First off, I love my current system. For the first time in my diabetes life, I don’t think all the time about my diabetes. I mean even after all these years, I didn’t actively think about it because I just knew or did what I always did when I always did it.
But now, I just don’t think about it. Really, don’t think about it. I can go all day and never think about it or look at my equipment. It’s not alarming, I am ok!
But I forgot the other day, that the system is great but it still needs me to interact with it.
So here was my very dumb and silly experience. I have 2 profiles on my pump, work day and off day. Work days .4 basal with carb ratio 1:15. Off days .6 basal with carb ratio 1:13. And of course I didn’t switch from off back to work. I do this once in awhile, it happens but I usually catch it pretty early on. But this day, I didn’t pick up on it. Fighting lows all morning, pump was turning off insulin for most of the day. Finally started to level out and I took my prelunch dose and it was twice as big as it usually is around 2 units vs this one almost 5. Still didn’t click. I just went wow, that’s weird. I ate my lunch and than all of a sudden it hit me. So, I switched my profile and kicked myself the rest of the work shift because it was one of those days.
So as great as my system is and how much I love it and wouldn’t change anything. I must remember I still have diabetes and I still need to be a participant in this process.
Yeah, diabetes is a rude travel-mate. As much as these newer automated systems can help unburden us from many of the decisions and actions diabetes requires, we still must pay it some regular attention.
I really think we are headed toward a future automated insulin dosing system that will be able to handle almost all treatment decisions and actions. The news out of the Beta Bionics systems is promising, in this regard, yet it’s not advanced enough to match my hopes.
When do you switch from work day to off day? Is it when you leave work or the morning of your off day? Is there any way you could use your phone alarm to remind you to take care of this action?
As I have said time and time again, technology is not my thing but I live with it everyday because I have to. Computers frustrate me everyday and I think they have it out for me!
I usually switch it over when I wake up. My overnights are set the same, so it’s only the day time profiles that are different.
I could probably try an alarm for the switch over but darn there is another alarm!!!
My biggest frustration with my day was, why wasn’t things clicking for me. Especially after the much bigger than normal bolus for lunch. You would think after all this time I would have questioned it. I mean I did stop and think wow, that is much bigger but just went on with my work day. Only to realize after the fact and having to deal with the mess for the rest of the afternoon! I should know better! I really try not to beat myself up because sometimes things just happen but I get very frustrated when it is from my own doing.
I know diabetes doesn’t play fair but when I make it easier for my disease to play unfair, I get upset with myself!
I second that!!!
Maybe a future update to Tandem pump will include option for pump to have “schedules” for this situation, similar to sleep schedules.
So I have the opposite programming: work days basal is 0.65 and Carb 1:9.5. Weekend mode is 0.33 with Carb 1:15!
I use weekend profile when I’m just being generally more active on weekend and if I’m exercising (skiing, biking, paddling, hiking) I also turn on “Exercise” activity do I done have to consume as many quick carbs.
I sometimes forget to switch back and forth but it usually becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly.
Exercise mode doesn’t work well with me. Glucose settings are too high.
I find with Tandem that if I’m using more than 45 units a day, I have absorption issues and often the site craps out.
I go from 40 most days up to 60 some days. But usually it’s around 50. I have tried many different things to get the most out of it.
I really resisted this but in the end it works best.
I take 10 units of Lantus in the morning and 10 at night.
This reduced my pumped insulin to about 30 units and it eliminates my absorption issues.
I stay much flatter and lower most of the day.
I never wanted to be taking additional injections but the reality is, it just works so much better for me.
My a1 c has stayed the same at 5.5, but I’m staying in range more and I’m not having those stubborn highs.
And my night time sugars are also lower and flatter. I had my pump settings to pull down my sugars to 100 or so even though it’s supposed to be at 112. But with lantus on board, I’m sitting at 90 at night. That’s exactly what I’ve been wanting from my pump but there is no way to force it to go that low.
This is all with control iq running, when it suspends the lantus is still working, but I’m not going low.
So for now I’m keeping with this schedule, maybe things will change with the mobi, they said they will allow us to change the target, but we will see.
Good to see this is working for you. Planning to do same this week.
Hoping it will help the see-saw I get after extended zero basal. I think my liver over-reacts when no “basal on board”. Pump slow to ramp back up with lag of sensor readings reflecting bg rise.
I think you’re smart to experiment with adding Lantus, a basal insulin. You’ve already lived with the straight Basal-IQ algorithm and found it wanting. Why not try something different?
Your initial results sound excellent.
When I experimented with adding a basal insulin during my very early DIY Loop days, it worked well for me but then I stopped and started experimenting instead with all the settings that were available to me. I found that I could tweak my basal rate and ISF settings to work better for me and not need the added basal insulin.
I think what you’re doing is compensating for the deliberate tradeoffs that Tandem made to get their system approved. Perhaps they’ll learn from people like you who want better performance.