Medtronic vs. Tandem

I know this has been addressed before but I am hoping for most up to date information. I have been only on Medtronic pumps for 18 years and am considering changing to the Tandem. Does anyone have experience with that change? Good/Bad? Likes/Dislikes? I am hoping for better control but am not the best with change :slight_smile: Also is the Dexcom sensor a lot bigger then the Medtronic and where do you place that? Thanks so much!

Hi @SandraLB. I switched from Minimed to Tandem over 10 years ago and never used Minimed’s CGM. So I’ll just address your question about placement: I usually wear my CGM (Dexcom G5) sensor on my abdomen, but occasionally place it on my upper arm or upper thigh. I’ve occasionally inserted my infusion set in my upper arm (not at the same time as the CGM). All work well for me.
FWIW, I like the skin profile of the TSLIM (Tandem) pump over Minimed’s. It’s what first drew me to it and I’ve never looked back. I saw a woman wearing a Minimed - we compared pumps and I couldn’t help thinking how bulky hers looked.
Tandem has an online simulator so you can try it out virtually. t:simulator Virtual Demo App | Tandem Diabetes Care

Thank you so much for responding. I appreciate all of your feedback. Like anything else, I imagine it’s a change that I will need to get used to but well worth it.

@SandraLB First Sandra, let me offer you a warm welcome to the JDRF TypeOneNation Forum! Here you will hear many answers to your question - many users have differing views - and we look forward to hearing your thoughts about living with diabetes. Also, check “search” on here for much discussion of this topic.

Like you, I used three successively improved MiniMed [Medtronic] pumps over a fifteen year period; then after much thought and deliberation, I changed to a Tandem t-Slim x2 in January 2019. I began using a DexCom G5 glucose sensor July 2018 and changed to the G6 sensor December 2019. I haven’t had a Medtronic sensor in my hand since 2005 so my memory may be distorted, but I believe the DexCom G6 profile may have a much smaller profile. Keep in mind, the Dexcom transmitter in not rechargeable.

My transition from Medtronic to Tandem was very smooth and simple; I did not have Tandem “training” because the trainer had to go to the Tandem headquarters for the entire week following the day my pump was delivered. turn out, I didn’t require any “training” because I had read & comprehended the entire User Manual before I ordered my new pump, and practiced pump functions on the inter-active Tandem computer application; a humerus story there.

In one word, my experience has been AWESOME with Tandem t-Slim. My ability to manage MY diabetes [now in my seventh decade] has never been better, and I’ve participated in several diabetes management techniques. The Control IQ algorithm in the Tandem pump is sensational - I just downloaded my 90 day reports while getting ready foe an endocrinology session and find that my TIR [time-in-range] is consistently over 90%, and that included a two week period in which I was using a heavy antibiotic to fight an infection.

If you need a new pump and glucose sensor, I strongly recommend the Tandem and DexCom.

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Totally agree with @Dennis Tandem plus G6 technology and companies are better than a Medtronic in every way as far as I am concerned. I was on Medtronic for 20 years, including 1.5 years with DIY Loop. Medtronic sensors and algorithms are crap IMO. Medtronic refuses to act on customer wants ant needs. I switched to Tandem in April, after using G6 for Loop. I am very happy with Tandem. Plus, my trainer and my regional rep are both PWDs on Tandem plus G 6. It’s a different world!

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Thank you so much for responding. I am getting very excited about the change!
Be well,
Sandra