No More Carb Counting & Fewer Diabetes Decisions with iLet, the Smartest Insulin Pump Yet? 

I’m glad you found it helpful

Amen, sista! Same

Kind of crazy how closely our histories are. I was diagnosed in 1981 & I’m guessing you were diagnosed around 1980? Given that, you also remember the days when we didn’t even have home glucose meters, right? To me, that was the biggest change as far as keeping us alive & out of the hospital, but I think most people w T1 today can’t imagine a time where you couldn’t even check your blood sugar at home. So many changes in these 40+ years & things much bigger than the simple home glucose meter but really, that was the big first step in my history & I’ve taken advantage of every single new advancement out there. I will comment on why I can’t imagine myself giving up control to this type of pump, but I just wanted to say hello to a fellow 1980s diagnosed T1! 👋

@robin31165 Hello, fellow t1d! I used the very first minimed (medtronic now) pump. It was awful 😆 compared to this. It's quite a commitment for a teenager (me at that time). Things sure have progressed. If it weren't for the integration between my cgm and pump, I would be disabled. I spent too many years in bed with my diabetes. Every day was something different. No patterns, just 400s-40s. I call it the roller coaster. I got my new pump and cgm for my birthday last year, and I feel like I can finally be independent. I can go hiking, fishing, all the things i LOVE to do now. Can't go anywhere but up from where I was, ya know? Still some bad days, but I'm so grateful for every new day😁

@@ClumsyZebra4life hello back, my T1D friend! I always smile at that sort of a salutation (your ‘hello fellow T1D’) & have said to nearly every long term type 1 I’ve ‘met’ that we have to stick together, it has a bit of an ‘us against the world’ feeling to it, doesn’t it? With T2 being what they’re now calling an epidemic of sorts, I think the differences are so much more obvious than ever & personally, I get sick of hearing things like diabetes can be controlled w diet, “get off your ass and exercise”, etc. WE get it & I can’t help but be a bit bitter toward that type of thinking. But back to your message, I was also on a Minimed (Paradigm??) & that first sensor, which was kind of interesting, but not much more. Had I known at the time that it was only good for trends, I would have used it that way, but I found myself doing fingersticks more than ever on those early sensors. Then the ‘Enlight’ (OY!! 🙄) & so on. They have really come along way though & when the first closed loop system came out that I was able to get w my insurance (the 670 G) it really did change my life. I’m now on the Tandem bc I always found Dexcom sensors to be far superior to anything Medtronic made (during those years I did switch to Dexcom w a Medtronic pump at one point). That being said, I still give Medtronic a lot of credit & as a company, they have absolutely superior customer service, I just wish their sensors were as good as Dexcom because I did enjoy the advantages of the pump & sensor were the same company so you didn’t have to call diff customer service departments just to be transferred back-and-forth. Anyway, seems we have much in common, and I don’t know your age when you were diagnosed, but it seems likely that you were quite young, so let’s hear it for all the advances that we have enjoyed! I don’t know about you, but I remember reading (back in 1981) “some people have been able to live up to 50 years w Diabetes!” & thinking “oh so I’ll live until my 60s, is that supposed to be good?” Goodbye to that thinking, I plan to be around for many many more years! Nice to ‘meet you’, Lana - good luck & good health for your future! ❤️ 🚫💉

@annhodge9952 you’re right, it’s 100% a full-time job. You’ll probably get the most out of contacting Beta Bionics directly so they can help you with the details. I can only give high-level answers

Thank you for watching

Your more at risk of pulling tubeless pumps off, do what's best for your kid not easier for you. If it does pull out it takes a couple minutes to put a site in

I agree, it certainly removes some of the complexity

If you eat the same thing for meals, carb counting isn't necessary every time. Carb consciousness always is.

Awesome, I hope it works out for you and would love to hear how it's going after you have used it for a while

Oh that’s exciting. I hope you’ll like it

How is it working out for you?

Dying to know how thi pump is working out. Did insurance cover?​@@425fishslayer9

Good luck!!

Just getting ready to make the decision on a pump. Any feed back so far on this pump?

@@425fishslayer9 it’s a great machine but it’s a definite draw back when it’s giving too much insulin. Fiasp is fast and accurate so it drops rapidly and I’ve been scared multiple times because of it giving me too much insulin. After a factory reset it still gives a dose of insulin that’s too strong. I’m a personal trainer so I’m active I don’t eat a ton of terrible foods. I spoke to person who helped me set mine up and they told me to stop putting in my meals and just let the pump do it and see what happens but my sugars sore. It would be much much better if they actually had a carb input option. It would make this pump phenomenal because you then have some control over the dumps and the spikes when you have to quickly correct a rapid low. Also an option for snacks would be great. The fact there’s no option for snacks leads to a spike and over correction because if you put it into the system you will definitely see a fast low you’ll have to correct and hope it’s not too much. My A1c did drop quite a bit. I can say the pump helped but then again the constant lows could be adding to that. I still wear it for the daily insulin needs but if they added a few things this pump would be fantastic.

