There are worse things happening in the world. There are always worse things.
On Friday, as I was making dinner, a friend texted me:
“Did you hear the horrible news?”
My heart skipped a beat. The diabetes community is vast and wide and filled with people I love. Who was suffering? Or worse…who had died?
I didn’t respond by text. I rang her up and asked: “What happened?”
“Asante closed their doors today. They shut down.”
If you use an insulin pump, you’ll quickly understand how I felt. Your insulin pump is like a member of your family (it’s there at every meal, every occasion, and sometimes you fight with it…) and I have quickly grown to love my Asante Snap pump. I loved it so much that I became a consultant for them, writing about my experience with their pump and insulin pumping in general. It was no secret that I felt my control had improved that it was going to be the last insulin pump I used before the Bionic Pancreas became commercially available.
I am mourning the loss of an innovative company that attempted to give their customers what they wanted: choice. Some of the features the Asante Snap pump has is not available with any other pump on the market, and we’ll be hard pressed to find them integrated into any future insulin pumps (although they should – site change reminder? Missed bolus? Small things that made a difference in my time in range and overall control.).
Because I consulted with them, I also knew the employees that were just as passionate about the Asante Snap pump as I was. They were caught unaware, as all of the customers were. They found out Friday, right before the rumors started to fly and the public announcement was published on the website.
Simply put, funding didn’t happen. The company attempted to go public, but pulled their IPO at the end of March when investors and the stock market didn’t bite. (Another pump company attempted an IPO at the same time, without success, and two other pump companies’ stocks were not doing well during the IPO offering.) From what I was told, the CEO was working with a company for a partnership and at the last minute, the deal fell apart.
I’ll choose another pump. (Both Animas and Insulet are offering Asante Snap users offers to switch.) The talented employees will find other jobs.
You grab a pack of gum at the checkout counter. It’s an impulse purchase and you don’t think about it. It’s a snap decision, made right then and there.
Choosing an insulin pump is anything but a snap decision. You research all of your options, talk with other people who wear pumps, weigh the pros and cons of each pump, and of course, find out if insurance will cover your pump and supplies.
In my case, my insulin pump choice was a snap decision. With a capital S.
The Asante Snap pump.
After my warranty expired on my previous pump (Of course, it was pining for the fjords five weeks later.) and an opportunity to try the next generation of that company’s pump, I recognized that I needed to do further investigating. I’d only worn two brands of insulin pumps in the over 15 years of pumping. I am still happy with the choices I made back then, but back then, I didn’t have a lot of choices.
I cheer the fact that we have more choices now when it comes to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices. Each pump and CGM has its strengths and weaknesses, which of course, means that some people will choose them based on their own needs, wants, and desires.
You can’t “test drive” a piece of gum. You buy it and if that new flavor isn’t what you wanted, you throw it away or foist it off onto someone else. It’s gum, right? Costs a buck? Pshh. Get outta here.
But it’s rare (or in some cases, impossible) to test out an insulin pump. This device is going to be a part of your life for a hopefully good, happy, healthy long time. And it’s not cheap. You choose a pump based on what you think it will do for you, go through the hoops (and oh, are there big, flaming hoops!) to get approval from everyone involved, only to find that… you hate it. I know some individuals who have returned their insulin pumps before the “trial” period is over, but it’s a big, ugly hassle and insulin pump companies don’t make it easy.
Asante gets that you should be able to take a pump for a test drive. Feel the rich Corinthian leather seats. Determine if what you want is what you actually get. They offer everyone who is interested in trying the Asante Snap pump a four-week free trial, including supplies, training, and support. I got to sit in the driver’s seat and go for a long drive. I wish all pump companies would do the same.
No More Rebel Yell Time In Range!
The four-week free trial is one thing. It’s another thing entirely when you discover that by not changing a single basal rate or bolus factor, that your time in range with your blood sugar skyrockets. (And when I say skyrockets, I mean supersonic space age shiny skyrockets.) Having the luxury of a Dexcom CGM allows me to see how my blood sugars play nicely (or not nicely) during the day. I was doing a lot of Billy Idol hair spikes. Without changing my eating habits or dosing timing, I saw spikes turn into smoother lines and when I downloaded my Dexcom (Finally able to do it on my Mac!), I was shocked. 80% time in range (for me, range is 70 – 180, but I’m already tightening the higher end).
