I’m not getting a t:slim

Update 1/11/2013: If you are reading this for the first time, please also read my January 11, 2013 post, in which I express a change-of-heart on many of the sentiments expressed here.

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Not going in my pocket
Images credit: Tandem Diabetes

Have you heard?  There’s a slick new gadget in town — an insulin pump called the t:slim.  It’s all the rage these days, and it seems all the cool kids are getting one.  But my thirty-eight-year old bald-headed, glasses-wearing self is anything but cool.  (Actually, glasses and insulin pumps really are cool, just not on me).  I don’t plan on getting one. In case you’ve been living under a rock lately, let me explain what the t:slim is.  It’s the newest addition to the insulin pump market.  They’ve shattered the mold when it comes to insulin pumps, and re-cast it into something sleek and shiny,resembling a touch-screen cell phone.  It’s flat and has a large, vibrant color touch-screen.  One look, and anybody would instantly be WOW’ed by it.  I sure was.

(Worth noting: I’ve never actually held, or even seen it.  I’ve read about it and looked at pictures and videos of it, but that’s all.  Allison put together a great video recap on DiabetesMine of the new pump, which was quite influential in what you’re about to read here.  So while you may think this makes my review meaningless, I like to think it is objective – and not seduced by the t:slim’s irrefutable sexiness.)

As you probably know, I’ve been using Medtronic pumps for years.  The MedT is the complete opposite of sexy.  It’s boxy, has five ginormous buttons, and a tiny lo-res black-and-white LCD display.  It resembles a pager.  Pagers were sexy in 1984, but not today.  Sadly, many sexy people also lose that appeal after twenty-eight years, but at the same time, we learn to value compatibility, intuition, and it’s-nice-having-you-around qualities over the pure carnal qualities.  I’m getting waaaay off track here, but you see where I’m going.