Thank you to every member of the T1D Exchange Online Community for answering the Questions of the Day, inspiring others, and sharing your expertise with this community. Here is what we learned from the 3 most popular questions of February 2022!

Do you currently use any of the following CGM systems?

Our most answered Question of the Day in February received 546 responses! We learned from this question that 77% of our community uses a Dexcom G6, while 10% use one of the Freestyle CGMs listed, and about 11% use one of the Medtronic CGMs included in the list of options.

Here are some popular comments from the community:

  • “I have only had 1 CGM, which is the Abbott 14 day Freestyle Libre. Because I am a senior, I have learned this system and have no complaints, except for the accuracy that doesn’t compare with the blood tests on meter. Which CGMs have the best accuracy?”

    • “You’ll find that with all CGM readings as the sensors read from interstitial fluid…which ‘takes time’ to get there. I.e., you’ll be seeing what your blood glucose level was some hour to an hour and a half ago, whereas fingerstick blood glucose readings give you a reading of what your blood glucose level is right at that very minute.”
    • “Dexcom G6 is the most accurate.”
    • “As far as I know, Dexcom G6 is still the only one approved for insulin dosing. To me, that means it should be the most accurate. I have had great luck with it. A couple times a year I get one that has to be calibrated. Otherwise, I just check with a meter once or twice when I start a new one.”

  • “Insurance forced me to switch from Dexcom to FSL last year. Have new insurance but have decided to stick with freestyle. I miss seeing numbers on Apple Watch but I find I’m not so OCD and don’t stack insulin and go low as much.”

 

Do you currently use any of the following insulin pumps?

The second most answered Question of the Day in February 2022 received 535 responses! The most common insulin pump used by members of our Online Community is the Tandem t:slim X2, with 42% of the responses to this question. The total percentage of people who selected that they use one of the three Medtronic pumps listed was 20%, and another 20% selected that they use one of the Omnipod pumps listed in this question.

Here are some of the top comments on this question:

  • “I switched from Medtronic to Tandem about six years ago. I loved my Medtronic pump, but I found their Continuous Glucose Monitoring system to be inaccurate. I think Medtronic would do well if they allowed Dexcom to communicate with their pump system. Otherwise, I am very satisfied with my Tandem X2/Dexcom G6 Control IQ system.”
  • “Although I answered the question as queried, my real answer is “the following insulin pump uses me.”
    The tSlim X2 uses whatever interstitial fluids it senses. It feeds that data to whatever complicated algorithm contained therein. Then it decides to up the dosage or notify me, the owner of the pump, to do something.”
  • “Counting down the day actually year that I get my hands on the Omnipod. I love the Tandem I’m just fed up with the tubing. Hopefully by the time I do switch they will have improved on the algorithms and the pump will almost mimic the pancreas. Hey there’s no harm in dreaming🤞🤞🤞”
  • “Have a Medtronic 723 Revel for a long time. It “just keeps tickin’” so I keep it. At 82, not looking forward to learning new tricks.”
  • “Currently using Minimed 770g. I paid to do the Pathway upgrade from the 670g last year. I am one of the lucky ones who have very good luck with the Guardian sensors. Generally very accurate and they last the full week.”

If you use an insulin pump, how long have you used this brand/model of pump?

The third most popular Question of the Day in February received 500 responses. We asked this question to gauge if there have been any recent years where more people upgraded pumps than other years and if people tend to upgrade their insulin pump as soon as their warranty expires, which is four years for many people in our community.

The distribution of responses was fairly similar from year to year, with between 10 and 14% of respondents selecting each year. The most frequently selected answer was “more than five years”, with 23% of respondents choosing that option.

Here are some comments that generated some conversation:

  • “I know not what kind of balefire the benefactors of brand loyalty perceive. But as a devoted brand loyalist myself, I can swear by the Medtronic pumps of 1996-2015 and the Tandem tSlim X2’s of 2016-2022.
    Oh, and I can also swear at them too. I think it’s called a love-hate relationship.”
  • “I’ve been using the Tandem, Dexcom combo for years, after starting out with Medtronic. At 82, with 68 years of “experience” with diabetes, I no longer get up every morning hoping for a cure. My insulin-dependent labradoodle and I get up in the morning, reckon with pumps and glucometers and syringes, and feel glad that we can still face our Maine winters :*)!”
  • “I had a Medtronic minimed for 10 years and then switched to the tSlim and Dexcom G6 for the closed-loop system at the recommendation of my CDE who is also a type 1 who had been on a minimed. I’m glad I made the switch I have better control now with the closed-loop system.”
  • “I started with Medtronic (Minimed) pumps in 1993, and have upgraded many times but always stayed with Medtronic. After trying their CGM capability for a while, however, I abandoned it in favor of Dexcom…As far as pumps go, as I get closer to the end of warranty on my current one I will definitely look into alternatives that are more compatible with Dexcom.”
  • “I’ve been on Tandem t:slim X2 for 5 years. I’m due for a new one in April and will replace it with the same brand. It does have some annoying alarms but it also has some features not found in any of the other pumps in the market. I found the combination of this pump and the Dexcom G6 pretty amazing.”

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