I literally switched to minimed in February and i freaking hate it. I get kicked out of automode minimally 6 times a day, the beeps are way to quiet to wake me up at night. Minimeds solution was to turn automode off. My response, if i cant use it because this hasnt been updated in 5 years, why should i use it. The tamsen was a pain in the butt to load, however i never got kicked out “automode”. I seriously recommend staying on the tandem.
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Hopefully the upgrade to 780 will happen soon!!! Along with the new sensors. When they sold me on the 770 in March of 2021 they said it should only be a few months. Now over a year later they are still waiting for FDA approval…
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I’ve had a Medtronic 670g for 4 1/2 years. I’ve just been authorized for a new pump.
Based on what I’ve read in forums like this one, and on reading through the whole T:slim x2 user guide, I’ve decided to switch to the T:slim.
It appears that the Medtronic pump itself is as good or better than the T;slim, but that the Dexcom 6 sensor is way better than the Guardian 3 sensor and that the T:slim alarms are somewhat less frequent and annoying than those of the Medtronic.
It’s only a guess what upgrades Medtronic and Tandem will introduce during the next 4 years of my warranty. However, Dexcom is way ahead of Medtronic on sensors and I suspect that will remain the case since the sensors are Dexcom’s main product.
From what I’ve read, Tandem’s cartridges are not as easy to fill as Medtronic’s reservoirs, but the difference doesn’t seem major.
I was concerned at the thought of having to remain tethered to a power source to recharge the T:slim’s internal battery, but I think I may have a solution: use a power bank, such as a Anker Portable Charger, 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K) 20000mAh Battery Pack, which sells for less than $40 on Amazon. That way, I should be able to charge the battery pack in advance and then slip it into my pocket while recharging the pump. Has anyone used a similar device with success? Another possibility is to recharge the pump frequently for short periods while I am using my computer for other tasks.
Hi @schnauzer1 . I use TSLIM and wanted to reassure you that charging is quick and easy. In fact, due to logistics I never charge mine from an outlet but from a power bank (95% of the time) or even my car charger! I timed myself recently and went from a 35% charge to 75% in 30 minutes on a power bank. My bank is on the more powerful side but I get a good amount of charge even from my car. I’m fanatical about keeping my devices charged - medical or not - so I typically plug in while I’m watching tv each day, but it’s not necessary - the battery will last a while so no worries there. I actually prefer plugging in - back when I used Minimed I had to make sure I had watch batteries on hand. If I’m stuck at home in a blizzard and have no batteries - yikes! But I can charge with a battery pack or my car if there’s a power failure too.
I switched from Minimed many years ago and Tandem’s fill process does take some getting used to - there’s no adapter so you have to draw insulin into a syringe and fill the cartridge - but you’ll get it with a littlr practice. Filling does waste more insulin than Minimed but my prescription - taking into account how much I use per day - is more than enough to cover it.
All the best to you!
Thank you, wadawabbit. Your information is helpful.
Oddly, today when I took the cap off the battery compartment on my 670g, the metal plate that links the positive end of the battery to the circuit, broke off and I couldn’t get the pump to work even with manually inserting the plate where it had been. Fortunately, I had a spare battery cap or I would have been without the pump for a few days until I could get a replacement. I guess I won’t need to worry about that problem with a Tandem.
I hope I don’t need more insulin with the Tandem pump because I already run quite low before I receive each new shipment, but I’m sure my endocrinologist will prescribe more if I need it.
Where are you located? I grew up in Montreal, where we had blizzards. No blizzards here in the hills north of Los Angeles, though we do have a bit of hail once every year or two.
I’m in DC. We rarely have trouble with power outages and when one occurs it is short lived.
I don’t know how much insulin may be wasted with Tandem’s fill, but if you’re cutting it close you could see if your doctor will change your rx.
A while back I was living right on the edge - getting close to my last by the day my refill was allowed. Trouble was sometimes I was “above average” but not in a good way - and we had to jump through hoops for my insurance to cover me earlier than planned. If you’re on the edge like that see if your doctor will take into account special circumstances and allow for a few extra units in your average daily dose when the write your rx.
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Thanks for the advice.
I’m a member of the Kaiser HMO. If I am running low on insulin or anything else, I just call Kaiser’s mail order pharmacy. They interface with my endocrinologist and send me what I need.
In a pinch, I can drive over to a Kaiser pharmacy. They would almost certainly give me an emergency bottle of insulin if they couldn’t reach my doctor right away. However, I prefer to avoid the drama and try to call at least a week in advance so the pharmacy has time to get a new prescription approved if need be, and to ship it to me, so I can avoid the time and gas needed to go to a Kaiser pharmacy.
For pump supplies, I contact Medtronic and they interface with Kaiser. I suppose with Tandem, I’ll have to contact both Tandem and Dexcom for supplies, but that should be easy once I get everything scheduled. Kaiser is a big customer, so medical vendors seem to try to keep Kaiser members satisfied.
I switched from a 670g to a Tandem Tslim x2 about 18months ago. I agree with several statements from above. I do miss being able to just swap the battery out, i also charge exclusively from a Anker power pack, just make sure it is capable of a fast charge rate or the tsl8m can be fooled into thinking it is charged whennit is not. I went through this early on trying to use a quite small power pack. I liked my medtronic pump better than the Tandem pump overall. The control IQ system with the Dexcom sensor ia head and shoulders above the medtronic offering as a whole. I will remain a Tandem customer until medtronic proves they have a decent sensor. I jumped through hoops to try to keep the 670g in auto mode and rarely got a good nights sleep. It is a big change but for me i also increased my time in range and dropped my average a1c from about 7 to low 6s mostly from the nighttime stability of the tandem software not kicking me out right before my dawn phenomenon kicked in and raised my bg levels.
Karen, why don’t you upgrade to the 780G? I don’t think it would cost you anything. I had a 630G for almost 6 years and occasionally had a notice for a BG during the night. Four months ago I received a new 780G pump when it became available, and it works great. I have never been asked for a BG expect when I change sensors every seventh day. The only thing I dislike about the pump is the algorithm does not bring down my BG as fast as I would like when it goes over 180.
I switched from Medtronic to Tandem. The convenience of having the same supplies as my son is super nice…but mostly, the Tandem set up is just better. As for your correction concerns, the Tandem allows for different correction factors, set at different times of the day. The Medtronic tries to learn you…personally, I prefer to have some control options.
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