Diabetes Dietitian

Tandem trial part 2 – the struggles

Welcome to part 2 of my Tandem t:slim X2 trial experience. Although the Tandem t:slim X2 automated insulin delivery (AID) pump showed great strengths right away, there were still some struggles. Honestly, the struggles were a bit hard for me to accept at first. After reading the research and going to the American Diabetes Association Conference last spring, and hearing all the positives about these AID systems, no matter how dubious I was going in, I really wanted this pump to be the “magic” tool  to reduce all diabetes burnout and micromanaging. Based on my experience over the last couple of months, though, it’s not the be all end all magic device – yet. Am I surprised? No. We have to recognize that insulin pumps, including the AID ones, are not pancreases. They have incredible features that keep getting better and better, but they’re still a hybrid, and hybrids don’t have […]

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Tandem t:slim trial part 1

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,

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Diabetes Awareness Month – let’s advocate

Today is December 1st, which means we’ve just left the month of November – Diabetes Awareness Month. This post is a reflection on this year’s Diabetes Awareness Month, and the role that I – as a person with T1D, and as a person working in T1D – played in it. Diabetes Awareness Month: the preamble Two days before our diabetes month began, I shared a short story to a large group of T1D researchers and influencers on a day in the life of T1D – my T1D. I am a member of the Breakthrough T1D Lived Experience Advisory Group. And this presentation was part of the Breakthrough T1D Centre of Excellence annual meeting. For my part, I talked about how diabetes tech is amazing, super amazing … until it isn’t. This was the story of the day both my insulin pumps spontaneously combusted (okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that extreme,

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Halloween carb counts to help manage type-1 diabetes

Halloween and T1D strategies

Halloween and type 1 diabetes – not exactly a match made in heaven, right? But it doesn’t have to be a nightmare either. Here’s how I’ve learned to manage the candy, the chaos, and still enjoy the fun.

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Activity for a T1D travel pivot

Sometimes, even the most seasoned T1D traveler just doesn’t have the energy to plan it all out. This weekend in Victoria, I ditched my usual diabetes travel prep – and proved that letting go (and moving a little more) can still work out just fine.

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