Animas and Deltec?

[Funnygrl]

I'm finally seriously considering a pump. I know there have been other threads out there like this one, but I want some ideas here. I've seriously looked into the Deltec, and I like what I see. I've barely looked into the Animas 1250 yet, but have heard good things about it.

My questions:
What are the benefits of the animas over the deltc?
Which would you get now if cost/insurance/doctor's opinion were all not options?
How long once you seriously considered a pump did it take you to actually be pumping?
How does it feel when you change the site?

[Dewey]

Hi Funnygrl,

I'm going to give this disclaimer up front, as some seem to take my opinions the wrong way from time to time...
Please note: I am merely stating opinions based on personal experience, and mean no offense toward other pumpers.

I have both the Animas and Deltec, and while I like both very much, I personally tend to prefer the Deltec. The reason for that is the delivery speed selections. With the Animas, users get either fast or slow delivery choices, whereas with the Deltec, users can select delivery speed ranging from 1 to 5 minutes. To me, this is a luxury, as the Animas' speed is approx. 1 unit per second, or 1 unit every 4 seconds, both of which are fast and can cause stinging of the site. Additionally, a feature that I tend to like (lets me know that the pump is "working" properly), is that Deltec has a "screen saver" that displays the current basal and time. Animas does not have this feature currently, and though it's not a big deal, some find the "blank screen" (sleep mode) as a screen saver a bit on the questionable side. I also like the fact that Deltec specializes in other "precise delivery" pumps, such as Dialysis pumps & those that remove excess iron from the blood.
On the other hand, Animas is a great company as well. Their batteries last the longest (8 weeks +), and they have Cool color (and custom) covers for those who either like to camoflauge or make fashion statements with their pumps. Truth be told, I think either way you go, you Won't be disappointed. It's ultimately up to you, and asking questions (as you've done here) along with personal research is a great way to find what you're truly looking for. :thumbsup:

[archimeech]

It's all personal preference, but I love my Animas IR1250. Especially the Totally Waterproofness of it!

[gettingby]

I have been researching pumps for a while now. I think I would chose the Cozmore over the 1250. I like the idea of different delivery speeds (as Dew said) but my choice is just that. MY CHOICE. Others may feel differently and that's their right. :D

[Oradev]

My questions:
What are the benefits of the animas over the deltc?

Not really sure here, just got on the Animas 1250 and I love it.

Which would you get now if cost/insurance/doctor's opinion were all not options?

This is most likely a personal preference.

How long once you seriously considered a pump did it take you to actually be pumping?

Took me around 3 months. I had to take a number of pump, as well as carb counting class through the Joslin Diabetes Center in order to get my doctor to sign off on it.


How does it feel when you change the site?

I seriously believe that this is the hardest part to get used to. They really don't hurt, even though they appear bigger than a conventinal needle. I think this is the biggest learning curve, that is, getting used to and inserting the set properly. I had a **** of a time getting used to them, but now I'm pretty good at it. I've only been on the pump for a month, so I've still got a lot to learn. Hope this helps.

Adam

[duck]

So, for about the 12 hours I have been on my Cozmore, I'm liking the attached glucometer. I didn't look at the Animas, not that I think there is anything wrong with it, I am just such a testing freak that when I am without my meter (even if I know what my sugars are) I feel like I'm naked in public or something. :eek:

[Amanda_Jo22]

When I first started pumping, I began on a Minimed 508 (upgraded to MM 511). When it was time to upgrade, I went w/the Animas 1250. The main reason was the small basal rate. Animas has the smallest basal rate increments (0.025 as opposed to 0.05), which was very important to me because I am very sensitive to insulin. Another reason I chose the 1250 was the food database (VERY handy!) and smaller size. As others have said, it's a matter of preference. You could try calling the different reps for the companies you are looking at and asking for a trial run (on saline) of their pump. Then you will have an opportunity to actually wear the pump to see which one grabs you the most.

[Funnygrl]

Wow, thanks for all the great replies already. I know I'm definately going to ask for trials on pumps first, so that's something to look forward to.

I have mostly been looking into the deltec. I never really considered the different delivery speeds. I also never realized that Animas had the smallest increments. Most of the time I tend to be insulin sensitive. I also like the idea of a food database, since my carb counting skills will need some brushing up.

Right now the voting is tied 50/50 for animas and deltec. Decisions, decisions.

Now for another question. Like I said, most of the time I'm insulin resistant, but sometimes I take steriods, and my bs goes through the rough. Can I change the basal rates and such to cope with that? I mean, it looks like you can, but I've never actually thought of it till right now.

