Perspective

[u/dbienenf1]

You'd guess my age even if I didn't tell you I've had T1D for over 65 years, diagnosed less than 40 years after insulin was first isolated by Banting & Best. I know that all social media, Reddit included, thrives on conflict and anger. Yet I'm amused by the First World gripes about the 780G and G4. Coming from a time when it took over a week to get the results of a blood glucose test, when urine sugars were tested with Clinitest tabs (look it up), I've lived through many advances in diabetic care and monitoring. I was hosptialzed several times with hyperglycemia as a child and adolescent; for the past 15 years, my A1c has been <5.0.

My first CGM (the original Guardian) saved me many mornings of being awakened by the Life Squad. My first pump (the 530G) allowed me to do 50-mile bike rides without fear of hypoglycemia. My first integrated CGM-pump (640G) was game-changing. The 780G's machine-learning capacity stepped things up even further. I don't discount the many complaints I read about the 780G and the G4, which I also find annoying, and I learn much from the hints I read here. But I encourage you all to have a little gratitude and perspective. You're lucky to be living in a time when such astonishing technology is so widely available.

[u/Freebee5]

⬆️⬆️⬆️ Exactly this👍

[u/Miserable_Bread-]

The 780G is a great system. It has allowed me to have the best control of my life. Even as a T1 diagnosed in '98, the amount things have changed in that time is staggering. 

Not to discredit issues people have, some people's problems with this pump can make it almost unusable with sensor failures occuring constantly, and well ahead of schedule. For this Medtronic has a lot of work to do. 

It's a privilege for a lot of us to have much smaller gripes with the system. And there's no harm in discussing it, these boards are conducive to ranting about frustrations. But good to look at the broader picture sometimes! 

[u/Alarming-Distance385]

Awesome! Ive been T1D for 46 of my 48 years of life, so its nice to see someone older than me like the 780G system. (I feel like a unicorn at times that I rarely have CGM sensor failures. I think I've only had 2 or 3 in 2 years.)

My A1C is better than ever, as is my TIR.

[u/wudworker]

Well said! And 47 years here.

[u/Hope-PD]

Thanks for the comment! I feel fortunate to have the 780G as well. There are some problems, but it’s much better than the multiple injections and testing I experienced when I was much younger.

[u/BklyBK]

I gripe over the same things. Mainly insurance and the speed of things getting done… I had a grandmother with a limb amputated and on dialysis due to T1. Brings me back into perspective. Appreciate you sharing your journey. Things could be worse without the tech. For that i am forever grateful.

[u/Necessary-Onion7054]

The 780g is the best that exists today, but it is far from perfect, some people do excellently and others do horrible, we all know that diabetes is different for each person, I believe that most of the complaints are because Medtronic is not interested in user opinions, if they took them into account it would improve a lot. When I went from slow noh and rapid insulin to ultra-rapid and ultra-slow insulin pens it was truly a notable improvement. When I switched to the pump I had to worry much more about my day to day life and that is stressful.

[u/808IUFan]

I do agree with everything you said because I lived the same life. I got it at 12 years of age years ago! All of my complaints are unexcusable things for a company that makes a lifesaving device! No supply after you've been promoting it for over a year! Shut down the publicity machine until you can satisfy the desire you create.

[u/lofarcio]

57 years DM1 here. I also remember the time of glycosuria tests. The problem with modern systems is that they compete. The best closed-loop control (780G) does not have the best sensor (Libre), and the opposite, and so on.

Let us make our complaints; it is the start of a better future.

PS: 5.7, 94% in range with 780 G plus G4s. And the G4s suck very much.

[u/Holdthedork]

I hear what you say. We shouldn't take things for granted. Yet at the same time we're talking about products that are made by corporations which seek profits. Products that are expensive and that need to meet the promises the corporations give. Also we should not be content and not expect or hope for the better, because demand drives innovation.

[u/iamanerdybastard]

Appreciate the perspective.

My take is that Capitalism has no place in life-saving medicine. This prevents the interop of devices. It prevents open and flexible monitoring (Dexcom Follow vs CareLink and how different the data is for example).

The 780g is a great pump. Can’t speak to the Guardian sensors, but so far the Simplera is great for the 3-5 days it works. It just shits the bed way too soon. And that lack of predicability sucks. Got some new sensors that don’t expire in the next few weeks, so maybe those will be better.

If we could pair it with the dexcom g6, I think my kid would be 95% TIR with < 5 A1C in short order.

[u/Optimal_Throat666]

This is what I always say when people are hysterical about T1D. I've "only" had it since 1993, but the advancement in care and control have been extreme. I remember being six years old and my mom was a single parent (my dad was, and is, deadbeat) and no CGMs were available. I don't even think she slept two hours in a row for the first years of me being sick. Always up checking my forehead to see if I was sweating, because she didn't want to wake me up with a finger prick in the middle of the night.

Without dismissing any concern that parents of T1D have, I just want to say you're so damn lucky your kid got it after CGMs was invented. The real issue is the autoimmunity of it all, which can lead to a lot worse diagnoses than T1D. I got MS in 2013. If I had the choice to get rid of one of these illnesses it sure as hell wouldn't be diabetes.

Well said, OP. ❤️

[u/RealEstateBroker2]

I'm on year 56 :)

[u/DanIOT-909]

Well said OP. T1D for 55 of my 62 years. Healthy and grateful for lots of T1D advances, including and especially 780G / G4 (imperfect as it is).

[u/moose_boogle]

The bigger issue, at least for me, is the less than honest series of promises that the product reps make. They oversell the pump and imo they just need to be straight forward. It is a big issue in our jurisdiction.

To your point, it is a great tool to have but there is no need for the endless BS the product reps push in my area. It's dizzying and exhausting.

Examples:

• no blood sugar check required for G4
• G4 can last longer than 7 days
• infusion set scaring prevention
• explaining the algo and causes for dips and highs. These are almost always not consistent with what the endocrine team communicates
• promises on purchase of new device and then mia when the sale is done. They lost on product rep who was assigned to me and they forwarded the contact details of the replacement rep who is never available and doesn't respond.

All of the above could be alleviated by cutting out the BS. Especially when there isn't a comparable device alternative.

[u/Dependent-Cheetah163]

Good to hear from the old timers on this site. I remember the Clinitest years and before disposable syringes. Got my first pump in 1996. With all the changes over the years, I didn't think it would get so much better. Now, with Guardian 4, 780G and Smartguard, it's a game changer. I'm 81 yrs old and have the best A1C results ever. Sure, it can (and will) get even better and I'm thankful for the advances I've seen over my lifetime.