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Alert: Product and Recall Notices5 Tips for a Smooth Transition to the MiniMed 670G System
I recently switched to the MiniMed™ 670G system with SmartGuard™ technology and I now trust that the system is working to help take care of me. I spend less time correcting highs and lows and don’t have to look at my CGM graphs as often. The MiniMed 670G system is the next step along my journey and it’s making my diabetes life easier, but it came with an important learning curve in the beginning.
In the 10 years, I’ve been using an insulin pump, it’s always been from Medtronic. This hybrid closed loop pump is very different from my other pumps and it took some time for me to figure out how to make the most of it. Along the way, I learned quite a bit and I’m excited to share some of my top tips.
1) Talk to your healthcare team often! In the first couple of months, I uploaded to CareLink software on a weekly basis and discussed the reports with either my pump trainer or my endocrinologist. They had wonderful advice for me and were essential in fine-tuning my settings.
2) Expect your carb ratios and active insulin time to change…perhaps more than once. Using my old pump, I was certain my carb ratios and active insulin time were solid. Which they were…for that pump. I’ve come to realize that the MiniMed 670G system works differently, and so my settings are different as well. My mealtime boluses are bigger (which was weird for me at first.) And, I was bit hesitant, at times, when I saw how many units I’d be dosing. But, I trusted the system and new carb ratios—they work!
3) Pre-bolusing is more important than ever. If you used to pre-bolus on your old pump, you should probably continue on the MiniMed 670G system. For some reason, when I started on the new system I stopped pre-bolusing for my meals. I’m not sure why because the insulin I’m using in the new pump is the same. It still needs the same head start I gave it before meals.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to work with your healthcare professional to find what’s best for you.
4) Be careful not to overcorrect your low glucose. Lows are probably the area that has changed the most for me. I used to go low a lot – several times a week and sometimes several times a day. Since switching to the new system, the number of lows that I experience was immediately reduced and I find that I have more energy. I must have gotten so used to the lows that I didn’t realize how exhausting they are. And I’ve noticed that since I spend less time with low blood sugar, my hypoglycemia awareness has come back. In the past, my blood sugar had to be in the 50s (and sometimes 40s) for me to feel the symptoms.
Now, I feel a low come on right away, and on the odd occasion that I do have a low blood sugar, I’ve found that I need to eat fewer carbs to get myself back up into range. This is because as my glucose drops, the system gives me less insulin, so it takes fewer carbs to correct.
5) And my best tip is…be patient! It takes time for this pump to learn your body. I knew that going in, but once I was on the system I found it really hard to let go and trust it to learn me. Patience is the key. Once I stopped sweating the small stuff and let the pump do its thing, I was amazed at how much less work it takes to manage my diabetes. It didn’t happen overnight. Each week things got a little bit better, and it took about three months before I felt like everything was in tune. Now I worry less about my diabetes and feel like Auto Mode has me running on auto-pilot!
Over the years with diabetes, I’ve progressed from urine testing and exchange diets, to finger sticks, carb counting and meal-time insulin, to CGMs and insulin pumps. Each one took time and adjustments, but they each made managing my diabetes a little bit easier. And now that I trust my MiniMed 670G system, it’s not my CGM alarms waking me up at night, it’s just my husband’s snoring…
*Karen is a Medtronic Diabetes Ambassador.
*Karen was provided product in exchange for her own thoughts and opinions. Individual results may vary.
*The patient testimonial above relates an account of an individual’s response to treatment. The account is genuine, typical and documented. However, this patient’s response does not provide any indication, guide, warranty or guarantee as to the response other people may have to the treatment. The response other individuals have to the treatment could be different. Responses to the treatment can and do vary. Not every response is the same. Please talk to your doctor about your condition and the risks and benefits of these technologies.
Important Safety Information
The Medtronic MiniMed™ 670G system is intended for continuous delivery of basal insulin (at user selectable rates) and administration of insulin boluses (in user selectable amounts) for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons, fourteen years of age and older, requiring insulin as well as for the continuous monitoring and trending of glucose levels in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed™ 670G system includes SmartGuard™ technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust the delivery of basal insulin based on Continuous Glucose Monitor sensor glucose values, and can suspend delivery of insulin when the sensor glucose value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values. The system requires a prescription. The Guardian™ Sensor (3) glucose values are not intended to be used directly for making therapy adjustments, but rather to provide an indication of when a fingerstick may be required.