[ang]

honestly, i found choosing a pump the most difficult decisions i've had to make. found it even more stressful than when i had to buy a car! here are some of the reasons why i chose the deltec cozmo:
-the larger reservoir (3mL vs 2mL of the animas)
-monitor attachment (eventhough i'm in canada and its not approved here yet ... hopefully soone!)
-readily available batteries (the cozmo uses aaa run of the mill batteries, it does mean you change it more but at least you can find them anywhere and they're cheap. besides changing the battery is super easy, 5 seconds tops)
-computer software (not sure if animas has this or not. but i can program my pump, download and upload info to and from my laptop)

those are just a few features i like. all the pumps out there are pretty similar, so don't feel bad if you make your final choice based on how it looks. at first i didn't like the cozmo and had ruled it out because i didn't like how it looked but then i saw it in person and really liked it. when you've got something attached to you all the time it better look good!

regarding your occasional steroid use and having different insuling needs what you can do is program different basal patterns into your pump. with the cozmo you can have up to four different basal patterns. and if you use the software you can even name them (other wise they would just be "1", "2", etc.). currently i have 3 different patterns: "week-day", week-end", and "week-day run" (for when i exercise). and depending what day it is or what i've been doing i select the pre-programmed pattern and away i go. works pretty well when i remember to do it!

i've had no site problems at all. i use the 90º kind and find them really easy to insert. i even insert manually and don't use an inserter. i mostly use my stomach but i tried my leg for the first time this week and so far i really like using it.

in the end whatever choice you make you'll be happy! any pump is better than mdi i think! just the convenience alone is worth it. good luck.

[Funnygrl]

Is the software for the Cozmo the same as the software for the Freestyle Flash (the Co-pilot). I hhave the co-pilot and the hook up for my meter, and there is a section to upload pump info, so I figured that's the cozmo software, since the freestyle comes with the cozmo. It was just a guess though. If it's different software, does it upload meter readings also, or just pump info?

[jeggeman31]

I've seriously looked into the Deltec, and I like what I see. I've barely looked into the Animas 1250 yet, but have heard good things about it.

Funnygrl, thanks for starting this thread. I go back to my DR in Aug to move foward with the pump. I am in the same boat as you. And Glad you got this going. :thumbsup:

[David]

I'm using the Cozmo, but consider the Animas a very good choice too.

The Cozmanager is the name of the Cozmo software. You load your readings from your pump thru an IR reader into the the Cozmanager. You can then import those readings from the Cozmanager into the Freestyle Copilot. It can automatically combine the readings from the Cozmonitor and the Flash meter for one set of graphs and charts.

I just finished a round of oral steroids. It was easy to raise my basal rates to compensate for the BG results (easy to raise, not so easy to know by how much)
David

[David]

How much insulin do you use in a day, especially with the steroids? Cozmo's 300 unit reservoir may be something to consider if you use alot. How's your eyesight? The main thing I don't like about the Cozmo is the small display, especially when choosing an extended or combo bolus. I don't know how large the 1250's display is, but you may want to compare them
David

[Funnygrl]

My blood sugars seem to triple on steriods, so a big cartridge would be nice. I have poor vision with glasses, but with contacts/glasses I'm fine. So a big screen would still be nice to maybe I could see it at night without needing to get my glasses.

[Funnygrl]

edit: Then again, I'm only on steriods a few times a year, so I'm not going to base my decision on that

[Dewey]

Funnygrl,

If you'd like a good comparison/run-down of the currently available pumps, check out:

Diabetes Net (http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_technology/insulin_pump_models.php)
Deltec's screen is 870 sq. mm and Animas' is 992 sq. mm. There is one other added benefit to Animas' screen, and that is the contrast can be changed (on the 1250's). :thumbsup: :) Hope this helps you. It helped me when I was at a decision point.

[gettingby]

I have to say that when I was emailing pump companies about literature, I got quick replies from Animas and Deltec. I still receive one email a month from a guy from Deltec (**** it, can't remember his name. must be suffering from CRS, lol). The emails aren't "pushy" either. He justs asks if I have any questions that he can answer and says to email them to him. I think Deltec's pretty :cool: .

