Tandem t:slim X2 with Control IQ has recently become a well known name in the Katie T1D household – and a bit of a tongue twister 😉
Hi friends!
Remember about two months ago when my old-school Omnipod kicked the bucket? I was in a bit of a pickle, and it forced me to start figuring out alternate insulin pump options. Because I work in diabetes care, both Tandem and Medtronic offered me a trial of their automated insulin delivery (AID) systems. I was thrilled! And yes, I very much acknowledge my privilege.
Tandem was first up.
Tandem Trial – the preamble
Honestly, I was impressed by some of Tandem’s outcomes.
Ever since the AID pumps came onto the market, I had been somewhat dubious on how they would respond to my diabetes. This is an important component to consider. I’ve done extensive research into these systems over the years, and that research heightened this year. I read and heard all the pros of these systems being promoted. But until the person with T1D tries it, we don’t really know how it’s going to go for that person.
Type-1 diabetes is not a cookie cutter condition. It is, very much, specific to the person. This is true in all areas of T1D care, insulin pumps included.
Below is a list of the pros I found with my T1D and Tandem trial.
Goodbye lows
Prior to Tandem, I had very tight control of my type-1. However, because of that, I was often a frequent flier for lows, mild lows, but lows nonetheless. Although I love my Skittles (my go-to for raising those blood sugars) I grew quite fatigued with having to feed my lows so frequently, especially at night and during exercise.
Since Tandem, my lows have reduced to less than a handful, and none overnight.
Hello sleep quality improvement!
Of the lows I’ve had, they were mostly my own doing – not trusting the system.
I also no longer have to stop my bike rides, or other activities to treat lows or manage highs. This is huge for me! I’ll be sharing a separate post on my Tandem sport strategies, but for now, the fact that I am not stopping seemingly every pedal stroke (yes, I’m exaggerating), or having to massively micromanage is a welcome benefit.
Hello mobile app
If you live in the United States, you are already well acquainted with the Tandem t:slim mobile app. But, us Canadians, we only recently got approval for the mobile app this year, and in fact, it was just officially rolled out to our market today.
Many of us, however, figured out an earlier workaround to get that app on our phones ASAP 🙂
Friends – this app is a huge game changer. Especially for us women, and the sporty folk.
Not having to dose directly from the pump itself opens up so many options for where to place the pump on the body.
If you want to dress up, you don’t have to worry about making sure your dress has a pocket that you can cut holes into, or stuffing the pump into your bra or a nylon wrap on your leg and going to the washroom to dose every time needed. Nope, that’s all gone now. You can place that pump anywhere on your body, under all the garments you want, as long as you’ve got bluetooth connection to your phone, you can dose from your phone.
GAME CHANGER!!
Just don’t lose that phone 😉
Other Tandem fun bits
I loved no longer having obnoxious alarms alerting me to having to change my insulin infusion.
That fact alone has reduced my cursing by like 3/4s, much to my family’s enjoyment!
I swear, those alarms for the last six or seven years were the bane of my existence.
This has definitely improved my quality of life!
Tandem t:slim X2 conclusion: Part 1
Some solid positives so far with Tandem. But, these machines are not an actual pancreas, which means there have been a few challenges with the transition also. Stay tuned for part 2 of the Tandem Trial – the personal struggles.