A confirmatory finger stick test via the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter is required prior to making adjustments to diabetes therapy. All therapy adjustments should be based on measurements obtained using the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian Sensor (3). Always check the pump display to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter. Do not calibrate your CGM device or calculate a bolus using a blood glucose meter result taken from an Alternative Site (palm) or from a control solution test. It is also not recommended to calibrate your CGM device when sensor or blood glucose values are changing rapidly, e.g., following a meal or physical exercise. If a control solution test is out of range, please note that the result may be transmitted to your pump when in the “Always” send mode.
Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow recognition of pump signals and alarms. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to maintain contact with their healthcare professional. The safety of the MiniMed™ 670G system has not been studied in pregnant women. For complete details of the system, including product and important safety information such as indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions associated with system and its components, please consult http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/important-safety-information#minimed-670g and the appropriate user guide at http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/download-library
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About Author
Editorial Team
LOOP Blog Editorial TeamAt Medtronic Diabetes our vision is to transform diabetes care together for greater freedom and better health. Each word in that statement is important – including the one “together”. We’re a group of passionate people working hard to make a big positive impact on the lives of those with diabetes. But we can’t do it alone. Collaboration is key. With healthcare providers, academic institutions, non-profits and other companies. And, most importantly, with you – the people who live with diabetes every day.
I am possibly getting the 670g, waiting on insurance. My question is, ok I’m an amputee (not from diabetes) and in wheelchair right now. I have complications that prevent my use of prosthetic,however, I will try once in a while and when my issues improve I’ll wear it more. Wont that be difficult keeping steady constant considering it requires much more energy and will have more lows,I certainly dont want to deal with having to change settings different days if I’m using prosthetic on and off?
Hi, Lisa. I’m sure this is significant adjustment to your daily routines. I encourage you to speak with your healthcare team about this as they can make the best recommendations for our individual needs. Keep in mind, you can set up to 8 different basal patterns on the MiniMed 670G system. You may consider having one set for times when you wear your prosthetic and another for when you don’t. It’s super easy to change your patterns and this is a great conversation to have with your trainer once you receive your system.
I am going for training to learn the CGM part of the 670G tomorrow and I am scared to death. I do not like the idea of no longer having set basal rates, being able to use temporary basal rates, suspend delivery or manually do things.
As an example, I exercise and I KNOW my body and it wants me to start with a blood sugar around 170, I lower my basal rate 90% for an hour and I come out of the gym with a BS of approx 100. A CGM system would probably think 170 is high, give me a bolus that I know I don’t need, and my BS would start to plummet. The CGM can alert me all it wants but it will be too late; my BS drops quickly.
And the sirens going off all the time? It sounds like sleep will be interrupted a lot, which isn’t healthy either.
Question: If I disconnect the pump, perhaps to go swimming, does the CGM know I’m not wearing it? I’m hoping it cannot tell because that would give me some sense of being in control.
And since my 56 year old body is so beat up from taking shots and changing infusion sets for the last 18 years, the last thing I need is more tissue damage being caused by the CGM’s insertion needle and the hair-thin sensor lodged in my tissue for a week. Medical product manufacturers do not think about that kind of stuff when designing new products.
Thanks for checking in, Irene. How did your training go? If you still have questions or would just like to discuss any concerns in more detail, please give our team a call at 800.646.4633, option 1.
I am a T1 patient since 1985, 1st time considering pump/CGM and have had two visits w/my endocrinologist group in the past month. Most of my learning about these systems has been on my own with little help from the health team, although it should be stated that a representative from Medtronic has been extremely helpful. Not being rude, just ” real” about the learning is on my own. After reading this blog and the responses, I am questioning if the 670G and CGM is right for me right now. It sounds like there are numerous problems. I am very receptive to the technology and am motivated to start this system in the coming months. My conclusion at this point is 1. you better have an excellent supportive medical team and 2. hopefully the “bugs” are being worked out, because I cannot afford the wrong kind of bells & whistles going off in my work environment. They will think I am nuts and need help. 🙂
We can certainly understand your concerns, Rick and please know many of our customers are finding success with our MiniMed 670G system. There is certainly a learning curve, but don’t forget, you have the entire Medtronic team behind you, supporting you and ready to help, day or night. If you’d like to connect with others who are currently on this system to get their real-life feedback, you can connect with one of our Ambassadors by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1wdUET1. They wear our devices and are happy to answer any questions that you have.
thank you, i have an appointment w/a trainer in the San Antonio office Tuesday, the 12th in order to keep learning. I do appreciate your response.
