[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by duck

Ahem! I asked about that today, and MM is waiting on official FDA approval, it is coming very, very soon. Word is out already that it is approved for 7-days, and certainly there are a number of users successfully using their sensors for 7-days, but MM can only as of right now tell you to use it the FDA-approved 3 days. But that will change any time now...

So then...my million dollar question to you and FG is...

Why waste the money buying it now knowing the pump is only programmed for 3 day wear? Why not wait until the pump is programmed for 7 day wear so that you don't have to go through the extra step every 3 days?

[duck]

Originally Posted by JediSkipdogg

So then...my million dollar question to you and FG is...

Why waste the money buying it now knowing the pump is only programmed for 3 day wear? Why not wait until the pump is programmed for 7 day wear so that you don't have to go through the extra step every 3 days?

You just lie to it at renewal time and say you swapped...

[pjams]

Originally Posted by Funnygrl

I wanna keep my Cozmo though since I like it better as a pump. I just want the **** CGMS.

Have you looked into Dex Com CGMS? I was told that it had come down to less then $500 and the sensors (~$35) last 10 days. My doctor's office is looking into getting me one. Supposedly the company rep would do all the paperwork and deal with my ins. co (Aetna). On the other hand I was told here on the DF that they were inaccurate and had problems. I am hoping that the newer ones are better.
I will post here any progress with this. I am not on pump (yet)
JayP

[Tony]

Originally Posted by JediSkipdogg

So then...my million dollar question to you and FG is...

Why waste the money buying it now knowing the pump is only programmed for 3 day wear? Why not wait until the pump is programmed for 7 day wear so that you don't have to go through the extra step every 3 days?

In the past, I'm sure it's still the same. If you order a pump and a newer one comes out within a couple months you can upgrade to the new one at no cost.

[Eyessack]

I have been somewhat inactive on this board for about the past month. Reading this thread is making me feel like all of the sudden everyone is turning to the Minimed with cgms. What's the deal??

[duck]

Originally Posted by pjams

Have you looked into Dex Com CGMS? I was told that it had come down to less then $500 and the sensors (~$35) last 10 days. My doctor's office is looking into getting me one. Supposedly the company rep would do all the paperwork and deal with my ins. co (Aetna). On the other hand I was told here on the DF that they were inaccurate and had problems. I am hoping that the newer ones are better.
I will post here any progress with this. I am not on pump (yet)
JayP

Both Dexcom and MM have made good progress in improving the accuracy of their CGMS...with Cozmore (Smiths Medical) getting ready to release a CGMS that is lauded for being accurate, all players are preparing for battle. I think competition is good.

Just be sure to follow the initial calibration steps for whatever CGMS you choose...MM requires three days of calibration, and reportedly if you follow those steps to the letter there is not a more accurate blood glucose monitor (CGMS or otherwise) available. Yet, some people don't follow the directions and they get weird or slightly-off readings, and they blame the CGMS. Garbage in, garbage out.

Originally Posted by Eyessack

I have been somewhat inactive on this board for about the past month. Reading this thread is making me feel like all of the sudden everyone is turning to the Minimed with cgms. What's the deal??

For me, it's like coming home again.

Originally Posted by Funnygrl

Like jimbob said, the reservoir has a window no matter what color you get, just like the Cozmo. I chose clear solely based on cosmetic preference. My friend has one that's clear and it looks very cool, and it will go with anything. I'm really excited, which is silly, cause I have a great pump already, but I am. I anticipate that the paradigm will be more comfortable to wear, so that will be interesting to see. I'm not too worried about heat or light, as I'm getting the 522, so I'll be changing the reservoir more often than I do now, and I don't have problems now.

BTW, spoke with my MM sales rep and the nurse, and the nurse says the Clear seems to work best for people with any sort of vision difficulty...I'm still 20/15, but I figured I would put that out there for anyone who ponders these dilemnas in the future.

[Dewey]

If I were to go back to the MM pump/CGMS combo, I'd opt for my fave color of the bunch - Blue. I've had both the blue & clear pumps, and since I'm all about color & being bright & conspicuous (lol), I go for the brightest they have.

Good deal on the pump, Duck. Keep us informed on how everything goes.

[Eyessack]

Originally Posted by Funnygrl

My insurance approved me for a new pump. A clear 522 is on the way as soon as the doctor gets the prescription taken care of.

Why are you not going to continue to use the Cozmo?

Originally Posted by duck

For me, it's like coming home again.

I agree, but this was the first thread I read and I am under the impression that some event happened that made everyone feel the need for a cgms. Why are you making the change?

[Dewey]

I can't speak for Duck or Funny, but I'm going to get the standalone CGMS system from MM & stick with the Cozmo to pump (I happen to Love Cozmo). I think Funny's options had more to do with insurance, and Duck has experienced problems with comfort regarding his Cozmo....but, I'll let him say for sure if that's why.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by Eyessack

I agree, but this was the first thread I read and I am under the impression that some event happened that made everyone feel the need for a cgms. Why are you making the change?

I wondered the same thing. Thanks for asking.

