Help with data display on Tandem pump iphone app

Type 1 and LADA
1

I’d like some help displaying certain information on my Tandem pump data displayed on my iphone. My Tandem pump trainer has explained to me twice how to do what I want but I can’t make it work. The pump manual doesn’t explain it either.

I go low frequently (not the topic of this thread) and I usually drink a can of juice that has 20 gms of carbs. That almost always works.

My goal here is to be able to observe the rate of rise in my BG and the lag between when I drink and when my BG starts back up.

I was able to do this manually with the Medtronic pump but I haven’t figured out how to on the Tandem.

I want to be able to enter into the Tandem pump the gms of carbs I’ve drunk and the BG my Dexcom G6 displays, but of course since this is happening when I’m low I do NOT want to bolus!

My trainer has said all I need to do is enter the gms I drink into the bolus menu in the pump as if I’m beginning to start a manual bolus, and then exit the bolus menu without authorizing the bolus, and the data I want to see will be visible on my data screen on my iphone. She said it would also show up on the t:connect data displays, but I don’t use that as often as I just glance at the phone to see what’s going on.

Thx in advance for any help.

T

2

You got a lot goin on there.
Firstly, you probably need to lower your basal rate if you are habitually going low.
Covering with juice is good in an emergency, but generally not a good plan day to day.

Your trainer is correct. If you enter carbs into your pump and you are low it will calculate zero units. You can also enter zero there if it wants to give you something.

You have to get the tandem connect ap in order to see carb and insulin history. It isn’t available on the dexcom ap.

You can scroll through history on your pump and see it, but the connect ap is so good and clear, you will be happier with it.

I only use t connect. I don’t bother with my dexcom ap.
I get my glucose readings on my watch.

1 Like
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Your trainer was correct, anything you enter into the bolus wizard is remembered in the history, regardless if whether you actually deliver a bolus or not.

1, 2, 3 to unlock screen > Bolus > clear any status message that may appear > 0 grams (or whatever carb unit you have enabled) > enter carbs > ✓ > hit the “t” button to take you back home, skipping the rest of the bolus process > ✓ to confirm “exit and return home”.

The pump now knows you ate those 20 grams of carbs, even though the screen itself doesn’t readily show it. It’s in the history, and all the advanced display options will show it, such as the T:connect app and web portal.

Are you using Control-IQ? In addition to or perhaps instead of what @Timothy said about your basal rate, you may need your correction factor adjusted. The correction factor determines how much extra insulin is given to bring you back to target, but also how much insulin is suspended to prevent lows. A Correction factor that is set at too high of a number will inhibit the entire system. It minimizes the influence Control-IQ has, both at preventing highs and lows. Adjusting that setting to a lower number will tell it to withhold more insulin, and better enable the system to prevent the low. Of course, this should only be done under the advice if your medical team if you’re not knowledgeable/comfortable making your own adjustments, because going TOO low with this setting can cause extreme rebounds… Increasing your standard deviation, causing both highs and lows after corrections, and leaving your feeling like you’re on a crazy roller coaster…

With good settings, you shouldn’t need to constantly treat for lows anymore. In fact, it can cause wicked rebound highs if both you AND Control-IQ (or even the older Basal-IQ system) are treating the low. It would be like consuming 40 g of carbs, rather then the 20 you actually did.

I never actually treat unless I’m dropping really fast or nearing the critical 55 mg/dl. Usually I holding really steady around 60-80 for a while before it starts climbing up closer to target again.

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Thx I just did what you said. I told it I ate 20 gms but I used the T button to back out without bolusing. On my iPhone in the app I see an orange BG dot but no indication of the gms of carb. I don’t know what you mean by advanced display options. I’m away from my desktop at the moment and can’t use the web portal at all. Sorry to be dense. Can you pls explain what I still don’t understand.

As for the BG issue like I said that just isn’t the topic of this thread even tho I understand you and agree. I like msg threads to stay on point.

Thx.

