It arrived in the post back in April: a little package from my pump company reminding me that my pump warranty was due to expire and it was time to start thinking about getting a new pump.
Inside the thick envelope was a shiny brochure with bright pictures of people looking very happy and excited with life, while wearing an insulin pump; the insulin pump the company was suggesting should be my new pump. The insulin pump that has been my insulin pump – the exact same model I trialled for the first time back in January 2013 and have been shoving down my bra for the last four years. Nothing new to offer; no design changes; no software upgrade. Exactly the same pump.
Today, I am walking around with an out of warranty pump. Does this concern me? Well, yes and no. If I didn’t have a couple of old pumps at home in my diabetes cupboard, I’d be far more concerned.
I don’t particularly feel any loyalty towards one particular pump or pump brand. I know that there are some people who are very much Team Pump Company A or Team Pump Company B. My feelings about pumps are they deliver insulin. I know that some have different bells and different whistles, but I just need something that is going to easily and accurately deliver the drug that keeps me alive.
Making the decision four years ago was a no brainer: I was desperate to use Dexcom, so I chose the pump that integrated with it. These days that’s less of an issue because I use G5, so integration with a pump is less of an issue.
To be honest, I’m a little cross. As someone who is clearly a Dtech enthusiast, it’s laughable that I would even for one minute consider committing for another four years to a pump that I have already been using for four years – and let’s remember, it wasn’t new when it arrived in Australia; friends in Europe had already been using the Vibe for a couple of years when we eventually got it here. Can you imagine committing to using the same model mobile phone for eight years?
Plus, it’s worth noting that the look of the Vibe is very similar to the Ping and 2020, both of which had been around for a number of years before the Vibe. The design is well over ten years old and you bet that’s important if I’m wearing the bloody thing 24/7.
My trial last year of the Medtronic 640G, truly the only real innovation in pump technology in recent years, left me cold. I found the sensor accuracy a problem, which negated the excitement I had about the SmartGuard technology. And I found the pump clunky and big, and struggled to get it to fit comfortably down my top.
If I’ve ever understood the reason for the whole #WeAreNotWaiting movement, it is right now. It’s why I started reading up on Loop and ordered what I need to get my own build underway. I’ve not had the time or headspace to actually do anything about it yet, but right now, it’s the only thing that is giving me any buzz about real diabetes tech advancements here and now.
So, for the time being, I’m in pump limbo (which sounds like an cheeky game that happens after a few drinks at a DOC get together, but really is not). I’ll get around to working out if I can manage to get Loop happening and see how I go with that. But I can’t see that there is any likelihood that, unless absolutely critical, I’ll be getting a new pump soon. My PHI will be pleased about that. Even if I’m not.
6 comments
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July 31, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Glen
In exactly the same position here. My warranty ran out in January. Last week I got my old Paradigm pump out to check firmware versions and reading all I can about going DIY. Another 4 years with a Vibe, ask me again when the wind changes……or when AMSL have something to get really excited about.
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July 31, 2017 at 3:01 pm
RenzaS / Diabetogenic
Ooh – go DIY! And we can have a DIY day where we try to work out what’s going on. I’ll bring cake.
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July 31, 2017 at 8:11 pm
Andrea
I hear you! A year ago I stopped using my Cozmo (that had been taken off the market 7 years prior). I’ve tried 3 pumps since then and haven’t found one that I like as much. The state of Dtech today is actually making me consider going back to my pump that was designed in about 2001! But I’ve been tubless for a year now and that part is hard to give up. There isn’t one pump out there that has all the features I want and is actually user friendly. I may just have to invite myself to your DIY party! 😉
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July 31, 2017 at 9:35 pm
bec3116
As Meatloaf once balladed so passionately (although I must stress that at this time you were not kissing me or saying “I Love You”) but…. “You took the words right out of my mouth” Renza.
FFS. It’s 2017… we get at least three new iPhones in the space of our pump’s 4 year lifecycle. Cars that reverse park themselves. it is NOT that big an ask to have something NEW, SAFE and RELIABLE to look forward in relation to insulin delivery.
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August 1, 2017 at 1:01 pm
Rick Phillips
I think the next big innovation will come with the introduction of the Big Foot / Libre system sometime in 2020 – 2021. So jumping now makes sense to me. I will be in my pump for 5 years. Dear God and greyhound.
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October 7, 2017 at 10:01 pm
Jeanette Wall
Exactly…we in limbo….you articulate your thoughts so well and it resonates loudly here….
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