Minimed vs Cozmo



G

Geoffreyh

Guest
I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times, but I've
searched the archives as best I could, as well as searching
the web in general, and I haven't found much help.

My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
she's had)

We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us. We've
met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like they'd
suit us fine.

What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of complaints
about the minimed, and almost nothing about the Cozmo (lots
of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but not much data
after that).

From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
(raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
their average user is.

I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
evident to me so far.

I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about this,
and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they leave the
factory, we don't want the liability risk of having failures
on a pump that has been in use for a year and may or may not
continue to be waterproof' To me that is just spin, designed
to placate the buyer, but my wife doesn't lead that active
of a lifestyle that this is a limiting factor.

I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its memory
even if the battery is left out, and think it is idiotic
that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.

Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?

I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you off'.
I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the pump or
sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using the pump,
and anything positive you have to say about the pump you are
currently using.

Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
 
Have you checked out the Animas Pumps? They are waterproof.
My 13 year old has been on an Animas pump for just over a
year now & we have had no complaints. Cozmo pumps are fairly
new to my understanding, that may be why you can't find out
much about them.

Heather http://www.execulink.com/~craig/diabetictag.html
http://www.execulink.com/~craig/pouches.htm

"GeoffreyH" <[email protected]> wrote in message new-
s:[email protected]
hnetwork.com...
> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.
>
> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)
>
> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.
>
> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).
>
> From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
> pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
> (raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
> loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
> their average user is.
>
> I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
> everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
> extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
> pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
> pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
> evident to me so far.
>
> I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
> that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about
> this, and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they
> leave the factory, we don't want the liability risk of
> having failures on a pump that has been in use for a year
> and may or may not continue to be waterproof' To me that
> is just spin, designed to placate the buyer, but my wife
> doesn't lead that active of a lifestyle that this is a
> limiting factor.
>
> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
> I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
> stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you
> off'. I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the
> pump or sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using
> the pump, and anything positive you have to say about the
> pump you are currently using.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
 
While I don't appreciate Minimed's take over by Medtronic,
due to their heavy handed business practices I find no fault
with my 508. I've used their pumps since '96. My wife has a
511. The sets work fine (I use the MMT-315), the pump is
easy to program, I've had a few failed pumps over the years,
but never a failure that comes on without warning. The ship
a replacement overnight.

I haven't seen the other brands nor do I know anyone
personally that has one.

There is one huge caveat that you need to know up front:
Your endo may be only prescribe one pump; the one they are
familiar with. My endo refuses to prescribe the Cozmo.
Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, but he is
familiar with the MiniMed and that's what he prescribes. If
I was a doctor, I'd be nuts to prescribe a piece of hardware
that I didn't know backwards and forwards.

If you want to speak on the phone you can email me your
phone number to dave1812dave123456 "at" yahoo "d o t" com
leave out the number string 1 thru 6 after "dave"

dave

GeoffreyH wrote:
> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.
>
> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)
>
> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.
>
> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).
>
> From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
> pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
> (raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
> loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
> their average user is.
>
> I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
> everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
> extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
> pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
> pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
> evident to me so far.
>
> I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
> that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about
> this, and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they
> leave the factory, we don't want the liability risk of
> having failures on a pump that has been in use for a year
> and may or may not continue to be waterproof' To me that
> is just spin, designed to placate the buyer, but my wife
> doesn't lead that active of a lifestyle that this is a
> limiting factor.
>
> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
> I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
> stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you
> off'. I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the
> pump or sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using
> the pump, and anything positive you have to say about the
> pump you are currently using.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
 
First thing is to get a copy of the book Pumping Insulin
from MiniMed. Its not pump specific, and will provide lots
of information whichever pump you choose.

Then try inserting each infusion set, and see just how
easy/painful it is. I would wear it for a day too. May help
you mak up your mind.

