iLet App 4+

Trying it’s hardest.

Hello!!! I’m a pretty young diabetic. I’ve been using the I-Let since october. This has helped SO MUCH. I have been very stressed because of my diabetes, causing my mental health to deteriorate. With the I-Let? I have felt better then ever.

All I have to say is, it’s very easy to rip out. I ripped it out at school, whole day I was high and my ketones rose to 1.6. I wish there was more measures to keep this from happening. Through out the whole time i’ve used it, it’s ripped out 6 times.

Not ready for prime time.

The iLet decides when to give insulin based upon your meal announcements and what it has learned about your habits. In theory, you never have to count carbs or worry about how much insulin to give.

The corollary is that you can’t make any decisions. You can’t decide you need more, or less, insulin. There is no way to make this machine work as a standard insulin pump.

After following the instructions, I found the iLet simply wasn’t doing the job. There were many nights when my blood sugar sat above 300 for hours. But you can’t argue with the iLet - if it “thinks” you have enough insulin, you’re expected to simply wait until your body agrees.

Betabionics doesn’t have a backup plan for what to do if this machine doesn’t work for you. At first they told me to wait and be patient while my glucose levels were dangerously high. Allow the iLet to learn. I’ve had Type-1 diabetes for more than 40 years, and have never been under such poor control as with the iLet.

If pressed enough they’ll advise that you unhook the pump for a while and use syringes or to change your infusion set. But ultimately if the iLet doesn’t work for you, you’re out of luck.

I wanted the iLet to work. I like the concept. But it’s just not ready. It now sits in my desk drawer, unusable. For anyone considering purchasing an iLet, consider a Tandem or Medtronic or Omnipod instead - something with a track record.

Developer Response ,

Hello,
The iLet is designed to learn each individual user and makes 100% of the dosing decisions so the user doesn’t have to. When following training guidelines, the iLet algorithms will learn to react over time to the user’s highs and lows, based on meal announcements and glucose levels. Because the iLet works so differently from other systems, training from a certified iLet trainer is important so that the user know how best to help the iLet learn their insulin needs. Please give us a call at 1-855-745-3800 and we can help with questions or troubleshooting with the iLet.

Easy to configure and pair with iPhone

I just got the iLet and set up training, thankfully over Zoom so it's only a little over a week away. The trainer called to set the appointment up and to let me know to unbox the device, charge it, download and install the app, and update the firmware. The update gave it Dexcom G7 support, BTW.

This all just plain worked worked, and having the Qi charger is SO much better than struggling at night with my previous Tandem pumps outdated micro-USB plug that never wanted to fit when I had my glasses off!

It might be nice if this app came with Apple Watch support, maybe to add meal info. I already get my blood sugar levels on the Dexcom Apple Watch app.

My only criticism is that the text on the screen is pretty dim. I found that you can rather wake up button twice (if it's locked you see three .gt signs showing brightness on the unlock slider) to make it a little brighter, but it's still dim. But it seems to look brighter when you have another light source angled on it. I could not find a way just to set an acceptable brightness setting without an external light source.
After training I'll update or post a review about the actual results of using the pump. Of course, only after properly following the pumps learning process.
A friend of mines daughter has been using hers for a month or two now, and he said in a few weeks it made a world of difference for her. And it's still learning.

Someone criticized the infusion set, saying it got yanked out. Hey, that's not the apps fault, and it happens. The Accusoft infusion sets I used with the Tandem got yanked out if I bumped into something the wrong way, and just plain fell off in hot and humid weather unless I added an extra adhesive around it. So did my CGM.