I was on a Medtronic for a while years ago, because if various issues, my doctor told me to go back to MDI. Those issues are now cleared up, and I’m looking at getting a pump.
I thought the tslim looked pretty great, but I’ve seen several complaints about air bubbles and filling the cord. So I thought I’d ask people currently on the tslim what they thought of it and whether they’d recommend it to someone else and why or why not.
Thanks!
The priming is a bit slow, but the air bubbles are not an issue, probably as my basal rate is so high a few bubbles don’t really matter. Coming to the Tslim from my second Animas pump, so far I am very impressed with the ease of use. Good luck!
Hi Anna. My DS is 10 and has been on the t:slim since November. This is his 1st pump so I don’t have a comparison. Here’s our experience though. Yes, filling the tubing is a bit slow. But, it’s either getting faster or I’m getting used to it because it does not feel as long as it did in the beginning 
We do get some air bubbles in the syringe but that’s probably because I’m using up our pen cartridges. I tap it with an ink pen and the bubbles go away very easily. The basal doses down to the 1/1000th of a unit. It has a very modern look. It is very user friendly. My son does everything on his own except change the cartridge. The touch screen is easy to read and easy to use. We really don’t have any complaints. Now it’s possible it’s because he’s never used a different pump and we don’t know any better but so far so good! Whatever you choose, good luck!
Hi Anna! The tslim is my first pump, so of course I am in love love love! I have had no issues with air bubbles, and I am getting faster at priming–just under 10 minutes. I have had no hardware issues, and I love the computer reports that I can analyze and adjust dosages. I am currently looking into getting a meter that I can integrate–I currently have the Accucheck and that doesn’t work for me now. I am 58, almost a year with t1, and have the pump since early Dec. I am not particularly tech savvy, and this pump has been a very easy adjustment for me. I have only had to call the hotline once (question on dosing that I had been trained on and forgot)–and I got a human who was also very helpful! I also love how quickly it charges! Good luck with whatever decision you make!
T slim is also my first pump and am loving it.
Just a point about the basal rate--- while it can increment down to .001 it needs a base rate of.1 to start with. Probably not an issue for most, but for me it became an issue when my basal dropped by about 40% over MDI with a more active job.
I'm now pumping U50 insulin as a solution to my low TDD.
As for bubbles, I find that if I use room temperature insulin clear bubbles out of the syringe and inject into the cartridge slowly that I do not have problems. Also be sure the hub connection is tight. The one time I had a problem it was not tight.
T:slim is very sensitive to occlusions, which I actually love. My MM never occluded as it should have, which was too dangerous. Where I'm finding I'm actually getting the occlusions is in my tubing, not my pump - but it's a relief it's telling me it's blocked instead of just leaking into my pump, ruining it and putting me at risk for DKA. I have no problems flushing out my tubing or replacing it or my res often if I know there is a problem, keeps me out of DKA territory. I know it's sensitivity is often a complaint of the pump, but it's a great design and actually a very valuable feature.
I took apart my first reservoir after my first Apidra occlusion and destroyed it to see what was in side(I'm geeking out about the tech inside), but it allowed me to find out exactly what was going on and where a potential problem could arise. Apidra does not gel in the pump, that is a rumor. The reservoir works by using a pressurized baggie to hold the insulin, this does not make insulin crystallize - think about the vacuum of an insulin vial and the pressure inside. Apidra as of late has been more temperature sensitive(body temp is doing it, when it's rated supposedly be able to handle up to 98.6 like other insulins), not sure why it's doing it, but it was even crystallizing in my MM at body temp and where it didn't in the past. There were no crystals in the reservoir of the t:slim, so I do not believe heat in the pump itself is the issue - I also checked it's temp constantly, even while charging with and without a reservoir in, it was fine.
No air bubble issues here, but you do need to make sure the luer lock is tight, but you have to make sure of that with any luer lock pump or there will be bubbles. Another thing is that you want to watch when you fill is not go too fast when filling the reservoir or there could be bubbles introduced there, just like when drawing up insulin for MDI.
Touch screen is great, and the menus are very intuitive.
Those are just my thoughts for now.
Just a heads up - apidra is not approved for use in the T slim. It was never tested by tandem, nor was any data submitted to FDA. Only novolog and humolog.
The occlusions are due to instability/ crystallization of the insulin not a problem with the pump itself. Apidra does have the same issues with other pumps. It is a bit more apparent with the micro delivery system.
I feel better with Apidra, so it's worth it for me to change out more often for it. If you can use any other insulin, it's best not to go against manufacturer's recommendations.
My t-slim is my first pump so nothing to compare it to. But I LOVE my tslim. Is so easy - bright colors, and so discreet people think I'm on an ipod. Quick and easy to bolus. I haven't had a minutes trouble with mine (bubbles or otherwise) and I've used it now for 7 months. I'm glad I chose the tslim. Hope this helps.
There is a Facebook group for Tslim that is awesome, and there are some people that have no problems with bubbles at all. Many former Minimed and Animas users there that LOVE the Tslim. It is a closed group, but just ask to join. There are far more people there than here.