MiniMed Ambassador, Addie, writes the blog Managing Diabetes in High School. Today, she’s writing about her new insulin pump, the MiniMed^® 630G system and how it’s made a difference in her life while living away from home for college.

I started insulin pump therapy in the fourth grade. Considering I had only been a resident of planet earth for about ten years and didn’t do much besides read Little House on the Prairie and pretend that the floor was lava, receiving a new medical device was the coolest thing to ever happen in the history of the world. The greatest achievements of mankind were no comparison to the news that would finally be ceasing my daily injections, so I made sure that everyone in my vicinity knew that I was soon to be (basically) part robot.

Today, about eight years later, I feel exactly the same.

I’m lucky enough to live in a period where the answers to diabetes’ mysteries are a research priority. People all over the world have dedicated their careers to ensuring that my life is as easy to manage as possible. As I have grown, so has the innovation behind diabetes technology. I like to think that I grew up to the rhythm of the set change—rewound every once and awhile to welcome new ideas, and then injected into the world to heal until it was time to rewind again to introduce even more ingenuity.

I performed what can be estimated as around my 1000th set change the other day, but this time with a MiniMed 630G system instead of with my old insulin pump, the MiniMed^® 530G. The familiarity of my routine was immediately enhanced. I genuinely felt like a much more high-tech, stylish person with diabetes as I navigated the instructions on a bright color screen. I was happily overwhelmed by the idea that this beautiful piece of technology was my new normal. It could certainly be assumed that switching from one medical device to another would usher unease, but I was inexplicably comfortable. That first set change was like being introduced to a stranger who felt like an old friend, reminding you of someone from the past that changed your life for the better.

Such enthusiasm regarding a new insulin pump may seem strange to someone outside of the diabetes realm, but it’s important to remember that I have always been that smiling kid surrounded by lancets, reservoirs, tubing, and needles. Just as some people love yummy food and pretty houses, I love my medical supplies. I love what sustains my life and now even more so than I did before.

It would be awesome if I could go back and tell my fourth-grade self what she would be experiencing her freshman year of college just to see the look on her face. Heck, I’d like to visit kindergarten Addie—the tiny girl in the hospital who could barely grasp the concept that her body randomly decided to operate differently than her peers’. I would tell her not to worry. I’d go on for hours about the brilliant scientists and engineers and doctors who were going to make sure her life was so cool, her friends would be jealous. I’d tell her about the Suspends on Low, CGMs, and about the freedom in trusting technology. I’d tell her about Medtronic, about the quality it would ensure to her livelihood, and about perpetual gratitude. I’d tell her it was all going to be better than okay because every day was going to provide something to be excited about.

The MiniMed 630G system is one of those things.

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in purchasing the MiniMed 630G system, it will put you first in line for the MiniMed^® 670G system, the world’s first hybrid closed loop system. Through our Priority Access program from the MiniMed 630G to the MiniMed 670G system, you will have the opportunity to get used to the new MiniMed pump platform. The upgrade could also be as little as $0 for those who qualify (restrictions may apply). To learn more, please visit: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/priority-access

Important Safety Information

The MiniMed 530G and 630G systems with SmartGuard technology are intended for the delivery of insulin and continuous glucose (CGM) monitoring for the management of diabetes mellitus in persons 16 years of age or older who require insulin. Insulin infusion pumps and associated components of insulin infusion systems are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks of insulin pump therapy. The systems are not intended to be used directly for preventing or treating hypoglycemia but to suspend insulin delivery when the user is unable to respond to the Threshold suspend (530G) or Suspend on low (630G) alarm and take measures to prevent or treat hypoglycemia themselves. The information provided by CGM systems is intended to supplement, not replace, blood glucose information obtained using a blood glucose meter. A confirmatory fingerstick via a CONTOUR^®NEXT LINK portfolio meter*, is required prior to making adjustments to diabetes therapy. Always check the pump display when using a CONTOUR^®NEXT LINK portfolio meter*, to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the meter.  Additional, warnings, precautions and contraindications apply.  See www.medtronicdiabetes.com/support/download-library/user-guides and www.medtronicdiabetes.com/importantsafetyinformation for details.

MiniMed® 670G System

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 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. Do not 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.

WARNING: Medtronic performed an evaluation of the MiniMed 670G system and determined that it may not be safe for use in children under the age of 7 because of the way that the system is designed and the daily insulin requirements. Therefore this device should not be used in anyone under the age of 7 years old. This device should also not be used in patients who require less than a total daily insulin dose of 8 units per day because the device requires a minimum of 8 units per day to operate safely.

Only use rapid acting U100 insulin with this system. 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, including product and important safety information concerning the 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