--
George Eberhardt
(732)224-8988

"GeoffreyH" <[email protected]> wrote in message new-
s:[email protected]
hnetwork.com...
> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.
>
> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)
>
> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.
>
> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).
>
> From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
> pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
> (raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
> loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
> their average user is.
>
> I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
> everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
> extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
> pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
> pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
> evident to me so far.
>
> I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
> that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about
> this, and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they
> leave the factory, we don't want the liability risk of
> having failures on a pump that has been in use for a year
> and may or may not continue to be waterproof' To me that
> is just spin, designed to placate the buyer, but my wife
> doesn't lead that active of a lifestyle that this is a
> limiting factor.
>
> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
> I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
> stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you
> off'. I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the
> pump or sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using
> the pump, and anything positive you have to say about the
> pump you are currently using.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
 
George Eberhardt wrote:
>
> First thing is to get a copy of the book Pumping Insulin
> from MiniMed. Its not pump specific, and will provide lots
> of information whichever pump you choose.
>
> Then try inserting each infusion set, and see just how
> easy/painful it is. I would wear it for a day too. May
> help you mak up your mind.
>
> --
> George Eberhardt
> (732)224-8988
>

You don't even have to let Medtronic/Minimed know you're
interested in a pump - I'm sure they'll start a sales
campaign on you...They did on me while I was fighting my
insurance company.

You can order Pumping Insulin through amazon.com or
chapters.indigo.com in Canada or your local bookseller can
order it for you. I got my copy earlier this week. That's
"Pumping Insulin - Everything You Need For Success With An
Insulin Pump" 3rd edition, by John Walsh, P.A., C.D.E. and
Ruth Roberts, M.A. ISBN 1-884804-84-5 Published by Torrey
Pines press.

I decided on an Animas pump (an IR1000 with a free upgrade
to the IR1200 when it becomes available in Canada), Geoff,
and I go for my training Monday. I can't give you much
insight into pumping yet as I'm a rank newbie.

HTH :)

Vicki
 
Vicki
If you are thinking of upgrading to the IR1200 keep in mind that it has a
smaller insulin cartridge then the IR1000, which means you will be changing
it more often and that will increase your supplies costs.
Heather (mom of a teenage Animas pumper)
http://www.execulink.com/~craig/diabetictag.html
http://www.execulink.com/~craig/pouches.htm

"Vicki Beausoleil" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> George Eberhardt wrote:
> >
> > First thing is to get a copy of the book Pumping Insulin
> > from MiniMed.
Its
> > not pump specific, and will provide lots of information
> > whichever pump
you
> > choose.
> >
> > Then try inserting each infusion set, and see just how
> > easy/painful it
is.
> > I would wear it for a day too. May help you mak up
> > your mind.
> >
> > --
> > George Eberhardt
> > (732)224-8988
> >
>
> You don't even have to let Medtronic/Minimed know you're
> interested in a pump - I'm sure they'll start a sales
> campaign on you...They did on me while I was fighting my
> insurance company.
>
> You can order Pumping Insulin through amazon.com or
> chapters.indigo.com in Canada or your local bookseller can
> order it for you. I got my copy earlier this week. That's
> "Pumping Insulin - Everything You Need For Success With An
> Insulin Pump" 3rd edition, by John Walsh, P.A., C.D.E. and
> Ruth Roberts, M.A. ISBN 1-884804-84-5 Published by Torrey
> Pines press.
>
> I decided on an Animas pump (an IR1000 with a free upgrade
> to the IR1200 when it becomes available in Canada), Geoff,
> and I go for my training Monday. I can't give you much
> insight into pumping yet as I'm a rank newbie.
>
> HTH :)
>
> Vicki
 
H&CC wrote:
>
> Vicki If you are thinking of upgrading to the IR1200 keep
> in mind that it has a smaller insulin cartridge then the
> IR1000, which means you will be changing it more often and
> that will increase your supplies costs. Heather (mom of a
> teenage Animas pumper)
> http://www.execulink.com/~craig/diabetictag.html
> http://www.execulink.com/~craig/pouches.htm
>

Hi Heather

I should still be able to get 4 days with a 175 u reservoir.
The thought of keeping an infusion set in for longer than
that kinda gives me the creeps :) Luckily hub's insurance
covers all the consumables (with the possible exception of
batteries), the resistance I had was over the cost of the
pump itself.

