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Any general advice on HCL models?

H

Hitch52

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hello,

I’ve just joined as I appear finally to be on a list to get a HCL.

Is there a stand out best option?

These are the choices I’ve been given:

Tandem t:slim

Medtronic Minimed

MyLife Ypsomed

Omnipod

I’m drawn to the Omnipod as its wireless interface seems like a massive advantage.

It would be great to hear from anyone on this though.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Good Morning

I use Omnipod 5 and Libre 2+. It has taken the algorithm some time to learn my requirements. I started using Omnipod 5 in February and I am now finding my time in range improving. My main challenge has been maintaining line of sight between the pod and the sensor. For me the best way to do this is to have both the sensor and the pod on my arm.

Hope this is of some help
 
Everyone will probably have differing opinions, I personally am on Medtronic 780g and have no issues with it, my HbA1c is the best it has ever been with the HCL system, it does take time for it to learn you and it’s always learning in the background. I suppose one of the biggest questions is do you want an insulin pump that you absolutely cannot remove for 3 days (omnipod) or something that is tubed but you can remove if needed. That was the biggest thing for me in choosing what I wanted.
 
@Hitch52

They are all pretty similar and do the same job, there's slight nuances between all, tubed or pod being the main one.

Do your research on youtube and instagram - look at how others use the systems that will give you a good idea how they look and they can be worn and where.
 
Good advice from all. Research is definitely important, what works for one might not for another. I'm on the tslim and I actually love its algorithm. My best friend is on Medtronic and I know 100% its ' learning ' wouldn't work for me. I live a very erratic life, hard physical work/sedate days, whatever life throws at me, so no pattern to my life. For that reason I have several basals set up, some with double the insulin at certain times of days to others. I don't believe many other pumps have basals still. That said, ive pumped for almost 20 years so I am used to setting my own basals and people new to pumping may prefer not to set basals.
Tubing has never bothered me so I never considered going tubeless.
Whichever pump you choose I am sure you will both love, and wish there were a few things you could tweak but on the whole they are all amazing bits of tech that keep us all happy and healthier. Good luck.
 
h884 said:
Good Morning

I use Omnipod 5 and Libre 2+. It has taken the algorithm some time to learn my requirements. I started using Omnipod 5 in February and I am now finding my time in range improving. My main challenge has been maintaining line of sight between the pod and the sensor. For me the best way to do this is to have both the sensor and the pod on my arm.

Hope this is of some help
Click to expand...

Thank you! Is it a hassle to change the pod?
 
Nicola M said:
Everyone will probably have differing opinions, I personally am on Medtronic 780g and have no issues with it, my HbA1c is the best it has ever been with the HCL system, it does take time for it to learn you and it’s always learning in the background. I suppose one of the biggest questions is do you want an insulin pump that you absolutely cannot remove for 3 days (omnipod) or something that is tubed but you can remove if needed. That was the biggest thing for me in choosing what I wanted.
Click to expand...

That’s very helpful. With the tubing I suppose I’m worried about it being on display and also catching it on something?!
 
sninge said:
Good advice from all. Research is definitely important, what works for one might not for another. I'm on the tslim and I actually love its algorithm. My best friend is on Medtronic and I know 100% its ' learning ' wouldn't work for me. I live a very erratic life, hard physical work/sedate days, whatever life throws at me, so no pattern to my life. For that reason I have several basals set up, some with double the insulin at certain times of days to others. I don't believe many other pumps have basals still. That said, ive pumped for almost 20 years so I am used to setting my own basals and people new to pumping may prefer not to set basals.
Tubing has never bothered me so I never considered going tubeless.
Whichever pump you choose I am sure you will both love, and wish there were a few things you could tweak but on the whole they are all amazing bits of tech that keep us all happy and healthier. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thank you; that’s good advice. If you choose one brand are you then stuck with it?
 
Hitch52 said:
That’s very helpful. With the tubing I suppose I’m worried about it being on display and also catching it on something?!
Click to expand...
Honestly, in the 10 years that I've been pumping, I can probably count on one hand how many times I've caught my tubing and pulled it out and even if you do it's super quick and easy to pop a new one in. I usually have my tubing tucked under my shirt, sometimes it will be poking out where it can be seen and I suppose having been using it for 10 years I'm at a point where I'm not overly bothered, it's keeping me alive and sometimes it's a good conversation starter if someone happens to see it and is curious! :)
 
Yes you are stuck with it once you have it - you can only change when the warranty runs out which is around 3-4 years. I use the t-slim have tubing and have only caught it once tearing it out in 4 years, I wear it in a pump belt so tubing get's tucked away, personally I don't have any issue with tubing but also couldn't use a pod as I believe I would suffer an allergic reaction to the adhesive as have sensitive skin. Pod or tubing requires a change over every 2-3 days, can take 5-10 mins to do the change, also have to charge the t slim battery around twice a week. You do forget you're wearing it most of the time after a few months, and any system you use will take a couple of months to settle in, don't expect magic results straight away, have to deal with the pain first.
 
I didn’t want to be bothered with tubing as I am pretty certain I would have ripped it out, in much the same way as I was forever knocking my Freestyle Libre off my arm. Clumsy! I’m very happy with the Omnipod [emoji6] and Dexcom and have only once managed to dislodge the Omnipod in [emoji6] months. I wear both on my legs and stomach.
 
Thanks for those replies.

I’ve opted for the Omnipod and am looking forward to getting going.

Do people use additional tape to keep stuff fixed or does the pod itself work okay?
 
Hitch52 said:
Thanks for those replies.

I’ve opted for the Omnipod and am looking forward to getting going.

Do people use additional tape to keep stuff fixed or does the pod itself work okay?
Click to expand...
Hi Hitch52

I am an Omnipod 5 user. I have not needed to use any additional tape. I use skin tac to keep my Libre 2+ attached. I did use skin tac to fix Omnipod but found it made changing the pod after 3 days challenging.

Good luck with Omnipod when you get started
 
h884 said:
Hi Hitch52

I am an Omnipod 5 user. I have not needed to use any additional tape. I use skin tac to keep my Libre 2+ attached. I did use skin tac to fix Omnipod but found it made changing the pod after 3 days challenging.

Good luck with Omnipod when you get started
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
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