@@425fishslayer9saaaame

He’s trying to give a realistic picture. All of the newest hybrid closed-loop pumps will turn off insulin to try and prevent low blood sugars. But the thing is, once insulin is injected it will continue to work for 3-5 hours. So even with these pumps you can’t eliminate the risk of lows, but they can reduce the risk

If they end up supporting the NovoRapid Pumpcart (prefilled cartridge) - which is 160 units - it won’t matter. Those things are so easy, I’ve swapped them out sitting on plane seats, having grabbed a spare from the fridge before leaving in the morning.

Glad you liked it!

Do you define success as selling a product to inadequately manage diabetes? He omitted that "This system is for people who are unable or not motivated to manage their lives. If may allow such a person to lower their A1C by 0.5%. If you have an A1C below 7, and you use this system, you'll gain weight, increase complications of diabetes, and negatively affect all the other health aspects of your life." The system's full name should be "WhatMeWorry? I let a pocket calculator control my health."

What are you quoting??? Where are you getting your info?

That’s where I agree 100%. Seven is not good enough for me & giving up complete control to this pump is asking too much for me personally. Not putting in your carbs is going to result in a lot of highs & even after 42+ years I can feel anything over 160 or so.

Agreed, an A1c of 7% won’t be ideal for some groups. But I’m also excited to see where they take it from here 🙂

@@DiabetesStrong I do like how are you show pretty much everything that you are able to share w us, even if every single thing might not be for everyone. Your channel is one of the things in my wheelhouse for a lot of help w making decisions, and your suggestions w sensor placement, carb counting & pretty much anything T1 related have become part of my decision making - your channel is simply a warehouse of information! So thank you for everything you do! This channel is a gem!

If you don't control user eating, dialing down from 7 to 6 significantly increases the probability of hypo. No insulin-only pump can deliver negative insulin.

If you do control your eating to have a A1c of 6.0 this pump will decrease insulin delivery until it gets you up to a 7.0. I strive to be closer to normal. If you don't want to have hypo then run 8 or 9. @@pssst3

Thank you for watching. With an A1c close to 6%, you also have to weigh out the benefits of a more hands-off pump with likely seeing an A1c closer to 7% with this pump. Decisions, decisions indeed 🙂 And I'll also be really excited when the "true" closed loop pump comes out

@@DiabetesStrong Yes, yes, yes on the true closed loop. Not to be impatient, but I have been kind of been waiting for 59 years. LOL!

That would be amazing!

Why does the brand of CGM make a difference in your A1C? I've only used Dexcom and my A1C depends on how I manage my blood sugar. It was 6 before a pump, and around 5 with a pump.

​@@user-jl9ci3mm5jwhat pump did you go with?

Sounds like your son is doing pretty well. This pump will aim for an A1c of 7% so you have to weigh that up against not having to count carbs

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the Dr doesn't have it him/herself... My A1c's usually run high 5 to low 6's, but I'm ready to give up a lot of lows if I can to get there.

Congrats you are amazing to have an A1c at those levels 👍👍

Quite a while I should think and you won't get it on NHS. Most likely you will need to self-fund as usual.

I think we're usually one year behind. I've already discussed it with my daughter's consultant and intend to be very vocal about it once it's available in the UK

Guessing 4 years

Thank you for your support. Okay, let’s see. Did you get any training on how to get started with the pump? There might be an iLet sales rep in your area who can sit down with you or a diabetes educator in your endo’s office. It makes it so much easier if it’s in person. When on a pump and having high blood sugars it is good to go over a potential pump failure checklist. (I like this one: baker.edu.au/-/media/documents/fact-sheets/baker-institute-factsheet-insulin-pump-troubleshooting.pdf) I would also look and see if the infusion site is wet, that could mean the infusion set isn’t inserted correctly. The more mechanical parts of pumping, such as filling it with insulin you can find in the manual, you might already have it, but if not it’s here on page 21 (www.betabionics.com/wp-content/uploads/LA000082_C-iLet-Quick-Reference-Guide.pdf). Let me know if this helps or you were looking for something else

How’d you make out so far

I don't know, but Betabionics might be able to provide that if it exists

I'm sorry to hear she’s struggling. This condition can be exhausting

@@DiabetesStrong Thanks. My brother has it too but that was a more recent diagnosis and he struggles with getting his crappy insurance to cover stuff. The bad part is, they won't reject stuff, but they won't approve either so it stays in limbo and he goes months without the meds he needs. They also stopped covering one of the meds that really helped-- some sort of weekly injection thing. I don't have insurance so if I get Diabetes I'm screwed.

