MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Continuous Glucose Monitor

I doubted the usefulness of this unit from the sales brochure when looking at purchasing my pump. It sounded good, right up to the part about having to change out the sensor every 3rd day and the warning not to use the readings sent to the pump for the purpose of controlling insulin.

According to the Medtronics rep I just got off the phone with, you are not supposed to take insulin injections based upon the information the CGM presents to the pump. You MUST rely on the readings from your finger pricks. The only purpose the CGM serves is to monitor trends over periods of time and to boost the sales revenues of Medtronics. If the data from the unit is not reliable (I have had differences in readings in excess of 70 mg/dL) then why charge $1,000 for the unit. I suggested to my doctor's office that they loan the unit out to new patients to monitor them for a week and then manage through daily finger pricks. I don't think this unit has reached its potential yet and at present I would have to say it is nothing more than fool's gold. I hope my insurance company can get my (and their) money back.

It's pricey too.

this has changed my life for the better, and am sad to see that so many people have problems with it! for the first time in 10 years, i have control over my blood sugars, and my A1c is finally at a descent level.

Pros

better control, and you can see what your blood sugar is doing the other 23 hours and 55 minutes a day that you dont check it.

Cons

if not covered by your insurance, it is pretty expensive :(

It was a pain in the rear

Pros

not that I was able to see

Cons

didnt work very well

This thing is absolutely a huge rip-off by Medtronic. They are charging an exorbitant amount for a device that does not work. Even though my insurance paid for it, I had to fight with Medtronic to take it back and reimburse the insurance company. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SALES PITCH THEY GIVE YOU!

Pros

None

Cons

Most of the time this piece of junk sent "weak signal" to my pump which means no data is available to me. They could not get it to work properly. When it did occasionally send something, it was rarely close to my meter test. Once, about 4 hours after calibration it sent me a reading of 112. I did not feel right, so I tested…I was 60. Let me say again, this thing could be dangerous to use.

I am not new to type 1 diabetes control, after struggling with this disease for 53 years. My last A1c was 5.7 so I know how to do it pretty well with all the practice I have had. This device will not help you and could hurt you in my opinion.

Sounds effecient and compact

Cons

costly

Pros

the continuous monitoring is a huge benefit especially eating certain meals or during exercise

Cons

expensive, one more thing I have attached to my body, even with it's small size it is cumbersome and I often bump it into things

I have been on an insulin pump for 19 years now and have added the sensor so that it will alarm when my sugar is low during the night to wake me up. I can honestly say I have not been taken away in an ambulance since I have been wearing the sensor for the last 2 years.

Pros

It alarms when my sugar is low or high based on the settings I have put into the pump.

Cons

Accuracy - it is not always accurate especially when you have 1 or 2 up or down arrows - it is almost guaranteed that your sugar is higher or lower then what this says - it would be better if it alarmed when the arrows came up vs a specific number.
The Senserter - putting the sensor in to me causes panic attacks due to how quickly it inserts the needle and the size of the needle.
The cal errors and bad sensor errors - these sensors cost approx $35.00 per sensor and it is frustrating when it doesn't work.

It has been a big help for me especially with no longer having any signs or symptoms of highs or lows, which can be very scary considering I funcion just fine even when my meter reads LO even amazed my doctor when I had an appointment and he got a LO reading on his meter when he checked my blood sugar so had his nurse get me something while she was gone he asked me some questions that I was able to answer in which many would not be able to do.

Pros

It has been able to alert me of lows that I was not aware of even in the middle of the night and that is great. It has helped to get my pump basal rates set better so that my blood sugars are in a lot better control and that can be hassle especially if you don't have a pattern to look at in which it gives.

Cons

My only complaint would be that it gives a lot of Cal Errors then asks for yet another blood glucose reading, which can happen a multiple of times in a short amount of time, which eventually it will simply give Bad Sensor with knowing that I have only put the sensor in a couple hours ago and see nothing wrong with it. This is something that they really need to work on since it happens way to often in my opinion and with the sensors being so expensive one cannot very well afford to keep changing when this happens so often.

came out even at the Dr affice

Pros

didnt have it in long

Cons

came out all the time on me

I absolutely love my pump. It has made a significant change in my day-to-day health.

Pros

I agree with Jonathans post completely.

Cons

If you are concerned about the pump not being sensitive enought to alert you to lows. You can reset your pump to notify you of a low at a higher glucose reading. I had problems with feeling low blood sugars at first. My pump was set to alert me of a LBG at 80. After time progressed and I got used to the pump, I lowered the setting.

I am anxious to get started on it. The salesman from my area, couldn't say enough good things about. Just wondering, cannot get him to call me back.

Pros

As far as I know now, it would help me in ny low blood sugars, so I could maybe go back to work. We wil just have to wit and see.

Cons

None At This Tme.

Pros

The great thing about the CGMS is the amount of information it provides. (But, see the biggest Con, below). It has to be used correctly, though, and that means not expecting too much from it.
Because of differences between interstitial blood glucose and capillary blood glucose, the CGMS readings do not always agree with the glucose monitor.
The abilities to track trends, though, and to see time periods when not doing finger sticks (like overnight) are the keys.

Cons

The biggest Con is too much information. I can find myself obsessing about the information, checking it every few minutes. However, as I have learned the limits of what the information can provide, it gets better.

Anyone considering the CGMS should think about why they want it. If it is for knowing what you BG is minute to minute, then wait until something better comes out. If it is to fill in the blanks between finger sticks and to help analyze where to change basal rates or carb ratios, it is better.

The alarm features can be annoying if BG levels do not respond to being too high or too low. Also, I do not feel that the CGMS is accurate enough to rely on it to avoid Lows.

The insertion of the sensors is more painful than the infusion sets because the needle is bigger, but once in, it is fine.

It is essential to use tape to hold the transmitted in place. This is not shown in any of the marketing pictures of the CGMS.

The sensors are expensive. Many insurance plans do not cover them.

Finally, there is a high incidence of lost signals, lost sensors or weak signals.