Tslim?!?

Technology & Management
1

Hey guys,

 

I am 25 years old, married, trying to have a baby with fertility issues, and trying to keep my sugars under a 6.8 a1c.

I have had an insulin pump probably since I was 15 maybe 16 years old. I was on the old school minimed for a while, then went to deltec cozmo for 2 years, and have been back on the minimed probably for the last 6 years.

I tried the CGM-minimed version and HATED it! I had so many problems! I switched to dexcom ( seven plus) and waiting for my upgrade to the platinum in march :)

My question is!!!---- I saw a friend that had the TSLIM, anyone use it? anyone have any issues/pros/cons, anything? most of us are not users of this pump and I don't know many people with it. I was also thinking about switching to animas in case that near future comes when dexcom and animas finally join and make my life a lot better! or just stay with the minimed because that's what i am use to. I like the look of the TSLIM and definitely interested!!

 

Anyone help me out on what to decide?!

2

It's new and has some kinks that need to be worked out.  I don't think it's unsafe, but for someone used to a different pump it has features that are inconvenient.

I've not used one.  There are glowing customer reviews on their website, but I've also seen a few like in the links below that raise concerns for me:

* You can't demo them.  Think they have recently instituted a return policy (at first you couldn't demo AND couldn't return them).  Still the Tandem's support infrastructure for the device doesn't compare to Medtronic or Animas.

* It doesn't show the remaining insulin or the battery on the home screen.

* You have to hit lots of buttons to do a simple bolus.

* You need to see the screen and use 2 hands to bolus... I sometimes don't  remember to bolus for a meal until I'm in the car, headed to work or the next meeting.  With a Medtronic I can bolus easily while driving, with beeps confirming the dose.  

* The reservoir sounds like it's fussy to fill.  

A lot of these issue can be improved and I think future versions will be better than Medtronics or Animas.  They just aren't there yet.

www.diabetesmine.com/.../tandems-tslim-up-close-and-personal.html

rollinginthed.wordpress.com/.../im-not-getting-a-tslim

3

I can honestly say that I had an opportunity to demo the pump and it was a great experience. Mind you the word demo is used losely as it was not connected. However, i took the pump on a day long test drive at a conference that I was at. The pros and cons are hard to measure, but the first reality is you CANNOT base any reviews on someone who has only looked at pictures of the pump and never actually touched one them self. That is just not right or kind.

I enjoyed my demoing of the pump and frankly up until the last moment I was torn between getting a new Ping or going with the t:slim. The only reason I did not is because the hopeful looming of the newer model Animas pump getting the FDA clearance pushed my decision ever slightly towards the Ping. While one can find both positive and negative reviews out there if you want to actually speak with an adult who has been using the pump, let me know I can reach out to some of the people I know and see if they can answer any questions that you had.

Somewhere in my blog history are two different reviews of the t:slim from my trial, I can send you the links however I am not answering your question with some type of blog self promotion. That is not cool. I can tell you I spoke with the marketing director of at Tandem and he answered and cleared up some questions along with the sales rep about the return policy. Yes there is a return policy, however it is not as simple as return the pump and try again. There are quirks and issues in the dealing with insurance companies that could pop up along the way in the return process. The Tandem people could answer all that for you though.

If you want help shoot me a message on here or email me at notmycell@gmail.com

If you use twitter I can help you find some people faster. Hope this helps.

4

I am currently on a t:slim pump. I've been on it for a couple of months now. I currently like the t:slim much more than any pump I've been on (and I've been on pumps for about 15 years now) and can tell you right now that besides the demo issue, NONE of Jenna's points are valid and/or correct.

* As far as demoing the t:slim, I'm not sure if you can use one for an extended period, but I called Tandem and a rep met with me within days to sit down for a few hours and let me do whatever I wanted with the pump. Just call them and ask.

* It shows BOTH the remaining insulin and battery on the home screen.

* You CAN do a simple, quick bolus with one hand and one button without looking, the same as with an Animas, etc.

* The reservoir isn't hard to fill at all.

So, I'm not sure where Jenna got her info... Regardless, it is a great pump. The Animas Ping sucks, frankly. I had been an Animas customer for years and their customer service has gone drastically downhill. In addition, they outsource all billing department calls to India. Tandem on the other hand is a company that is owned by private investors who have a vested interest in the product. They have every reason to offer the best possible service and for me, they currently have.

Their pump replacement warranty is better than the other companies in my opinion. They will overnight a pump 24/7, 365 days a year if you have a problem. The pump is very intuitive to use. There is a quick bolus setting that you can use to deliver a bolus where each button press is either based on units of insulin or carbs. I keep the quick bolus set to units and the bolus "calculator" like on other pumps set to carbs. That way I can either calculate a bolus, or just give a quick bolus without looking if I know how much insulin I want.

