It’s a slow day at the office, so I’ve been using my time to research/read up on the Animas Ping and any additional information I can get on the 530G. (Because their specs aren’t on the interwebz ANYWHERE!)

Don’t get me wrong. I like the t:slim idea still, but realized that while it has a 300 unit capacity insulin cartridge, I don’t go through that much insulin ever. I mean – I might whenever the pregnancy fairy grants my wish, but really? I barely use up my 200 unit cartridges in the three days I’m allotted. So – I’m less enthusiastic about the t:slim until I do more research/ask for a demo. Which leaves me with the unresearched Ping and Medtronic.

My biggest question lately has been the ability to do tiny ratios for boluses. I thought I heard about pumps getting down into the .5:1 range. (Apparently, that is just the UK’s Animas Vibe…) I’d love that option to get that low. I’m already on a 1:5 carb ratio for a majority of the day before pregnancy. Something tells me a 1:1 still won’t be enough in my 3rd trimester. (Though – the thought of giving 30 units of insulin to cover 30 grams of carbs is rather frightening… and a very real possibility.)

I began to look up 530G reviews and stumbled upon this article from D-Mine, which was written shortly after the press release was distributed for the 530G.

A few things struck me as alarming:

“This got me thinking: Could I just get a new Medtronic pump itself?

I picked up my phone and called Medtronic to ask about buying a new pump. Two different reps in the course of an hour told me the same thing: No, I can no longer just order a stand-alone pump. My insurance now REQUIRES me to get the newest device…

So short answer: No, I cannot get a stand-alone Medtronic pump to use with my Dexcom G4.”

Seeing how I just asked for a prescription for a Dexcom G4 YESTERDAY, I got a little nervous. So – is Medtronic off the table completely now? (Because – why on earth would I pay for two CGM systems?)

On my lunch break, I called Medtronic myself and asked if the Revel pumps would still be made available to those who didn’t want the 530G. She told me it depended on my insurance and if they covered CGMs. (Which answered my question about Kaiser was going to deal with this because they don’t cover CGMs for anyone unless you are deemed “brittle.”) I said my insurance covers your current CGM just fine, but I didn’t really want to upgrade to the 530G; just the Revel. She said I could “request” the Revel if I wanted to, but it would just depend on if it got approved or not. (Approved by who?) The approval process would take the same amount of time as it would to request approval for a 530G, which was 5-7 days. Makes you wonder what the approval checklist looks like. (And do they decline requests without reason other than your insurance will cover the new model so that’s what you should get?) The whole thing seems a bit odd, but it sounds like they’ve updated their reps’ telephone manuals from the time that D-Mine article was written.

So – the Revel is still a possibility? Maybe?

More on the Ping tomorrow.