[Diabetes-Talk] Just talked with Animas.

Tue Oct 17 00:52:14 UTC 2017

Thanks Eileen! This gives me hope that I could possibly use the med Tronic with some adjustments and lots of practice.

    Jamie 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 16, 2017, at 5:04 PM, Eileen Scrivani via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Jamie, 
> 
> I have the Medtronics Paradigm pump. Yes, I can change the battery on my own as a totally blind person. The battery compartment requires a coin to get it started which is not difficult at all.
> 
> I change out the infusion set and reservoir and rewind the pistons on the pump every 3rd day totally on my own. From time to time things go wrong if I’m not paying complete attention and lose my focus. Then I might call for help from family or friends to make a stop over. Because of the possibility of needing assistance I change during early afternoon, not late at night. Sometimes if I’m not sure that I’ve backed out of the menus I’ll just take the battery out for a second or two and then when I restart the process its back to where I expect it to be. My pump has an escape button on it that helps me cancel out of something or back out. I do the bolis dosages on my own and the pump beeps with every press of the button. At the point I press what is the Act/okay button it counts back with beeps and then I press Act another time if the dose is correct and the insulin starts delivering. If I decide its the wrong dose and I change my mind if I just ignore it it will give a tri-tone beep so I know it cancelled out or I can press escape and it also will cancel out the dose.
> 
> The CDE who trained me with the pump was from Medtronics and she was great. 
> 
> When filling the reservoir I use a length of staples that are taped together for drawing up the insulin into it. I had the staples from when I used syringes and it works perfectly for the pump refill.
> 
> The things the CDE had me do to make it easier to use is set it so I never get a low reservoir alarm going off. This means that I must absolutely be aware of the day when I’m due to change out the infusion set and reservoir and pay total attention if I am using big amounts of insulin that will make the pump run low before the change out date. I also fill the reservoir with 200 units of insulin which for me is more than enough to get through the 3 days. In other words its set up that I’ll never run out of insulin during the 3 days.
> 
> The other thing I also due so the low battery alarm doesn’t go off on me is at the beginning of every month no matter if its needed or not I change the battery.
> 
> That's all I can think of right now to tell you.
> 
> Eileen
> 
> From: Jamie Gurganus via Diabetes-Talk 
> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 3:37 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' 
> Cc: Jamie Gurganus 
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Just talked with Animas.
> 
> Thanks Eileen.  So, are you able to use a Medtronic pump without sighted help?  I know that none will let us program the basal rates, but can you unlock the pump, give a bolus and change the cartridge and battery on your own?  Those are the four things that I have been able to do independently with my Spirit and now the Animas Vibe.  
> 
> Jamie
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Eileen Scrivani via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 2:26 PM
> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Eileen Scrivani <etscrivani at verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Just talked with Animas.
> 
> Hi Jamie, 
> 
> Medtronics for years has been the leading insulin pump on the market. I have a Medtronics pump and have been happy with it and support from the company when I’ve run into issues has been good. However, when it comes to listening to input they stink, but that’s not any different from any of the other insulin pump manufacturers. Some years back I had my family members and friends write to Medtronics asking them about an accesssible pump and when they might consider developing one. No one who wrote, including myself, got a response.
> 
> Eileen
> 
> 
> From: Jamie Gurganus via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 3:18 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' 
> Cc: Jamie Gurganus
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Just talked with Animas.
> 
> Does anyone know why this is happening?  Does Medtronic really have the monopoly on insulin pumps?  If this is the case, then we need to figure out who to talk to at Medtronic and insist that they make the pump more accessible to the blind.  
> 
> Jamie
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 1:51 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Veronica Elsea <veronica at laurelcreekmusic.com>
> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Just talked with Animas.
> 
> Hi everyone.
> Just thought I'd let you know that according to the person I spoke with on the phone, all warranties will be honored until September 30 of 2019. So those of us who just got our pumps won't have the full 4 years, but we'll have two. When I explained that the letter was unclear, he sent a note up to get a clarification put up on the web site. 
> So if this guy is correct, this would mean that Jamie and I would have two years for some miracle to occur and a more accessible pump to appear. But I guess everyone will hear from Medtronic when the warranty is about to expire.
> The thing that concerns me is that all of the remaining pumps require one to look at the screen just to unlock the pump. 
> Joyce, didn't you briefly try the 630G? Of course, anyone with a warranty about to expire, oh man! We've sure got some work to do here.
> Veronica
> 
> 
> "Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
> To learn more, visit:
> http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
>                Veronica Elsea, Owner
> Laurel Creek Music Designs
> Santa Cruz, California
> Phone: 831-429-6407
> 
> 
> 
> 
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