So funny story…
I changed out the battery in my pump the other day, but as I turned the battery cap, it never tightened. Instead, it clicked as if it weren’t catching. I looked closer and saw a decent-sized crack just below the cap preventing it from closing completely.
If the battery compartment isn’t completely closed, the pump won’t hold charge and turn off. The crack was large enough water and other particles could get inside and kill the pump altogether. Fortunately, my pump is still under warranty so I called Animas for a replacement. I programmed the new pump with my basal rates, my alarm preferences and had it ready to go in no time. The last thing I needed to do was pull the battery out of my old pump, then send it back.
When I tried to unscrew the battery cap, it twisted round and round, but never opened. The crack caused the cap to stick in place leaving the battery stuck inside. I have no problem with sending Animas a random battery, but without a cartridge inside, the pump was giving me a “not primed” alarm. When I put the pump in the box to return to Animas, the box kept vibrating and eventually, singing the annoying Animas song letting me know it wasn’t primed. (Für Elise will forever be ruined for me). Instead of a pump in a box, it resembled a bomb in a box.
After calling Animas, they instructed me to wait for the battery to completely die before sending the pump back. So now I have a vibrating, singing insulin pump I need to hide so it doesn’t keep me awake at night, but keep somewhere close enough I don’t forget to send it back when the battery finally dies.
It’s not a bomb, just an unprimed insulin pump. And of course, the battery stuck inside is brand new. Go figure.
I swear, the most random things happen to me.
Ha, that is hilarious. But sucks. Thanks for sharing!
Tee hee!
holy crap. New battery in my pump goes for like 6 weeks!
Hopefully for you the constant singing and vibrating will exhaust it much sooner.
this is hilarious nonetheless!
Very funny… and of course it would happen when you put a new battery in, instead of when you took the old battery out.
oh my gosh, that’s crazy!
glad you didn’t go ahead and mail it in. it would sound like a bomb!
It’s broken already. I’d take a pliers or screwdriver or whatever you need to it to get the battery out (gently, of course).
The last two pumps I’ve returned to Medtronic have had similar issues. They say to leave the battery in (so they can diagnose the motor errors I’ve had) but to set the basals to zero so the reservoir/piston doesn’t run out.
Well, after I boxed up the first one and waited to send it out, it started wildly beeping with low battery and lost-sensor alarms – and also every time it received a signal from my meter. I had to open it up and remove the nearly-dead-anyway battery anyway before shipping it off. With the second one, I turned off the CGM sensor and the meter connectivity, and had a decently-charged battery, but then it started beeping wildly because of the “auto-off” feature (which stops delivery if you don’t press any buttons in a pre-defined amount of time).
Just find a way to remove the battery or it will drive you mad.
Oh wow… Haha!