What is Control-IQ
According to Tandem Diabetes, Control-IQ technology is an advanced hybrid closed loop system that uses an algorithm to automatically adjust insulin in response to predicted glucose levels to help increase time in range. Um, what? Let’s break that down into something we can all understand.
If you already use a CGM, then you know how great it is to always have that information at your fingertips. Now your pump can use that info too! Control-IQ is a system that will use your CGM to let your pump know where your blood sugar levels are at. With this information, your pump can decide if you might need a little extra insulin, or less insulin to keep you at a happy level.
So if it sees you are dropping a little too fast or even going low, it can stop your basal from being delivered, so you don’t have extra insulin adding to your low. Same with going up, which is fantastic for those who like me, wake up with that morning high. It will give you small doses or slightly raise your basal levels to try and bring you back down.
How To Start
Control-IQ is used with the Tandem T-Slim pump and Dexcom. If you already have the T-Slim, you will most likely need to do a system update first. This will require a computer and doctor approval. Just go to Tandem’s website, sign in, and it will ask you to fill in your doctor’s information. Once they approve it, you have to do the training course, which is about 2 hours. It breaks everything down and walks you through what the screens will look like after the update, how to change some settings, and keep everything working! There are definitely some new screens, so pay more attention than I did!
Once you finish, it will walk you through how to do the update. Basically you will just need to connect your pump to the computer using the same cord you charge it with, and start the update. It doesn’t take long, but it does have to be empty, and you will have to take the cartridge out. So I did it on a night I needed to refill it anyway, and right before I got in the shower. By the time I got out of the shower, it was done with the update, and I was able to put in a new cartridge like normal!
Life with Control-IQ
I have been using Control-IQ for about a year, and honestly I love it! It has kept me in range so much more than I could have done on my own. I almost always used to wake up high, and now it is rare to wake up high. It’s a regular occurrence to be going about my day, not paying attention, and when I look at the screen I can see how many times I would have had a low or high. But the pump did its thing, and I didn’t have to pause everything to stuff my face with low snacks or take an extra bolus!
It does get a little frustrating, because I would sometimes let myself get a little low, so I could eat a treat (I know, not the best), but it would stop the low from happening! But that is really the only negative I generally have!
A plus is, if you don’t end up liking the way it works, you can easily just turn it off and have your pump back to just a pump. The update has some more cool new features that you might really like. There is an exercise and sleep setting. We all know our body will react differently during these times, and the pump can respond better with these settings. You can also now lock your screen with a pin. So if the basic 1-2-3 pin doesn’t sit well with you, you can create your own.
Overall, I think it’s a fantastic technology, and helps me feel a little more in control even on the bad days. Which, short of getting a new pancreas, is all I really want from my devices.
Alexa Sineni
I have always been the type who does all her research before making any decisions in life, and that didn’t stop when I was diagnosed. I love to learn everything I can, then share it all!
