So Solara really screwed me up this time. I ordered Dexcom G6 sensors and Tandem Tslim pump supplies on 11/6/2020. When I got home from work on 11/13/2020 (an entire week later), there was a shipment from Solara. I was horrified to find that the shipment contained my Dexcom sensors but no pump supplies.
I was wearing my last infusion set and it was too late to contact Solara because they close for the weekends. Since Saturday I have been using my pump for Basil and Correction boluses because I don’t have any type of long-lasting insulin. I have been taking normal injections for meal boluses.
This morning I have 80 units left in my pump and even with just basal rates that will run out long before I can contact Solara on Monday and hopefully get my supplies shipped overnight and receive my Tuesday.
I live in the Grand Rapids Michigan area and am praying that someone in this area may have a couple of Tslim tlock infusion sets they can sell me. Please contact me at 616-819-0061 if you can help.
If you are unable to find any pump supplies, please go get an emergency prescription for long acting insulin filled, if you can’t get the done, please consider going to Walmart and making do with NPH. And for the future, this is why we always have long acting on hand. Relying on these companies to do everything even close to right, seems like a death sentence.
Up until 2020, my insurance considered long-acting insulin a type 2 drug, and it would have cost me around 2 thousand dollars out of pocket. In 2020 my insurance joined a group where you could buy insulin as a specialty drug for a much lower price. But I never purchased any long-lasting insulin because if I never used it, it would expire and be wasted. It sounds like I will have to fill an RX for Lantus but I won’t be able to have the RX written until Monday when my doctor’s office opens. In the future, I will always keep Lantus on hand and I thank you for your advice.
I wouldn’t worry about Lantus expiring. One prescription fill should easily last for a few years past the expiration, and if your insurance won’t cover it, order it from one of the Canadian pharmacies. It will only be about $35 a vial. Also, if you ever travel to Canada (when the Corona virus is history) you can buy it over the counter with no prescription and we haven’t ever been hassled when bringing it back to the US.
@churcr. There’s always the Walmart option. NPH is available for $25\10ml vial with no Rx. Walk up to the pharmacy, ask for Relion NPH (which is made by Novo Nordisk), pay your money and walk away with an albeit older insulin formulation, but it still works in a pinch.
If you do avail yourself if this option, be careful of stacking and make sure you understand\know duration, onset, etc so you don’t inadvertently give yourself a hypo.
@churcr, isn’t there a way to get a hold of your doctor for emergencies: in most practices, there is a way to get a hold of someone after hours or on the weekend? That should get you access to an emergency prescription.
Another option: most insurance companies have an emergency line. Mine, which is crummy, even has teleconsulting, and you can get a prescription immediately for that. Between one of these two I am hoping you should be able to get what you need.
Finally, if you have an endo that you can’t join, your GP will be able to help as well for such a need.
FYI, we always have an emergency paper prescription with us, wherever we go, for both short- and long-active insulin. Like Chris, we also have a standing prescription for long-acting insulin as well as a backup, and we get a few cartridges of basaglar every quarter.
I’ll get ahold of my doctor first thing in the morning and hopefully, he can get me some emergency infusion sets or long-acting insulin. Without more infusion sets my pump will be dead by tomorrow night. Thanks for your advice.
Do you know if there is a local Tandem rep? Or ask dr if they know? They might be able to drop off “samples”. Medtronic used to do that all the time.
I am late to this discussion, but can FedEx you some infusion sets and/or cartridges. I use AutoSoft XC with 23” tubing. That’s the Teflon tube, 90 degrees, 6 mm insertion depth and. T: lock connector. I’d be happy to ship you anywhere from one to a full box.
John,
I appreciate your kindness and generous offer so much. I think I’ve got things worked out for now. I’m using my pump strictly for basil insulin and taking injections for bolus. My current infusion set should last until Monday night doing this. A local source has offered me several tlock infusion sets that I will pick up tomorrow. These sets should last me another 3 to 4 days. Hopefully, I can figure out what went wrong with Solara and receive my monthly order before they run out. I have several phone calls to make tomorrow morning to get this resolved and I will certainly keep you in mind if I fear that I won’t receive my supplies in time.
OK, best of luck with Solara tomorrow. If you have problems or delays, and are worried that your local backup supply will run out, I can get you a box quickly.
If you think you a getting the run around with the normal phone tree, I’m about to send you the name and DIRECT number of their Director of Customer Care. I was put in contact with him about a month ago when my G6 sensors were shipped, but still hadn’t reached me after 10 days …
I got your message with the name and number of Director of Customer Care and I won’t hesitate to use it. Got to head to work soon and will call Solara as soon as they open. If I get any bad vibes from them, I will take you up on a box. I will keep you posted.
I got ahold of Solara after a 90 minute hold. Even though I had talked to them 2 times before today and they never mentioned a problem, today they told me that they didn’t ship because the RX for the pump supplies had expired. I got a little agitated and asked why I had to call them 10 days after the order to find this out. They admitted that they probably should have called or emailed me about the issue.
My endo sent in a new RX and hooked me up with 3 infusion sets and 2 cartridges and a friend of a friend gave me an entire box of infusions sets. First time I ever had to worry about not having enough cartridges but I can probably reuse some if they don’t burst and leak out all my insulin. Hoping that the order is overnighted and I get it on Wednesday.
Thanks again for your offer of help but keeping my fingers crossed that I won’t need it now.
I have used several t:slim cartridges for 3 fills with no issues. With a 4th fill I got the impression that perhaps the cartridge pump was starting to underdose (perhaps some bypass leakage in the shuttle pump thing.) In my experience it’s not that the cartridge bursts, it’s that the pump that’s built into the cartridge starts to wear out.
Really interesting info! I did not know that reusing t-slim cartridges can work. I know that is not possible with Omnipod so I never even thought of suggesting that.
I had no idea that there was a pump built into the cartridge. All I know is that several times I have refilled a cartridge that was half full when the infusion set pulled out or started leaking. A couple of those times, the cartridge did burst and insulin poured out the bottom.
