. And, if you are really, really, really a perfectionist about it (which, you’ll have to lose some of that perfectionalizm anyway to be any brand CGM user as they are NOT perfect), you can even set reminder alerts in your pump to go off at the times that are best for you to calibrate based on your awesome logging data.

 

So there you have it. I’m still working on other little quirks that may make it even better, but at this point, I’m pretty darn satisfied with the improvements I’ve had so far. And, if you have any tips you would like to share other than these, please – by all means, share them with me by leaving a comment. I would love some feedback from others who have some tricks up their sleeves too!