Medtronic 670g with Guardian 3 sensor

 I watch across the diabetes social media landscape and constantly see people questioning everything, especially the pump technology. These days it's not just the pump but the sensors and also how the 2 intersect with each other. The information out there is spread thick for and against, pros and cons and just plain right wrong and to decider all of it can be daunting. With this all in mind I thought I would write a simple things I like about the technology I chose from the get go and continue to be the best self I can be with it. 

  *********The MEDTRONIC 670 with guardian 3 sensor.**********

* Developed by a multinational company that is actively heading the market in technology advances. Why does this matter? Because as with all technology things can go wrong and things can break but unlike your phone this is playing with health and lives. Knowing a company is in it for the long haul and prepared to jump through the hoops to make our lives simpler is even more reason to sleep at night. For me this brings me comfort day in, day out. 

To be able to bring a medical device to market there are a rigorous testing protocol that has to be adhered to. Medtronic have a road plan and not just looking at the next step. Forever looking to get each small step right before the end goal of an artificial pancreas. Yes it would be great to have all the bells and whistles straight away however I would also like the knowledge that the technology that comes to us is going to work and work for the long term.

* The screens and buttons are user friendly. Yes you need to know lingo but that comes with training and time. Colour screen makes it easy to determine when things are getting low and easy to understand the different parts of the BG graph. All in all the difference between the monotone pumps of yesteryear and this it really is pleasing to the eye.

* When using the linked contour next BG meter it automatically gets sent and stored onto the pump. I remember the years of writing down your readings in a book and through the teenage years the making up of results (I can't say we all did it, but we all did it lol).

* Being attached 24x7 gets forgotten very quickly when the benefits are realised. I have been pumping for 14 years and I have not even been tempted to go back to MDI.

* The automation (Smartguard).... now this is interesting and I am going to be completely open and honest. The move to the 640g with the suspend before low was amazing. Having it lessen the curve without any interaction was clearly a life saver. Getting used to not treating simple lows took a while but once trust is built it allowed for an even bigger change in life. With it in place I would go to loose 40kg through not having to treat lows and by slowly adjusting my basal rate as my body changed. Each day was watching and adjusting. I say this because the next step was a big jump rather than a step however I would make the jump any day of the week. As I was used to making small adjustments myself the trust it takes to allow your artificial intelligence little friend to make on your behalf is difficult no matter how needed it is. I went through the training and remember being told to allow it to do its thing and to keep the data going into it as clean as possible. Of course because I was so in control before and I was relinquishing some of that the trust wasn't there so I found myself at times becoming frustrated and add in a fake bolus to try and bring my bg down. I would adjust the only things I could being the carb ratio, active insulin time and the sensitivity. In the back of my mind I knew my numbers were becoming dirty however I just wanted my numbers right. This being said the only difference was that the numbers were between 6-9 rather than 4-7. Now this went on until a day when I decided to have a spa and all of a sudden I received the dreaded critical pump error. I quickly checked over the pump and realized that there was a crack along the  back of the pump and the waterproof feature of the pump was compromised. As this realization set in I was on the call to the Medtronic help line and was quickly reassured that a replacement pump would be on its way ASAP.  I mention all of this for the simple reason of what is to happen next. Having the fresh pump that had no information on me I decided to make sure that the information was clean (as told initially). OMG now that my trust was in place my world was different again. The 670g was good prior however now it was great. My numbers were in place and the automatic adjustments brought me back to where I need. I bring this story up because it really does show that the sooner you can trust your pump and the information you can put in can be as clean as possible the best outcome you will get. My life change from having to make all the small adjustments along the way and spending the time watching and waiting for when I need to make the changes.

* Accuracy of the sensors seem to be a big sticking point with everyone. From someone that has been on every generation of sensors, I think my first was back in 2005, the generation 3 sensor is as close as they get. Please keep in mind though that you are inserting a small fine fiber into your body and within your body there are multiple variants that can occur. The sensors can now last up to 7 days and where the interstitial fluid reading has changed from around 15 mins behind the blood glucose level to now only being around 5 mins. Yes you can insert it into a place that isn't optimal, such as hitting a vein or blood pocket which saturates the site. In this case I apply pressure with a tissue for 5 mins as you would for any bleeding wound. I would also use the tissue to try and soak up any surface blood. Once I have done this I have been able to save probably 75% of sensors that have been saturated. In the instance where you hit a nerve this comes down to the individual and the ability to push through the slight pain. Me being head strong and not wanting to waste anything even if it is painful I will push through to get the most out of the sensor.

* As I mentioned earlier this is still a step in the longer process you still need to make necessary adjustments to the carb ratios and to be able to correctly identify and input the carbs for what you eat however the time it relieves another piece of your mind to concentrate on every day life.

I highly recommend the the 670g and guardian 3 sensor. I do also highly recommend to pay attention and work alongside your pump to ensure your data is clean and that you allow the algorithm to get to know the real you and your patterns. I also suggest jumping back to manual mode every now and again to make sure your manual rates are still correct. It is better to be safe than sorry in all circumstances.