i recently found out that animas is going out of the pump business. ive been with animas since 2010 and the change is having me not sure what to do. ive been using the vibe which has the dexcom intergration. which i love as ive been on dexcom as long as ive been on the pump.
ive been looking into the metronic and the tandeom tslim x2 pumps. i decided i want to go through with the tandeom tsplim x2 pump as it has what i need and it still has the dexcom cgm in it. my issue of course is i have medicare and medicaid (Masshealth as my state calls it). according to the website for animas users its expensive. plus those that have the insurance i have and live in my state arent eligible. I’ll probably have to go through my supplier which is CCS medical. I go through a local medical supplier for the dexcom supplies.
my quesitons are:
what do you like about the tandeom pump?
did anyone have issues with the insurance i have in getting the newer pump and if so what did you do to get it covered?
are there any downside to the pump?
i see that the dexcom is mobile? what exactly does that mean and how does it work?
anything else i should know before moving on from animas to the tsplim x2?
i think that is all of the questions i have right now. i just want to have the switch be smooth, etc.
We went through CCS Medical also for the pump due to insurance. If you need the contact we used at CCS who was quite helpful and made it all “no problem” from our end - let me know.
What is your Total Daily Dose (typical) of insulin (all basal and all bolus) ?
“Mobile” for Dexcom simply means that there is an app which runs on a Smartphone. However this is not allowed for Dexcom Medicare recipients. Many other threads on this aspect. This is specifically if your Dexcom is paid for by Medicare.
i run about 53 units a day or less. My endo and i will change the settings depending on where we are sugar level wise to make sure i stay on target of where i want to be.
so if its not allowed by medicare what do ppl do? do they still use it anyways? or is it a package that goes with the dexcom? I noticed there is a program that you can download the info that i can bring with me to my dr. its a shame that medicare wont cover for the mobile…it seems to be a neat feature
With 300 reservoir on the Tandem t:slim, just wanted to make sure you were good.
We split the 1000 unit vial into four cartridge changes and use 250 units from the vial for each change. Minus about 17 units for cartridge/tube prime gives us about 75 units per day for a 3-day use which is a bit above our usage. Sounds like it should work for you from a capacity perspective.
Medicare will cover the Dexcom G5 system. However the rule is that you can not view the data on a Smartphone but rather you must view the data on the Dexcom Receiver. I would not get hugely hung up on that and just go with it. IMHO this is likely to change over the next year and hopefully relax. As I mentioned, many other threads on this aspect in these forums if you want more nitty-gritty here.
Right now, are you getting your Dexcom separately or is it a package with the Animas? AFAIK, Tandem does not Package the Dexcom with the pump as Animas may have done. You would get the pump from Tandem and the cgm from Dexcom.
Thats good to know about the insulin. I have the animas vibe so it is intergrated in. I like it. it works best for me than carrying around two separate devices. Maybe you are right that maybe medicare will accept the mobile. maybe they need to prove that it is helpful to some. i have seen other threads but couldnt find what i was looking for. I can get the G5 through the medical supplier as they said if i ever upgrade that it would be covered. I have another supplier that i get the infusion sets from. maybe they can help me get the pump. ill have to research some more.
that is good to know that i wont have any issues with the pump stuff through CCS medical. i do have a local medical supplier for the dexcom stuff. and they are really good. they check in with you monthly. I plan on changing pumps while i still have the animas vibe supplies. i want to make sure i have the new pump before i run out of supplies. ill do it beginning of dec so i can make sure i can transition smoothly
Has anyone had problems with the Tandem tslim touchscreen? For example, let’s say I’m at the beach or hiking and have some saltwater or sunblock on my fingers—would I have difficulty using my pump until I can find a place to scrub my hands clean?
@hollymateluber
I don’t recall any such problems over the summer. If it were an issue, I am sure it would have caught our attention.
In any event, if it would help you in your decision process, we could certainly mix up a batch of salty water (not exactly ocean water but maybe close enough?) in our kitchen later today and verify that salty wet fingers pose no problems on the touchscreen of the Tandem t:slim X2.
