So I just got a brand new pump shipped due to my current pump, which was already a replacement for the original that had a top button failure, having a total memory failure. The memory just vanished and then failed to work at all only for one area. They failed to inform me this new pump had new software and I would have to now remove the air from the cartridge with a syringe instead of the pump doing it. Something which was very easy and only took 30 seconds or so.
All the steps were different and I ended up with a big mess locked in the load menu when switching to the new pump and ended up on a 1/2 hour phone call with someone trying to explain over the phone how to do it- ridiculous!
I requested that this be changed back- it took much longer to do the numerous steps to remove air from the cartridge with the already filled syringe which I already have to remove air from in the first place. Really stupid move on Tandemâs part.
Other major issues are they have still not fixed the crazy load menu that you canât get out of without filling the tubing 10 units! I do know now after this call that you can sort of fake the pump out a bit by doing it with an empty cartridge but you still canât really get out of the menu. Very dumb.
Other new features which suck are the pump will not give you an accurate reading of how much you filled it until after you use 10 units. I only use 20 units or so a day maybe. The new software looks horrible- itâs all square and pointy like a windows design which I hate- the old one was more like an apple design with a softer rounded look. The screen is way too bright- about 2-3 x brighter than the old one and there is no way to adjust it. For a light sensitive migraine sufferer this is bad. The history menu has so much added in there that it is just way too confusing. I donât need or want all that info. The complete history and other parts put every single thing you do in there which I donât remember before such as I changed the volume on the setting etc. Again for a migraine sufferer it is just overload when youâre trying to find a specific more important issue that is only in the complete history.
There is an awful beep on the fill tubing which canât be shut off and some of the new alarms are horrible- they sound like one of the horrible dexcom alarms
Really not happy at all but there is no way to go back to the old software now.
Glad I could help. You might want to call tandem about this because I canât remember now exactly at what point you do that. It may have to be done after you get to the dreaded fill tubing
I should add here that unless your cartridge has over 50 units you canât even do the fill tubing 10 units that was a problem on the old software too.
What new software are you talking about? The only new software I know of is the newest update to integrate Dexcom G5âŚ
I personally have only ever removed air out of the cartridge by sucking it out with the fill syringe before filling the syringe with insulin, I wasnât aware that that was at one time not necessaryâŚIâm not even sure how that would work since you cant see into the cartridge to know if there is air left.
I personally have liked the X2 so far (Iâve had it about a year).
I had an older pump. I was sent a brand new pump with the updated software. The new software requires you to do what you described. Im not sure what you mean. About seeing into the pump ? You canât see into the pump either way. The older pump removed the air for you in an automated step in the load menu. Much easier than the complex syringing and it only took 30 seconds. I takes much longer to do it with a syringe
What I meant about seeing into the pump was that on my last pump, the AccuChek Spirit combo, the cartridge was clear, so when you primed the pump after putting in a new cartridge you could see if there were still bubbles in it. Iâm not sure how well I trust the pump doing it for me automatically if I cant see into the cartridge to make sure there is no air left lol. Thatâs just me though.
Oh I see. But you canât see into to tslim to see if you did it with a syringe either. There is more error doing by syringe- itâs a hassle and takes longer. I get air bubbles in the syringe when I fill it- have to get rid of those and then put more air in again?? That is stupid. The reason they changed it was because a bunch idiots complained it takes too long to let the pump do it. It takes 30 seconds. It takes much longer to do it by syringe. Either way you can see air bubbles coming out in the tubing however if you fail to remove the air with your syringe I guess it could come out later and cause high Bg.
I use an X2 and remove air from the cartridge with a syringe before I fill it with insulin. I have had no problems doing it this way although that is not the way the Tandem video instructs. It is very quick and I donât have to deal with the co-mingling of insulin and air when following their instructions.
Thatâs great for you however itâs not the case for me. It takes longer and causes more problems. They shouldâve left it the way it was or at least have the option to do it with the pump fir those of us who have issues with it and who donât want to deal with a tedious process with a syringe. I alreadyproblems with air in the syringe when I initially fill it. I dont want to put more in there. Fir various reasons itâs not sanitary either. If it ainât broke donât fix it
I never used the original t:slim so never used the original fill process that you used. In that it is not going to change, I hope that you can adjust to the new system.
I got my tslim just after the update so never got to use the pump for air removal but I think there were lots of reports on the web back then that it never worked very well and some videos showed how to remove air with a syringe before Tandem made the change. The bubble issues almost scared me off from getting a tslim.
Maybe it helps that I got trained using the new method from the start and I canât imagine that it isnât faster the new way.
I think I read that the priming goes faster now as well?
I think the faster priming will be with the revision in the connector. We just received a 90-day supply shipment this week. We did not get the new connectors but there was paperwork included which discussed the revision.
âThe new design reduces the time required to fill the infusion set tubing by approximately 30 seconds and reduces the amount of insulin used in the process by approximately four and a half units.â
I am kinda really surprised by the fact that this is apparently not the normal way to do it as it is the way I was trained so I have never done it differently. I never read the instructions or watched any videos, so I had no idea. I even sometimes will suck the air out of the new cartridge, suck the remaining insulin out of the old one if there is still a decent amount, then fill the syringe the rest of the way before filling the new cartridge.
