I would love some advice and any info that can be shared! My daughter started her pump today ( Tandem x2 slim) any advice on the care or any features, I didn’t want to overwhelm myself today with any new. Also they are wanting basal testing done, sounds like a lot, any advice or tips are wonderful! I love hearing from everyone when I post a topic, really puts me at ease! 
Hi and good evening! It’s a little after 11 and I just saw your post. Congratulations on your daughter’s T-Slim! One quick tip I will share: when filling cartridges, a do several at a time and store them in a Tupperware type box in my fridge - that way when i change my site I just have to fill the tubing and connect. It’s a great time saver for me.
Some days, looking at my insulin remaining, I know I will need a new cartridge and insertion site. I’ve found these hold the cartridges nicely in my pocket or purse. The first (3 shots) is a large pill box. The second is a metal candy tin (ironic but it’s sugar free!).
Charging is super fast - I plug in while watching TV or even using the charger in my car - and I’ve used a “charging brick” as well.
I shared my Dexcom Clarity account with my doctor’s office so I can upload my settings and activity so they can see everything if I have any questions without my necessarily having to go to the office.
Just a couple of tips to get you started. Congratulations on her pump!
You sound like you and your daughter have been doing this D thing a while.
Our bodies need a little insulin even if we are not eating or metabolizing food. This little bit of insulin is called the basal. Basal testing with a pump and CGM are easy now. Eat supper, dose insulin accordingly. In the morning watch the CGM. Tweak the insulin as your daughter’s prescriber has instructed. Go as long as your daughter can without eating or about 1-2 PM as the doc has told you.
Repeat the process with a breakfast and watch the CGM the rest of the day without lunch and a late supper. See what the insulin needs are throughout the day. This will give you data to tweak the basal rates.
Watch the CGM over the next week or so. Discuss with doc and tweak. There will be frustrations and successes.
Let me know how it goes.
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Hi Dee @Dee314 , a pump, at least for me, is a big step forward. Generally, a pump like the Tandem t-Slim, will make diabetes management easier and somewhat more precise. But a pump, no matter which, is not a Plug-n-Play device and still requires effective user data input - especially when beginning and as the user experiences lifestyle changes. That said, my t-Slim x2 pump has helped me to make very meaningful improvements in my management and life with diabetes - the Tandem t-Slim is my fourth pump and before pumping, I used injections for almost 47 years. I have two “bits of advice and tips” for you; many more later when you have questions,
First: You and your daughter should read the the User Manual and learn the very basics of operation. Operation is really simple once she has used it for a few days. True, there are many menus, but they are fairly simple to understand - finding the right menu will be made more easy if you have “flagged” those things in the manual.
Second: As @987jaj and other experienced pumpers have said, BASAL Insulin may be the most important feature for successful diabetes management when using a pump. Begin with a “Basic” profile and use many timed-periods. Using many timed periods, even if the data is the same in consecutive periods, will make adjustments - the way J suggests - more simple; it is very easy to add or remove time-periods in a Profile.
Do add other Profiles to reflect your daughter’s activity changes from day-to-day. I suspect that her schedule is different on weekends than on school days - if school ever reopens. Also consider some school days when she will participate in ectra-curricular activities such as soccer or dance.
Go at this slowly and don’t be too upset [your daughter especially] if immediate favorable results are not achieved. There can be lots of trial-and-error because as you have learned that there are MANY factors that affect body glucose levels - things that we can not see or anticipate. Hormone changes will be a factor.
Once you, and especially your daughter, are comfortable with her new Tandem Pump, and if she also uses a DexCom G6 sensor, I suggest that you look into the Control IQ [the CIQ] feature. I began using CIQ in January 2020, and since that time my Time-in-Range [TIR] has cumulatively been above 90%. The only two ‘inputs’ I need to make on my pump is carbohydrate count and remembering to change Profiles on days when my activity will change. The CIQ algorithm “corrects” for my missed-guesses on carb-counting.
Best wishes for your daughter!!! Please ask here or through PM when you have questions or want to just share. …
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Thank you so much, I am not as overwhelmed although there is a lot still to learn, and I know her ratios need to change along with her basal because she is staying a little higher than normal, now my daughter absolutely loves it! Only thing I am really overwhelmed about at this point is all the testing, seems like a lot and not sure how I feel with not feeding her like she is used to…
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Thank you everyone so much! It’s a big relief for read responses and tips from others in the same situation! I really appreciate it all!
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