Virtual Slipstream 2021 happened April 22-24. We had the team from Medtronic Canada join us to share more more about their latest pump to hit the market, the MiniMed™ 770G. Miss the session? Read on to find out the top things learned during Medtronic’s session: Getting the Most out of the MiniMed™ 770G, presented by Kayla O’Connell, Andrew Beirworth and Rob Howe.
Disclaimer: Please check out CIM’s Partners Page to learn more about the companies we work with. This post was delivered as part of an event-specific sponsorship with our partner, but our partners do not review the content before publication and we strive to bring accurate and helpful information to the T1D online community. We still thought this info was important for you to know about.
At Virtual Slipstream 2021, we had the chance to connect with Medtronic Sales Associate (and long time CIM-friend!) Kayla O’Connell, as well as MiniMed 770G user and founder of Diabetics Doing Things, Rob Howe, and Medtronic Clinical Specialist Andrew Bierworth to learn more about what the launch of the MiniMed 770G means for the diabetes community. Recently, we’ve seen some amazing feedback about ease of use and time-in-range from the community (Want to join in on the conversation? Check out the Connected in Motion – Community Group on Facebook.) Below are some of the things we learned during this session.
But first, a little bit about the speakers who joined us! Kayla O’Connell, Sales Associate with Medtronic Diabetes. Kayla has lived with type 1 diabetes since 2009 and has worn a Medtronic pump since 2010 and is currently wearing the Minimed 670G and using AutoMode. Kayla was joined by Rob Howe. Rob Howe has been living with Type 1 Diabetes for 15 years. He is an Entrepreneur, Marketing Strategist, Podcaster and former professional basketball player. In 2015, Rob founded Diabetics Doing Things, in an effort to raise awareness around the amazing things that Type-1 Diabetics are doing around the world. As of 2021, Rob’s podcast has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, from listeners in over 70 countries. Rob lives in Dallas Texas with his wife Erica and their fur babies, Michael J. Fox, Rowan & Enzo. Andrew Bierworth has worked with Medtronic as a Clinical Specialist since 2019, he has had type 1 since 1997 and has been wearing a Medtronic insulin pump since 2005. Andrew is currently wearing the MiniMed™ 770G system and using auto mode. Andrew lives in Northern BC, he loves the outdoors and has been active in the diabetes community in a number of roles across the country with D-camps since 2006.
The Benefits of Smartphone Integration
All three MiniMed™ 770G users talked about their love for the new smartphone integration. For the first time, Medtronic users are able to see BOTH their CGM data and their pump data (insulin on board, last bolus, etc) on their smartphone. This is helpful as users don’t need to pull their pumps out as frequently to know their BGs, or to know when it’s time for the next calibration.
Travel with the MiniMed™ 770G
An interesting point that Rob brought up was that the integration with the Smartphone helped to alleviate stress while travelling, as a smartphone is always in tune with what time zone it’s in. Previously, users would need to remember to pull out their pump and update the time zone when they land so as not to be running a night-time basal rate during the day.
Another interesting point was how Automode takes the stress out of what may have been previously stressful situations when travelling. One example given was how often, when travelling, you’re eating different foods, prepared different ways, and often flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to carb counts. Rob mentioned how Automode had been really great at helping to catch dosing errors and keep his BGs in range.
Incorporating Care Partners
Another interesting thing chatted about during this presentation was the value of sharing BGs and pump info with Care Partners. For a lot of people with Type 1, sharing blood glucose readings with others is a deeply personal decision. An interesting perspective was the value that sharing with Care Partners has for a person who loves someone with Type 1. The group shared how the individuals they shared with had let them know that using the Care Partner app let them feel a peace of mind, and lessen the worry about their partner’s diabetes.
Trusting the System
Each of the speakers spoke about the challenge of trusting the system at first. Living with Type 1 diabetes leads us to have to be in control of… a lot. Learning to let go of control can be quite hard. But that’s what you learn to do with the MiniMed™ 770G. You also have to unlearn some of your old habits. A lot of people with diabetes, especially those who have been using a pump for quite some time, cover meal carbs with basal rates without even knowing it. Rob mentioned that the tipping point to trusting the system happened after the first night he woke up with a solid night’s sleep. No alarms. Not alerts. Just sleep. Now that has become the norm!
For more information on upcoming Connected in Motion events, visit our events page, here.
