The MiniMedTM 780G system makes travel easier

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Traveling and diabetes

I’m Cheryl, a Medtronic employee living with type 1 diabetes for 35 years. Over that time, my pump and I have gone tons of places together. Traveling in general takes planning, but traveling with diabetes adds additional complexities.

Every time I went on vacation, I packed my supplies and went back to add one more infusion set, just in case. Or triple-checked that my new bottle of insulin was in there. For people living with diabetes, nothing creates more anxiety than arriving somewhere only to realize you forgot a key piece of your treatment regimen.

Traveling with the MiniMedTM 780G system

This summer happened to be my first vacation with the MiniMed™ 780G system and Medtronic Extended™ infusion set. It really didn’t dawn on me that these upgrades would make such a difference in my vacation planning. We were headed to Hawaii, and island getaways mean lots of water, sun, beach, and all the delicious poolside foods I planned to enjoy.

Packing for vacation

While packing, I started to load up on supplies, but then I remembered that with the Extended™ infusion set, I was only going to have to change my site once during my week-long trip. Here’s what I packed:

  • A couple of Medtronic Extended™ infusion sets with all-in-one serters
  • A couple of Medtronic Extended™ reservoirs
  • My sensor supplies: a few sensors, my one-press serter, and some overtape
  • Transmitter and charger
  • A few test strips

It was such a surprise to look at what I was packing and get the visual representation of how things have changed.

Enjoying my trip

Upon arriving on vacation, I was able to do a same-day sensor and infusion set change and even got a little emotional when I put all my supplies back in my suitcase, knowing I was unlikely to need them again until I got home. Sure enough, I never pulled them back out the entire trip! We talk often about the mental burden of diabetes, and sometimes you don’t even realize you are experiencing a burden until it’s not there, and that is exactly how I felt.

For the remainder of the trip, the MiniMed™ 780G system continued to make vacation truly that. Meal Detection™ technology* kept up with extra vacation foods (and a Mai Tai or two!). We hiked Diamond Head as a family and, despite the early morning workout, the MiniMed™ 780G algorithm kept me at a comfortable blood sugar level. I didn’t have to carry as many extra snacks.

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I was able to disconnect and suspend my insulin pump for the water activities. The MiniMed™ 780G system handled those moments with ease, reconnecting to my sensor as soon as I was close to my pump again. Right away, the auto correction feature helped correct for the few minutes I was disconnected from my pump.

Pro tip: an extra piece of StayPut™ overtape helped keep my CGM in place during heat, pool, and activity.

Vacation with MiniMedTM 780G system felt different

It wasn’t until we were flying home that it really hit me how different this vacation felt! These technology updates made fun times easier and reduced some of the challenges diabetes brings.

I was shocked to look back at my Time in Range numbers to find everything looked so much better than previous vacation weeks. It’s true what they say: diabetes takes no breaks, but with these new innovations, it’s wonderful to feel a little closer to one. I got vacations back with the MiniMed™ 780G system!

Guest writer: MiniMed Champion and employee Cheryl Cormany

 

References 
* Taking a bolus 15 – 20 min before a meal helps to keep blood sugar levels under control after eating.

Important Safety Information: MiniMedTM 780G system with SmartGuardTM technology with Instinct sensor, Simplera SyncTM sensor, and GuardianTM 4 sensor

The MiniMedTM 780G system is intended for the continuous delivery of basal insulin at selectable rates and the administration of insulin boluses at selectable rates for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons 7 years of age and older, and of type 2 diabetes mellitus in persons 18 years of age and older requiring insulin. The system is also intended to continuously monitor glucose vales in the fluid under the skin.

The MiniMedTM 780G System includes SmartGuardTM technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust insulin delivery based on the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor glucose values and can suspend delivery of insulin when the sensor glucose (SG) value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values. The system is intended for use with connected sensors, including the Simplera SyncTM and GuardianTM 4 sensors and integrated continuous glucose monitors, including the Instinct sensor, each of which has different wear-time, form factor, insertion site, and other distinguishing characteristics that relate to sensor performance. Consult the appropriate sensor user guide when using the system. Discuss treatment decisions with your HCP.

WARNING: Do not use the SmartGuardTM feature for people who require less than 8 units or more than 250 units of total daily insulin per day. A total daily dose of at least 8 units, but no more than 250 units, is required to operate in the SmartGuardTM feature.

WARNING: Do not use MiniMedTM 780G system until appropriate training has been received from a healthcare professional. Training is essential to ensure the safe use of MiniMedTM 780G system.

WARNING: Do not use SG values to make treatment decisions, including delivering a bolus, while the pump is in Manual Mode. When the SmartGuardTM feature is active and you are no longer in Manual Mode, the pump uses an SG value, when available, to calculate a bolus amount. However, if your symptoms do not match the SG value, use a blood glucose (BG) meter to confirm the SG value. Failure to confirm glucose levels when your symptoms do not match the SG value can result in the infusion of too much or too little insulin, which may cause hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.

Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow for the recognition of pump signals, alerts, or alarms. The safety of the MiniMed™ 780G system has not been studied in pregnant women or in persons using other anti-hyperglycemic therapies that do not include insulin. For complete details of the system, including accessories and additional important safety information concerning indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions associated with the system and its components, please consult https://www.minimed.com/important-safety-information and the appropriate user guide at https://www.minimed.com/support/download-library.

©2026 MiniMed. MiniMed and MiniMed logo are trademarks of Medtronic MiniMed, Inc. The sensor shape and appearance, Abbott, and “a” logo are marks and/or designs of the Abbott group of companies in various territories and used under license. Sensor image ©2026 Abbott. TM*Third–party brands are trademarks of their respective owners.

DreaMed Diabetes is a trademark of DreaMed Diabetes, Ltd. The MiniMedTM 780G system algorithm includes technology developed by DreaMed Diabetes.