@@catsmeow5566 insurance in this county can be a joke 😑

It adjusts your blood sugars, even when sick. Compatible rapid-acting U-100 insulin Fiasp, Novolog and Humalog

There is no “temp basal” or “manual” option, but you can raise the target range before exercise

Looks like a regular wall plug: www.betabionics.com/media-library/

It’s hardwired to aim for an A1c of 7%

@@DiabetesStrong ok, my Tslim has me at 6.4 so that’s where I will need to stay unless they change this

I believe Omnipod (like most of the other hybrid closed loop pumps) aim for blood sugars between 110 and 150 mg/dL, which roughly translate to A1c between 5.5-6.9%

Maybe in time. At this point G7 isn’t integrating with any of the hybrid-closed loop pumps

I don’t know, but if your body is still swelling I think you need to reach out to your medical team and discuss it

😑 yikes. Unfortunately, I don't have any control over that but that does bother me. Glad you could see through it

An insulin pump works a bit differently than MDI (Multiple daily injections). It replaces all the other types of insulin with only rapid-acting insulin (like Humalog, Novolog, or Fiasp). If your doctor thinks an insulin pump could work for you, then the iLet could be an option

Very good question. I didn’t get the answer to that

If you reach out to Beta Bionics directly they should be able to explain pricing and coverage

It currently only works with Dexcom G6, and I don’t know the timeline for G7

It now works with the G7 and I've been using one for about a month, it's great change@@DiabetesStrong

You’d have to discuss it with your medical team. But yes, it works for anyone with insulin-dependent diabetes, regardless of the type of diabetes. However, if you don’t need mealtime insulin, your insurance might not cover it

That sounds odd. Try reaching out directly to Beta Bionics, they might be able to help you

Currently, it works with Dexcom G6

It now also works with the G7. I started the iLet on a G6 with Novolog. I'm now using Fiasp and a G7. it was a very easy and smooth transition.

That’s so interesting. Thank you for sharing. I don’t know if they have a “trial” program

Keeping your A1c at 7% or below is what's recommended by the American Diabetes Association. That should significantly reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications

I’m not sure. I think most handling is directly through the pump

That would be an interesting side-by-side comparison. I'd have to find someone who has tried both

@@DiabetesStrong I've been using the iLet since October of last year. I'm going to try out the OmniPod shortly.

None of the pumps, including this one, work with Dexcom G7 at this time. I haven’t seen any timelines for intervention but hopefully it won’t take them too long

⁠@@DiabetesStrongTandem now works with g7, just got mine in dec 2023. This looks like a great option after 58+ years with T1D! A1C runs between 5.8 to 6.2, but neither I nor my endocrinologist like the lows I have to get there.

@@dhey007yes, they just recently got the approval. Dexcom G7 now works with Tandem and the iLet insulin pump

I don’t know when it will be available outside the US

@@DiabetesStrong mabey I can be subject In holland for this company 🤗

You can still adjust your Dexcom settings. And you can set the pumps “target” level as well

@@DiabetesStrong If you can set a target BS level, why doesn't that translate into 'setting an A1C level lower than 7'?

@@user-jl9ci3mm5j you can only set it to these "levels": Lower than usual” - target of 110 mg/dL “Usual” - target of 120 mg/dL “Higher than usual” - target of 130 mg/dL Which I agree should get your A1c further down, I'll have to ask Sean about that when I get a chance

Try contacting Beta Bionics, the manufacturer of iLet

Currently it just has FDA approval

Thanks for the update. I'll just wait.

It doesn’t sound like an insulin pump is for you. The price of a glucometer depends on the one you get and your insurance. I would start by contacting your insurance, they might have a free option. If you don’t have insurance or they won’t cover it you can get a glucometer at the pharmacy without a prescription

freestyle libre is the cheapest CGM at $75 (in the US, the manufacturer reduces the cost if insurance doesn't cover it, so any version of FSL is $75/month)

@@katymcboo THANK YOU FOR THE INFO.

Hi! Your comment on looking forward to trying this pump, but still wanting to see via CGM data what your sugars are doing, makes me think that you may not understand that the use of this pump requires the use of specifically, the Dexcom G6. It's the only CGM, at least from Dexcom that you can use with the iLet. They "talk" to each other. I've only been on the iLet since Wed, the day before Thanksgiving. And things are all ready different for me. I'm going to leave a remark on this video with more of my story. You might find it helpful and maybe even a little bit interesting, but it'll contain some details that I'm not including here. No need to write them twice! Good luck to you!

