14 ms·

No calibration is required for Dex G6/G7. I think you can optionally calibrate the G6 but I never have nor have I ever had to. I am going to be biased: I both

by mlsu 3y ago

No calibration is required for Dex G6/G7. I think you can optionally calibrate the G6 but I never have nor have I ever had to. I am going to be biased: I both work on and use the t:slim X2. It is well worth it, especially if covered by your insurance. CIQ took me from ~70 to 85%, sometimes 90% time in range; my understanding is that it's the best closed loop algorithm out there currently. Regardless of which pump you end up on, having a closed loop system will significantly improve your control and helps you get that extra little push from the 7's into the 6's a1c range, which I'm sure you know is tricky to do manually without lows.

user_7832 3y ago
Thanks! Hearing (I'm assuming) a fellow T1 using and working on a TSlim is quite a good recommendation haha. It's good to hear that calibration isn't really required. My "concern" (or rather, apprehension) with the TSlim/G6 setup (which fortunately should be fully covered by Dutch insurance) is that I'm aware I can do a DIY loop using the omnipod dash and with a libre/g6 (using a 3rd party app like diabox & nightscout if necessary). From what I've heard TSlim does seem to be the best "official"/FDA approved loop; however AndroidAPS looks very powerful and probably has much finer tunings possible. However my diabetic nurse is strongly against the Dash/DIY setup, which is understandable (she isn't familiar with it and can't guide me, I'm also close to the 150u/3day limit, and it's my first time with a pump.) For what it's worth an A1C of even 8 would unfortunately be an improvement where I am :') so I'd rather be sure of reaching say 7 rather than try aggressively for something like 6.3 (which I had achieved in a distant era...). I think I'll try the 1 year trial option if I can, the thought of locking in a 4 year period feels quite long. If you're familiar with them, what are your opinions on diy loop setups? Do you have any other suggestions for someone in my situation? Thanks a lot!
- mlsu 3y ago
  I actually have tried the DIY loop with the older insecure Medtronic pumps that could be controlled over radio. It was openAPS. I'm not sure if there are others or how they work. It ended up being fairly inconvenient. My setup was a pi zero with a radio bonnet running on my desk; it would connect to the internet to pull CGM data, and deliver boluses accordingly. I think the main issue was that I wasn't babysitting it enough to know if it was working or not. It was hard to see/understand bolus decisions it was making unless I checked iob, and it absolutely destroyed the battery life of my pump; I used a AAA once every couple days when I was near my desk, nevermind the battery on the rig (I had it plugged into the wall). Overall, the system that you actually use the most, that is the most reliable, is the most effective system, even if it's a little bit suboptimal. In my case, CIQ is probably a bit less aggressive than the openAPS system; but importantly, it is truly "set and forget." I never have to worry if it's enabled or when, or how, it's just always working, 24/7. With a condition like ours, consistency is the best predictor of performance. That makes it the clear winner imho, unless you really like to tinker with things and you want to be very active with your loop. The other thing is that the software (openAPS) was Javascript and Bash on a Linux system. Those architecture choices just make me nervous. Too many bad things that could happen. I'm not saying it's impossible for open source software to be reliable, certainly not, but the complexity of their system was just too large of a surface area to fully test. There are extremely significant cybersecurity risks using those older pumps also. It's basically root access to the bolus button.
  - user_7832 3y ago
    Thanks, those are good points. I think with an omnipod5/libre/androidAPS setup it doesn't need more than a single android phone (as the omnipod is controlled through the phone) but what you mentioned about risks is definitely true. I remember someone talking about bluetooth vulnerabilities on the flipper zero thread possibly affecting/hacking pumps.

by mlsu 3y ago

user_7832 3y ago

Thanks! Hearing (I'm assuming) a fellow T1 using and working on a TSlim is quite a good recommendation haha. It's good to hear that calibration isn't really required. My "concern" (or rather, apprehension) with the TSlim/G6 setup (which fortunately should be fully covered by Dutch insurance) is that I'm aware I can do a DIY loop using the omnipod dash and with a libre/g6 (using a 3rd party app like diabox & nightscout if necessary). From what I've heard TSlim does seem to be the best "official"/FDA approved loop; however AndroidAPS looks very powerful and probably has much finer tunings possible. However my diabetic nurse is strongly against the Dash/DIY setup, which is understandable (she isn't familiar with it and can't guide me, I'm also close to the 150u/3day limit, and it's my first time with a pump.) For what it's worth an A1C of even 8 would unfortunately be an improvement where I am :') so I'd rather be sure of reaching say 7 rather than try aggressively for something like 6.3 (which I had achieved in a distant era...). I think I'll try the 1 year trial option if I can, the thought of locking in a 4 year period feels quite long. If you're familiar with them, what are your opinions on diy loop setups? Do you have any other suggestions for someone in my situation? Thanks a lot!

mlsu 3y ago
I actually have tried the DIY loop with the older insecure Medtronic pumps that could be controlled over radio. It was openAPS. I'm not sure if there are others or how they work. It ended up being fairly inconvenient. My setup was a pi zero with a radio bonnet running on my desk; it would connect to the internet to pull CGM data, and deliver boluses accordingly. I think the main issue was that I wasn't babysitting it enough to know if it was working or not. It was hard to see/understand bolus decisions it was making unless I checked iob, and it absolutely destroyed the battery life of my pump; I used a AAA once every couple days when I was near my desk, nevermind the battery on the rig (I had it plugged into the wall). Overall, the system that you actually use the most, that is the most reliable, is the most effective system, even if it's a little bit suboptimal. In my case, CIQ is probably a bit less aggressive than the openAPS system; but importantly, it is truly "set and forget." I never have to worry if it's enabled or when, or how, it's just always working, 24/7. With a condition like ours, consistency is the best predictor of performance. That makes it the clear winner imho, unless you really like to tinker with things and you want to be very active with your loop. The other thing is that the software (openAPS) was Javascript and Bash on a Linux system. Those architecture choices just make me nervous. Too many bad things that could happen. I'm not saying it's impossible for open source software to be reliable, certainly not, but the complexity of their system was just too large of a surface area to fully test. There are extremely significant cybersecurity risks using those older pumps also. It's basically root access to the bolus button.
- user_7832 3y ago
  Thanks, those are good points. I think with an omnipod5/libre/androidAPS setup it doesn't need more than a single android phone (as the omnipod is controlled through the phone) but what you mentioned about risks is definitely true. I remember someone talking about bluetooth vulnerabilities on the flipper zero thread possibly affecting/hacking pumps.