Piecemeal

We talked technology at last week's endocrinologist appointment. My daughter is using an Animas Ping pump and a Dexcom G4 CGM. The Animas can be serviced or replaced for another year before we'll have to switch to Medtronic for the last two years of its warranty. The Dexcom version we're using is almost obsolete, so we have to change something, but the question is, how much?

We could close our eyes and jump headfirst into a full switch to all things Medtronic. We would likely be transitioned to their 630G model which works with their Guardian brand CGM system and a Contour meter as a meter remote. This pump would suspend insulin delivery when low blood sugar is detected by the CGM sensor.

The low glucose suspend feature would be reassuring, especially for those few nights per year that my daughter spends away from us. On the other hand we've heard mixed reviews of the Medtronic sensors, in terms of accuracy and calibration neediness. We hear they're improving with each version, which is incentive to wait a while. There is already a more current Medtronic pump, which adjusts the basal rate every few minutes based on feedback from the CGM.. We wonder if we wait a year if we'll have the option of switching directly to their most recent version, whatever that is at the time, which would surely have more bells and whistles than the current offer.

Our other option is to keep the Animas pump for another year and upgrade to Dexcom's G6 CGM. The G6 requires no fingersticks for calibration, and can be worn for 10 days before changing the sensor. The CGM data can go straight to my daughter's phone, and be shared with us from there, or we can choose to use a receiver. The reviews of its accuracy are stellar.

My daughter is comfortable with the Animas pump, and super-excited about the Dexcom G6. So the plan is to move forward with those for the next year.

It feels like a piecemeal solution. But it's not a perfect world. Insurance and corporate deals dictate the diabetes choices we can make. We are destined to be Medtronic people.

Just not yet.