Hi Danica! I think you do a fabulous job. Your channel is inspiring even to a T1D like me who's going on 51 years of dealing with it. You must be such a great CDE! Okay, here's my question: I'm about to start using Control IQ. In fact, I have the tutorial in front of me, ready to start. I was disappointed to learn that Control IQ doesn't help to bring down a high during sleep. This is really what I wanted most from it! For example, at bedtime, say my CGM shows that my BS is pretty steady at around 150. I pat myself on the back that I guessed right about how much insulin I needed for that fatty dinner (hah!), and go to bed. Then when I wake up in the morning, my BS is over 350. I've tried setting a temporary basal rate, but I've never figured out how to get it right overnight. I feel like I'm making a wild guess at what the food will do. So, now I'm wondering if I can avoid using a Sleep setting altogether or tell it I only sleep 2 hours a night. Is that possible? Would it be dangerous for some reason? Thanks for any tips you can offer me! And thank you for the great job you do on your channel. ~ Karen
Greetings from North Carolina. I started using a Dexcom pump some 5.5 or so years ago. Going from that system to the Dexcom G6 CGM, I got a bit "panicked" as I kept getting many more high readings. It took a while to realize that the highs and lows were probably always there, but testing only 4-5 times a day would not show the "in-between readings." I am now waiting for approval to go to the IQ system, which should come in the next week or so. Thankfully, the Veterans Administration (VA) offers the Dexcom system and, for me, without the expensive costs of the pump, transmitters, test strips, canulae, etc. When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes 7 years ago, my A1c was at 15.5. For about the past year or two, it has been between 6 and 6.2, so the insulin pump, as well as the Endocrinology staff, have been helping me stay within a normal range. (Thank you, also, to Dr. M. Arthur Charles, (MD/Ph.D.) a retired research physician, the University of California at Irvine (UCI) Medical School and one of a very few diabetologists in the US, who helped me understand the system of insulin pumps some 20 years before I became diabetic. Thank you for your sharing of such great information in your videos. Keep up the good work and I hope you keep up the good work of staying healthy.
My A1C went from a 10.9 to a 6.1 in 3-4 months because of Covid I was unable to get to my doctors office. Now I’ve been using the T Slim X2 insulin pump and I’ve been having a rough time with it 😭 It’s just that I worked my butt off to get it down on my own without a insulin pump and this is the first time that I’ve ever used an insulin pump. Idk if I like it or not 😭😭
Regarding the first question, you actually can't just quickly update the pump from Basal IQ to Control IQ. It requires a prescription from your physician since it changes how the pump affects your insulin treatment (via CGM), so you'll definitely want to specify which you prefer if you're already aware of Control IQ when you are ready to get the pump. If you do get Basal IQ, you'll need to go through a process (might be long or short) with your physician to get the appropriate physician. My Diabetes specialist actually said that they tend to recommend some people not get the Control IQ update because it may not be the best treatment plan for the person, based on certain habits and level of control. So, it's possible your physician won't feel comfortable giving you the prescription for the update immediately. I don't think this will happen to most people, but it's possible. PS: Regarding the question on extended bolus canceling, it actually does NOT cancel the extended bolus anymore. They did this in line with the other change where it doesn't stop insulin delivery once your CGM reading predicts a low in the next 30 minutes. So, if you notice your BG going quite low possibly due to over-estimating how much you needed for the extended bolus, you'll need to manually cancel it.
My favorite part to watch was definitely the: I.Don't.Know (because it felt so candid and was sort of funny to watch) and the rant about the unnecessary over 200 alert/alarm :D
Danica! Just spoke with sandy! I made an appt with you! Couldn’t BELEIVE you’re the same Danica I feel I know already- right here in the office ‘I’ go to!! Yay!! 👍🏽😊
Thanks so much for your q and a session on control IQ. I agree about the alert if it is over 200,but they say you can't bolus. Grr., If I try to bolus before a, meal it either works, or I eat much later than expected, so it goes low. Must use finger stick more at times like this. Only trouble is, on Medicare, they do not cover the cost of the strips once you are on G6! That is my major aggravation. All in all, so glad you are exercising. I am 69 with some COPD and asthma, so running or quick walking doesn't work well for me.
Great Q&A. Would be great if pump and software developers had managed to produce a system that does learn the individuals response rate as we are all different in the way we respond to food, insulin, exercise, stress etc. Hope it isn't too far off that the software, AI and systems are providing the best dose level and dose pattern for insulin delivery
I'm on Medicare and fixing to get a Tandem X2 hopefully. The one I get will have Basal IQ, but I can immediately do an upgrade. Can't wait. Have been using the Tandem tslim and have killed a couple in the last 2 weeks. My old one died, then got a replacement while my new one came in, and I killed it, too. Electronics hate me.
Not 100% sure it'll work for you, but might be worth trying... you mentioned you only use one profile on your pump, maybe you could set a second one up the same as your normal profile except only 80% of it, across every time range. You could then change onto this profile whenever you exercise? But I don't have a tandem pump, so can't know for sure if this would work!
