TuDiabetes.com, the social networking site for "People Touched by Diabetes", was started two years ago. It is a very active community with over 7,000 people and it grows at the rate of 15% every month. At this stage, TuDiabetes has members all over the world.
I asked the founder, Manny Hernandez, what most surprised him since he started TuDiabetes. His answer? The number of people with diabetes who have never met anyone else with diabetes and who have no support group of folks with diabetes.
You only need to spend a little time on the TuDiabetes.com site to realize how much support and sharing goes on there are all hours of the day. People have an opportunity to create groups such as Pumping Our Insulin or Diabetes and Women. TuDiabetes also has an events section where members can organize meetups, or let other members know about upcoming diabetes-related events.
I only wish that more people with diabetes knew about this great resource. If you have any friends or family with diabetes, please spread the word and get them to take a look. It might help them really change how they view living with diabetes.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on September 10, 1972. 35 years ago today.
I went to the hospital after a doctor diagnosed me during a phone call with my Mum. I had many of the usual Type 1 diabetes symptoms:
Extreme thirst. I was drinking non-stop. Unfortunately a lot of it was sodas of various sorts.
Non stop peeing. See previous item. Some of this would have been my body flushing excess sugar from my system.
Weight loss. In the week or so before going into hospital I lost almost 12 pounds.
Leg cramps. I'd wake up in the night and pound my calf muscles trying to get them to relax. This was one of the worst symptoms for me.
Fatigue. I thought this was because of waking up to pee or fix the leg cramps.
Ketones. At the time I had no clue what this was. I just had a fruity smelling breath, especially if I belched. And I seemed to be doing that a lot.
Infections that won't heal. I had a small cut on my foot that had been there for over 2 weeks and wasn't getting any better.
When I got to hospital my first blood sugar test was 800 mg/dL. (The usual range for someone without diabetes is about 75 to 100 mg/dL.) Shortly after getting there I had my first insulin injection, and I've been taking it ever since.
Now it's 35 years later and what's to look forward to? Plenty I think.
Yesterday at my bike ride, I spoke to someone from Dr. Faustman'sresearch lab in Boston. They're continuing to make progress on a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes. Personally (this is just me talking) I'm expecting that I won't be taking insulin by the time my 50th d-anniversary rolls around. Maybe because of Dr. Faustman's work, or because of other research that's happening around the world as I write.
And what happens if I'm wrong? Well that's OK. It won't be the first time.
God has some plan for me. He's a good guy and he's taken great care of me and my family so far. So I'll just continue to place my trust in Him, because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.
Today it's been a year since I started posting on this blog.
This is my 137th post since then. I want to use it to let you know what I'm trying to do with my blog.
If you're a regular reader you can hopefully tell that I care a lot about technology and user experience. I'm blessed that my regular job is as a software architect. On the job I get to look at tools and techniques that can help improve the user experience in software.
On this blog I look at software and technology for diabetes, what it's like and how it might be improved. Along the way I hope to influence device and software makers so they think about user experience in the early stages of design and development for new diabetes technology.
In the last year I've learned a lot from your comments and suggestions. I appreciate these more than I can say. I plan to be blogging actively a year from now. If I'm doing a lousy job, let me know.
And thanks for support and friendship to my many diabetes friends from TuDiabetes and the Diabetes OC.
The Diabetes Technology Blog is focused on using technology to live life to the full with diabetes. I review new diabetes technology including: blood glucose monitors; continuous glucose monitors; blood sugar meters; diabetes software and living with diabetes.
About Me
Name: Bernard Farrell
Location: Massachusetts, United States
I was born in Ireland and now live in the US.
I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 36 years. I struggle with my blood sugar, the same as most people with diabetes.
I wear a Cozmo 1800 insulin pump and a Dexcom SEVEN Plus CGM to track my blood glucose levels.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
You only need to spend a little time on the TuDiabetes.com site to realize how much support and sharing goes on there are all hours of the day. People have an opportunity to create groups such as Pumping Our Insulin or Diabetes and Women. TuDiabetes also has an events section where members can organize meetups, or let other members know about upcoming diabetes-related events.
