[Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Tue Jun 12 14:01:24 UTC 2018

Veronica,

Thanks so much. My nurse educator is positive we can ake something work, but I think she thinks I can do more than I can. If a pump's not accessible, there's nothing I can do about it. But, we will go through pumps and see. I'm nervous about switching and hope something will work because I hate to go off a pump.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2018 5:08 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Veronica Elsea <veronica at laurelcreekmusic.com>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Hi everyone.
I thought maybe I could shed a little light on the current pump mess.
First, the OmniPod. Oh yes, they won't let you do anything, even the free trial kit without a training session. They have trainers who will go out and visit your doctor's office so you can check out the pump. You will definitely get a trainer's help if you go on the pump. They all have to do this and believe me, you have papers to sign to prove you've done it. I email my trainer regularly and she's checked in a couple of times. So far, nobody's batted an eyelash at me trying this as a blind person. So what my spouse has done is just help watch things in the beginning for me as I started figuring them out. Having said that, this pump, nor any current pump is not for the faint of heart. I think I'd be a total wreck were it not for the Seeing AI app rescuing me. I like the fact that the remote, or PDM is not attached to my body so it's easy to line up with the phone and see what information I can get. And yes, the pods are definitely bigger than my little Cleo's. <grin> Last night I was staying in a house I didn't know very well and I was really tired. Man, I smacked my left arm into the corner of a wall. That was the first time I'd smacked a pod hard enough to cause an insulin leak. Oops! There I was, sitting at the kitchen table, spreading out all my stuff and doing a pod change. Right in the midst of everything I got the sound of a communication error. Seeing AI told me I could hit the retry button, but it doesn't tell me which one of the three soft keys is the retry button. I took a deep breath, grit my teeth and tried key one. Nope! Then I tried key three. Fortunately it worked. 
So given all the little mysteries and nerve-racking moments, I can change my pod, give three types of boluses: correction, matching carbs, or just a straight manual insulin bolus. I can set temporary basals, suspend the pump, change batteries. The most exciting part is that with Seeing AI, I can read how much insulin on board I have, when my last bolus was, when my pod expires, double-check amounts I'm entering and confirm when or if the pump has timed out. I cannot change basal rates yet but one could have multiple basal profiles set up with help and switch between them. But most of the things in the settings I would get help doing.
Compared with the Animas, yes you have the touch bolus button on the side. But none of the remaining pumps have that. I could change the cartridge and batteries. I had more trouble entering carbs and correction boluses because the buttons were jumpy and somewhat unreliable. I was not terribly successful with Seeing Ai on that pump. With my beloved and long gone Cozmo, I couldn't read its screen with any phone app at all. But it had the coolest computer program where I could control absolutely every setting and then just send it to the pump. I got such a kick out of changing my insulin to carb ratio when I needed to do that. 
Now as for the Tandem, definitely not accessible to us at all. Yes, it has the bolus button on the side, but wait! There's more. You have to unlock the pump first and that is quite problematic. The people at the company are really nice. I spent a lot of time and Peter and I borrowed one to see if there was any way we could make templates that would guide us, like some people did with the iPhones. But the screens were not alike at all in terms of number of items because sometimes, they pop up with just a question. No matter how hard I tried, no way could I change a cartridge alone. That's a huge deal breaker for me. There was also no way we could respond to any alerts or alarms because the okay button wasn't even in the same place everywhere. No way can we do a temp basal or any sort of complex bolus. It's a cute little pump and were I sighted I may have gotten it a couple of years ago. But even trying to use something like Seeing AI, it doesn't take much of a touch to the screen to make something happen and it would be all over for us.
As of this moment, that unlocking feature that all of the pumps are employing is a real show stopper. It's extremely scary and maddening. 
Sor for right now, for me, as aware as I am of the high drama surrounding my attempts with the OmniPod, I actually have more functionality than I did with the Animas and I'll keep at it till I get another idea. <grin> But no matter what I've seen or what I say, it's always worth meeting with a trainer from any pump company and playing with any pump so that you can decide what you are or are not comfortable doing. I am continuing to remind myself that even down the road if I decide I'm tired of this much risk, you know, sighted people try pumps and give up on them too. Different reasons, of course. But all we can do is the best we can do and in the end, it's such an individual decision. After being diagnosed with type one, I lived for three years on MDI and my numbers were horrible. I was so miserable that I guess for now, I'm more scared of that misery than I am of screwing up on an inaccessible pump. And hey, I've lasted six weeks so far. And I survived my first crisis week end. Even though my hubby hasn't been hanging around when I change pods for awhile now, something about handling a surprise change in an unfamiliar house while he was in the hospital, well, I was nervous but I did get it done. But boy it would be cool if there was speech in this remote. I'd still struggle with the tape though. <grin> Anyway, please let me know if I can be of any help and boy, we'll keep at it.
Veronica

"Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
To learn more, visit:
http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
                Veronica Elsea, Owner
Laurel Creek Music Designs
Santa Cruz, California
Phone: 831-429-6407

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2018 7:52 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
Cc: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Eileen,

Yes, I'm a bit nervous as my time approaches to learn a new pump. I share news and info with my nurse educator as I learn it, and I've explained the concern with the pumps currently available, but she is optimistic something will work. I think, sometimes, I may make things look "easy," so, people think I can literally make anything work for me, but obviously, there has to be some level of accessibility we can fiddle with. I'm encouraged by Veronica's success with the Omnipod, but I also do not have a sighted person who can help with initial training. And yes, I also would not want to wear a small bump. Oh, the problems us ladies face, grin.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Eileen Scrivani via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 7:10 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Eileen Scrivani <etscrivani at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Hi Bridgit,

Yes I know. I have, for the most part, really liked my Minimedtronics Paradign pump even though it lacks an accessibility feature. I have been able to give myself bolis dosages of insulin and get audible feedback with beeps and confirmation beeps, an escape/cancelation button that has a 3 beep tone, and enough sound effects and beeping when I need to fill a new reservoir and reset the pump with a new infusion set independently and without sighted assistance. I am hoping that come the end of the year there will be some model or other that Medtronics can hook me up with.

I know Veronica has found the Omni Pod to be okay, but that was with a sighted spouse to help through the initial learning curve for that specific pump. So far as I am aware, the company that makes the Omni Pod doesn’t offer any type of training or a rep to give a demo of it. So once you get that free sample you’re pretty much on your own in getting it up and running. I’d like to be proven wrong, but am doubtful. As I also remember, the Omni Pod had a rather large semi oval or egg shape to it. I am not the type who would want to wear a large bump either on my arm or abdominal area. With my current pump I can just keep it in a pocket or a little holder around my waist which I find more comfortable and less conspicuous. 

Eileen

From: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Diabetes-Talk 
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 7:18 PM
To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' 
Cc: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter 
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Eileen,

Us Animas users are also in a quandry too as the Animas is discontinued now too. This will be the second pump in 15 years that I've been on that has become discontinued. But as tech develops, accessibility is still not even a part of the discussion, making most pumps currently available very difficult, even more so, for blind users.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Eileen Scrivani via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 3:51 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Eileen Scrivani <etscrivani at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Hi Shawn,

>From what I know of the Tandem Slim, it uses a touch screen and isn’t accessible to a totally blind person. However, if you don’t mind taking the time, I would meet with the rep from Tandem and let them see first hand that they are loosing out on a sale by not haveing accessibility built into their insulin pump. Especially if your CDE wants you to meet with them and they are willing and able to come and show you so you can have some hands-on time with it. It is good just to see for yourself how other pumps operate and that will eventual help you to make a better informed decision about which is best for you and your level of vision or lack there of.

Next March my Medtronics pump will be out of its warrantee and from what others have said about other Medtronics models I don’t know what I’ll do. I never, never want to go back onto daily injections of insulin! I figure by late year end I will start making calls and asking for demos of whatever pumps are left on the market.

Good luck.

Eileen

From: Shawn Mayo via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, June 8, 2018 2:29 PM
To: Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Shawn Mayo
Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Tandem slim X2 insulin pump

Hi,

My diabetic educator just called me and wants me to meet with the rep for the Tandem slim X2 insulin pump because she said it uses sounds for giving boluses.  I know that there is not a great accessible pump currently as an option, and I wonder if this is the one that has a touch screen an can't be turned on in an accessible manner.  Does anyone know anything about this one? I am just starting to look at pumps and educating the rep and my doctor about the accessability problem. I told them about the Omni pod and that I want to look at that one, too. I currently do not have a CGM, but will probably be going to the Dexcom G6 when it comes out towards the end of the month.

Thanks for any feedback.

Shawn

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