When I ordered my current pump 4 years ago I was intrigued by the T-Slim pump but could not bring myself to order it. Instead I went for the tried and true Medtronic pump as my first pump. Now four years later I am still intrigued by the Tandem pump. I have researched the features of their pump and I like what I see but research can only tell you so much.
I am asking of Tandem users is there anything about your pump that would cause you to drop your pump if you had the chance. Experience sometimes says more than anything else and I want to know what negatives you have encountered.
Some things about me. I do not have and at this time do not wish for a CGM so CGM integration is not an issue. I am Type2 and a large reservoir is important. Since I am Type2 some of the AP type pump features are not available for me and are not likely to be in the next four years.
I am leaning toward ordering a Tandem pump. If no one can convince me otherwise.
I can not comment on the Tandem. However a pump that really intruiged me lately is the DanaR pump. To my knowledge it is the only pump open for bluetooth remote operation. This means projects like AndroidAPS can remote control the DanaR to apply temporary basal rate changes automatically according to xDrip readings. So you just need the pump, an Android phone and a BT sensor like Dexcom to collect all the data in the App. The DanaR is manufacturer in Poland and I am not sure about its availability in the US.
For me the DanaR really represents the future of pumping: reliable blutooth encryption, open for remote operation with paired devices. In some years closed pumps like Medronic, Animas and Tandem will be the Dinosauers…
I switched to the t:slim last year after over a decade with Medtronic. I really love so much about the pump (and especially the CGM integration, but for this conversation, that’s a moot point).
Things I don’t mind but thought might be detractors:
*charging (I mostly use a USB charger in my car during my daily commute)
*the set change process (yes, it takes a little bit longer, but I’ve adjusted and have it down to a science)
*the screen lighting (I read it’s hard to read in sunlight, but I haven’t had any issues with it)
There’s only one issue I have with the t:slim, which I’ve mostly gotten over and have learned to appreciate. I like to be very discreet with my diabetes and pump, so I always put my settings on vibrate for everything. However, if you ignore a no delivery alarm or a very low blood sugar alarm (<50), the pump will issue three loud and sustained beeps. You can’t shut that off. I understand it’s for safety, but it has definitely gone off during inconvenient times.
Very minor issues are the limits to profile settings (e.g. you can’t have your basal rate change more than maybe 10 times during the day) and the limits on bg ranges (during pregnancy, I’d like to set my low alert at 60, but you can’t put it lower than 70). I get periodic no delivery alarms (more than I think I should) but my workaround has been to make sure that I pull the pump out of my pocket during bolus delivery and ensure that the tubing is not coiled up.
I love the touchscreen. The design is very sleek. I’ve been very happy with this decision. Not to mention, with the Dexcom integration, my A1C has gone from 8.2 to 5.1 in a year. The shiny new pump and technology certainly helped with my motivation.
I’ve used the Tandem X2 for 7 weeks and in that time I have had 6 occlusion alerts. I had only 2 or 3 in total in the previous 12 years using Medtronic and Animas pumps. When I get the occlusion alert, all I have to do is hit a few buttons and “Resume Insulin” so obviously there is nothing going on that should cause such an alert. But if this ever happens at night, I might miss the alarm and then who knows how long I will go without insulin. For the first time ever I have a pump that I don’t trust.
Have you been getting those alarms outside of boluses? Mine are always during bolus delivery, so I feel confident that it’s unlikely to happen while I’m sleeping. Also, if you have yours on vibrate (like I do) it will start beeping loudly if you ignore the alarm, which is harder to sleep through. Like I mentioned above, I found that I could avoid the occlusion alarms by making sure the tubing wasn’t coiled up during bolus delivery.
I’ve had two Tandem pumps malfunction in less then one year. I’ve had T1D for just a bit over one year now and started with the pump pretty quickly. Being connected to the pump with the tubing was horrible and I am now back on MDI but wear a CGM which I will never go without. The CGM receiver range on the pump was very poor. It couldn’t pick up a signal unless I wore it on the same side of my body as the transmitter. Then in a couple boxes of insets about half were faulty so I was zapping myself needlessly and that crap hurts. The third replacement pump is still in the box and one day I will probably use it again, but right now I am enjoying my freedom… I can pull my pants down to pee and don’t have to strategize where to put the pump and where is the inset. I can hold my grandson without his sweet little toes tangling in the tubing. The supplies are crazy expensive so Byram medical doesn’t own my soul. Blood suckers. The whole thing is very dehumanizing.
Today’s alert was during a bolus, but the others were not. Glad to know that it will eventually make some noise. Between the occlusion alarms and the minimum basal alerts I get when I use temporary basals (I use very low basals for mild lows and when I hike), I have alarm fatigue. i have never used a pump that was so intrusive. I thought pumps were supposed to make life easier and not annoy the heck out of me…
I’m a T2 with a t:slim x2, got it as a Christmas present. I was originally looking at the t:flex because it holds up to 480 units, but now I’m glad I went with the X2 because:
Having never been on a pump before, my TDD has come down enough to go 2.5 days on a cartridge.
I have a Dexcom. I know you don’t care about CGMs but … I love my Dex and am looking forward to it working with my pump later this year.
I like that I don’t have to buy a new pump to get new features, as I can update the firmware on the pump.
The touchscreen looks nice and is easy to use.
The negatives so far have been:
It leaves a lot of insulin left over when I change the cartridge, on average 25-40U when my pump says there’s < 10U left.