Vicki
 
Hi Vicki
You can change the infusion sets (including tube) and not change the
cartridge. My daughter changes her sites every 3 days, but we use the
cartridges until they have less then 10 units in it, that's about every 4
days with the 300 unit cartridge. We don't have any pump related coverage so
we try to use things as long as safely possible.
Have you checked out http://www.insulin-pumpers.ca/Provincial/ont.html ?
There are some good tips on the Hamilton Group's site as well as the home
page.
Heather (mom of a teenage Animas pumper)
http://www.execulink.com/~craig/diabetictag.html
http://www.execulink.com/~craig/pouches.htm

"Vicki Beausoleil" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> H&CC wrote:
> >
> > Vicki If you are thinking of upgrading to the IR1200
> > keep in mind that it has
a
> > smaller insulin cartridge then the IR1000, which means
> > you will be
changing
> > it more often and that will increase your supplies
> > costs. Heather (mom of a teenage Animas pumper)
> > http://www.execulink.com/~craig/diabetictag.html
> > http://www.execulink.com/~craig/pouches.htm
> >
>
> Hi Heather
>
> I should still be able to get 4 days with a 175 u
> reservoir. The thought of keeping an infusion set in for
> longer than that kinda gives me the creeps :) Luckily
> hub's insurance covers all the consumables (with the
> possible exception of batteries), the resistance I had was
> over the cost of the pump itself.
>
> Vicki
 
GeoffreyH <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.

> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)

> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.

> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).

I'm one who has complained about the Minimed customer
service department. It used to be stellar, but has plummeted
since the Medtronic takeover. There appears to be no desire
on their part to improve it. Their pumps are decent
products, however.

> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.

I don't know why Minimed can't get that right either. I'm on
my 2nd or 3rd 512 since my purchase of one last year. The
last cause for replacement was an almost daily ESD (electro
static discharge). I'd be bolusing for a meal and the pump
would cease to function, and need to be completely
reprogrammed. I was told to learn to live with it when it
happened weekly, but then it increased and they exchanged
pumps for me.

The mechanical/electronic problem wasn't as annoying as the
way in which they responded to my concerns.

> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?

After moving from a 506 to a 507 to a 511 and now to a 512,
I will no longer support Minimed. If and when it comes time
to replace my current pump, I will be looking at Animas,
Cozmo, and whatever else might be out there.

Best of luck,

Randy
 
Geoff -

Check out:

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_technology/insuli-
npumps.php

And click on the brand names across the top to see info
on each pump. The don't list the Nipro Amigo. Their
home page is:

http://nipro-diabetes.com/

It's a very Shockwave/Flash/PC page, so, depending on your
browser, you might not see much...

The Feb or Mar issue of Diabete Interview had a
resource guide that included a nice table comparing
features of insulin pumps. Maybe your doctor or local
library has a copy.

- Tere

"GeoffreyH" <[email protected]> wrote in message new-
s:<[email protected]
thnetwork.com>...
> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.
>
> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)
>
> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.
>
> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).
>
> From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
> pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
> (raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
> loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
> their average user is.
>
> I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
> everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
> extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
> pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
> pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
> evident to me so far.
>
> I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
> that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about
> this, and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they
> leave the factory, we don't want the liability risk of
> having failures on a pump that has been in use for a year
> and may or may not continue to be waterproof' To me that
> is just spin, designed to placate the buyer, but my wife
> doesn't lead that active of a lifestyle that this is a
> limiting factor.
>
> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
> I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
> stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you
> off'. I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the
> pump or sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using
> the pump, and anything positive you have to say about the
> pump you are currently using.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
 
Actually the IR-1200 has a 200 U reservoir.

Vicki Beausoleil <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>... [snip]
> I should still be able to get 4 days with a 175 u
> reservoir. The thought of keeping an infusion set in for
> longer than that kinda gives me the creeps :) Luckily
> hub's insurance covers all the consumables (with the
> possible exception of batteries), the resistance I had was
> over the cost of the pump itself.
 
what was the relative humidity Randy? did you have the pump
in a leather case? do you get static shocks when touching
doorknobs? I had my 508 reset after accidentally dragging
bed sheets over it while it was out of the leather case (a
rarity). Ultimately I got a replacement unit and haven't had
a problem with resets in more than a year and a half. My
wife's 511 reset a couple of times and they replaced hers;
no further problemos since.

dave

Randy Sigman wrote:

