Skip to content

Commit

Permalink
Create Usability-considerations.md
Browse files Browse the repository at this point in the history
Making notes on some usability questions that have been asked many times. Looking for more input on this over time from existing loopers.
  • Loading branch information
danamlewis committed May 11, 2016
1 parent 51da131 commit b28691a
Showing 1 changed file with 16 additions and 0 deletions.
16 changes: 16 additions & 0 deletions docs/docs/walkthrough/phase-6/Usability-considerations.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
#Usability Considerations

Now that you've closed the loop, you probably have a lot of new "first" experiences to deal with. Like much of this looping experience, you'll figure it out as you go along, and figure out what's right for you. But here are some ideas or tips to consider:

* **What do you do with the loop when you shower?**
<br>Because the pumps aren't really waterproof, most of us choose to suspend and disconnect our pumps before we shower. You'll do the same thing even after you're looping. One trick, though, is to cancel any running temp basal rate and set a temp basal for 30 minutes with a rate of 0.0, and then suspend the pump. This will help OpenAPS accurately track your netIOB while you are off your pump. When you get out of the shower and are ready to reconnect your pump, do so. Make sure to unsuspend it. You can then either manually cancel the zero temp basal; or let OpenAPS read and decide what temp basal to issue next.

* **What do you do when you exercise?**
<br>This varies from person to person, and depends on the type and length of activity. Here's a few tidbits from [Dana](http://twitter.com/danamlewis) on how she does various activities. (Other loopers, PR into this page with your additional tips and how-to's.)<br>
* **Hiking** - Definitely take the loop with! Think about setting a temporary target (you can enter it in Nightscout if you have connectivity) higher for the duration of the exercise. If you're offline, just change your targets in your pump. The loop will read the adjusted targets and begin looping toward that target. When you're done with the activity, change your targets back. In this scenario, I might change my loop target from 100 (normal day or nightime) to 130 or 140 as a target.
* **Swimming, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, etc. (water sports)** - You can't loop while you're in the water, because the pump is not waterproof. (Unless you're sitting in a hot tub and have your pump safely above water, along with your CGM sensor being above water so it can transmit to the receiver, which is also not waterproof.) You can try having your sensor on your arm and keeping it above water so it can read every now and then if the receiver is in range. That being said, again, pump is NOT waterproof so you'll need to apply shower methodology (temp to zero, suspend, take pump off) to best track your netIOB. Some people observe having the CGM, once it gets back into range and reads data after the sensor has been submerged, read falsely high. It's not a big deal for the loop (because it's looking at trends, and doses using temp basals in a conservative way), but you'll likely want to fingerstick and/or wait a while before you'll be really happy with your CGM results again.

* **Running** - If it is a short run, (<30 minutes), I may not take the loop with me because any adjustments it would make are going to impact me after the run is done. For longer runs, I often now take my small, Edison based rig which can slip into the pocket of my hand-held running drink bottle that holds Gatorade. Before any length run, I try to make sure I don't have much positive netIOB on board (that's the biggest key to success). I also turn on activity mode (essentially a temp target of 120-140 or changing my pump targets to 120-140) an hour or so before a run and during the run; especially if I am carrying the loop during the run.

For any exercise or activity or time period, if you do not choose to take your loop (or if you forget it), the loop will pick up again once you get back into range and resume. (This is why it's important to temp then suspend so it can track the amount of insulin you haven't been getting.)

0 comments on commit b28691a

Please sign in to comment.