Rick
Is it possible your meter can instead of ringing can it send a text to my phone. I work in a quiet environment and can not have an alarm going off but. Flashing phones and vibrating phones are allowed.
Thanks for reaching out, Lisa. At this time, remote monitoring features like this are not available for our insulin pump systems, but we are working on it. Our community has made it clear how important this is; we look forward to sharing updates as soon as we are able.
How do I turn off all audible alarms? I can’t have them at work. I just took the whole thing off and gave up after 2 straight hours of ringing alarms. After inserting first sensor ever it kept requiring endless fingersticks and then refused to accept the value I entered. Told me to put a new one in, ridiculous. The supplies are super expensive and I wasted many sensors trying to get it to work. No luck. Called support and all they did was say they would send me one new sensor. No help offered to get it working. Just took the whole thing off and put it back in the box. I can’t have endless ringing alarms at work. Very disappointed.
I’m sorry to hear this, Jen. There is a vibrate function available that can silence many alerts, however, there are some alarms that will ring audibly, regardless of your settings. To change your audio setting, press the select button from your home screen and “Audio Options”. If you have any questions or need help, please give our 24-Hour Technical Support team a call at 800.646.4633, option 1.
I am looking for Prince… How can i find it?
Hi there, Zahra. to discuss your insurance coverage and out of pocket costs, please give our therapy specialist a call at 800.646.4633, option 3.
I have had my 670 for a bit more than a month and I love it! Yes, it takes some getting used to, but overall, it is fantastic. Yes, you will have to make some adjustments to your carb/insulin ratio and active insulin times….for most people anyway. For me, the real proof in in a box of juice! I have always carried boxes of juice with me to treat lows, which I had a lot of because, you see, I am a “grazer”. I eat all the time and would bolus what I thought was needed which tended to throw me into a low. I’d treat that , and go high. A real roller coaster. My A1C was usually OK, but that was because it was the average of a lot of lows and highs. The test is the fact that I rarely need my juice anymore! Also, my night time levels were terrible. Now the BG line is as flat as a pancake and I do my morning exercise with less concern of going low.
My biggest learning curve is what to do when I become “human” and sit and watch TV while eating chips and salsa or something. Even with estimated bolusing, I will go high and that has been very hard to get back under control. Then I am faced with being kept up all night by my pump “yelling at me”. Usually, at that point, I just turn off auto mode and restart it in the morning. I have an endo apt in Sept and will figure out how to better handle that. Also, large meals can be a challenge. Let’s say you are eating 70 carbs or more. I am not used to bolusing that much without using square of dual wave features which are not functional on auto mode. So, that is a problem where I can go low. Overall, once I adapt to these few issues, I think that this pump is a game changer!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Cindy. It sounds like overall, you are doing well with your MiniMed 670G system and we’re thrilled to hear it. I understand you have an appointment with your healthcare provider, but please remember, our 24-Hour HelpLine is also available to you. They are our technical experts and may be able to help. Please feel free to give them a call at 800.646.4633, option 1.
My son has been on the 670g since May 2018. It has been really great. I am looking for advice on how to make his sensors more secure. He is constantly getting them caught on something and the sensor gets pulled out. Thank you.
I have just been approved for the 670
I am type 1, still up an down, with lows. I am concerned about this AUTO MODE. WILL I HAVE A TRAINER????
How exciting, Rosemary! It’s ok to have concerns, you will have at least 2 training sessions with a local trainer. They’ll be able to go over specifics of your pump, along with best practices. In addition, after training, you have access to our full staff, including our 24-Hour HelpLine, who is here to support you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
How big of a change was the insulin to carb ratio? I’m a new user of the 670g and have personally felt I have needed to lower mine when using auto mode due to noticing a continuous pattern of post meal blood glucoses relying on micro boluses to bring down my BG instead of original bolus given for my meals. It’s certainly a bit strange, but it would be nice to know if I share similar results concerning ICR.