> GeoffreyH <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
>>but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
>>well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
>>found much help.
>
>
>>My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
>>pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
>>she's had)
>
>
>>We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
>>the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
>>We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
>>they'd suit us fine.
>
>
>>What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
>>complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
>>Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
>>not much data after that).
>
>
> I'm one who has complained about the Minimed customer
> service department. It used to be stellar, but has
> plummeted since the Medtronic takeover. There appears to
> be no desire on their part to improve it. Their pumps are
> decent products, however.
>
>
>>I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
>>memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
>>idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
>
> I don't know why Minimed can't get that right either. I'm
> on my 2nd or 3rd 512 since my purchase of one last year.
> The last cause for replacement was an almost daily ESD
> (electro static discharge). I'd be bolusing for a meal and
> the pump would cease to function, and need to be
> completely reprogrammed. I was told to learn to live with
> it when it happened weekly, but then it increased and they
> exchanged pumps for me.
>
> The mechanical/electronic problem wasn't as annoying as
> the way in which they responded to my concerns.
>
>
>>Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
>>anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
>
> After moving from a 506 to a 507 to a 511 and now to a
> 512, I will no longer support Minimed. If and when it
> comes time to replace my current pump, I will be looking
> at Animas, Cozmo, and whatever else might be out there.
>
> Best of luck,
>
>
> Randy
 
Bay Area Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> what was the relative humidity Randy?

I have no idea, but I'm in the northeast US, and this
happened during winter time.

> did you have the pump in a leather case?

I hate using the leather case. They haven't figured out
how to make the plastic window clear enough or flexible
enough for my comfort. It mostly happened without the
case, but even when they told me use the case it
continued, albeit less.

> do you get static shocks when touching doorknobs?

Yes.

> I had my 508 reset after accidentally dragging bed sheets
> over it while it was out of the leather case (a rarity).
> Ultimately I got a replacement unit and haven't had a
> problem with resets in more than a year and a half. My
> wife's 511 reset a couple of times and they replaced hers;
> no further problemos since.

The "shocks" causing errors were never audible or visible or
tactile. In fact, the bolus would begin, after the pump was
inserted into the plastic belt holster, and 30 seconds later
it would stop, for no apparent reason. The
audible/visible/tactile shocks I would get from touching
doorknobs never caused the pump to malfunction.

The replacement pump performs perfectly, even without the
leather case.

Randy

> Randy Sigman wrote:

>> GeoffreyH <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
>>>but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
>>>well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
>>>found much help.
>>
>>
>>>My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
>>>pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
>>>she's had)
>>
>>
>>>We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
>>>the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
>>>We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
>>>they'd suit us fine.
>>
>>
>>>What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
>>>complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about
>>>the Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine
>>>soon' but not much data after that).
>>
>>
>> I'm one who has complained about the Minimed customer
>> service department. It used to be stellar, but has
>> plummeted since the Medtronic takeover. There appears to
>> be no desire on their part to improve it. Their pumps are
>> decent products, however.
>>
>>
>>>I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
>>>memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
>>>idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>>
>>
>> I don't know why Minimed can't get that right either. I'm
>> on my 2nd or 3rd 512 since my purchase of one last year.
>> The last cause for replacement was an almost daily ESD
>> (electro static discharge). I'd be bolusing for a meal
>> and the pump would cease to function, and need to be
>> completely reprogrammed. I was told to learn to live with
>> it when it happened weekly, but then it increased and
>> they exchanged pumps for me.
>>
>> The mechanical/electronic problem wasn't as annoying as
>> the way in which they responded to my concerns.
>>
>>
>>>Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
>>>anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>>
>>
>> After moving from a 506 to a 507 to a 511 and now to a
>> 512, I will no longer support Minimed. If and when it
>> comes time to replace my current pump, I will be looking
>> at Animas, Cozmo, and whatever else might be out there.
>>
>> Best of luck,
>>
>>
>> Randy
 
"GeoffreyH" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:8e29ecff3d287d282cb7abaf63a4a9dc@localhost.talkabouthealthnetwork.
com:

> I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
> but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
> well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
> found much help.
>
> My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
> pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
> she's had)
>
> We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks like
> the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for us.
> We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look like
> they'd suit us fine.
>
> What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
> complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about the
> Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine soon' but
> not much data after that).
>
> From my perspective, Minimed has a much larger number of
> pumps out there, so they are likely to have more problems
> (raw numbers), and of course the dissatisfied complain the
> loudest, so I don't really have a good handle on how happy
> their average user is.
>
> I did notice that they seem to nickle-and-dime you for
> everything. The software costs extra, upgrades cost
> extra, little things like that, which seems pretty
> pathetic considering how much they make off your typical
> pump user. Deltec may do this too, but it isn't as
> evident to me so far.
>
> I have also seen lots of messages about people being mad
> that the pump isn't waterproof. I asked the rep about
> this, and she said 'while they are waterprrof when they
> leave the factory, we don't want the liability risk of
> having failures on a pump that has been in use for a year
> and may or may not continue to be waterproof' To me that
> is just spin, designed to placate the buyer, but my wife
> doesn't lead that active of a lifestyle that this is a
> limiting factor.
>
> I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
> memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
> idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>
> Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
> anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?
>
> I'm not interested in knowing how Company X won't give you
> stuff you 'deserve' for free, or how they 'ripped you
> off'. I am interested in shortcomings you've found in the
> pump or sets, unexpected issues that you've found in using
> the pump, and anything positive you have to say about the
> pump you are currently using.
>
> Thanks for any help you can provie, Geoff
>
>

