Which pump to choose?

[donna]

I am in the process of choosing insulin pumps for my twin diabetic boys - age 11. The boys want Animas - they like the color covers! I do like that Animas is very confidently waterproof (up to 12 hours submerged) and durable. The bolus / extended bolus features are comparable to other pumps. Other pumps look just about the same except for size and appearance. I would like to tally how experienced pumpers feel about their choice of pump - why they made their choice and are they happy with it???.....if anyone out there is on the Animas pump - what do you think???

Thanks for any help you can offer!

DG

[Elaine]

Donna,
Twin boys. I thought my plate was full.
My 11 year old son has been on the minimed 508 since September. We are planning to upgrade to the minimed paradigm the end of this month. The paradigm is also a waterproof pump. At the time my son went on the pump I don't recall Animas having a waterproof pump. Is it new? We decided on Minimed mostly because of it's stability and long history. I wanted the security to know that the company was a healthy one and would be around for a long time to come. It's a tough decision, but I believe that the three major pumps all have a good reputation. Good Luck!!

Elaine

[donna]

Elaine- thank-you for your reply. I am not sure how new the current version of the Animas pump is - but it does compare to Disetronic and MM in terms of its durability, water resistance, bolus/extended bolus options and basil delivery. My guys love that they can choose colors - that is their big requirement! How does your son like the pump? Do you feel safer with it than you did with injections? Does he bolus himself? I am definitely familiar with 11 year old diabetics - We must be kindred spirits. Sounds like you are happy with your choice -- I am going to talk to my boys' doctor today (Joslin) and see if I can squeeze a recommendation out of her. The doctors are not particularly willing to recommend a vendor....Thank-you again.

[Cront]

Hi Elaine.... I' been a diabetic for 16 years or so and just this past February went on the pump. It was no decision for me since my doctor, my educator and even my dietician recommended the MM 508 hands down. I don't have experience with any other pump, but I now wonder why I didn't do this years ago. I probably won't upgrade to the new Paradigm since I'm a scuba diver and as far as I know, no pump is good at 60 feet. I do like the quick disconnect MM has with their infusion sets. I just twist it off, hop in the water for 30 mins to an hour and reconnect. Good luck with your twins! I have twin 9 year old daughters (non-diabetic) who know more about my disease than I !!

~Cront

[Elaine]

Donna> Let me know how you made out at Joslin. We bring David to Joslin also. The pump has been a great decision for us. David's schedule is so much more flexible now. He can sleep late in the morning, skip snacks, have late lunches and has just made our lives so much easier. Not to mention his B/S's have been so much better than they were on shots. We made the switch now knowing that as he starts middle school and then into teenagerdom it gets more and more difficult to keep on such a tight schedule. Life is much easier on the pump. We'll be in Boston near the end of this month. We are trading up David's pump to the new Paridigm...(his color of choice is blue - he has a green pump now)Important details... Good luck - keep me posted.
Elaine

[donna]

Elaine - I am down to the Disetronic Dtron or the Animas - the Joslin is pretty high on either. I spoke with reps from both companies - both excellent. I am leaning slightly toward the Dtron because the prefill cartidges do sound like a great convenience, the pump is very durable, just as waterproof as the Animas and the priming sounds a bit simpler. The Dtron has a vibrator feature to confirm bolues as well so bolusing can be done through clothing (scary but we'll get used to it - I hope). The boys really like the Animus - but the Dtron rep gave me a great selling plug for them - its made out of the same plastic as the space shuttle. They liked that. Although I must say, Animus is has a great product too - and it is more "fun" than the other pumps - very user friendly too. It is great to hear about the flexibility that David has - it sounds like a dream to me - letting them sleep and not making them eat! Cant even imagine.....

Cront - good for your daughters - its funny how kids can rise to any occasion much better than adults!

[Elaine]

Donna-- I had really prepared myself that getting used to the pump would be a huge adjustment, but it really was much more of a breeze than I would have thought. David does do his own bolusing, carb counting and figures his corrections. The pump has given him much more freedom. I'm sure you will love it.

--Elaine

[sooey]

Donna,
We are looking at the same three pumps (MM, Anamas and DTron) for our three year old son. We wish someone could tell us the negative side of each of these because they all compare so closely to one another. The thing we liked about DTRON is that we get two pumps for the price of 1! So we will have one as a spare, just in case. The other thing we really liked was the insulin vile and how easy it was to just pop it in and prime it. Does the Dtron have a Remote? It's also a larger pump. The other thing we preferred was not having to dilute the insulin because our son's bolus rate will be so small. We've also heard good things about the 3 minute rate of delivery that Dtron and Anamas use versus MM which delivers every 15 minutes. I have heard that can be dangerous and it is not really replicating what the human pancreas does. What do you think?:confused: