6 Battery Tips for Keeping Your Insulin Pump Powered Up
I’ve always believed that as a person with diabetes it’s important to take what I learn and share this information with others. I have many times benefited by being on the receiving end and learning from my friends with diabetes. I like to use my blog posts as a way to educate and share interesting tips, but to also share my personal experiences (even if it means sharing my mistakes, like I’m about to…)
Last night I got a “Low Battery alert” on my insulin pump and I knew this meant my battery had less than 10% of power, so I should change it before bedtime. I grabbed a battery and a quarter from my drawer, changed it out, and quickly did a few more things in my nightly routine, then crawled into bed.
As I began to drift off to sleep I realized I forgot to check my blood glucose. So, I pushed the button to turn the backlight on my pump to shine over my glucose meter screen so I could see what I was doing in the dark. “Hmmm…that’s weird; I wonder why my backlight isn’t turning on.” I turned on my lamp to realize that I put a completely dead battery in my pump before I went to sleep. Based on this experience and many others in my almost 10 years of changing pump batteries, here are some tips:
1) When you put a battery in your pump make sure to double check that it’s working.
2) Use a new AAA alkaline battery, not carbon zinc or lithium. You can use any brand, but we recommend Energizer® for the best performance.
3) Use a coin such as a nickel or a quarter to open the battery cap when you change it out instead of sharp objects, like a knife.
4) The average life span of a battery in your pump is one week. Know that using settings like vibrate mode, the back light, or the sensor will use more battery which can make this time frame vary.
5) Keep a spare battery handy, like in your meter case or a drawer at work, but avoid storing it in extreme temperatures. Especially as the weather begins to get cooler this fall, make sure not to place it somewhere where it can get too cold.
6) If you get battery alerts and alarms, most can be fixed easily. You can look up the specific alert on our website and follow the steps listed here.
My blood glucose was a lovely 118 this morning, which felt good since I was able to fix the battery ordeal before it impacted my body and my glucose meter screen.
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Comments
Mark Harris
Posted on Tue Oct 09 18:43:42 GMT 2012
I change my pump battery once or twice a month. I was suprised when I read that the average battery lasts a week.
Michael G
Posted on Tue Oct 09 18:47:13 GMT 2012
your battery only lasts a week? O_o
I use energizer max which lasts almost or over a month before I have to change the battery. saves a lot of money and worry.
william
Posted on Tue Oct 09 18:48:26 GMT 2012
Dont use a quarter use the lip to your test strip bottle it fits better and doesn't strip it
Ernest Lease
Posted on Tue Oct 09 19:03:41 GMT 2012
Everytime I change my battery now my pump will not funtion. I use Energizer alkaline in it all the time. This problem has only started in the last few months. I have to remove the cap and then screw it back in before the pump will work. Twice I was in a hurry and did not double check and I got a bad battery alarm. Knowing the battery was new and even double checking with a volt meter, I unscrewd the cap and replaced it and the pump began to work. One time it lost date and time. I called Medtronic and the man I talked to refused to do anything, It is still under warranty. The last time this happened my pump was over five years old and out of warranty. When I called the tech, she told me that is a sign the pump may be going bad and it needed replaced. Of course it was not under warranty, so between me and the insurance company I got a new one. This one is still under warranty so the tech would not replace it. Like I said this has been going on for a few months and happens everytime I put a new battery in. Only now I wait and when it does not restart, I unscrew the cap and simply screw it back in and it works.
Mike
Posted on Tue Oct 09 19:14:52 GMT 2012
I certainly get more than a week with a standard Energizer with CGM and vibe on. When I get the alert with a STANDARD battery - I know I likely have 12 hours to go - at leas t- but time to take action. I have also used Lithium batteries - which seem to last longer - but when they go - they go fast - so when you see the battery life indicator start to drop - time to take action THEN.
I have not done an objective battery life comparison between standard and lithium - but plan to soon - will update.
Karrie
Posted on Tue Oct 09 20:39:04 GMT 2012
@Ernest I'm sorry tohear you're having problems. I'll have someone from our team reach out to you shortly to see how we can help.
@Mike As an FYI - in our testing we found that the Energizer AAA Alkaline Battery is the most effective with the pump. We recommend that you not use lithium batteries because they may cause the pump to overheat.
Gilberto velez
Posted on Thu Oct 25 12:27:38 GMT 2012
I have the Medtronic insulin pump paradigm 723 for about 2 years now. I've tried all types of batteries on it. and through trial and error I find that the energizer ultimate lithium battery AAA last remarkably long. on the packaging is says the battery last 8x longer than the regular Energizer battery. on average I get about a month and a half with just 1 battery. try it out and see what you think. PS happy pumping!!!!!
karen kenney
Posted on Mon Jan 28 21:06:02 GMT 2013
I called tech support to report a malfunction with the battery and let them know that even after changing the battery the screen stayed blank it didn't reappear until a third battery was replaced due to change on 30th.told only 10 min before time out
Naomi
Posted on Mon Jan 28 22:51:24 GMT 2013
Karen, I’m sorry that you’re having display issues after changing your battery. Someone will be reaching out to you shortly to try to help.
Cory Cyronak
Posted on Thu Mar 21 17:32:46 GMT 2013
I experienced a similar thing with my last pump. It was time to upgrade to he new
revel system. The CGI monitoring has really come a long way since the first sensors and transmitters. I have kept my old CGI equipment because it is really cool to see the progression in the technology. Medtronic is an amazing company I owe them my life. Thanks medtronic for being such a great company.
Editor's Note: For IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION please visit: www.medtronicdiabetes.com/importantsafetyinformation.
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