I had to replace my MiniMed 507C a couple months ago and
came to the same conclusion, new MiniMed or Deltec Cozmo. I
chose the Cozmo. It was a tough pick, MiniMed is the 500#
gorilla in the (US) market and since the buy out is acting
like it. Deltec is a relatively new and small player, at
least in the insulin pump market. They haven't sold enough
to be listed in the Insulin Pumper's Organization statistics
which show MiniMed with about 75% of the (mostly US) market.
See http://insulin-pumpers.org/about.shtml

They archive their chat rooms and I found a little
discussion about the Cozmo there in December. There may
be more now.

I finally decided to go with the Cozmo. I am quite happy
with it, but have never worn a 512 so it is difficult to
compare directly.

Pump preferences are much like operating system
preferences, much depends on what you first use and get
used to and much depends on idiosyncratic preferences. The
things that are listed in the comparison charts are often
not the things that turn out to annoy you or that you find
comforting. For example, I miss the clicking of my 507C.
Some people thought the clicking was horrible. I like the
fact that a standard bolus is possible on the Cozmo when an
extended bolus is already in effect. This would probably
not make much difference to most people. I don't need no
stinking remote. I know a guy who is very paranoid about
people finding out he is a diabetic and uses the remote on
his MiniMed all the time.

I use the MiniMed Quick infusion sets which have a standard
Lurer lock that matches the Cozmo syringe. The new Quick
Plus sets have a proprietary lock that only works with the
MiniMed new style syringes. Eventually this may become a
problem when the older MiniMeds die off.

--
-------
Charly Coughran [email protected]
 
I think sometimes one pump is much more sensitive to
resetting itself than another. Like you said, when they
replaced it, you stopped having problems. I get stubborn
with their tech support when I know that I'm having a
problem with my pump that only a replacement will fix.

dave

Randy Sigman wrote:
> Bay Area Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>what was the relative humidity Randy?
>
>
> I have no idea, but I'm in the northeast US, and this
> happened during winter time.
>
>
>>did you have the pump in a leather case?
>
>
> I hate using the leather case. They haven't figured out
> how to make the plastic window clear enough or flexible
> enough for my comfort. It mostly happened without the
> case, but even when they told me use the case it
> continued, albeit less.
>
>
>>do you get static shocks when touching doorknobs?
>
>
> Yes.
>
>
>>I had my 508 reset after accidentally dragging bed sheets
>>over it while it was out of the leather case (a rarity).
>>Ultimately I got a replacement unit and haven't had a
>>problem with resets in more than a year and a half. My
>>wife's 511 reset a couple of times and they replaced hers;
>>no further problemos since.
>
>
> The "shocks" causing errors were never audible or visible
> or tactile. In fact, the bolus would begin, after the pump
> was inserted into the plastic belt holster, and 30 seconds
> later it would stop, for no apparent reason. The
> audible/visible/tactile shocks I would get from touching
> doorknobs never caused the pump to malfunction.
>
> The replacement pump performs perfectly, even without the
> leather case.
>
> Randy
>
>
>
>
>>Randy Sigman wrote:
>
>
>>>GeoffreyH <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I'm sure this has been discussed hundreds of times,
>>>>but I've searched the archives as best I could, as
>>>>well as searching the web in general, and I haven't
>>>>found much help.
>>>
>>>
>>>>My wife is type 1, and she is planning on going onto a
>>>>pump (mostly to reduce the number and severity of hypos
>>>>she's had)
>>>
>>>
>>>>We've looked at the options availiable, and it looks
>>>>like the Minimed 512 and Cozmo are the best options for
>>>>us. We've met with the sales reps, and both pumps look
>>>>like they'd suit us fine.
>>>
>>>
>>>>What I've seen in my seacching so far is a lot of
>>>>complaints about the minimed, and almost nothing about
>>>>the Cozmo (lots of 'It looks great, I'm getting mine
>>>>soon' but not much data after that).
>>>
>>>
>>>I'm one who has complained about the Minimed customer
>>>service department. It used to be stellar, but has
>>>plummeted since the Medtronic takeover. There appears to
>>>be no desire on their part to improve it. Their pumps are
>>>decent products, however.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
>>>>memory even if the battery is left out, and think it is
>>>>idiotic that the Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>>>
>>>
>>>I don't know why Minimed can't get that right either. I'm
>>>on my 2nd or 3rd 512 since my purchase of one last year.
>>>The last cause for replacement was an almost daily ESD
>>>(electro static discharge). I'd be bolusing for a meal
>>>and the pump would cease to function, and need to be
>>>completely reprogrammed. I was told to learn to live with
>>>it when it happened weekly, but then it increased and
>>>they exchanged pumps for me.
>>>
>>>The mechanical/electronic problem wasn't as annoying as
>>>the way in which they responded to my concerns.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give
>>>>me anecdotal evidence for or against the above two
>>>>pumps?
>>>
>>>
>>>After moving from a 506 to a 507 to a 511 and now to a
>>>512, I will no longer support Minimed. If and when it
>>>comes time to replace my current pump, I will be looking
>>>at Animas, Cozmo, and whatever else might be out there.
>>>
>>>Best of luck,
>>>
>>>
>>>Randy
>>>
 
