I have been "pumping" for 5 years and 363 days (yes....my 6 year anniversary is quickly approaching!!!).
I first started with a Minimed 507C, blue.
I upgraded several times having quality pump time with the 508, 511, 512 and now 522. The first two pumps required the small watch batteries. They were tricky to find, I ended up buying them bulk over the internet.
I was very happy when I graduated to a pump that required AAA batteries.....!!
The entire time I have stayed faithful and true to the Energizer battery. Minimed told me my warranty would only be valid if I used Energizer batteries. I am sure this was a marketing ploy between Medtronic and Energizer, but either way I never strayed. 6 years is a long time to commit to one brand of batteries!
Two nights ago my pump told me it needed a fresh battery. I pulled out a brand new 4 pack of AAA-energizer batteries I picked up earlier at the Lawtons in town. Put the new battery in, and the low battery alarm did not clear! Strange....I have never had this happen!
I waited 10 minutes, and still the pump showed low battery.
SO, the first fresh battery out of that pack was chucked in the garbage.
Pulled out the second, same thing.
I did feel anxious, what if all 4 were dead. I am sure I could search out other batteries in my house, but they certainly were not energizer! Uh oh.
Quickly I took out battery #3 from the new pack, popped it in the pump and AHHHH, fully charged again.
Even after this incident I will still buy energizer batteries. Must have been bad batch or something. They were well within their expiration phase.....Minimed warned me against buying the 12 pack of AAA batteries stating by the time I got to the end of the 12 pack the batteries may have lost their charge!?!?!?! That seemed strange, but that was also one person who said that 3 or 4 years ago....but it was also 1 person 6 years ago who told me to only use energizer.....hmmm.....
4 comments:
That's so weird .... but then again, I only use the energizer AAA's (& because I was told to). Normally I wouldn't follow instructions so well, but I have tried other batteries and found they just don't seem to work as well or for as long as the Energizers. I buy them in the 10 pack & I've never had a problem with them either. Maybe you should contact them and let them know about the bad pack you got & maybe get some free replacement batteries!
I have a Minimed 722 that uses AAA batteries. But no one ever told me anything about using a certain brand. I don't think the instructor even said anything about the batteries when I went for my training. I should probably check into this & find out why I wasn't told, huh? Thanks for writing about this. Otherwise, I would have never known...
I was told the same thing about Energizer batteries when I got my pump. They didn't say anything about the 12 pack though. That's what I have been buying. They did say not to use batteries that have been kept in "cold storage" like in the fridge or freezer (my grandmother does this; she says it keeps the batteries fresh longer). I haven't ever had an energizer not work for me though! Yikes! I hope that never happens to me.
I currently have a 722, and IIRC it was mentioned somewhere in the manual that Energizer batteries are Minimed's battery of choice. I do buy the 8- or 12-pack and keep them in the refrigerator; it is fine to do so as long as you wait at least 30 minutes for the battery to come to room temperature before you put it into the pump.
Also good to know: when you get a low battery alarm, there is no need to panic -- you probably have a few DAYS before it would totally die. This I know from experience! I once got a low battery alarm and then realized the battery cover wouldn't come off! I tried everything short of drilling a hole into the cover to remove it. That was on a Friday night. Minimed said because it was the weekend, my replacement pump wouldn't arrive until Tuesday morning...talk about PANIC! But guess what? That "low battery" was still working when I mailed the "old" pump back to Minimed on Wednesday!
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