[UpNorth]

I have an Animas IR1200 and just love it! Love the size, the colour (i have a silver one), its shape, HUGE screen (for such a tiny pump). The fact that the reservoir only holds 200 units doesn't bother me much, it tends to run out on the set change day anyways :) The Animas pump is also very easy to use :) And when it comes to bigger bolus doses, i just use the combo bolus thingy and set it to give the bolus over 10 or 30 minutes :)
I also love that the IR1200 is waterproof :thumbsup: But i must admit that i have now gone back to injections over summer- the itching and sweating was driving me nuts, AND i found that the pump would be in the way all summer! (Tubing in the sun, nowhere to put the pump, white areas all over my belly from old sites, etc etc etc) lol As for the pain thing, inserting an infusionset doesn't hurt more than a pen needle :p Or well, one can hit nerves sometimes, but that happens with injections too lol

I didn't even look into deltec much when i got my animas, just looked at the animas site once and was completely in love with the IR1200. When i had a look at the deltec website, lets just say, i'm not a big fan of the shape that the cozmo has :o I'm sure it is a great pump, but the cozmo's shape really turned me off... :stupid:

[Funnygrl]

I have an Animas IR1200 and just love it! Love the size, the colour (i have a silver one), its shape, HUGE screen (for such a tiny pump). The fact that the reservoir only holds 200 units doesn't bother me much, it tends to run out on the set change day anyways :) The Animas pump is also very easy to use :) And when it comes to bigger bolus doses, i just use the combo bolus thingy and set it to give the bolus over 10 or 30 minutes :)
I also love that the IR1200 is waterproof :thumbsup: But i must admit that i have now gone back to injections over summer- the itching and sweating was driving me nuts, AND i found that the pump would be in the way all summer! (Tubing in the sun, nowhere to put the pump, white areas all over my belly from old sites, etc etc etc) lol As for the pain thing, inserting an infusionset doesn't hurt more than a pen needle :p Or well, one can hit nerves sometimes, but that happens with injections too lol

I didn't even look into deltec much when i got my animas, just looked at the animas site once and was completely in love with the IR1200. When i had a look at the deltec website, lets just say, i'm not a big fan of the shape that the cozmo has :o I'm sure it is a great pump, but the cozmo's shape really turned me off... :stupid:



Thanks for the info. The cozmo shape is kinda weird, but I don't think you notice it in the case as much. The Animas is definately prettier.

So so far I'm gathering my main reasons for wanted a cozmo would be:
-Integrated with meter I already use
-Meter attached
-Bigger resevoir


And main reasons for wanting Animas:
-Food database
-bigger screen
-prettier

Seems like everything else is about equal.

[Amanda_Jo22]

Funnygirl, you might want to contact the reps for Animas and Deltec in your area. They will let you play with the pump and even do a trial run wearing the pump w/saline. That might help you make your decision. I would be like test driving a car.

[Funnygrl]

Funnygrl,

If you'd like a good comparison/run-down of the currently available pumps, check out:

Diabetes Net (http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_technology/insulin_pump_models.php)
Deltec's screen is 870 sq. mm and Animas' is 992 sq. mm. There is one other added benefit to Animas' screen, and that is the contrast can be changed (on the 1250's). :thumbsup: :) Hope this helps you. It helped me when I was at a decision point.
Just checked out the comparison. I don't know exactly what all the stats are, but it looks like the animas allows for a wider range of temp basal rates, while the deltec delivers the basal more often.

[Funnygrl]

I'm going to do that, but I know you need a script for saline trials, so I need to talk to my endocrinologist first to get one. I kinda need to convince her first too, if you know what I mean.

[jeggeman31]

Sorry for digging up this old thread, however I have the Cozmo Rep and Animas rep coming out in a few weeks. However with the Cozmo, if you use the attached meter does the pump then tell you how many units of insulin is needed to correct your high :questionm

[David]

If you have set up your correction factor and duration of insulin action, yes the pump will suggest a correction. Actually, you can use this feature with any meter if you don't mind manually entering your BGL. I've found that it's usually more accurate than what I would have corrected myself.
David

[koblenz]

Sorry for digging up this old thread, however I have the Cozmo Rep and Animas rep coming out in a few weeks. However with the Cozmo, if you use the attached meter does the pump then tell you how many units of insulin is needed to correct your high :questionm
Yes Jim, as David said, it will suggest the proper amount to correct with. Now that being said... it takes some time to figure out exactly what that number is. Also, that number may change a little from time to time.

So when you first start you have to TEST, TEST, TEST. You should record as much information as possible. Then, after a while, you will be able to fine tune your numbers to a point where it will be pretty darn close.

I had my Basal, Insulin to carb ratio, and correction factors all dialed in. Then, a month ago, my numbers started creeping up a little. So, I went back to the drawing board, so to speak. After about 2 weeks of evaluation, I adjusted my number and I am back on track.

So, my point... you will get the hang of it, but you may not get the satisfaction if instant gratification.