Because of that I’m always trying to run the thing “dry” and will often have it incessantly beeping at me because there’s < 10U left (when really there’s tons more).
I can’t stop insulin or reduce the basal super low without it beeping 15 minutes later. Sometimes I’m taking a shower, or swimming or whatever and there doesn’t seem to be a way to tell it “I know what I’m doing, don’t yell at me later”.
Never had an occlusion, or bubble trouble. I use the t:90 9mm infusion sets.
i have been using Medtronic pumps for about 16 years. i am on my 4th one. this past year my pump expired so i had the opportunity to change pumps completely; i too was intrigued by the Tandom. then i was playing with it and as soon as i realized that it was a touch screen (which i know some people are just crazy about), i wanted nothing to do with it. i don’t find touch screens reliable, and i fear touching the wrong “button” and having my insulin delivery be all screwed up. i imagined all the potential mistakes that could be made by me trying to navigate this type of mechanism.
also, it has a small reservoir as well as having the infusion piece coming out from inside of the reservoir, making it potentially getting stuck on things ( i tend to be rather rough with my pump). so when i measured all of the positives against the negatives, i decided that since i have been so happy with my Medtronic for so many years, i simply stuck with an upgraded version of what i was already using. i have never regretted a moment of my choice.
The absurd number of confirmation screens make it virtually impossible to accidentally bolus, I’ve found in practice. Also, it would be really difficult to accidentally hit all of the 1, 2, 3 buttons in order to unlock the pump without realizing it. There are a lot of protections in place with the touch screen.
I’m not sure I understand what you’re describing with the infusion piece. Perhaps I have a different infusion set than you did. Switching from Minimed to Tandem, the big difference is I noted from the infusion sets is the connection on the tubing. Anyone switching from Animas would be very familiar with the luer lock, but I hadn’t ever used it while on Minimed. I haven’t had any issues with it loosening, which is what I was most concerned about. Where it does make a difference is that the luer lock always sticks right out of my pocket, making the tubing less discreet. It’s such a minor issue, though. I’ve found the pros to outweigh the cons and have been very happy with my switch.
It’s worth giving it a shot for a few weeks and if it’s not for you, return it.
I got a refund on mine and went back to Medtronic. I was having very high BG when the cartridge got down to a certain amount left. My husband works with pump systems for his job, and said there is a problem with the residual insulin not getting through the pump. I found others had the same problem, not many but some , and especially those on low basals. Their rep was great, and helped me along. the pump just did not work for me. I also hated the way you have to fill the cartridge but that’s just me.
I’ve been using the t:slim X2 for 4 months now and I absolutely love it.
Really, it has very few downsides, but here are some potential annoyances:
When you change the cartridge, it can get a little complicated (and worrysome) with air bubbles. But if you follow the method as described in the user manual, you won’t have problems.
The battery would probably last a week. But out of an abundance of caution, I generally keep it above 70% and carry a small portable battery with my diabetes supplies. If something ever happens and there’s no power source accessible, I’ll still need my insulin pump.
Setting a temp basal at 3 AM because your blood sugar is low is rather difficult, but in general the menu setup is very intuitive and easy to follow. Actually, the temp basal screen is normally pretty easy to use. It’s just hard to look at the bright screen when your eyes are adjusted to the dark.
Just an FYI - the t:slim X2 only holds 300 units or so, which will be about 260 usable units in practice (I fill 140u in the syringe, and after priming I get out 115u usable.) - you might consider the t:flex as it has a larger reservoir, but that depends on how much insulin you need.
I published a review of the Tandem X2 on my blog this week. Mostly I am very happy with the pump but the problem with the false occlusion alarms has not been solved. I have now gone 10 days without an occlusion alarm wearing my pump on my waistband with a Nite Ize hip clip and fingers are crossed that this will eliminate the alarms.
I wouldn’t recommend the t:flex as it doesn’t have the same features or an upgrade path like the t:slim X2. When I looked into it in December, they said that they had no plans to add CGM integration, firmware upgrades, etc. So while it looks like just a larger capacity t:slim, they aren’t the same.
I have had my X2 since January and have only hit that error once, when I bolused then completely bent the tube when I put it back in my pouch. So it was a real alert that required me to fix the bent tubing. Just to help collect data about the occlusion alarm (maybe there’s some common thread causing it?) here’s the relevant info on my pump:
I change the cartridge every 2 days
I never use the case
My pump lives 24/7 in my SPIBelt, lying horizontal
I appreciate all the feedback I have received so far. I haven’t seen anything in this thread that is a deal breaker for me. I am for now holding off on purchasing a Tandem because of an unsubstantiated rumor I have heard about the future outlook of Tandem. I’m going to wait a bit to see if the rumor is true.
This is a fairly old post, but I wanted to comment on [quote=“Chris72, post:2, topic:58845”]
The alarm when insulin delivery has been stopped like for taking a shower, is annoying
[/quote]
This was my only real issue. I love the pump, but the annoying alarm you can not turn off when insulin has been suspended is a tad annoying when taking a shower or worse, a nice warm bath. Now, I don’t suspend, I just disconnect the pump when taking a shower and leave it running. It doesn’t know I have disconnected, so no annoying alarms. Sure, if I take long enough, there is a noticeable micro drop of insulin, but most of us consume such a tiny amount of insulin in the course of a shower that it is negligible.
