Received an email from Tandem this morning regarding a software update. Some cool new features! Downloaded the update software on my Mac, started the process, and within 30 seconds I was prompted with an “update failed” dialog. It instructed me to call support. My pump will no longer power on, and they’re sending me a new pump tomorrow morning. Irritating, but that’s life…
One word of advice: ensure you have a backup of your insulin pump settings! (Written or via tconnect.) The update instructions assure you that your settings will be preserved, but this is worthless if your pump is bricked.
For the curious, here are the new features:
Improved Bolus Calculator - This update includes expanded delivery correction as well as a new manual bolus option.
Optimized Cartridge Change - You will now have the option to fill the cartridge off the pump. Filling your tubing will be faster now as well.
Advanced Home Screen - You can now access the Status Screen while your pump is locked. You also have improved insulin estimation and an icon indicating delivery has been stopped.
Total Daily Dose - Your updated History logs will include your Total Daily Dose (TDD) every day, in addition to the multiday averages.
Replacement pump received this morning and it included the updated software. Notable changes from my mid-2015 model.
Fill process is different. Biggest change is that you fill the cartridge before you insert it into the pump. This means more work in removing bubbles from the syringe, and removing air from the cartridge. This is offset with a much faster cannula fill. Probably a wash, time-wise, in the end.
If you’re hoping to be discrete when changing a site, you’re going to be disappointed. During the cannula fill, the pump vibrates and beeps loudly every couple of seconds. There’s no way, as far as I can tell, to disable the beep.
The top button is much more difficult to press and I expect that they’ve hardened the mechanism in some way. That button completely broke on mine last year, so I hope it’ll be more reliable going forward.
I also get that email and can’t wait to do the download. My biggest complaint about my t:slim is the fact it doesn’t do a negative correction for blood sugars under target. So when I switched from Medtronic to Tandem, I had to relearn all that darn math stuff again. Stuff my old pump did for me so I didn’t have to think about it. It was just done. That one issue has been huge for me. Really hate it and probably wouldn’t have made the change when I did if I had known. But it is done and I was told they were working on a fix. I am glad to hear that the FDA finally is allowing us to do those changes. Not happy to hear about pump failure after download. Guess I won’t be doing my download on Saturday when I’m due for a infusion change. Thanks for the information. Can’t wait for the new programming. I still have one more year before I can get a new pump.
I had a tandem t2 and also mobi and both do negative correction.
If you are set to 112 target and you do a bolus say 30 carbs and you are at 1 1:15 ratio and expect 2 units, but then if your glucose is say 85, it will reduce the bolus accordingly. That is just built into the software.
Unfortunately, there are always a small number of pumps that have this issue with every update, so good advice.
I’m not sure how your updating an old pump. Is your current software version 7.6 or 7.9? A few years ago there was an update that was made available for out-of-warranty pumps, too. That was 7.6, which addressed an FDA recall, as well as brought mobile bolus function.
I very intentionally waited to do that update until my new Mobi had been ordered, because I was so scared of bricking my backup pump.
Thanks! I did not notice that. Makes much more sense now. The spammers often boost crazy old threads, and then their posts get deleted, but the thread stays on top.
It’s still relevant, though. A handful of pumps do brick with every software update. Most are perfectly fine, but we definitely should make sure our backup plan is in place before doing a software update.
Ugh the spammers! Good point there. And yes, everyone should have a backup plan. I did not for a long time and was fortunate to be ok, but not everyone is so lucky.
That’s how I was trained 3 1/2 years ago. Fill the syringe with the right amount of insulin, insert needle and draw back to remove any air in the cartilage. Expell the air, insert needle to fill the cartilage, go through the sequence to remove the old cartilage, insert the new one, the pump recognizes the cartilage, fill the tubing, insert set, fill the cannula and restart insulin.
I don’t see how you can fill the cartilage in the pump without going through the steps