@DiabeticDanica - if you're going low when exercising but you previously found that -80% basal rate worked, you can always turn off Control IQ and use a temp basal rate. Just remember to turn Control IQ back on after exercise.
Interesting. My insulin usage is up by around 10% right now, but I think that's just due to natural changes in the body's insulin needs. Average BGs are definitely more stable when in the 90-110 range (it's able to keep that range quite well). I'd say my numbers overall have been more stable, but I've also changed some things to relax my insulin usage and let the BG naturally rise a bit before going down in order to prevent the relatively high amount of lows I've had in the past. I'd definitely say I've had fewer lows, but I am still having some. Still a work in progress.
How come when I fill the cartridge with 300 units the tslim x2 pump only displays that I have 240 units and it only took 13 units to fill tubing and cannula
I have the Tandem T-slim with Basal IQ and my glucoses have been averaging about 96. I’m hesitant to upgrade to Control IQ because it seems that the algorithm attempts to keep your blood sugar between 112.5 and 160. I’m not sure why they decided to set the range so high without the option of changing it. I’m curious if anyone out there using Control IQ has had experience with keeping their glucoses in a lower range...if it is even possible.
I had to dump the Tslim and Control IQ. It was too aggressive and caused me to have severe lows which I have never had to deal with. I loved BIQ and wished I never upgraded. I guess I'm the only one that did not have a good experience.
??? If the pump has update on Control-IQ and I deactivate it, is the pump in the Basal-IQ? Since the update cannot be postponed, would that be an option?
I really don't understand the arrows. I see my numbers lower from one reading to the next and would expect a ↘ down slanted arrow, but it is ➡ for example.
Before actually using Control IQ, but after going through the training, my initial thought about the worst part of Control IQ is that you can't give yourself extended boluses more than 2 hours. Am I alone in that I almost never give myself an extended bolus for less than 3 hours?... like if you eat pizza or a big meal out?
If Basal IQ is to help for lows, does Control IQ affect lows at all? It sounds like Control IQ just built on Basal IQ by adding the features of dealing with highs. Maybe I am misunderstanding though. Is there any piece of Control IQ that is different about dealing with lows? Other than the rebounding.
Can you not set a temporary increase or decrease in basal with this pump? I just had mine delivered but I’m waiting for the training to set it up. I usually decrease my omnipod basal before surgeries, sometimes at night, exercise, etc.
Can you tell me if you think the pump would be an issue for a busy 17yr old Medtronic 670g user that sometimes forgets to bolus? If he remembers after he ate that he forgot to bolus and control iq already started deliver bolus because it sensed increase in bs , then he quickly boluses ? Dr afraid he will be going low to often .
Oh man, I'm so nervous. . . Medtronic wants me to buy another 670G with a free upgrade to the 770G when it's released. I know they'll be releasing the 780G not long after the 770G, but if it's anything like the 670G I don't want it. I'm thinking the t:Slim X2 is a better choice, but the last time I switched companies I HATED it. lol I went from Minimed to an Animas. . . . (shivers) it was horrible. . . :-)
With the 670G I find the temp target doesn’t always keep me from going low when I’m working out. I found if I fill my water bottle with half Powerade and half water that is enough to keep my BG from dropping really bad. My BG will normally stay pretty stable when I do that and I’m not seeing it spike after my work out. Maybe this is something similar you could try with control IQ.
Control IQ has definitely been life changing for me! I just switched to the t-slim from being on an Omnipod for 10 years. However, I am having the exact same issue with working out and trying to figure out what to do. Putting it in the Exercise function and even with disconnecting before the workout I will drop very low, very quickly! I haven’t figured this out yet either. Please share a video if you do find something that works! Thanks for all your videos Danica!
I was going to Physical Therapy twice a week early in the AM and was having the same problem. I learned over time how, what and when to eat to minimize the problem. When BasilIQ came out it also helped. Never used Exercise Mode in any form (I don’t have ControlIQ yet)
Ruby. It may take a while to get used to it completely, but don't give up. Treat the pump like a friend and remember that there are others who will also care about your health. You are not alone!
ATTENTION: MAC OS users! Do not upgrade your operating system to macOS Catalina because the Tandem Diabetes uploader does not work with macOS Catalina as of yet. So until they get that working, I would check with them before you update your operating system to make sure that you will still be able to update your pump with whatever Mac operating system you currently have because once you have updated your macOS it’s a little bit difficult to go back to the previous one. Not impossible, but difficult. Hope this helps someone out there! ~Antonio
Is there anything u wish u knew when u first started with T-Slim with CIQ? Is there an android app that I need or should get for my phone for the T-Slim?
Thanks for sharing your experiences and I have a question to you, have you ever tried low carb high protein diet?.. as explained by dr Richard Bernestein in his book Diabetes Solution.
I never face my pump screen out. Mainly because of the crappy clip that keeps falling off. As long as I keep it on the same side as my sensor I've had no signal loss keep the screen pointing in, in my pocket.
TiredoftheBS I had same problem with the clip and I guess I didn’t know you can bend the tabs out on the case so the clip stays in ! Now that I bent the little square tab out my clip stays put and I now love the tandem pump case!
