The system has already been released. Control-iq has been available for a couple of weeks now. All you have to do is start the process through the portal.
This is a fantastic thread! I started control IQ on thursday an I am completely sold. To me it is a game changer. I do not have the tightest control, not by a long shot, it is my a1c and I must own it. I have not seen >6 since my pregnancy and I think if I am ever going to get even close, I need Control IQ.
For those who have a number that they are happy with and feel that you can maintain it, that is awesome.
I am disappointed in my number and need help.
With Control IQ, can you still do manual correction boluses? If you’re hovering at 150 mg/dl for hours and it’s not doing anything, can you just correct it yourself? Or does this affect basal?
Yes, you can correct all you want. It won’t interfere unless it thinks you’ll be headed under 80, and you’ll still have automatic corrections if you trend high.
I finally got the upgrade… And it’s been entirely uneventful so far. Lol. I keep waiting for it to do something, but I was already at a good spot.
1 Like
Activate sleep mode. I wasn’t happy with the pump until I had sleep mode running all the time. There’s a void between 111-160, but the algorithm is much more aggressive with sleep mode keeping you between 110-120
1 Like
Nope. But, of course, we enter everything else at config.
The 2020 ADA recommendations, I believe, state that APS is likley to be beneficial for people with a1 > 8. You find that Control_IQ is effective for a wider range of A1c’s?
Just started on Control IQ. So far I think it will be a big help but mainly during the night when my glucose tends to fluctuate a lot.
For daytime I am more or less doing what I always did with enough bolus doses to keep my glucose low enough and below their 110. Seems to help to set basal a bit higher than I used to use as well for this.
I try to keep my A1C in the low 5% range so wasn’t sure if I could use this.
I’ll know more in 3 months.
I am using it in regular mode just to start but likely will switch to full time sleep mode since the cutoff of auto bolus is hardly a problem. I would always manual bolus before it got to where the pump would do anything.
The low protection seems to work well and seems better than the Basal IQ was.
Also find it lets me bolus without turning IQ off! I just override the actual glucose reading so it will get me down to my goal not theirs.
So at only 2 days of use I am happy till I can get one more adjustable so I don’t have to trick it.
1 Like
In this diaTribe article about Control-IQ, they state about the clinical trial: “With Control-IQ, the time-in-range benefits existed for every level of starting A1C – a positive sign that Control-IQ can help those already at a low A1C and those with higher A1C.” (Of course, no mention of what the A1c range in the trial was or what is meant by “low A1c”…I feel like TuD has a different definition of low A1c compared to most.)
I think maybe people with really tight control may not like it. But I’m thinking a loop system might be my ticket to finally getting to that super-tight control level.
I spoke with my Tandem rep (a CDE) one-on-one about my concerns before Control-IQ was released. She told me my A1c would likely go up with Control-IQ (currently 5.4). But with some of the tricks I’m reading about now that it’s been released, maybe that’s not the case. And of course A1c is a somewhat antiquated measure of control now that CGM’s show us TIR and standard deviation. Mine is where I want it right now, but that’s with a lot of effort. It sure would be nice to take my ‘hands off the wheel’ some of the time for improved quality of life, and sanity for that matter!
Right now I’m happy with the status quo. I think I’ll wait for more feedback from those actually using it. I really wish I could ‘test drive’ if for a couple months, but if I upgrade there’s no going back. I could just turn off Control-IQ, but then I lose Basal-IQ as well - something I’m not willing to do at this point.
As soon as I got off Loop, I went right down to a safe a1c = 5.9.
Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t learned from loop. It might have pushed me to operate my toolbox different and feel safe at 5.9. These sprints of more intensive diabetes exploration sometimes help.
I’m still on the fence about APS.
Running an APS system definitely trained me to be more tolerant of persistent highs.
It also taught me what really severe lows are like. That had value. It taught me what it must be like to be a new diabetic…super frustrating.
Everything with the Doc worked out fine, @El_Ver. I dont know this guy, but I think he must have had low bg the last time I met with him…when he was a monster. I blame his 670g.
1 Like
Yeah, I can see why people who already run A1c levels in the 5% range without a closed-loop system would hesitate. I personally have never been able to get into that range.
My A1c tends to be in the 6.5-7.0% range (last one was 7.1%). That’s with a lot of daily effort. I’ve managed to get into the low 6% range when I was eating super low-carb, but that was not sustainable for me.
I’d be happy if I could maintain this level of A1c with less effort, or maybe get a lower A1c with the same amount of effort.
1 Like
Hi, Jen,
You may have said this in another post, but what tools are you using right now? Pump and CGM? I’ve been off a pump for many years; I got sick of the infusion sets catching on door knobs, and then the Cozmo went out of business. So I have stubbornly stuck with MDI and a Dexcom. I also didn’t want to be the real estate for two devices.
I am thinking about going back on a pump for the first time in about 10 years, tantalized by the idea of the Control-IQ so that my brain can FINALLY think about things other than blood sugars. As you said, decent control requires “a lot of daily effort.”
I would welcome your thoughts, (or anyone’s thoughts!) about making the jump to a closed loop system after years of being “untethered”.
Yes, I have a pump and CGM, currently the YpsoPump and Libre. Although that’s likely to change to Dexcom and Tandem within the next year (unless something better comes along). I’ve been on the pump for the last 13 years with only short breaks, so can’t help much with the transition back to one. I think my only advice would be to look at a pump in person first to make sure you like it and are able to ask the company any questions you may have about its features. Good luck!