u/drown_soda

I've read that there is a connection between illness and/or physical trauma potentially triggering T1 diabetes in people who are genetically predisposed, and I 100% believe this to be the case for me. I am wondering if anyone else here has had a similar experience where they can track their diagnosis to a prior medical event that seemingly led to the autoimmune dysfunction that causes T1 diabetes.

I was diagnosed at around 22 after having gone through a thyroidectomy and major neck dissection to remove my thyroid and hundreds of lymph nodes (I had papillary thyroid cancer). My T1 diagnosis came approximately a year after that surgery. My maternal grandfather was also a T1 diabetic, and my mom always said that he was diagnosed after having had a really bad viral infection that almost killed him as a child. It was always his understanding that that illness likely triggered it for him.

Hey all, I have been using my tslim x:2 for a couple of weeks now and it has been amazing (I am waking up to BG readings of 80–100, which has been unfathomable to me for the past few years while doing MDI). I came across several posts about this but still don't have a full understanding based on the answers I saw, so I am asking again here.

I have noticed that with the insulin cartridges I've filled thus far, my pump is almost never recognizing the amount I have injected into the cartridge. I know there is a calibration period after filling/installing a new cartridge, but, for example, this evening I filled a cartridge with a full syringe of 300 units of insulin (same as my pump trainer did during the setup and advised me to do). I removed some air from the cartridge before emptying the syringe into it with no apparent issues. After installing the cartridge, my pump indicated an amount of 240+, which obviously made sense. Four hours later, it is now reading 180+.

I realize that "180+" doesn't necessarily mean there is 180 units in there—it suggests there's just more than 180—but seeing a drop like that is alarming to me as I begin to worry about whether or not the pump has somehow dispensed 60+ units of insulin since I've installed the cartridge. Obviously I would be aware if that were the case because I'd be facing an extremely dangerous hypo (which I'm not), but as someone who has a significant fear of hypos and overdosing myself with insulin, I am always on high alert about stuff like this.

I suppose my question is, where is this insulin going—and am I doing something wrong when filling the cartridge? Or is it simply that the pump is not giving an accurate read on what's in the reservoir? I know that some insulin is lost when you fill the tubing (it's tended to be around 10–15 units for me so far each time), but that still doesn't account for a disparity of up to 120 units.

Any input on this would be helpful and give me some peace of mind. I am genuinely confused by this.

I have been using a Tslim x:2 for a little over a week, and am wondering what the correct process is when starting a new infusion site with an existing cartridge (I am finding that I still have a significant amount of insulin left in my cartridge prior to the 3-4 day recommended replacement of the infusion site).

I know that when installing a new cartridge, you must prime the pump/fill tubing to work out any air bubbles, but I am wondering if this process is necessary when switching out just an infusion site/cannula with an existing cartridge—do I need to repeat the same process?

I know there is a "fill canula" option and have read that this is the correct function, but when I did this, it did not appear to pump nearly enough insulin to travel through the 23" tubing and reach the end of the needle. Wouldn't this mean there is still air in the tubing attached to my new infusion set? Is using the "fill tubing" function when changing a cannula/infusion site harmful in any way, other than wasting a bit of insulin?