The only issue that I have come across and not found a workable solution is that Apidra insulin hasn't worked well in it for me. I kept getting occlusions. I tried many possibilities by switching out both insulin brands and infusion set types and it came down to Apidra being the culprit. That's kind of a common issue so it seems, regardless of the pump though.

ALSO, Tandem has announced that it has officially partnered with Dexcom to include their CGMs in upcoming product updates, etc. just like every other company. Animas has been promising to release theirs for YEARS: www.tandemdiabetes.com/Content1Col.aspx

In addition, Tandem has also partnered with the JDRF to develop a dula chamber insulin pump: www.tandemdiabetes.com/Content1Col.aspx

Really, Tandem is on the cutting edge and changing the way we look at insulin pumps. Other companies will be playing catch up. Feel free to message me if you want to talk in more depth. I'm not at all affiliated with the company, I just really like good T1D technology!

5

Glad I'm wrong.  

I'd gotten my info primarily off this link from Diabetes Mine from a person who'd worn the pump for a day.

www.diabetesmine.com/.../tandems-tslim-up-close-and-personal.html

Can the access code be turned off?  Thought you had to type in the 1-2-3 access code to get to the main screen where the reservoir and battery information are.  And also that the access code is needed to bolus or do anything else.  

How do you fill the reservoir?  That's a consistent complaint of the tSlim I've seen online.

Thanks for your first hand information.  Sorry for any misinformation I shared.  

-Jenna

6

The access code is like a cellphone that's password protected. It isn't at all a nuisance, but it cannot be turned off. The battery and insulin remaining info can still be read from that screen (by just waking the screen up) without the three taps in addition to the date, time, and any insulin-on-board info.

Thinking about it though, with the Ping... you wake up the pump and it is at the home screen. Say you go through a few menus and then let the pump fall asleep. When you wake it up, you need to re-navigate back to whatever screen you want to access. With the t:slim, you wake up the pump, tap 1, 2, 3, then go where you want. If the pump falls asleep and you wake it up again, once you tap 1, 2, 3 it is back at the screen you were last at- very convenient.

To fill the reservoir, you basically insert the empty cartridge into the pump... then fill a syringe with insulin and inject the new cartridge with the insulin. The pump gives on-screen instructions which you don't really need to think about once you are used to it. It self primes the tubing too. You can let it go, or press a button to stop the priming if you have a very short infusion set and want to save some insulin. It also has a 300 unit capacity as opposed to the Animas Ping's 200 unit reservoir. I think Minimed currently has 300 also. It isn't really "more steps" or anything to fill the pump, just a different sequence.

The only thing that I thought was a real downside when I started on the t:slim was the time that it takes to deliver insulin. It is slower than other pumps. After some use, I can't say that I care much about the time it takes and really, it isn't too long. It can make the priming step take longer though and THAT is the only visible downside that I have seen. I'm a pretty thorough pump user too.

7

Thanks Philadelph.  Did you demo the pump at a conference somewhere or just take a leap of faith and order it?

My pump needed to be replaced at the end of 2012 and I was on fire to get a tSlim.  Their sales team is wonderful and gave continual updates, but they're just getting started and don't have the sales network in place to offer demos or trials, like the other pumps do.  The issues raised in online reviews made me wait.  

tSlims look so much cooler than other pumps, but I still don't see anything that's a functional improvement.  

I've not used an Animas.  But the Minimed is very simple for basic tasks.  It's doesn't have an energy saver screen and it takes very few button pushes to bolus, check bolus history and remaining insulin. That convenience is priceless to me as a busy mom and wife who works full-time and goes to school part-time.

I'm really thankful for you and other first-generation users of the tSlim.  It will help tSlim keep improving and I expect it really will be a pump that looks cool and works at least as well, if not better than others in the near future.

Having said all that, wish I'd had a tSlim this weekend.  Didn't realize I'd run out of AAA batteries when I had a battery failure.  I had to drag my son and I out in an ice storm to get batteries, the whole time wondering if the memory would erase.  Would have been great to just plug it in with a USB like the tSlim...  

Take care.  -Jenna

8

Anytime! I think it's important to speak to other T1Ds about products–good or bad. I saw the t:slim in person twice before I ordered it. Once at a JDRF event although it was just briefly at Tandem's table (and the pump wasn't in its final incarnation yet) and then as I explained above, when I called Tandem and requested to meet with a representative to demo and see the pump.

Their representative who met with me soon after I called them also had Type 1 and was on the t:slim. He had previously worked for Animas apparently. Tandem has reps for each area of the country (I'm in the NE), so they travel around doing whatever they need. Meeting a prospective user is important to them too, so they know it is in their best interest to give you whatever demo you need. I sat down with him for a few hours and just went through the pump. I'm the type who picks it up quickly and can guide myself through the process, so that's all I really needed. I had a ton of questions also which were all easily answered or looked into. It was just a very positive experience to learn about the pump and the company from a guy who KNOWS the industry and uses their product.

