Twenty rears ago I made the leap from MDI to a Medtronic Mini-med pump, A year ago January, I made a move to my third pump, tandem t:slim and it’s been a game changer for my T1D. Wrote up on it
I forgot to include that for having dealt with retinopathy 1993, I have not seen a single floater in my eyes since the change to tandem.
Great article @cogdog ! Thanks for sharing. BTW, you might also like the Tandem Mobi pump, only 200 units, but 5” infusion sets, light as a feather and very little trash at set change time.
Good to know, though I really need my 300 units- as is at my usage rate I am getting about 2 days out of it.
I was the same way, and used the Tandem X2 ( wore out 2 of them). Fortunately for me the latest round of GLP-1s my Dr has me on has been more effective than all the rest over the years. My insulin usage has been cut in half when I am on it. When I am forced to take a break from it for whatever reason, my insulin usage slowly creeps up until it’s back to pre-GLP 1 values.
FWIW, I really really like the Tandem X-2 and would have no hesitation going back to it. The Mobi is a Tandem X-2 in pixie form (with some very minor trade-offs).
That’s interesting! I had to look up to learn what GLP is— and it sounds like what my diabetes educator was recently describing when he noted my insulin use.
so it’s relatively new for T1Ds and he said some doctors consider it experimental but at least endo he knows reported success. I need to get a referral to see my endo (appointments long to get here in central Canada).
How often do you take it? Is it injected? Any other side effects?
thanks for info.
oh, how does a pump wear out?
There are others here besides myself who are in the US that have been on them for roughly a decade. The latest GLP-1 products and most likely the ones you see advertised are Ozempic and Mounjaro but there have been others. They all have some sort of side effect, the primary be dehydration but the newer versions are very good at reducing IR. Most GLP-1s are injected once a week, but there are a few versions that are now in pill form with stated equivalent efficacy.
My first Tandem X2 was KIA approximately 3 years into service, so Tandem replaced it under warranty. Insurance replaced it at the 5 year mark. My 2nd X2 developed a shortened battery life around 3.5 years into service, so Insurance replaced it at the 4.5 year mark. Now I’m on my 3rd (4th) Tandem pump. Minor issues aside, Tandem has been stellar to work with. When my first pump was KiA I was able to get a replacement same day on a weekend. I’m fortunate/unfortunate enough to reside on the West Coast US, so I imagine that helped.
Is KIA = killed in action?
Hi @Terry, yes KIA is killed in action. My pump died in the middle of a 3 day cycle, showing error codes on the main display. When I contacted Tandem with the code numbers, they did not even have me troubleshoot the pump, saying the pump had suffered a catastrophic failure and they would replace it free of charge. However, they wanted the dead one back.
So helpful to know you have been on these meds for 10 years! I’m going to be asking questions and researching more. It seems it’s up to an endocrinologist discretion.