Hi friends!
Just got hooked up to the Tandem Tslim x2 today. Wow, what a barrage of information. I thought I asked all the important things but apparently I forgot to ask about how to shower. She did tell me I can unhook the tubing (I have the autosoft 90 infusion set) but I dont know whether to just leave the adhesive/cannula area alone or am I supposed to cover it? Are the little blue things that come in a tiny bag in the autosoft boxes covers of some sort? I need help! Lol
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Iām not on T-Slim anymore so I wonāt answer your question but if you donāt get any responses before youāre ready to take a shower you can always call Tandemās tech support - they should be open 24/7.
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Thank you! I appreciate that.
@HisWifeTheirMama You can unclip it from the base of the set not from the twist lock close to the pump. No need to cover it. 
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Ditto what @joe said. Will add two things-
- there have been discussions about whether or not to bolus before you shower. If you donāt notice a substantial rise in BG you prob donāt have to worry about it.
- be careful with tandem sites around water- Iāve accidentally rubbed multiple sites off while drying off after a shower. Tandemās sites arenāt exactly the stickiest thing when it comes to water. Iād recommend using skin tac or getting a package of patches off of Amazon that are made for libre cgms. You can stretch them slightly to fit perfectly over autosoft 90 sites and they help to keep pump sites on when youāre swimming/showering/sweating a lot.
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I find Simpatches are great at keeping my devices in place. They make them for different devices and cons in a variety of colorsš.
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Thanks for the feedback to both of you!
Are these little blue things in this package covers for the cannula once I remove the tubing? Im trying to figure it out and a quick Google search didnt really provide me with much in the way of help.
@HisWifeTheirMama They are. They cover the set. I donāt typically use them. I might use them if I was going for a swim in a muddy pond, but other than that I donāt use them. The clip covers the tiny hole in the set where insulin is pumped. Itās built exactly like the tubing clip but the end is welded shut. In my opinion and over 25 years of using infusion sets, itās not necessary and I only put them in if I am going to do something extremely āunsanitaryā. Of course you can use them if you want to.
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Really good to know. I guess I was worried about infection and such, and being that this is all so new, I wanted to confirm if it was a legitimate concern or not. I dont know if its the same, but my dad has a temp dialysys port on his chest that his doctors said he cant get water in or he could die from a terrible infection. So, I guess that sort of put the fear into me of, could the same thing happen?
Thanks again everyone!
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I didnāt put up my insertion site when for showering. Although diabetes can make a perfusion more prone to infection Iāve never had a problem, and unless I was going to be getting into much, murky water such as @joe described I didnāt worry about it.
Iām not a medical expert but I imagine if an infection did develop at an infusion site one would have localized redness and inflammation that could be treated fairly easily. Know your body and take the precautions that make you feel safe.
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Hi, I was told that when I shower to stop insulin delivery before unhooking so it doesnāt mess up the IOB amount. Then resume once youāre hooked back up. I also never cover the cannula area, never had an issue with it uncovered.
Those little clips go right where the pump hookup goes. So you unclip the pump tubing and replace it with the little clip. Itās not strictly necessary, but thereās a small chance that a small drop of water could get in to the end of the canula, which could slightly mess up insulin delivery calculations. Iāve never had a problem when I forgot to clip it in.
You should stop delivery on the pump. Otherwise it will waste insulin and wrongly believe that insulin is in your body.
Otherwise, just try not to rub the canula too much. Itās almost always fine, but I have had to replace a couple of them over the last few years because they fell off.
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With I shower. I just disconnect the tube. Donāt use the little plug or stop the pump. This is what works for me.
Just for information
Hey!
When taking a shower I usually just unhook the tubing and leave the adhesive/cannula area during the shower. As someone else mentioned I usually only use the blue plugs when going into lakes or the ocean as sand and stuff of that sort can plug up the area!
At the risk of being dinged by the moderators for going off topicš¤Ŗ - if you take off your pump while showering itās a good time to plug it in. Tandem recommends plugging it in for 10-15 minutes each day or until itās fully charged, And BTW, you can use a wall outlet, portable battery, or even your car charger!
so that will add some Juice to your battery.
Iām gonna add a mention of my favorite item for keeping the infusion sets and the Dexcom sensors from falling off. Iāve used IV Prep pads for years. Itās a essentially an alcohol pad, but thereās a tiny amount of adhesive on the pad, and itās enough to keep the thing attached quite well. Just apply it, wait for a few seconds to get sticky, then apply your set and sensor as usual.
āKeith
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Thanks to all who mentioned turning off insulin delivery before showering! I hadnāt thought of that, and itās a great way to keep the pump aware of how much insulin itās actually delivering. Even after years of pumping, I still get good ideas from this group!
āKeith
From the Diabetic Dictionary:
Bolus: from the Latin for ābest guess.ā
Hi Sarah, Yes, the ālittle blue thingsā are caps to put on the infusion set when you shower. They click in just like the end of the tubing does. You leave the cannula/adhesive in place and simply plug the infusion set with one of those blue caps. Nothing else should be needed. I have used the T:slim X2 for 7 years now and have never had a problem
One tip, be sure to rub around the infusion set when you put a new on one. This activates the adhesive. I use the edge of an old credit card to do this as I have found it works much better than my finger.
Donāt hesitate to ask any other questions. Weāre here to help!
Pam K.
T1D 59.8 years and counting!
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