Tandem's support is great so far. I have spoken to some higher ups in terms of the Apidra issue that I had mentioned and they were very interested to hear my feedback, good or bad.

One "functional" improvement of the pump is supposedly the insulin delivery system. As I mentioned it is slower by a little bit, but it has been explained to me as an improvement. I don't want to quote anyone, since I'm not recalling exactly what was said, but it is a reliable system that more closely mimics how the body would release insulin rather than just being forced out of the reservoir... or something.

Jenna- one of the most important factors for my choosing an insulin pump is the speed with which I can get things done... i.e. bolusing FAST! The quick bolus option on the t:slim is awesome. You hold in the top button (looking at the pump or not) and it vibrates (or beeps, depending on your settings), then each time you press the button again it vibrates (or beeps) to represent whatever setting you have it set to (units of insulin... .5, 1, 2, 5 I think, or carbohydrates). When you are done, it quickly vibrates the number you entered back to you at which point you again hold the button in to confirm. I just tested... I can deliver 20 units of insulin without looking and it takes 24 seconds! Animas has a similar feature, but it always felt slow. The t:slim senses your button presses almost immediately while with the Animas pumps, you could easily get ahead of the pump in your counting.

And yes, the fact that it is a usb rechargeable battery means I can charge it anywhere–car, computer, wall outlet, airport, etc... and it's an awesome feature (let alone saving money on all of those lithium AA batteries!)! Anyway, again, hope this all helps.

EDIT: It's also funny how at this point, the blogger who downed the pump in Jenna's link (second link of her first post) has edited his blog with an update of how he's now impressed with the t:slim. I just don't want to give his blog another link, but check it out. Don't down a product until you try it? Yup.

9

Be nice to Rolling with the D. He didn't ask to be my source on tSlim info.  He just expressed some of the issues I'd seen online but was too lazy to look up.

That's great that you had a sales rep who could meet with you.  I didn't have that option, but live in a small city in the Midwest (Tulsa, OK).

Still think I can bolus MUCH faster than you with my minimed!  I know there are texting competitions hosted by different cell phone providers.  We should have pump olympics...

Guess this comes back to the basic truth of diabetes technonolgy and treatments: we each have different needs and preferences and what works for one doesn't work for everyone.  

Sorry to highjack your thread Cassie.  Don't know if we helped you or confused you even more about getting a tSlim.  =)

Take care everybody.

10

I have been trying to decide whether I want a new Ping or a T:Slim and after reading Philadelph’s post…I am sold! I want a T:Slim!!!

11

I agree with Ashley! I just looked at the website after my former endo referred me...she loves it, and hearing all the reviews makes me want one too! Now I just have to get insurance to cover it. :)

12

Hey Guys,

My T-Slim experience wasn’t as good as some here. PLEASE be sure to read the T-Slim return policy before moving forward. I am now stuck with a pump I don’t want (actually switched back to Ping) because of some details in the return policy. Specifically, the 30 days starts the day they ship it to you. In my case, I had to wait 10 days for a pump trainer appointment and I did not realize the 30 day time frame was already “ticking”. I notified them at 35 days from my training date that I wanted to return, but they are not cooperating.

My bad according to the policy, but my local rep. assured me there was some flexibility with the return policy and they just wanted happy customers. Well, I’m still looking for their flexibility while it sits in a drawer. Also, you agree to all of their policies when you sign the assignment of benefits form. I hope your experiences are better.

13

Hi there,
My 12 year old daughter is getting her first insulin pump - the t:slim and she’s currently on apidra. The sales associate did indeed tell me that the pump has not been tested for use with apidra and to consult with my doctor about it so I shouldn’t at all be surprised at your post about the problems with it, I suppose. Did you decide to stick with Apidra or have you switched insulin? We’ve only ever used Humalog and Apidra and Apidra works so much quicker for her and has a shorter tail (which is great for bedtime!)

Wanted to see if others had negative experiences with Apidra and the t:slim.

Thanks!
Carli

14

I have one as does my 12-year old daughter. She switched from Omnipod, I switched from 6-month MDI waiting for tSlim after my Medtronic died.

We had trouble with Apidra in the tSlim. And looking back, we may have had trouble with Apidra in the Omnipod greater than 48 hours. Apidra website says it should not be used in any pump over 48 hours. In the tSlim, I had it gel up (it’s the only way to describe what the should be liquid did - it became a gel) in less than 48 hours. Both times I flew in an airplane it happened (one was a 24-hour old aftet filling and the other was less than that), but I had it happen other times as well.

We switched back to novolog. Have had no trouble on tSlim.