Less lows. Less highs. All of a sudden, I wasn’t exhausted at the end of the day, chasing the blood sugar dragon. My head was clearer. I had energy. I thought it was a fluke, but after almost 8 weeks on this pump, I’ve come to realize it’s two things: the Asante Snap pump algorithm and the pre filled glass cartridges making this happen. I can’t take any credit for better blood glucose levels.
Heart of Glass
The pre-filled glass cartridges not only help the insulin not degrade and lose potency as quickly as the plastic cartridges I once had to fill; it also cuts down on the time I used to fiddle around with pump set-up. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? It’s a big deal. You get that I’m a two-minute sort of woman when it comes to diabetes.
Instead of the elaborate ritual of drawing up the insulin into a plastic cartridge, checking for bubbles, filling the tubing, checking for bubbles, priming the pump, checking for bubbles, I drop the cartridge into the pump body and it auto primes. In two minutes, I can complete an insulin pump set up, including a new insertion set. All that extra time I have now? I can rock out.
(And I don’t have to hunt for a battery in the bottom of my purse. The battery for this pump is built into the pump body. You replace the pump body with the changing of the cartridge. Easy.)
I’m not the only one who thinks this is a good thing. I join Scott Johnson of Scott’s Diabetes, Melissa Lee of Sweetly Voiced and others who have switched from other pumps to Asante. Here’s what some people had to say about how easy it is…
The Little Things Add Up to Awesome
It’s the little things. A customizable color screen. A built in flashlight on the pump for those early morning BG checks. A missed bolus calculation if you stop your pump for a shower. (I never realized how much insulin I had missed even disconnecting for 20 minutes.) The ability to set alarms to NOT go off at 3am to wake you up to remind you to change your cartridge.
Some people prefer an integrated CGM and insulin pump. I tried it. I’ve come to realize that I’m a Dexcom chick, tried and true. The other pump company with an integrated system has not yet updated its algorithm for increased accuracy. Plus… here’s the thing: The Dexcom G5 screen will be accessible to view on my iPhone I won’t even need to look at my pump to see my CGM graph.
When I was at AADE last summer and saw a glimpse of the future with Asante Snap (I sat next to Wil and we got to ooh and ahh at the demonstration, they announced not only would they be partnering with Dexcom for future upgrades, but they were the first company hooked up with Tidepool. (And you know how much I love them!). And then they blew everyone’s socks off my demonstrating bolusing the Asante Snap from an iPhone. I’ve never had a remote bolus device. I am totally ready for this. And when it does happen, it won’t cost me an arm and a leg (or a pancreas) to upgrade, because upgrades are $99. Straight. No chaser.
I got to design my Snap. (Well, I got to have input. The Kid actually decided on the colors.)
No Pump is Perfect
No insulin pump is 100% perfect. (If it was, it would be called a pancreas and this blog wouldn’t exist.) I do miss the vibrating alarm option I had on my previous pump. I am a little jealous of other pumps that do have remote bolusing devices. I am a lot jealous of the current integrated pumps and CGM systems that work well. And I can’t upload my data at home; Asante currently uses the clinic version of Diasend.
I’ve talked with the management team at Asante. I’ve asked questions about their future models. They listen (and they even have a patient advisory board so they can get feedback). I see the Asante Snap becoming more perfect soon.
Time. In. Range.
Oh… that time in range. That blissful time in range that makes me feel more rested, less stressed, and looking forward to getting my A1C done. That makes it all worth while.
My new time in range makes my diabetes management easier and less about diabetes and more about me.
Best Snap decision I’ve ever made.
I talked to Asante so much and gushed about how much this pump has improved my life that I’ve agreed to enter into a consulting agreement with Asante Solutions to write about my experiences pumping on their website. Please check the updated About page for disclosures. Remember: My thoughts are my own. No one can make me write what I don’t feel or believe in on this blog. In fact, I get zero compensation for this – or any – blog posts on this blog. This is MY blog. MY words. MY thoughts. You get to read the uncensored version – always.
There are worse things happening in the world. There are always worse things.
Simply put, funding didn’t happen. The company attempted to go public, but pulled their IPO at the end of March when investors and the stock market didn’t bite. (Another pump company attempted an IPO at the same time, without success, and two other pump companies’ stocks were not doing well during the IPO offering.) From what I was told, the CEO was working with a company for a partnership and at the last minute, the deal fell apart.