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:35:53 -0600, in misc.health.diabetes "GeoffreyH"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>>I really like the fact that the Cozmo will retain its
>>memory even if =
the
>>battery is left out, and think it is idiotic that the
>>Minimed doesn't offer this feature.
>>
>>Okay, so with all that out of the way, can anyone give me
>>anecdotal evidence for or against the above two pumps?

My CDE felt that the menu and button setup on the cosmo was
a bit poorer.= She felt it tended to take more button
pushes, with the pump asking you to = confirm and "are you
sure" kind of things. apparently to make it more idiot =
proof, but she thought they'd overdone it But at least one
user of the pump who I = know, loves it, and I think it may
be slightly smaller and lighter, which the = ladies like
when it comes time to try and hide the thing somewhere in an
evening= gown. (My friend managed to clip hers to a neck
strap on her gown, so it was = hidden under her long hair. A
novel approach, if I say so myself) And nobody I know has
complained that the cosmo isn't sufficiently = waterproof,
though i don't know about that. One important comment is
that some of = the appeal of the 512 is the whole linked
meter system. My own experience = with that meter (made by
bd) is that it's a faulty, untrustworthy device. Readings=
are not accurate or consistent, at least with the one i got.
I've kept it = only because I still need it to link the pump
to the computer. On the other = hand, one complaint I've
heard about the Cozmo is that bolus delivery is quite =
rapid. The importance of that is that if, after starting a
bolus, you find = you've made a mistake, and wish to stop
the bolus delivery, you have very little time= to do so.
With the minimed, bolus delivery is extended over a long
enough = period of time that you can easily stop it before
much insulin has been delivered. = Also, at least with my
712, your worry about loosing settings without the = battery
is a little overstated, as you can leave the battery out
for, so I'm told, = around 20 minutes without loosing
settings. At least that's what's claimed. i've = not tested
that myself.

Hope that helps.

Peter Rowe
 
Peter W. Rowe <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

On the other hand, one complaint
> I've heard about the Cozmo is that bolus delivery is quite
> rapid. The importance of that is that if, after starting a
> bolus, you find you've made a mistake, and wish to stop
> the bolus delivery, you have very little time to do so.
> With the minimed, bolus delivery is extended over a long
> enough period of time that you can easily stop it before
> much insulin has been delivered.

This is a good instance of why it is difficult to compare
pumps without really living with them both for a while. It
is true that the Cozmo has a fairly rapid bolus delivery,
but it also has pretty good resolution on the extended
bolus, 15 minutes. It may not be what you consider a perfect
bolus length, but it does get around the problem.

I remember when I got my 507C, MiniMed was making a big deal
out of it's combined extended and immediate bolus, a feature
that the Disetronic didn't have. With a Disetronic you
could, of course apply a bolus and a modified basal for a
given duration and produce nearly the same result.

Solving the practical day to day issues with a given pump is
comparing where the rubber meets the road, rather than from
a comparison chart. I think for my next new pump, I'll push
the rep's for a 30 day loaner for all of the short list
candidate replacements.
 
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