Recently approved for pump

[Mrsmurph]

Hi there,
I am very pleased to have recently been approved for a pump and have an appointment with the Diabetes clinic to "touch and feel" the options on offer through my trust very soon.
I have however been doing my own research, and am very much drawn to the T-Slim (over the (in no particular order) Medtronic 780g and the Omnipod dash) - apart from the "annoying alarms". Are they really that annoying?
Thank you

 

[Saoirse]

Hi there,
I am very pleased to have recently been approved for a pump and have an appointment with the Diabetes clinic to "touch and feel" the options on offer through my trust very soon.
I have however been doing my own research, and am very much drawn to the T-Slim (over the (in no particular order) Medtronic 780g and the Omnipod dash) - apart from the "annoying alarms". Are they really that annoying?
Thank you

Hi there. I was recently approved too and went through a similar process. Through feedback from this forum I learned there is no best pump just the one that’s right for you. So I suggest thinking ‘what are my priorities?’ Size? Do you want a patch pump? To be able to loop? Link with a cgm etc? Your answers will help you decide- so for me I would have liked an omnipod but my clinic would not offer it, I regarded the medtrum as too bulky and not linking with the Dexcom, and the t slim is not control from a phone which was important to me so I have chosen a Dana. You will likely have different things that are important to you. Also going to see pumps in person is a really good idea! Good luck 🙂

 

[Sally71]

No I don’t think the T-slim alarms are any more annoying than any other, apart from maybe the empty cartridge one because it absolutely will NOT let you silence it until you begin the cartridge replacement procedure. But to be honest that’s fair enough because it’s telling you that your life-giving insulin supply has run out and your blood sugars are going to go up very quickly if you don’t sort the problem out! You don’t want to be walking around not realising your pump is empty or thinking “I’ll do it when I’ve finished this” and then forgetting about it.

All pumps have alarms, to tell you if your batteries are low, insulin supply is low, or there is some problem with insulin delivery or whatever. You need to know these things as soon as possible so that you can deal with them before your blood sugars rise to stupid levels!

 

[Flower]

Hi and welcome @Mrsmurph

That's great news about pump approval. This information from Diabetes UK site is useful on the different types of pumps available on the NHS although it does differ between clinics. If you scroll down there are links to the different pump manufacturers sites with more information on specific pumps

Insulin pumps

What is an insulin pump? An insulin pump is a small electronic device that releases the regular insulin your body needs through the day and night — so you don’t need to do insulin injections. This can help you keep your blood sugar levels in your target range — but you’ll need to have it...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[Mrsmurph]

Hi there. I was recently approved too and went through a similar process. Through feedback from this forum I learned there is no best pump just the one that’s right for you. So I suggest thinking ‘what are my priorities?’ Size? Do you want a patch pump? To be able to loop? Link with a cgm etc? Your answers will help you decide- so for me I would have liked an omnipod but my clinic would not offer it, I regarded the medtrum as too bulky and not linking with the Dexcom, and the t slim is not control from a phone which was important to me so I have chosen a Dana. You will likely have different things that are important to you. Also going to see pumps in person is a really good idea! Good luck 🙂

Thank you Soirse. I keep changing my mind!! I'll see what the session is like and then hopefully that will help with the decision making.

No I don’t think the T-slim alarms are any more annoying than any other, apart from maybe the empty cartridge one because it absolutely will NOT let you silence it until you begin the cartridge replacement procedure. But to be honest that’s fair enough because it’s telling you that your life-giving insulin supply has run out and your blood sugars are going to go up very quickly if you don’t sort the problem out! You don’t want to be walking around not realising your pump is empty or thinking “I’ll do it when I’ve finished this” and then forgetting about it.

All pumps have alarms, to tell you if your batteries are low, insulin supply is low, or there is some problem with insulin delivery or whatever. You need to know these things as soon as possible so that you can deal with them before your blood sugars rise to stupid levels!

You're right - if the alarm is sounding it's for a reason!! Thank you

 

[nonethewiser]

Would have said same about alarms as Sally.

Great news your getting pump, choose wisely & enjoy using it with all the features that come with one.

 

[SB2015]

Great that you have been approved for a pump.

Whichever pump you opt for it will be the best one you have had, and you will see the benefits of all the adjustments that a pump allow you to make, which makes life a lot more flexible than on MDI. It is worth looking at the link that @Flower has given you for the comparisons. If any of the details don’t make sense then come back with questions and someone will be able to ‘translate’.

The t-slim was not on offer when I was looking at the choices at my last changeover (every four years) so I went for the Medtronic 780G which I use in a closed loop (automatic adjustments to basal insulin every 5 min) with their own sensors. I was previously on an Accu Chek Combo. Both are tubed pumps which doesn’t bother me, as I like being able to stuff it away where I choose to. The Dana did not offer the option of looping at the time and that was my main priority. I am self funding my sensors at present but now that I am used to the system I would not want to stop looping. It has made life so much easier as the pump and sensor have taken on a lot of the thinking that I had to do.

Like all changes there are irritations with the differences but with the first pump you are none the wiser. Just decide on your priorities and tap into the experience on here. @everydayupsanddowns is another t-slim user and he has previously used a Medtronic so can help with comparisons.

Keep in touch and let us know what you decide.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Great to hear you have been given the nod for a pump @Mrsmurph

Yes I’ve been using the TSlim for a few years now (amazing how quickly the warranty period on pumps flies by!) and I think, in combination with the Dex it’s probably the best kit I’ve used.

New NICE guidance is recommending CGM to be offered more widely, so personally I would want to be opting for one that had some sort of sensor integration and predictive insulin suspend / hybrid closed loop.

I guess it might be tricky coming into this brave new world of diabetes management without paying your dues of having to do it manually for a few decades, because you will have less of a comparison to let you see how much ‘better’ things are with the fancy gadgets.

Particularly because all diabetes tech… and diabetes itself IS pretty annoying at times. And I often have to remind myself of the benefits I am getting, while I’m getting unreasonably irritated by the minor niggles

Things sure are moving quickly though… and pumps like the tSlim allow software upgrades during the contract, which could be helpful. Especially if they do launch their smartphone remote control app (which has been promised and in the works for some time apparently)