5

Which app are you using? If you mean the Dexcom G6 app, then you won’t see anything from the pump. The Dexcom app can’t communicate with your pump. It only knows your BG, which it gets direct from the transmitter.

You have to setup the T:connect app.

After you login with Tandem account settings, it will tell you to make sure you have the Bluetooth connection enabled on your pump.

On your pump: Options > Device Settings > Bluetooth Settings > Make sure “mobile connection” is toggled on > Pair Device > ✓ > The pump will bite display a pairing code to be entered in the t:connect app

On the t: connect app on your phone (allow any permission requests as your devices show), click “begin” to start the pairing process > Select your pump > Click “next” > enter the case sensitive pairing code displayed on your pump screen

Go back and click “okay” on your pump, because it should now say that your device is paired.

Now back in the t: connect app on your phone, click on “sync data”. It might take a few minutes for the devices to convey all your old data, but it will now display more info than you can easily see on the pump screen

T: connect is really nice, because it displays your BG over your insulin timeline. You can see what was bolused when, any adjustments Control-IQ made, and how they relate back to your sugar.
Unfortunately, I’m using the Android version of the app, maybe the IOS one is different. Now that I’m actually looking at it, mine doesn’t show carbs entered. It will generate a bubble whenever I access the bolus screen, but it shows the glucose at the time, not the carbs I just entered. Even if I click on the bubble, it shows all sorts of additional info, but not the carbs. Note, Tandem is releasing a new app soon for managing data, called Source. Hopefully this will be one of the improvements to the system!

To see that carb amount I just entered, I actually have to login to the T:connect web portal, which is the most advanced data display option Tandem has right now. Now that you’ve connected your pump to the web, via that t:connect app you installed, all the data from your pump is now being automatically uploaded into the t:connect portal. As an alternative solution, if you don’t want to use the app, you can just plug your pump into your computer and use the device uploader software to manually upload your data. But the automatic uploading via the app is easier.

https://tconnect.tandemdiabetes.com/login

After you login, click on the “reports” tab at the top of the page. The default view here is your therapy timeline. You can select as many days as you want to view at once. Now look down at the bottom of the page, and you’ll see “Logbook +”. Click on that too expand it, and you’ll see an hourly play by play, including a line item for “carbs”.

Tandem doesn’t seem to think this is important information. Sorry it’s so difficult to track. This is actually news to me, since I’ve never gone looking for a record of carbs before. I seldom use the T: connect app, and never use the Dexcom app, though. They both need some major improvement! You might want to consider just using a third party app, maybe Nights out?, which will let you add notes and whatnot.

Sorry if this was a rambling reply. I was typing it out as I setup t: connect on my phone again myself, and was surprised to learn it doesn’t actually display carbs.

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If you touch the blue blood drop (on T:Connect app ) that shows the bolus amount, it will display the calculation values, including carbs and bg.

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But that only happens if you actually deliver a bolus. There’s no bolus bubble to click on if you only enter carbs and don’t deliver a bolus. If you do the later, it does generate a bubble on the glucose line, but there’s no way I can find to generate any carb info.

Maybe the answer is to at least deliver the minimum 0.05u bolus? That wouldn’t have the slightest effect on me (has the power to drop me 2 mg/dl over the next five hours given my 1:46 correction factor) , but wouldn’t be good if you’re actually sensitive to insulin at all.

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What app are you using?.

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Thx for the replies. I consider the matter resolved. It just isn’t possible to enter ONLY gms of carbs WITHOUT also bolusing. I didn’t really need to do that; I was only curious if I could, since I could with the Medtronic pump and I wasn’t able to figure how to on the Tandem. I know how to tap the dots and see the data behind any of them. I knew that I could see gms of carbs with any bolus event. And I certainly don’t need this enough to fake a bolus even just for 0.05 units.

As for the Dexcom app, mine isn’t working but I know why and I know how to fix it. Another thread for a later time…

And thx for all the advice on adjusting pump settings. My endo and I are right on top of that and I consider that a matter for another thread at a later time also.

Thx again… over and out.

Tom