Just stopping by to say hello. I’ve been reading for quite some time now but haven’t posted. Several months ago I switched from the Medtronics closed loop system (well supposed to be closed loop) to the tandem t-slim 2 with dexcom g-6.
With the Medtronics system it was asking me to bg meter every two hours 24/7. After a few years of no sleep it dawned on me why am I paying for a cgm when I have to bg meter every two hours? After arguing with them for over three hours on the phone, I decided to change over that day. My system was not out of warranty yet so I had to pay for my new system out of pocket. It was very expensive but well worth every penny. I’m on my 5th month on the tandem/g-6 system with only minor hiccups. I wouldn’t change it for anything now. It was strange at first no finger sticks but I’ve grown to love that. My A-1C has also gone down from 8.6 to 7.4.
I did come here to see if anyone else had been experiencing the same thing I was with the Medtronics system and surprisingly there were a few.
Anyway, like I said I decided to drop by and say “hey” and introduce myself. (With a suggestion from one of the mods that is) smile.
I want to thank you all for giving me a good read to help me decide to get away from my old system.
I’m glad you made a switch that is right for you! My story is pretty much the same as yours. I start on Medtronic, and kept getting woken up throughout the night by false alarms (CGM kept saying I was low when I was not). I finally switched to a Dexcom CGM. No more false alarms! I kept the Medtronic pump until the warranty ran out and then switched to the Tandem. I use the X2 with the G6 as well, and I also love it!
Hi Martha,
I too wonder how a big company has such crappy products. Specifically their cgm compared to their competitors. I am still using their pump with the freestyle libre, but after reading your story I’ll definitely be looking elsewhere next time.
Welcome and don’t be afraid to share more as you may help others along the way.
I switched from Minimed (now Medtronic) pumps to Tandem before CGMs came into the picture so I don’t know all the details about Medtronic’s. But one thing I speciation about Tandem’s system is that it has a separate handheld receiver. Most people probably like using their smartphone for that purpose but there’s something about a dedicated device that appeals to me.
Hey there wadawabbit,
The t-slim pump does not have a separate handheld. In fact with the dexcom g-6 they don’t give a separate handheld. The pump is the handheld. I am very satisfied with this new system.
I’m not sure why Medtronics sells the system that they do. It’s a huge waste of money and there is no sense having a cgm when you have to finger stick every two hours. In my eyes that is not a true closed loop system.
Both my husband and I get better sleep now. Every once in a while I will get an alert at night if I go low or high. But that doesn’t happen very often. One thing is for sure though… we never get a break from this disease. A good system means better health and with all the health problems that I have I need all the help I can get. Thank you all for being so supportive.
Oops! Thank you @smip - I meant DEXCOM has a handheld. I use both, and have to double-check myself. I failed to do so this time - thank you for correcting me - apologies.
Dorie @wadawabbit, you have posted this same statement several times - this statement is highly inaccurate and misleading.
Dexcom came into being during the spring of 1999 - its only business is Continuous Glucose Monitors; its original FDA approval was in 2006.
Medtronic received FDA approval for a Continuous Glucose monitor in June 1999, and has marked various CGM since then.
My first insulin infusion pump, a MiniMed Paradigm shipped to me December 2004, paired with a Medtronic CGM. MiniMed pumps purchased in 2009 and 2014 also paired with CGM.
Tandem came into business in 2006, but it didn’t get FDA approval for any insulin infusion device until 2011.
FDA approval for Tandem insulin infusion pumps pairing with Dexcom CGM has been limited to G5 and G6. G5, as a “standalone”, was approved for use by by FDA August 2015, and not approved for pairing with Tandem t-Slim for another two years - August 2017.
You are welcome to post your experience and your history living with diabetes, but please refrain from posting misstating statements that contradict factual history.
Thank you @Dennis. I hope you know I never intend to mislead, simply share my experience. My statements were/are based on my recollections of times past, which can be faulty but there is no harm intended. Frankly when I wrote my posts I didn’t even know how much I didn’t know; so it never occurred to me to pull up CGM history.
I had 3 Minimed pumps (or was it 4?) without CGM before switching to Tandem, and I was on their pump a while before starting on one. That is when they first came into my picture, although I see now, not the picture.
So thank you for clarifying and pointing out the timeline. I apologize if I have offended you but as I said before, sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know, so we can’t look up the facts. I apologize as well if I mislead anyone, but considering they were a matter of timing and not about function hopefully little harm was done. I’ll try to edit my remarks more carefully in the future. Thank you for letting me know. The forum is about learning. Take care.
Hi @Dennis. I was frankly a bit surprised by the the of your response to my post. I don’t think I’ve seen your name on the forum since then and miss your wisdom, contributions, and yes even corrections so I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing (I mean that in a non-HIPAA sense, of course😁). Hoping all is well with you and yours, and looking forward to seeing you back soon.
Hi Dorie @wadawabbit, thanks for checking on me. I am well, staying active - possibly more active, and feel great - spent yesterday watching to see that “the creek didn’t rise to high”. It didn’t, even with 110 inches of rain.
I have posted a couple of times since then, added a few “likes”, etc., but I only write when I can contribute directly to the original posed query.
Doing well here, and glad to hear the same goes for you. I always enjoy your contributions and will look more closely for them. You appear to be the resident diabetes historian, among your other credentials! Stay well my friend.