You can find more information on their website: www.betabionics.com/

You're absolutely right, this won't be the right solution for everyone. And I completely agree with your comment about the insulin we have available not being good enough. That has for the longest time been one of my arguments for why I'm not using a pump

They really are! It’s exciting to see real progress

For the simple reason that an A1c of 7.0 is the bare minimum, good enough target. And is the only target the iLet can hope to achieve because of its operating system. The iLet waits to inject insulin until after you eat and it detects your blood sugar is already high. The iLet is always playing catch up. It cannot pre-bolus to get the insulin working before the glucose gets into your bloodstream. And you have no control over the pump to make it give you extra insulin when you know you are going to go high.

@@russellseaton2014 I agree w your thinking Russell. I don’t personally like the idea of an A1c of 7 - I certainly don’t consider that ‘ideal’. It does sound like this pump is going to constantly be fighting to keep your blood sugars down, while you have no control over keeping it from getting too high in the first place. I’m sure this pump is good for some people, but I can’t personally get on board w something that ‘does it all for me’, when I’ve spent my life doing everything I can to keep it as close to normal as possible.

I agree, I commented on @russellseaton2014’s response to your comment. I’m not willing to give up complete control to a pump that seems like it would always be playing catch-up. It seems like you would have a daily high blood sugar & for me that’s not good enough. I’d rather take the time to count carbs, resulting in keeping my blood sugar as close to normal as possible.

Plenty of people do well with high carb low fat, so I think it depends on the person

Most often insulin needs are calculated based on weight. I know, sounds odd. But the key with this pump is that it quickly adjusts to your needs. So the weight is only an initial input and then the pump learns you. With a conventional pump, you most often need to know your carb ratio and sensitivity factors as well as your basal rate. There's no need for that here. I chose to do a video on it because I think it's a very interesting new way of designing an insulin pump but also know it won't be for everyone.

As for a cure. Up until this year, my answer has been “maybe for type 2 diabetes but not for type 1”. But the answer has changed this year. We now (kind of) have a stem cell cure. It was FDA-approved this summer but is only for people who have repeated episodes of severe hypoglycemia, and they’ll have to be on immunosuppressants. But my hope is that this will lead to a real cure in a not so distant future www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-cellular-therapy-treat-patients-type-1-diabetes

@@DiabetesStrong OH can you imagine...a life free of this nightmare. Thank you for this information. Gives me hope...

Hi, because we are cash cows for them! From 1 day of diagnose till death. So, they can very precisely calculate the revenue coming "from" us!

Yes, very good question! I think saying "pump learns you" mean they are using some kind of self learning algorithm = AI = yes, artificial intelligence. And do you know why they do not shout loud about it? Because some people can fear that this AI in this pump can get one day crazy a just kill them with pumping full insulin cartridge to their body. They are just a bit chicky and not transparent with their customers. I do not like it.

For coverage and pricing try reaching out directly to Beta Bionics

Tandem Control IQ is great, I’d say the main difference is that it works as a traditional pump, in the sense that it has initial basal rates, carb ratios, correction factors, and carb counting. iLet has none of those

@@DiabetesStrong But the majority of Tandem users are NOT counting carbs. Trust me: I've asked this question on the Tandem FB page, and a majority of us responded that we are NOT carb counting. We are basically, instinctively, doing what this pump's algorithms do: guessing and administering units of insulin just like we did when we injected.

It just got FDA approved

We talk about user experiences in this video. But you can probably get more information if you reach out to Beta Bionics directly

The general recommendation for healthy adults with diabetes is an A1c of 7.5% or lower. But I also prefer an A1c much lower.

@@DiabetesStrong they are just afraid of getting sued if someone dies of a hypo .. 7.5 is still causing damage.. Damn shame these companies don't ignore the general recommendations..

Diabetes causes harm, period. If you are at A1C of 5 or 6, the lows you have are also causing damage so you just have to decide for yourself, and “pick your own poison,”

@@dhey007 rare lows won't cause the same harm as constant higher glucose... I've never heard of anyone having their foot cut off because of low blood sugars....

@@jorgecarrejo7562 I didn’t say the dangers were the same. My endocrinologist told me that the dangers with lows are connected with loss of brain cells. That makes sense to me because the fuel that feeds the brain is glucose. I have personally met many older long-term diabetics who are challenged by difficulties with remembering or recalling things. Clearly not due to age alone. For each diabetic the disorder is a challenge in a very personal way. Although with the prevalence of consuming alcohol, which also destroys brain cells, it does make the determination of the cause of such effects difficult to pin on any individual cause.

I couldn't include everything in this video. All the hybrid-closed loop pumps learn "you". It's not AI, but algorithm-based

No machine can stop a person from eating too much. We have to take control of SOME THINGS.