Automode? Going in & out?

Sports & Exercise
1

Hello Again,

I am wondering about the AM in the 670G. I find it works for 85% of my normal workdays, exercise, and art making. When I have the day off, I find that AM works about 50% of the time because the routine is slightly different.
But I go into Manual Mode for that 15% on regular days, 50% on days off. It makes me crazy and stressed to see high blood sugars that is why I choose MM to give more insulin.
I am supposing AM will never really work for me on its own. I also suppose this is okay for me.
I would love someone who is exclusively on AM to tell me how they do it! Thanks,
Peace,
Kathryn

2

Would love for some Medtronic peeps to try a partial basal injection (without ever telling their pump about it), and see if it makes things better!

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3

A manual injection???

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4

I think you hearted that question but then didn’t give an answer… Is that what you meant? To try to cover…OH! Is that what you meant??? :bulb:

5

I don’t want to intrude here because I am not the person you’re looking for, but I have some filler until that person comes along. You remind me a lot of myself when I was in auto mode fall of last year. I spent almost 3 months in it, and of that time, almost 2 months were almost ENTIRELY in auto mode. So I WAS that person… just no longer. It was those high blood sugars that drove me back to manual mode, too. I just couldn’t stand watching them, and auto just couldn’t handle bringing them back down. The longer I stayed in auto, the more I realized that not only was it no good at bringing them down, but it was CAUSING them. Ultimately, it was just too much to bear. At the time, however, I was in auto mode around 90-95% of the time and was in range about 75-77%. Again, it wasn’t about what I was able to achieve IN it, it was what I wasn’t able to achieve with the rest of it… and that was really any semblance of control.

I also went back and forth between modes for a month or so—until I just couldn’t justify the amount of effort in return for the lack of any kind of guarantee—and then settled into auto mode by night and manual by day. That’s where I remained for another couple of months until one day realizing I missed my regular, predictable mornings, and then I bailed. So I’ve been all in, partially in, and exclusively out… and, again, am not the person you’re looking for with your question.

The only reason I’m answering is because I have had the opportunity to debate the success of auto mode with a number of people, and we have really had some interesting conversations. So far… what I have determined, based on these exchanges… is that a significant portion of the people who are staying in auto mode with success are GETTING THEIR INSULIN from other means. It really doesn’t seem to be that auto mode gives more insulin to one than to another (although, in reality, there would be truth to that, too), but there is a wide range of how people are handling it. For the ones who are really enjoying success, once you reach some honest dialogue, you’ll start to hear of the use of fake carbs, manual injections… and even “fill cannulas”… So they are buying themselves more insulin.

I’m not claiming high and mighty here, but I think it’s important to note that I wasn’t willing to do those things in auto, AND I was never able to get past that hump. It’s entirely possible I’d still be in it now if I had been more willing to do a few of those things. People also report changing their AIT settings and ICR settings—all to get more insulin. Again, I wasn’t interested and was hoping auto would “learn” me as I was told it would.

NOW I’ll stop and hope someone who’s in auto mode will come answer your question. And tomorrow I’ll get back to you about the exercise and suspend issue… to which I have even more nothing to offer. :smiley:

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6

Yes, my son injects probably 10 times a week despite being on a pump, at times it can really make things easier, i.e. in fooling a pump, or in delivering a quick IM injection to bring a high high down fast, to ensure that the insulin is actually on-board before eating something with 100 carbs etc.

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7

And now I’m tying it all together… tethered pumping… or untethered pumping… :grin:

And maybe YOU guys would be the ones to help figure out a way to do it safely with the 670G, but you have to remember that auto is constantly switching up how much it’s giving you, and there is no easily accessible tally of that number without adding up the values of your pink dots. So when your son gives himself the injection, he may have gotten it on top of 10% of his normal rate, or 50% of his normal rate, or maybe even 120% of his normal rate. Auto’s delivery can even surpass our preprogrammed basal rates… and this is why I think people get these crazy crashes in it.

Aaaaand I have gotten two crazy crashes by my own hand and not in auto, so it could be said, I suppose, people are getting some crazy crashes in it because they’re diabetics doing insulin… I suppose. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

8

Yeah, that would drive me crazy. I don’t think the 670G is the right pump for us. Really glad we went the Tandem route. I like simple systems that can be adjusted as needed, with some automation. But complete black box automation would drive me nuts.

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9

Is he injecting a quick acting insulin or a lantus (seems wrong, but I ask anyway)? I am heartened to hear that others use an injection to bring the BS back down. For 14 yrs on an insulin, I have had this problem where the BS goes up and nothing I can input from the pump will work. In order to avoid stacked boluses, the injection and patience will help.

10

If you need a correction use the pump, don’t manually inject insulin. I understand the 670g automode will not allow, but all other pumps will let you dial up a correction.

11

Thank you, Nicky! You remind me of myself too…we want results and answers and fixes fast. The sensor has been a problem for me because I look at and try to “outwit” the pump.
I never was told about the microboluses in AM by Medtronic and I never had an idea of what amount of insulin (basal) I was getting until y’all told me how to look it up.
So I will read and learn and do what I can do.

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12

I’d like to take my pump off and get a break… a nice long break, but since that feels complicated, too, can you tell me how to try a partial basal injection to see if it makes things better? Maybe what I need is a good experiment to freshen things up… If you can just give me an idea how one might start this, I’ll take over from there. Trust me, I test enough to keep a close watch…

13

Yes, he is injecting fast acting (Humalog), like you, if his blood sugar is going out of a normal range, lets say >200 he usually needs to inject to bring it down rapidly, if he uses his pump, it either doesn’t work or takes too much time to come into range.

Does that make sense?

14

I think a 20-25% basal injection would be a good place to start.

What is your total daily basal? Is it at all possible to get that info from your pump? Or does Medtronic keep that secret too?

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15

In auto? It changes all of the time. You can add up your pink dots. That’s how you figure out your total.

In manual, I could tell you…

16

You have a thread with that info somwhere. Maybe you should start your own thread for this topic though. Don’t be :hijacked: jacking Kjd’s thread here.

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17

How rude! I didn’t even realize I was doing that. Sorry, Kjd! :grimacing:

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image

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19

Chris, Yes, that is what I do too. I know it is not preferred by Medtronic or my endocrinologist, but other options have not worked for me. Thanks

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20

Kjd, I have hear a lot of people talking about how the 670G auto mode does not work well for them, but one thing I am not entirely clear on is how the pump is when you are not in auto mode.

Another guy (@drbbennett) said he mothballed his 670G and went back to his old Minimed Paradigm. And Nicky was talking about bailing on the pump too.

What I am curious about is what happens when you just try to use it as a manual pump - having pre-set basal amounts and bolusing for food and corrections? Is that not really possible with the 670G?