I recently wrote two blogposts (here and here) about false occlusion alarms on my Tandem t:slim X2 pump. I was not shy about sharing my frustrations and I want to update my story with the fingers-crossed!!! resolution of my problem.

I have always had good customer service from Tandem. Despite the long wait times on hold reported by some people on Facebook, I have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. I have never yelled, cried, or been rude to Tandem tech reps, but lately I have worried that they might start to label me as a “customer from h*ll” as I repeatedly called to report more occlusion alarms.

The problem with false occlusion alarms is that when the pump is not shrieking about the stoppage of insulin, it works fine. Thus my pump passed all the tests that that Tandem support had me go through and in the end the in-house reps did not have the authority to authorize a replacement pump. The issue was referred to my local trainer. 

When my first X2 had weekly occlusion alarms for many months, I met with this trainer to review my technique on reservoir fills and infusion sets. We have a good relationship and when she heard that I had experienced 5 occlusion alarms in 9 days, she arranged for an immediate X2 replacement. The new pump arrived within 24 hours and I have been happily carrying the case-less pump in my pocket. So far there have been no occlusion alarms and I am cautiously optimistic that my problem is solved.

Although I am happy with the new pump, I don’t seem to be able to stay away from Velcro. Maybe it is an addiction…. Or maybe it is just the inability to accept diabetes tech when it doesn’t quite fit into my life. Soon I will be heading to South Carolina for a few days in the ocean and pool with grandkids and family. After that I am having hand surgery. Both occasions require a clip on the pump. 

The Tandem case with a clip would work for the surgery but not for the beach. I want a clip on my pump to attach it to the pants portion of my tankini swimsuit and the case would work for that. But when I am in the water, I want to use my Aquapac pump case (actually a Radio Microphone case) purchased many years ago as a waterproof case for my Medtronic pumps. It is an expensive and somewhat bulky solution that allows me to wear my pump strapped around my waist with guaranteed water protection. The Tandem case is too large to fit into the Aquapac. 

So I am back to a Nite ize Hip clip applied directly to my pump. Rather than using the two-sided tape that comes with the clips, I use Scotch Outdoor Mounting Tape because it is equally strong but much easier to remove. Unfortunately the Nite Ize clip is only marginally better than the Tandem clip when it comes to falling off my waistband and I applied Velcro hook pieces to both sides of the clip interior to provide some grip. People on Facebook have reported using heat shrink on the Tandem clip but I am not sure how that would work with the different design of the Nite Ize clip. And anyway, Velcro is what I know and Velcro is what I have in my junk drawer.

Today I have a new pump that seems to accept living in my pocket without a case. I have a Nite Ize clip applied directly to the pump which allows me to clip the pump to my swimsuit but is small enough to fit into various pockets and the Aquapac pump case. The clip is attached to my pump with a strong tape that is easy to remove when I decide to go clip-less or use the case instead. 

Pump. Clip. Velcro. No occlusions. That just about sums it up.