Day 1

I work in an IT dept and I much prefer Android to Apple.

Problem 1 – The app requires an Apple phone, a Mac and an Apple developer account. I was very lucky here, I swapped my work Android for a newish iPhone. We also have a business app that required a Mac and a developer account so I was able to use these to compile and deploy the app.

Following the instructions on the Loop docs page (https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs/) I was able to download, compile and run the app on my work phone. The app looked sparse to begin with but i was so excited as the first step was done and looked to be working.

I spend a couple of hours going through every setting in the app, configuring my basal rate, ISF, etc etc.

The Pod I was wearing expired today so I sat on my sofa and thought it’s now or never. So I changed from my PDM to the phone app. It worked perfectly, i connected the phone to the RileyLink and the RileyLink saw the pod and primed it. The nerves were high at this point. I stuck the pod on and the canular inserted.

I stared at the app for hours wondering if was doing anything, I could hear the pod ticking so I knew insulin was going in.

Mistake 1 – With the PDM I was used to adding the carbs for a meal clicking ok and the pump then putting in the insulin for that. With the app they are separate, I put the carbs in that it was eating and assumed the corresponding insulin would be inputted. It wasn’t, I went high, very high. I correctly through the app when I realised this and life was ok again.

This was my first day with the app so I hadnt connected up the CGM, the app is pretty dumb without the CGM data. I was trying to edge in slowly to looping, i went went too slow.