Jon, everyone’s adjustments will vary with use of the MiniMed 670G system. If you have questions about your settings, I encourage you to reach out to your healthcare team. They can make the best recommendations based on your individual needs.
Hi I just started auto mode and I’m frustrated. It seems to keep my sg levels high…..especially after dinner till 11pm ….hugh . Frustrated . I feel like getting off auto mode. My a1c was 6.4. I think this auto mode will make it go up …..
I’m sorry to hear this, Lise. An adjustment to your settings may be in order. Reach out to your healthcare team to discuss your concerns and see what they recommend. If there is anything we can do to support you, please know, we’re just a phone call away at 800.646.4633, option 1.
Hi I’ve been on the 670g since 8/17 and love it. The Guardian 3 sensors are very accurate and it has saved me life a number of times as I’m hypo unaware as T1 for 50 years. I’m wondering if Medtronic is working on getting the Guardian 3 sensors approved by Medicare. I have achieved a lowering of my A1c almost 1 point to a 6.7 with just calibrating fingersticks 3 times a day and trusting the sensor the rest of the time unless of course when illness presents itself. So please inform us when or if Medtronic iis selling Medicare approval?
Lynn, thanks so much for sharing your experience, I’m glad to hear you are doing so well on your MiniMed 670G system. We’re actively working on meeting the requirements to receive Medicare reimbursement for our CGM, however, we have no timeline available to share. We’ll be sure to keep our community updated on any changes.
My daughter has been a Type 1 diabetic for 39 years and very hard to control bgs. Her diabetic doctor wants her to try an insulin pump. Would the 630 G or 670 G be best for her first pump? Is one easier to use than the other? Thanks!
I have been on the 670 since November/December – for the most part it is great. I use the “smart guard – auto mode” overnight and really does a great job regulating my blood sugar. Recently – for about the past 6 weeks, i seem to be getting a lot more alarms to “enter blood sugar” or calibrate. I try to time my daytime calibrations so i don’t need to in the middle of the night – as it wakes up me and my wife. I always calibrate before bed and am usually in range without any active insulin – so the actual number stays steady. However i still get this alarms. Does anyone have any tips for this situation – i want them to stop.
We’d like to look into this and see if we can help, Joel. Give us a call at 800.646.4633, option 1 and we’ll see what we can do for you.
How many fingersticks a day do you have to do? I started on the 670G, but gave up on the automode because of this.
Marsha, thanks for reaching out! Fingersticks are required for all calibrations. The minimum calibration is every 12 hours. For better sensor performance, it is
recommended that you calibrate your sensor three or four times each day. You may also receive periodic requests from your pump for BG readings, which would also require a fingerstick.
Is anyone else having serious trouble with the 670G system? I’ve contact customer service many times and received no real help. Some of the issues I’ve had include:
Frequent material differences in blood sugar readings versus the 670G CMGS. Often the trend isn’t even correct.
All alarms and notifications cascade in the blaring siren after 10 minutes if not acknowledged (I’ve lost so much sleep to reminders or notifications that didn’t need to be acknowledged in the middle of the night).
Frequent flow block alarms, a phenomenon that I never had with previous Medtronic pumps.
And many more…
The only times I have significant differences are within the first 12 hours of a new sensor. I don’t begin automode until after 12 hours. The other times I get differences is when I have eaten unusual food, and I didn’t bolus correctly. I do get the blaring noise after 10 minutes too, but not often. I have never received any blockage. I have been on the automode now for 6 months. When I first started the 670g, I didn’t use the automode. I gave it another try after my Dr.’s encouragement and I love it!!! I am in-range way more.
I to had issues with flow blocks. It occurred when the pump flow was changed from normal flow to accelerated flow. When the flow was reduced to normal flow the alarms stopped. Also if you fill the reservoir much more than two milliliters, the insertion site gets ‘old’ and inflammation sets up and blocks the flow.
I had that same problem, it’s seems like mini med need to train there tech support better.
They will tell you to consult your health care provider.