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

Clothes

The hardest thing I’m learning to live with now is where and how to wear the t:slim. The t:clip case, as I’ve mentioned, is not the best made thing in terms of where the clip is placed, but it is a good protective case. For the most part, my pump stays clipped inside of my pants pocket or waistband. Other times, it’s in the side area of my bra under my arm (which is when I’m super thankful for the slimness of the pump because unlike the other pumps I’ve worn, I can barely feel it there, and it doesn’t look too much like an extra boob).

This summer, I went shopping at my local Belk store to hopefully find some shorts that fit my odd-shaped body. Jean shorts are too thick to adjust the waist in and for the most part, they stick out too far in the back. I also hate having to wear a belt, so those are out of question for me. So, I tend to go towards the Bermuda-length fabric (non-print) style with the no-gap waste band. These, I can wear for weekend and work, so I’m all for.

But the main thing I love about these? They have a decorative “coin” pocket. Nothing much can fit in them unless they’re made to carry a few dollars or a credit/debit card, but it just so happens that my t:slim fits PERFECTLY into this pocket! So I can wear the pump “naked” in the pocket and no one sees a pump clipped to my side.

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Posted on by SarahK

The Weekend

weekendThe weekend was pretty rough, with no rhyme or reason to most readings. On the “purple” day (which was actually Saturday, not Friday… my Dexcom had the wrong date when I uploaded it), I woke up with a high BG and simply could not get it down. So, I changed out my cartridge since it had been since Tuesday that I had it in there, and my BG plummeted by 4pm. It’s not been bad since, even through my son’s birthday party yesterday.

I’m constantly tweaking things in the pump as well as around that I do (like no eating-meals/snacks-too-close-together) and watching how the insulin affects me so that I’m not overbolusing/stacking if I do eat a meal then decide to add a bit more on for dessert. I still worry that charging more than once or twice during a cartridge use will cause the pump to heat (thus causing the insulin to go bad). I may be completely wrong, but it’s still something in the back of my mind. I’m going to try giving it one good full charge and see if I can get at least 4 days out of a cartridge (since Novolog is approved in insulin pumps for up to 6 days, that way I can change out my infusion site in the middle of the wear time).

Overall, I’ve been happy with the t:slim again. I’ve still got some things I need to work out, but it’s been a good choice so far.  

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

The Restart

I have had a Tandem t:slim insulin pump since December 2012. After just a few months of using it, there became things I liked and disliked, with the dislike list growing. Being a person with many insulin pumps, I decided to abandon the t:slim and use another one.

Lately, I’ve been thinking differently. Maybe it’s not just the pump, but the operator too (in other words, ME). My husband ( a tech guy ) has a saying when he’s irritated with people who think it’s the equipment that’s wrong without it being used properly. He calls it an ID-10-T problem. If you look at it fast enough, you’ll see what it means.

Also, at my most recent trip to my endo’s office, my endo’s nurse did something that struck me. I had been on the Omnipod for the summer months, but she assumed I was on the Tandem t:slim since I had just gotten it back in December. When I told her about the summer pod break, she had a look as if she was irratated with me. She’s never had that before in all the years and all the pump change-ups I’ve had.

So it got me to thinking… maybe I’m a bigger part of the problem than I realize. And, instead of boring people with a timeline on my main diabetes blog, Sugabetic.me, I thought I’d write out my own personal thoughts, victories, frustrations, etc with just the t:slim on here. I know it’s probably confusing, and it’s totally okay if you don’t want to follow. This is here really just for my reference  as I make this journey once more.

******Disclaimer: Any thoughts, views, and treatment options that I choose to talk about here are strictly for my own personal use. I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one. Nothing written here is intended to be in any way, shape, or form a suggestion as to options for your treatment. Always check with your health care professional before making any changes to your health care options. Thank you. **********