I Can’t Imagine Life Without It

While the MiniMed 670G system has been available for the past two years, we receive a lot of questions on the experience those using the system have had. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Nalani, a physician assistant in California who dedicates her life to helping others with diabetes. Nalani has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was 8 years old and started her first insulin pump at 10 years old. She started on the MiniMed 670G system two years ago and today talks about how the system has impacted her life.

I’ve recently been thinking about how much I love my MiniMed 670G system. When I say that I love it, I mean that I can’t imagine my life without it.

I have always had very good control. Before starting the MiniMed 670G system, I had pretty steady blood sugars (BGs) and liked to run them between 70-100mg/dL as often as I could. I have always been more afraid of the highs than the lows because I worry about complications, but because I was running my glucose so tight, I was experiencing a significant low at least once or twice a week. I live an active lifestyle, have an incredibly demanding job, and the struggle to keep my BGs low, but not too low was difficult.

When I first started the MiniMed 670G system I was frustrated because my glucose was always in the mid 100’s, which was WAY too high for my comfort. There were many times that I wanted to stop using SmartGuard Auto Mode so that I could have my 80’s and 90’s back. Instead, I decided to stick it out, and I’m so glad that I did.

I initially struggled with alarm fatigue due to the frequent BG/calibration alarms, but being in Auto Mode was worth it. Thankfully, Medtronic now has an enhanced Guardian Link transmitter and most, if not all, of my unnecessary alarms have been eliminated!

The MiniMed 670G system has given me a lot of things back. I have had diabetes for basically my whole life and didn’t even realize how frequently I was thinking about my glucose, making small pump adjustments, or eating little snacks to try and avoid my hypos (I’m a micromanaging diabetic). Starting on the system was the first time since I can remember that I have been able to sleep through the night. I can now exercise, clean my house, and go dirt biking without worrying as much about low BGs.

As I mentioned earlier, the MiniMed 670G system has done wonders for me. It was an adjustment period and it took me a while to let go of control, but overall my experience with this pump has been amazing and I am truly grateful.

*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, seven 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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