[Diabetes-Talk] Fwd: Tandem pump and new mobile app

Thu Oct 1 23:32:43 UTC 2020

Patricia-I just received your voice mail that you had called and I would love to talk to you as well . I’m on the east coast, so I will try to call you this weekend on your time zone. I’m delighted to try to help and share my experience. Melanie

Sent from Melanie's i phone

> On Oct 1, 2020, at 7:18 PM, Melanie Torrance via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Patricia-I tried that prefilling technique for a while, but the Tandem nurse educator said not to do that, because the cartridges are pressurized and can leak out if you fill them ahead of time. This is what happened to me. I do have some vision, am using the pump and find it much easier to use than the Medtronic pump because the screen has higher contrast and with the apps I can manage pretty well with it. 
> Melanie
> 
> Sent from Melanie's i phone
> 
>> On Oct 1, 2020, at 6:19 PM, Patricia Maddix via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> I read on many other sites that even sighted people complain about the difficulty of filling the tandem cartridges. Hopefully the company is or will work on this. It would be great if you could get assorted sizes pre-filled. I did see a tip on another site where a gentleman said he fills several cartridges and then just keeps them in the refrigerator so that on the day he hast to change his site he just pops everything together and inserts the new infusion set.  I do have a spouse in the household so I am hoping that with minimal assistance this might become workable sooner rather than later. Complete accessibility would be farther down the road.
>> Patricia
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>>> On Oct 1, 2020, at 1:52 PM, Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Using an app with voiceover is not super different than using visually, for the most part. Many gestures are the same. One of the biggest differences though is that you can swipe around the screen without enacting a function; once you find what you want-- button, edit field, particular key, etc.-- you double tap to actualy activate. If the double tap gesture doesn't activate a feature even if voiceover is reading it, it means the app is not accessible.
>>> 
>>> Hope this helps.
>>> 
>>> Bridgit
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Melanie Torrance via Diabetes-Talk
>>> Sent: Thursday, October 1, 2020 3:43 PM
>>> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Melanie Torrance <melanietorrance at icloud.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Fwd: Tandem pump and new mobile app
>>> 
>>> Yes Veronica-You are absolutely right! I am using the tandem pump right now. I still have some vision and can operate the pump ok, but changing the cartridge is a nightmare! I have to have assistance with that. I am using the T-connect app and I can see my pump information better on the app than I can on the pump because it is displayed larger than even the Dexcom app. 
>>> I do not use VoiceOver however. If someone who uses Voiceover could call me, and walk me thru the gestures I need to use, we could test the accessibility of the app. 
>>> But the bottom line is still dependent on making the entire experience of using the pump more accessible and right now, the Tandem pump just is not.
>>> My phone number is (803) 908-6656 if anyone wants to call me to “experiment” with the app and VoiceOver.
>>> Melanie
>>> 
>>> Sent from Melanie's i phone
>>> 
>>>>> On Oct 1, 2020, at 4:15 PM, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> The thing is, until we can do all pump functions, such as changing the cartridge with the mobile app, we cannot use this pump independently. I will also follow up on the links in this message because the problem we've had with every company, especially Medtronic is that they tend to think that if we can deliver a bolus, we're covered. This is a very important basic concept that we must get changed. They seem to think we all have care givers to change cartridges and set up, or God forbid, change our bolus settings, or hey, travel to a different time zone. I'd sure like it if Tandem got this done though. Other than changing the cartridge being a really time consuming fiddly sort of process, it's a great pump.
>>>> 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 Patricia Maddix via Diabetes-Talk
>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2020 11:40 AM
>>>> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>> Cc: Patricia Maddix
>>>> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Fwd: Tandem pump and new mobile app
>>>> 
>>>> Yesterday I downloaded the T Connect App which goes along with the newest tandem insulin pump and is supposed to show all of the same information that is on the pump screen. The download process was almost entirely accessible although there was one button that would not work with voice over that I had to get assistance from a sighted person. The rest of the set up process was accessible However, all you can do is set up your account and get access to tutorials and other information. To go to the next step to see if the app itself will be accessible you have to connect it to an actual insulin pump via Bluetooth.
>>>> In the app however I located email and phone number and name of the media contact person and wrote him an email with my concerns about Accessibility of the app and the pump going forward for people who are visually impaired. He responded promptly this morning. See below. Patricia Maddix
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>> 
>>>>> From: Steve Sabicer <ssabicer at thesabicergroup.com>
>>>>> Date: October 1, 2020 at 9:55:10 AM PDT
>>>>> To: Patricia Maddix <pmaddix at comcast.net>
>>>>> Subject: Re:  Tandem pump and new mobile app
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Patricia,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks so much for your email. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Tandem Diabetes Care is actively working to incorporate more mobile phone functionality into the t:slim Control-IQ platform. Future updates of the mobile application are planned to include mobile bolus delivery, additional pump control features, integration of third-party health-related information and support future capabilities for Tandem products under development. However, due to COVID-19, the regulatory timeline has been delayed. 
>>>>> 
>>>>> I can't promise you when these capabilities will be available, but I encourage you to listen to the company's quarterly earnings calls, which are open to the public, and to visit the website at: https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/about-us/pipeline. The company will update timelines periodically as new information becomes available.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Best of luck, and thank you for your email.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Steve Sabicer
>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Wed, Sep 30, 2020 at 2:53 PM Patricia Maddix <pmaddix at comcast.net> wrote:
>>>>>>> Steve,
>>>>>>> I found your name as the media contact person for Tandem Diabetes. I have seen some information in the media and in diabetes social media regarding the new T Connect app and the pump. Is it true that the intent of the company is to eventually make it possible to control the pump by using the app? The reason I ask is that I am severely visually impaired and many apps on my iPhone utilize the built-in screen reader Called voiceover. The Dexcom app is a fully accessible app that allows me to maneuver all the features of the app and even ask Siri to tell me what my blood glucose level is. My hope is that the current T Connect app will be accessible in the same way and that eventually the app will be able to control the pump and would therefore allow me to independently use the features.  my current Medtronic pump Is out of warranty and when it finally fails my only option will be to go back to multiple daily injections of insulin which does not do a good job at controlling my brittle diabetes.  I got my first insulin pump in 1997 and they have been  true lifesavers at allowing me to successfully control my blood glucose. I am desperately hoping that in the near future the tandem pump would have features that would allow me to use most of the Controls. Right now if I were to get one I would require my husband to become a caregiver and this would take away my independence.
>>>>>>> Any information that you have as to what the near future holds would be much appreciated and if you could pass along my concerns to developers that would be great.
>>>>>>> Patricia Maddix
>>>>>>> 360-944-2051
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> Steve Sabicer
>>>>> SocentPR
>>>>> mobile: +1-714-907-6264
>>>>> steve at socentpr.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> www.socentpr.com
>>>>> Twitter @SocEntPR
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>>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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