Hiya, I’ve just joined the forum. I’m T1, was diagnosed at 17, now I’m 44 with a five and a ten year old. I started the loop system six days ago and it’s really clever, but I think I thought I wouldn’t get readings of 14/15 etc on it, so a part of me feels a little disappointed. Anyone else had that and it settled down? I’ve gone from Omnipod 4 and Libre, to Omnipod 5 and Dexcom. I’m not even a week in though, so I need to give it time, however, my main issue is weight and changing insulin requirements. I had lost almost six stone, but four are back on and I’m fighting to get my weight back down again. I am really hoping this new system will help my in my goals too - to control my levels better and lose weight. I’ve had brilliant control at times in my life, and not so good, and unfortunately these past few months have been the latter, with my hair snapping too from a result of it. So, what I’m really looking to find out is, how long did it take those on a loop system to find their groove, and was weight loss any harder/easier on it? Thanks.
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Hi - newbie here and newbie on a loop system
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nonethewiser
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Started on Omnipod 5 & looping myself 2 months ago, during online training session company rep said it can take up to several pod changes before system works out your individual needs so it's early days for you yet.
As its constantly monitoring & predicting where your bg will be in 60mins time you can give a correction bolus, make sure to add sensor value & it may/may not work out a correction bolus based on current bg value & insulin already on board.
What's really important is to try & get carb values right & bolus ratios also so you avoid teen bg figures, my pump system took around 6 pod changes before things settled down, for most parts now I tend to stay in single digits & device is fantastic at holding bg steady during times of fasting, for example sleeping.
As for weight, it's stayed same as before, I only gain weight if I eat to much or don't exercise enough, so just try to stick with normal healthy diet.
As its constantly monitoring & predicting where your bg will be in 60mins time you can give a correction bolus, make sure to add sensor value & it may/may not work out a correction bolus based on current bg value & insulin already on board.
What's really important is to try & get carb values right & bolus ratios also so you avoid teen bg figures, my pump system took around 6 pod changes before things settled down, for most parts now I tend to stay in single digits & device is fantastic at holding bg steady during times of fasting, for example sleeping.
As for weight, it's stayed same as before, I only gain weight if I eat to much or don't exercise enough, so just try to stick with normal healthy diet.
Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it. I think I was under the impression as long as you gave some kind of bonus with a meal, you didn’t need to be as tight as beforehand, so it’s all a learning curve I suppose. I think I might do a fasting day to see what happens without carbs in the mix. Single digits all the way is just phenomenal - well done. Hoping this will be me soon too.
nonethewiser
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Well, as you know it will autocorrect high bg if you don't get bolus right but bringing levels down takes time just like before using just a pump or on injections as pump just uses same insulins, my case fiasp.
Not in single digits all the way but in most parts stay there, was away from home last week so didn't always get carb values right but that's fine, none of us are perfect.
trophywench
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Are you serious about your hair? - that sounds to me more like you could be hypothyroid - which is a very normal bedfellow of Type 1 diabetes.
Oh yes, really serious about my hair. When I was diagnosed at 17, I had alopecia (but not in clumps), more thinning all over, which was sorted when I started insulin and normal hair growth resumed, so I’m not sure if I’m prone to this or something. Fast forward 27 years, it could be because my control hasn’t been great for a few months, or my age, or dying my hair, but I noticed in January it’s snapping a couple of inches from the roots, all over. It’s quite bad (gutted really but trying to think positively). I’m on thyroxine for under-active thyroid and my latest blood test shows that’s fine. I was kinda hoping it wasn’t, so I could work out why my hair is snapping, so all I can think is it’s my diabetes and I’m hoping this loop system will help in this way too. Thanks so much for your reply.
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Welcome to the forum @PixieDust
I’m not very familiar with the Omnipod 5 algorithm, and how the system works and adjusts things.
Me experience of both hybrid closed loop and sensor-augmented pump therapy is that there’s a bit of a learning curve for each individual to find the times where the pump needs to be left to do its thing, and the times where your individual diabetes doesn’t match the algorithm’s expectations and you need to intervene in some way.
I’ve been using Dex G6 for almost 4 years, and have been really impressed by how close is stays to my fingerstick BG levels, but I do get quite frustrated at how laggy it is. It only updates every 5 minutes, and there are times when that really isn’t responsive enough for me. Plus it seems to be generally giving me an accurate picture of what was happening 10 or so minutes ago. Which along with the 5 minute lag can mean that I’m sometimes reacting to 15 minute old data. Which is generally fine… but it can be the difference between deciding to dodge a low BG with some fast carbs or just leave it for the basal suspend to sort it out.
I’ve never had better results than I currently get, but I think I have to put in just as much effort to get them, perhaps even slightly more. As now I have to keep peering over the shoulder of the tSlim algorithm to check it’s making decent decisions.
I’m not very familiar with the Omnipod 5 algorithm, and how the system works and adjusts things.
Me experience of both hybrid closed loop and sensor-augmented pump therapy is that there’s a bit of a learning curve for each individual to find the times where the pump needs to be left to do its thing, and the times where your individual diabetes doesn’t match the algorithm’s expectations and you need to intervene in some way.
I’ve been using Dex G6 for almost 4 years, and have been really impressed by how close is stays to my fingerstick BG levels, but I do get quite frustrated at how laggy it is. It only updates every 5 minutes, and there are times when that really isn’t responsive enough for me. Plus it seems to be generally giving me an accurate picture of what was happening 10 or so minutes ago. Which along with the 5 minute lag can mean that I’m sometimes reacting to 15 minute old data. Which is generally fine… but it can be the difference between deciding to dodge a low BG with some fast carbs or just leave it for the basal suspend to sort it out.
I’ve never had better results than I currently get, but I think I have to put in just as much effort to get them, perhaps even slightly more. As now I have to keep peering over the shoulder of the tSlim algorithm to check it’s making decent decisions.
Thanks for your reply. I was on Libre 2 before starting my loop system, but had to go on to Dexcom a few weeks ago because at the moment Omnipod 5 isn’t compatible, but hopefully it’ll be compatible with Libre 2 by summer, so I’ll switch back when it is as I liked the size of that sensor better. I’m coming up to two weeks on the system and I’m really impressed with what it does overnight - lush single-digits, a dream. But I still have to do a lot of thinking and managing, which (maybe I was being naive) I thought I wasn’t going to have to do. After 27 years, I think I was ready for a break. Diabetes burn out I think.
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