I decided to start on an insulin pump for the first time. I am using the Tandem T:slim X2 and it is amazing! After being on MDI since diagnosis, the control with a pump is almost like having a pancreas again. I’m pretty stoked.
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That’s great @Chris3, glad it’s working so well for you! How long were you on MDI before making the decision, and what made you decide to try it?
Glad you are having a good experience. Many do, and it is what is hoped for, but it is not for everyone in all situations. 
If you are willing, I would be interested to hear more about your experience. Recently I’ve seen posts from folks who were pretty much left to their own devices in terms of acquiring and/or training and/or guidance in using their new pump. Questions which come to mind are things like:
- Did your interest in trying a pump start with suggestions from your medical team or did your decide on your own?
- How did your decide which pump to go with?
- Did you get Tandem’s pump training? If so, did your medical team arrange that or did you have to ask for it on your own?
- Are you using Dexcom CGM with your t:slim X2?
If so, have you enabled Control-IQ?
If so, how much training help did you get to introduce you to C-IQ? How well do you feel C-IQ is working for you?
Just curious. 
@DrBB, I was diagnosed in July of last year and have been on MDI since.
@irrational_John, to answer your questions, my doctor recommended the Tslim because it communicates with the Dexcom I was already wearing. My Endo office has certified Tandem pump trainers so I set up training with one of them. She was very knowledgeable and walked me through the set-up process and trained me on the Control IQ program. So far, the Control IQ software is working really well to keep me between the guardrails. The whole system is pretty easy to use after only a day or so of use.
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Good to hear. My own experience with new D-tech is that it takes a while to get back to where you were to begin with before the benefit really starts to kick in, so I usually caution patience. Usually it’s because dr’s and endo’s are very hypo-averse and will start you off with very conservative settings and adjust them in small increments. That may be less of an issue with Control IQ, though it certainly was one with the 670G when I tried it. Hoping your experience continues positive!
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How well C-IQ works for you is, in my opinion, linked to how well your pump profile settings and your experience of diabetes match how C-IQ’s algorithm expects diabetes to act.
Over the last year I have been having problems with insulin absorption. I’m not really sure what is going on with that, but one of the consequences is that I routinely get the “Control-IQ High Alert” alert message quoted below.
Control-IQ has increased your insulin, but your sensor readings remain above 200 mg/dL. Check your cartridge, tubing, site, and test your BG.
I find that if I wait a few hours my Blood Glucose (BG) will decline. Often enough, after drifting along at a more or less constant level above 200, it will first drift lower & then suddenly plunge towards hypoglycemia. It’s as though my boluses are stacking up but this is not being accurately reflected in the Insulin On Board (IOB) value C-IQ displays.
I have been using Novolog in my pump for years and years, but during the last it is not behaving as I would expect it to. It’s onset and duration are not (always) what I expect them to be. 
I am glad it works well for you. I think I am getting a better handle on it as I gain more experience with my (hopefully) less common experience with it. I just wanted to point out that not everyone has the same experience of diabetes. That’s what can make treating it so frustratingly difficult. 
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Yeah, my endo wanted to start me on pretty conservative settings but I convinced the pump trainer that I had been requiring a higher TDD so we fiddled with the final settings and it turned out to work well. I guess what excites me most is getting dosed more accurately for a meal where I don’t plummet an hour later.
It took me 2 months to get mine working right. However I was already pumping, I had some high expectations.
I really like my Tslim, however there are a few things that irritate the hell out of me.
1.the cartridge and that you need 50 units to start and a pain to fill
2 .the touch screen is whack I forever hit the 8 when I want to hit 5, everything is located a tiny bit higher than it should.
3 Insulin on board is set, you can’t change it.
4. alarms. Uuugh. When I go up high like 200, it will alarm.
But then on the way back down it alarms every reading.
It knows I’m going down into range because it tracks that so why give me an alarm at 181 when it alarmed at 188 just 2 min ago?..
Otherwise I like it a lot
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I am glad it is going so well for you!
For me it is definitely not anywhere at all like having a pancreas again but it is so much better than MDI I will never go back to MDI ever again unless for an emergency.
I’m happy to hear of your experience! I start the tslim tomorrow after 30+ years of MDIs.
I got the Dexcom last October and have seen a dramatic improvement just with that.
I will update. . . .
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