Personally, to me, I'll wait still. If MM added some of the other pump companies features to their pump AND added EVERYTHING that the guardian does to their pump combo, I'd be all for it. But to me, those two items are a huge drawback to their pump. Yes, having the two in one is nice, but not for the lack of features.

[duck]

I've always been about testing and knowing what your blood sugars are since I have been a member on this forum (which coincided with the best care of my life, more or less)...I always say "you can't get to where you are going if you don't know where you are...", and testing fits into that mindset (how can you care for your diabetes if you don't know what your blood sugar levels are?).

I went with the Cozmore because at the time the attached glucose monitor was revolutionary. I've also noted a downhill trend in my overall "wellness" since I left the 508 and went with the Cozmore, some of it due to my inability to get comfortable with this thing when I sleep (and would you believe that qualifies as a medical necessity?), and some of it from random issues with blocked sets, etc. Obviously, I have some duplicity in all this as well.

In any event, I have been the "good little diabetic boy" for years. Always testing, never missing an appointment, getting my labs done, getting generally good A1c's, yadda yadda yadda. For the last few years, my opthomologist would always tell me "If I didn't know better, I wouldn't be able to tell you were diabetic by looking at your retinas." Well, my insurance wouldn't cover that optho anymore, so I went to a new one. And hey, he found issues with my retinas. Granted, after doing a fluorescein angiography the new optho told me there was actually very little damage, no proliferation, etc., and added that my retinas could have been like this for years and years, he had no way of knowing since I was a new patient. In any case, I go back in about 8 months to get re-evaluated.

In any case, I walked out of there in a daze. I know in general, I don't freak out at bad news and I don't fall to pieces when things hit the fan (I get that in job performance reviews a lot). But just recently, I realized that I do lose my cool at some point from different stressors, just not in the heat of the moment. So, there I was dazed for a few days, sort of contemplating my future, sort of considering how this could happen, what more could I do...and kept coming back to the notion of 'I already worry about this **** 24/7, I already work hard at it, what more can I do?' And I basically had my requisite melt-down a week ago over all this.

So, now I'm mad. I'm not going to give up against an enemy that is persistent. There are further dietary modifications I can make. There are additional strategies I can embrace. And there are cutting-edge technologies I have not tried yet, including something that should have been right up my alley from the get-go, CGMS.

The local MM sales rep called me months ago because I was still listed in their database. I told her I was using a Cozmore now, she was cool about it, said it was a good pump, to keep her number because they had the best CGMS-pump combo going. After my coming to grips with my future, I called her back and said let's talk about CGMS, give me the worst-case scenario if I am willing to pay out of pocket. After I got all that, I told her the next time I would see my endo is next month, and I would discuss it with him then. Then she mentioned she would fax all the info to him, and make my life easier in that regard. She mentioned it was too bad I wasn't interested in the "22's" because CGMS is built-in, etc. I said short of a condition-changing circumstance, I would have to wait a year anyway before my insurance company would consider allowing me to replace my current pump. She pointed out a deterioration in eye condition is a qualified change.

Imagine how moronic I felt. The one thing that caused this recent self-reflection and concern never crossed my mind to approach my care team about what else I can do to mitigate further deterioration.

Anyway, my wife is all for me getting a different pump. She claims she notices a difference in the amount of effort I have to put into my care, and she always like to say things like "You didn't have to do that with your last pump." I guess I am just used to the way MM did things. And it would be nice to be able to sleep comfortably again. And the CGMS is a boon to this disease as far as I am concerned, and I need to take advantage of this development ASAP. I figured in about a year I would be looking into CGMS, but circumstances dictated I move that schedule up a bit. So that's where I'm coming from...

[duck]

Originally Posted by JediSkipdogg

I wondered the same thing. Thanks for asking.

Personally, to me, I'll wait still. If MM added some of the other pump companies features to their pump AND added EVERYTHING that the guardian does to their pump combo, I'd be all for it. But to me, those two items are a huge drawback to their pump. Yes, having the two in one is nice, but not for the lack of features.

"Lack" of what features?

[NoelD]

Originally Posted by duck

"Lack" of what features?

I was wondering the same thing.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by duck

"Lack" of what features?

1) Louder alarms on the Guardian s. 522/722
2) Charts by time of day. I'm drawing a blank, but I know the Guardian has more options vs. the 522/722 for the CGMS.
3) Predictive alarms. The guardian can predict in advance when you are going to hit a low. So it will allow you to correct before you hit that level.
4) Alert if you don't complete the prime. I can't tell you the number of times that I would be in the 300-400s in the morning without this SAFETY feature that BOTH Animas and Cozmo have.
5) Food database. Although I don't have this option, it would be nice to have to help me from guestimating.
6) Longer battery life. Maybe I'm just a partial environmentalist, but I like that I can save batteries and don't have to carry them around with me all the time to change.

I know there's more, but I can't recall all of them right now. However, The first three automatically make me lean away from the x22 series and be happy with just the CGMS standalone. Also, for me, and maybe not others, #4 by itself just leaves me away. I know with my Animas I can't stop at any part of the prime. It's all or alarm.

[duck]

I'm pretty sure the x22's have the predictive alarms...I'll know more Wednesday night, MM has a class here in Manassas that I am attending. I'll check, and if anyone has any questions they'd like asked, post away.