Posted on by SarahK

Feature Wish

I wish, in the easeness of the pump, that when duplicating the profiles, you could choose to have it duplicate as-is, or simply duplicate and adjust up or down by percentage all of the factors. So if you chose to increase all factors by, say 15%, not only would your basal rate increase, but so would your I:C ratio and insulin sensitivity factor.

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There are times when I am really insulin resistant, and times when I’m insulin sensitive (thank you, Mother Nature). Then, there are also those times I’ve filled the cartridge with the “bottom of the bottle” insulin that isn’t as potent as when the vial was first opened. I wish there were a way other than setting a 72hr basal rate that I could just easily copy a profile and have the pump automatically adjust the basal rates, IC ratios, and insulin sensitivity factor based on that percentage increase or decrease.

The whole idea behind having profiles in the first place was to have one central location to change any and all factors without going to multiple menus. When adjusting for varying sensitivity, wouldn’t it also make sense to be able to temporarily switch all contributing factors in the world of insulin delivery?

I mean, the set up is pretty darn easy as it is anyway, so this isn’t a complaint at all. It’s so much easier to switch a profile than it is a basal rate THEN everything else individually. I could easily do the math myself, duplicate the profile, and just adjust everything in the profile except the time slots. Just thinking maybe it would be one more way the t:slim could be that much easier to use.

Or, just have two options for temporary use: Temp basal and Temp profile.

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Posted on by SarahK · 1 Comment

Day Two

Day two has passed with similar results as day one, though I did have a few highs in there… which are to be expected since, well, you know… I am diabetic.

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Something my endocrinologist said to me stuck with me when I went for my visit last week. When discussing bolusing for supper, he told me that I probably needed to be “combo” bolusing anyway because, physiologically, it makes the most sense in order to mimic a healthy pancreas. So I’ve been thinking…. Did my endo actually make sense? Did he actually suggest something beyond his usual “lets just adjust your basal and see how that works”???

Since then, I’ve been using the “Extend” feature in the pump. Depending on the meal, I deliver a percentage immediately and the rest is delivered over a period of time that I set. So, for things like pizza that we had last night, I did a 30% up front and 70% over 3 hours. It worked then, so we’ll see the next time we have it (which is typically Wednesday nights). And, instead of only doing it for supper as he suggested, I’ve also been working with lunch too, though not quite as much of an offset. I’m learning how my body needs the insulin delivered, and the t:slim makes it easy.

My next mission is breakfast. Unlike lunch and supper, breakfast hits my blood sugar like a ton of bricks. So I need to figure out how to handle it.

Posted on by SarahK · 1 Comment

First 24 Hours

Technically, it should say 36, but we’ll roll with 24 for now.

I have been doing a LOT of changes. Basal rates, insulin-to-carb ratios, lots of temporary basal decreases. It’s been so WEIRD how my insulin needs change between the t:slim and the Omnipod. I’ve been watching it like a hawk. Bolusing before meals, combo bolusing meals that usually give me trouble, spacing meals out evenly… because for once… it seemed to finally work. I owe that to Tandem’s delivery system I think because of the way it delivers. Does this mean every day will be all rainbows and unicorns? Nope. It’s already proving that to me this morning. BUT I do believe that maybe I honestly do have a lot of work to do. Accomplishing what’s happened was no easy feat, and I realize it won’t happen all of the time, but IF I can somehow get close to it on a daily basis and figure out how my body works enough to make it happen, I’ll be a happy camper.

Before it went away, I snapped a picture. I’m hoping this will give me the encouragement to stick and work with the t:slim diligently. My first 24-hr “no-hitter” in ages…..

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