Choosing My First Insulin Pump

I’ll start with the bottom line. I chose the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm VEO. The VEO, which is marketed outside the U.S (Europe, Canada….) is basically the same as the Medtronic Minimed Revel except for the “Low Glucose Suspend” feature which allows the insulin pump to automatically suspend insulin infusion if a low is sensed and the user does not respond to the alarm (this of course only works if you are using a CGM sensor).

Here is how I made my decision. First, my insurance will fully cover only two pumps – the Medtronic VEO and the Animas Pump. This coverage includes the pump itself (I can get a new one every 5 years) and as many infusion sets as I need (I was given 20 sets a month). I can also get the OmniPod but I’ll have to pay a $100-$200 a month for it. I didn’t look in to any other options.

Before making my decision I did a little shopping around. I met with the OmniPod sales rep who showed me the pump (he is a type 1 himself and uses one) and explained how much more convenient it was than other pumps. I was sold on it. I liked the fact that it’s tubeless and I liked the fact that it doubles as a glucometer. On the other hand the patches do not look all that comfy and a CGM option is nowhere in sight.

I also considered the Animas mostly because of the water resistance. I read about the Medtronic and Animas pumps and tried to compare them (there are plenty of websites which can help in this). I didn’t see much difference except for the water resistance. I didn’t meet the Animas sales rep because I had already made my decision and didn’t want to waist anyone’s time including my own.

The three (main) reasons I decided to get the Medtronic VEO are:

It’s free
It has a built in CGM option (Animas came out with their announcement regarding the new Pump with a CGM, Animus Vibe a week after I ordered my pump)
Karmel Allison highly recommends it

The CGM option seemed like a good reason although if I want to take advantage of it at this point I would have to pay for it myself. Currently my insurance will cover it only for children or women who want to or are pregnant. I do believe though that this will change soon and I will be able to get the sensors through my insurance too.