The main issue I have had is with the needles getting clogged with rubber from either the cartridge or the insulin vial. And since they only have the exact amount of needles for the amount of cartridges, you end up having to reuse them.
One thing I do miss from my old pump was it had a way to prime it super fast; each button press was .5 units so you could fill the tube and get all the air out of the cartridge pretty fast. But over all the tandem priming and filling doesnât bother me too much.
As said above it took the pump 30 seconds to do it. It takes me much longer to do it with the syringe and it causes more problems for me. I never had issues with the pump not removing the air. I have no clue why someone would prefer to do this with a syringe. I would think it would be more likely to have issues with not removing all the air with a syringe since itâs more susceptible to human error. If people wanted to do it with a syringe they could just do that I guess? No need to change the system and force those who donât want to do it that way to do it.
Something in the system which really does need to be changed is the terrible load menu that locks you into the menu and forces you to fill 10 units to get out and also will not allow filling the tubing unless you have more than 50 units in the cartridge. Iâve asked several times for that to be changed but nothing is being done about it.
Iâm not sure what priming is?
The luer lock pretty much takes care of any major bubble issues for tslim. Pumps that donât have that have major bubble issues from what I have read. When I do see bubbles in the tube which is rare they are tiny and usually go away as the insulin travels through the tube.
Well I have no choice but to adjust apparently because tslim doesnât care what I or people who feel the same way as I do think. Itâs just another long list of things in an already difficult amount of things that I have to deal with that make my life more difficult.
In my opinion each new generation of insulin pumps has come with new and wonderful things while becoming more burdensome with non-customizable alerts and safety screens. Most of us donât have to be asked several times if weâre sure about our bolus. Plus for me, the more safety screens I have, the less likely I am to look at any of them.
I am mostly happy with the X2 but the constant beeping while filling a cartridge continues to annoy me. If I need to change my cartridge first thing in the morning, I canât do it in my bathroom because the beeps will disturb my still-sleeping husband. I also still hate the alert a few minutes after programming a low or zero temp basal telling me that my basal is low. Well duh, thatâs what I programmed. If it alerted right away, it would be fine because I would still be holding the pump.
But like everything with diabetes, I just adjust and all is fine. I only change out my cartridge every 7-8 days, so the cartridge filling doesnât happen all that often. I might go bonkers if it was every 2-3 days.
And here is one of the videos on filling the original pump that scared me into almost picking another kind of pump.
I figure customers like this caused Tandem to change the fill methods maybe:
I agree with you that the 10 unit min fill is a problem sometimes. I like to top up if I am running out before my set change and this is a problem that wastes insulin.
I know the new connector replacement will save time too but I would rather not have it unless they bring back Cleo support. I have found their adhesive just works better for me and I like the compact size.
Despite my issues I canât find another pump I like as well. Key for me is my fluctuating pancreas and I need all 6 profiles with each having different insulin sens and carb factors. I even used to need more but now things have settled down to a 2 to 1 range I can handle with 6 groups of settings.
I do believe that a lot of the annoyances are caused by ridiculous requirements from the FDA to âensure safetyâ or whatever. It still doesnât change the annoyance factor.
The beep during tubing fill (or as I usually call it priming because I am removing air bubbles too) can be pretty annoying, and I canât understand why they would have made it where someone canât turn it off, since it isnât really a safety risk or anything. I do have to change my cartridge every 2-3 days, but the only time it really really bothers me is when I have to do it at work, prompting others to be like âWhatâs that beeping? It sounds like a hospital or something.â The comment doesnât bother me that much, but drawing attention to it and disturbing others does. My old pump beeped with every .5 units when you set the piston to the correct unit quantity for your cartridge (also what you could use to prime the tubing really fast), but it wasnât very loud and since you were in control of it you could be done rather quickly. The actual priming function, which is basically the same as t:slim âfill tubingâ didnât make any beeps, but is did take probably about as long as the t:slim. I usually only had to use it when I wasnât swapping a cartridge and site at the same time.
I do have the older version of the t:slim but was part of the test to do upgrades through the computer. So my old pump has the new version of priming in it.
In my 27 years of pumping and this one being my fourth pump, I have seen a few changes I have liked and a few I donât. The reality to any pump is it is never going to have everything you would like. So until a pump company decides to make each pump to each persons preferences, we have to pick and choose. Unless of course you have one of those insurance companies that only allow one type of pump. I would love for someone to make a pump with all the bells and whistles that I want, not what someone else wants. But that will never happen. But a nice dream, isnât it?!
So when I changed companies and pumps this last time, I had to pick and choose which is important and what might be a deal breaker. No such thing as a perfect pump, just like there is no perfect diabetes treatment plan. What works today, might not work tomorrow. I hope with your next upgrade, you can find one that meets your needs. Iâm sure itâs out there! I am holding out right now, hoping a true AP type pump will be available. So while I can get a new pump at the end of this year, I am going to just keep using my old t:slim until something new comes along.
