Medtronic

I've been using Medtronic/Minimed pumps since 1984. they used to be a great company that actually cared about their patients back when it was Minimed, not Medtronic.

I had GREAT customer service, even when I travelled out of the country.

Now, omg, they are impossible! If you are lucky to get someone on the phone after waiting on hold FOREVER, you will speak to someone in a foreign country, who is very difficult to speak with/understand, and they know nothing about the product or how to help. all they are good at doing is apologizing and thanking you for being patient! omg, I could scream..

but, even more infuriating is the functionality of their newer pumps.

the old 500 series pumps and earlier were so simple I could operate them without taking them out of my pocket, or at night under the covers while in bed, never needing to look at the unit. simple and logical.

the new pumps are ridiculous! you have to hit so many key strokes to make the pump do anything, or to find out important information, such as how much you last bolused, and when. Really, I have to hit 14 key strokes when before it was just press one button once?!?

Now, here's the most crazy part..they have a "confirmation" tone, a beep for "some" of their functions..ahh..but it doesn't always mean "confirm".

really?!? yes, to deliver a bolus, first you have to "confirm" the amount you key in so that it "beeps"..but, that's not a confirmation to deliver! you have to make it beep a 2nd time!

no other functions require the 2nd beep, so your brain thinks you've confirmed the bolus amount and it will deliver that amount, as their old pumps did! one beep!

I have been living with this pump for a year now, a YEAR!, and still approx 10-20% of the time I forget to confirm the bolus for the 2nd time.

I hear the beep and my brain thinks I'm good and off I go.

Only to discover when I check my BS that I'm elevated, then I look and discover that I never got the bolus I thought I dialed in! yes, it alarms, once, but you cannot hear it, unless your in a dead quiet space and the pump is not in your pocket, ie sitting on your desk.

how I would like to strangle the engineers who developed the user interface software, unbelievable...

this is maddening, and I am switching to another pump along with everyone else who is abandoning this stupid manufacturer

Impersonal Robocalls with no option to transfer to a real human.

The supplies are EXPENSIVE.

Infusion sets and reservoirs have to be replaced every 3 days.

The belt clip is a poor design and breaks often. It costs $13 to replace.

The 770G CGM system is inaccurate and still requires multiple finger sticks per day to keep it calibrated, thus negating the benefits of even using it IMHO.

I have switched to the Dexcom G7 CGM, and it works WAAAYYYY better - it's accurate and doesn't require constant fingersticks. The only disadvantage is that the readings have to be entered manually as the 770G is a closed ecosystem and doesn't integrate with the Dexcom CGM.

I have had Medtronic pumps for 5 years, but will be switching to a different brand pump as soon as my insurance allows me to (when I hit the 6 year mark in a few more months!).