Ok so I completed my first day on dexcom. I had a rough start 6 hours of bad readings. I tried to calibrate them away and it told me I can’t calibrate till some time in the future. So I let it go a while. In the morning I calibrated and it has been good ever since. My old entlite sensor still running gives me nearly exact same numbers.
However I get this nice software. 99% in range on first day. Do I even need the control iq? I’ll be getting my new pump this week.
I really am looking forward to letting the damn thing take over for a while so I can get a little break.
It can wear me down sometimes. ESP when it becomes unpredictable like it’s been lately.
I got a a1c of 7.4. Last time and it’s never been that high since I was diagnosed I usually hang out in mid 6s.
If the iq can give me that, I’ll be satisfied.
A lot of people get that “first day wonkiness”. The general consensus is to not screw with it for the first day, but that’s difficult when you’re on an automated dosing system. You sound like you’re a candidate for pre-soaking. Just install the sensor up to a full 24 hours in advance before you intend to transfer the transmitter and start it, so it works out it’s wonkiness before you start receiving data from it.
I’m not sure what makes people respond differently, but I’ve lucked out with the G6. I seem to have it’s happy body chemistry. I just started a new one. Fingerstick said 104, Dex said 101. I’ll take it!
And yes, you’ll love Control-IQ. Maybe not at first, since you need to adjust to the changes and tweak your settings, but once you find out what works for you, it’s like magic. Since you’ve already got good control, you’ll definitely want to put it in sleep mode and just keep there forever, except for exercise. But with sleep mode and correct settings, you can practically eat anything you want and just aim the pump at a carb guess.
That’s what I’m looking for. I actually don’t understand the difference between sleep mode and tightening my range in regular mode. But I haven’t had my training yet. I’ll have a lot of trial and error until I nail it down.
Lately I have been changing my basal rates to combat this dawn effect that sometimes doesn’t happen. And is impossible to predict. I’m hoping the iq can take care of that issue. Otherwise I’m already good at estimating my carb and bolus.
I can look at a plate of food and say 4.5 units and I’ll hit it dead on most of the time. Processed foods are different and pizza, Chinese food is pretty impossible to figure out. But I’ll experiment when I get my tandem pump going.
The various activity modes are just about choosing your targets. I honestly don’t know why sleep mode isn’t the default. I don’t understand the broader range of default. It’s been long months since I looked at training materials, so I might get the numbers a little wrong, but:
The default mode tries to keep you in between 70 and 180 (the ADA set those numbers as the golden standard “good” range), but doesn’t really act unless it predicts you’ll go outside the 80-160 range in 30 minutes. It just leaves you too manage on your own, until you need a rescue. Not only can it make small adjustments to your basal to keep you in that happy place, but it can deliver a bolus to make a big adjustment, up to 60% of what it calculates will bring you back to the 110 goal. It’s a great improvement for people who are getting less than 70-80 percent TIR on their own, but is less than impressive if you’ve already got good control.
That’s why a lot of people love sleep mode! The theory behind sleep mode is that when you’re not eating there are fewer variables to trip up the automation, so they can make more aggressive basal adjustments. It tries very hard to keep you in the lower, narrow range of 110-120. Tandem was very open when they released Control-IQ that many of their trial participants chose to keep their pumps in sleep mode all the time. I think they were openly trying to plant that idea as an option for tighter control. The only trade off is that it can’t deliver the big correction boluses, only adjust your basal rates. But if you’re already getting 99% TIR, you know how to bolus and you’re likely not forgetting to bolus often., And won’t need the major corrections.
Exercise mode has a higher target range of 140-160, to help prevent lows with high activity. It needs to be engaged well in advance, though, to give your BG a chance to rise. I need at least an hour, or I still go low.
I don’t know if control IQ can give you mid-6, what do the others think?
My 2 cents, approach any new automated system with a healthy bit of skepticism.
If you got a high functioning sensor, and a solid algorithm (like you have), I think you stand a good chance of seeing what benefit automation can provide.
I’ll be interested in your feedback. But, I’ll be MOST interested in your feedback 2 years from now. Thats when you’ll really know a thing or two about this.
Lets see what this baby can do! Fingers crossed for ya’.
