Hi there! Any T:Slim users out there??? My kiddo is getting ready to transition to a pump, and being almost 13 REALLY wants the cool iphone-esque pump. I'm hesitant, because the company has only been making them a few years, plus it looks like she has to manually enter her blood sugars AND remember to bring the charger when she goes away on weekends....among other things...
My problem is, I can't seem to find any reviews online from people who have actually used one. I have found several from people who haven't used it, but I can't figure out why those people took the time to review a product they hadn't tried!
My daughter just went through talking to four reps for different ones. She is 12. She really loved the TSlim. for the same cool touch screen business. After she sat down and looked through everything, and thought about it, she realized that the omnipod is a much better fit for her, no tubes, blood sugar goes right in so less room for error, etc. But it took a few days of thinking and soul searching for her to realize this. When we were discussing the Omni with the rep, she pointed out that it has a food dictionary, with carb counts, right in it, so no searching online when sitting in a restaurant for carb counts. I was glad she went with the Omni because, like you, the newness of it kind of worries me, Her doctor admits she knows nothing much about them, only has one paitent with them, doesn't yet have a , long, relationship with the reps. So I guess I am glad she went with the Omni, which we have sitting on our table, but she has to wait until Sept `17 to see the doctor and start! I feel that in four years, maybe then the TSlim will be more tried and tested. Good luck.
Google "tslim insulin pump reviews" and you'll see a bunch from people who use tSlims. At the bottom of this message are a couple online diabetes folks whose opinions I trust.
No pump is perfect, so even in the positive reviews you will find some negative comments. Since your daughter hasn't used a pump in the past she probably wouldn't struggle with the aspects of tSlim that aren't as good as other pumps.
I'm not troubled by tSlim being a newer company. The pumps are approved by the FDA and people have been happily using them for over a year. They are covered under warranty in case the pump has a mechanical problem, which happens occasionally with any brand of pump. In my interactions with the tSlim reps they were customer friendly and knowledgable.
Remembering a charger is no harder than remembering to bring insulin or a glucose meter. As a parent, I'd probably spend and extra $10 to get an additional USB cable and have your daughter carry it with her glucose meter or purse.
Since the tSlim doesn't allow you to download test results, the only time your daughter would enter her blood sugar into the tSlim is if she was correcting a high blood sugar using the bolus calculator.
Every pump has pros and cons. As a busy working mom, my current Medtronic pump fits me better than the tSlim because site changes are fast and I can bolus without looking while I drive. But if I were a teenager, I'd go with the tSlim. It's a fine pump.
We are considering a t:slim as well but having issues with the endo office thinking of not offering them to kids…we thought about the omnipod, it was our first choice but our Endo said that pod failure is a big issue and I just didn’t want her to have to worry about one more thing at this point…maybe when she’s older…
Good day all…
My daughter has had the t-slim since 2/2013. She likes it as it looks less like a pump. It is pretty easy to enter your carbs and BG numbers without having to scroll through screens. Like stated above, no one pump is ideal. My daughter did not like the omnipod due to the size. She liked the medtronic, but the tslim was a bit thinner. It is a bit slower to change the insulin out… but that was not that important as we still do all of it for my daughter.
the customer service has been great. No major issues, except we ripped off a cover (100% user error) but a new one was sent out right away.
As a side note… I think it sucks that the FDA takes sooooooo long to process things. The T:slip has a bluetooth chip in it, and technically it could “talk” to a glucometer and smartphone. Imagine how nice would it be to be able to have all access from your iPhone. and have your CGM as well. one day!!!
My daughter has had the t:slim for a little over a week now and really likes it. It doesn’t seem like it takes that terribly long to change the cartridge, the tubing hasn’t been an issue at all. She likes how it’s so easy to navigate, and even though are are a lot of confirmation screens that might annoy an adult whose had T1D for years, I find it comforting that there are checks in place to make her stop and think about it.
I do wish there was a food dictionary on board, but maybe in new models. Having to enter her BG is not a big deal at all, it’s on the same screen as when she enters the Carb grams
It charges SUPER fast, from 85% to 100% in less than 10 minutes, every day or two she plugs in in while she showering and it’s at 100%.
And everyone I’ve dealt with so far has been so super nice and helpful, text messages from the local rep to see how things are going, she sent me the tracking number for the pump package. A personal note from the guy who works in the insurance department, these are really nice people!
Hope it helps!