A busy life and managing diabetes is certainly a reality non of us this forum are alien to, but I wonder if you could advise on what path I could choose, given the following:
I’m currently choosing a new pump to work alongside my CGM, and was initially drawn to the DanaRS due to the fact that once I become used to manually pumping, AAPS would be an option for looping, which seems superior over other, commercial alternatives.
However, most likely in the coming months, I will be coming to grips with being a new dad, moving house, changing jobs and setting up a website, so I may not have as much time as I would like to dedicate to becoming experienced with closed looping.
In these circumstances, would something like a T slim with Control IQ be a better solution, mainly for the reason that it offers an “Off the Self” alternative.
Compared to AAPS, Control IQ may not be as advanced, but may well be much less difficult and time consuming to set up, and therefore in this context, may be a more effective solution to achieving better quality of life and BG levels.
The more I research I do on pumps, the more I’m starting to think personal experience wearing one, over time, is the only way to truly discover what my real preferences will be.
Tell us more about your current regimen. Do you pump now? If so, for how long? Are you experienced with setting and adjusting basal rates? Do you alter your insulin to carb ratios when your mealtime insulin doesn’t perform well? How often do you adjust and tinker with your pump settings? Are you a set and forget type of person or are you inclined to personal experimentation to tweak things for better control?
A tool is just a tool and the knowledge of the person using that tool is the key to success whether that be a pump, pen, or a closed loop system. It takes time and focus to learn how to use a closed loop system well, whether it is DIY or commercial.
A commercial system will give you ready assistance with a helpline if you need it. A DIY system requires more initiative and a willingness to dig into things and solve problems.
It sounds like with adjusting to being a new dad, moving, and changing jobs, you have your hands full. The DIY system is more work than a commercial one and perhaps going commercial would be a better call for you at this time. It all depends on knowing your strengths and weaknesses. If you’re disciplined and highly motivated to make a DIY option work, then it could be done. It’s a judgment call with the most important factor being knowing yourself.
I love hacking things to make them exactly what I want them to be. I thought loop might be right up my alley. Unfortunately with looping, my main issue is that it requires a lot of out of pocket expenses, and for a pump that comes with no warranty.
I think you actually can get as good of control with T:slim X2 and Control-IQ. Not out of box, but there are several threads on here discussing how to improve on the out-of-box system. I guess it depends on where you’re starting from and what your goals are.
I LOVE Control-IQ, NOW, but not so much the default system of it. I don’t think it’s aggressive enough to obtain good control. For many diabetics, 70% TIR would be a remarkable improvement, but I wanted better than that. I don’t like how it doesn’t act on rising sugar until you’re over 160. That’s just too late to prevent a high. You’ll find that the most vocal users on here have chosen to keep it set permanently on “sleep” mode, which strives to maintain a tighter/lower range of 112-120. I use heavier basal rates than necessary, which allows need to happily hover around 85-100 when I’m not eating. (Tandem has been very open about participants using the sleep mode this way, but advises AGAINST tweaking your basal rates… So recognize your risk before considering such a choice.) Playing with your programmeded weight, insulin:carb ratios (careful, this one also affects how it responds to low BG), and Total Daily Dose of insulin are other parameters that help Control-IQ make bigger adjustments, if you want that.
I am most definitely NOT a model diabetic. I love to cook/bake and am a total foodie. We eat very well in my house. I could never happily be the type to eat the same boring thing day in and day out to keep good control. I have still never seen the converted 100% TIR day, but I am routinely 98-99% TIR (70-180), with most days just having one or two readings that put a toe across the line. Control-IQ has simplified the process greatly and really does help with the quality of life factor. I basically just guess generously on my carb count, since Control-IQ is so great at preventing lows, and it balances out happy in the end. All that, while having an in-warranty pump that’s covered by my insurance is a big win in my book!
I’m also wondering if someone will figure out how to hack the t:slim for looping, based on its new interoperability features. Maybe I’ll be possible soon!
Thanks Terry.
Currently MDI, though I certainly like to tinker and play about about to get best results.
The recent launch of a commercial APS (CamAPS FX) for DanaRS, looks like it should provide a more “off the shelf” option, for now, until there is more time to dedicate to Android APS.
Its personal prefrence whether you go for diy or a manufactured system…
With the diy you have more control over what happens. With say an x2 or 670g some of those choices are made for you.