Depends on what your range is. Being in range 80% for 80-180 can be improved with tslim to 80% within 80-140, as it increases or decreases insulin based on BG, and potential A1C reduction with little effort on your part.
For me the best part of CIQ is overnight BS and the stability I get. If that was the only benefit, for me, it is worth it.
Yes first 6+ hours of readings for me are completely wonky if I don’t do a presoak.
If I presoak for 12-24 hours there’s no problems.
Ugh I am sill having trouble with my new dex. Last night I went to bed at 103. And figuring I’ll get alarms but didn’t so I thought I stayed in range all night but when I looked at it, it had not been collecting data all night so I switched off Bluetooth and back again and it started to work but I lost most of the nights data. It was also reading 60 which I knew was wrong because I can feel a 60. It was really 85. Only now in the evening is it getting close to my meter. That’s 2 days in.
So I’m wondering, when I installed it I Saw a small drop of blood before I put on the transmitter. I didn’t think much of it cause I didn’t insert manually and the spring hits harder than I would install. But does blood at the site mean it is in wrong or that my results are not good. I never bled from my enlite installed manually. So I’m not used to it. But I didn’t expect 2 days to get reliable results.
Also what is up with it losing connectivity. This has happened twice in 2 days.
I’ve had several sensor sites that bled and gave fine readings.
Yeas so after 2 days it’s been perfect ever since. I have to say I really like the dex software. It shows me so much more data and trends are easier to see. I’ve 4 days I’m averaging 97 percent in range. That is of course the big range 60-180.
But that’s not bad doing everything manually. I don’t have my tandem pump yet. Some say the pump can’t do better than I’m already able to manage on my own.
We will have to see.
Some days I’m much more on top if it than others. I want a back up wingman to help out when I’m weak.
I asked my endo about closed loop. And she looked at my numbers and knew my history (nearly 40 years T1) and personality (or at least control-freak D-personality) and said I wouldn’t be satisfied with closed loop and would be tweaking things all the time anyway.
If you are already at 97% TIR it’s hard to argue that closed loop will automatically make things any better.
But if you’re just sick of looking at bg data and doses and really honestly want to give it all over to the loop and think it could offer some relief.
There have been times in the past 40 years where I actually was just sick of all the bg’s and doses and wasn’t sure I could deal with it anymore. At those points yes maybe closed loop would’ve brought me some relief (if it had existed back then which it didn’t!)
Yea I’ve been there. Sometimes I’ll just want to guess how much insulin I need and forget it. Sometimes I won’t install my cgm for a week just to not be reminded all the time.
And there are weird times that I completely forget to Bolus, or I’m 100 percent sure I did Bolus but my pump and my sugar level claim I’m wrong.
Yesterday I ate 2 mochi from Trader Joe’s I dosed for the carb on the box. But my sugar went up and stayed up for 2 hours. It’s crap like that where I need backup.
That little mochi incident put me down in the 93 percent in range.
Same for me. Control-IQ controls to 112 and my target is <105. When I shared my A1c (5.2) with the Dexcom CDE she told me Control-IQ would likely be a step backwards. I rely on Basal-IQ to hit my targets and it’s no longer an option within Control-IQ. So I haven’t upgraded. I have to admit there would be times when I’d like to take a break from all the manual stuff for a few days, but without the ability to switch back to Basal-IQ I’m not making the change.
I have been using the system for awhile now and love it! I was in the low to mid 6’s on basal IQ and have stayed the same with Control IQ. The big difference for me is how much better my sleep is! And I wake up in target most every morning. And I just don’t think about my diabetes much at all. I don’t test. I don’t think or worry. I just let the system do it’s little thing.
My time in range is better and my highs are so much less! I am all in on easier, not harder and this system is a great fit for me. Might not be for everyone but I am sure loving it!
So funny you said your endo thought it might not be good for you. I had an endo tell me that when blood testing first came out. I begged for a prescription and he told me I wasn’t ready. His concern was I would see a high number and react with another injection and than get myself into that roller coaster ride of lows and than highs.
Darn, if he wasn’t right! It takes a special relationship with your doctor to read you so well. I finally put it all together after moving to what I call a hot bed of diabetes research.
And after almost 50 years, I have finally welcomed the less is better mindset. Hope you can get there one day. It is a nice place to be, not sweating the numbers anymore.