The diabetes search engine now has about 900 sites and pages that it searches for information all about diabetes. So far the advertising revenue is about $55 and that's all going to Dr. Faustman's research at MGH.
Here's some of the sites that I just added recently.
The misadventures of peabody is a new blog from emily who was diagnosed with type one in March 2008. That's about seven weeks ago. Drop by and welcome her to the diabetes OC.
The ultimate hike for a cure! Ty Hover is either crazy or wildly ambitious. He's planning to hike from Detroit to Alaska and raise $290,000 towards diabetes research along the way.
The lucky druggie is a blog by Jessica who was diagnosed in January 2007. Today is her 19th birthday, drop by and say hi to her.
Diabetes365
There are now over 4,500 pictures in the Diabetes365 project with more being added every day. Several have been used by the media.
If you'd like to learn how diabetes affects us or makes us feel drop by and have a look. If you do decide to use a picture for any reason, do pleaseask the photographer and give attribution.
I know that I've been very quite on the blogosphere for the last several weeks. I appreciate more than I can express all the comments and e-mails asking me how I'm doing and wishing me the best.
I won't bore you with the details here except to say that I'm in the middle of some type of depression. It's not earth-shattering and for those of you who have diabetes, it's probably not entirely unexpected. Taking care of a chronic disease is a big burden and it takes its toll. The good news is that I'm working pro actively to get this under control and get through it. And in the meantime I'm focusing on essential activities because I've not got a whole lot of energy for other things.
It's been a busy year on the blogosphere and busy one for me. I've been blessed with a lot of accomplishments over the last year, in no particular order:
I met Allison and Mel in Boston. It's always fun to get together with fellow diabetics! If you're going to be near Boston in 2008, please let me know.
I got to some meetings of the insulin pumpers group that meets in Woburn, MA each month. A fun, supportive and informative group. Every state should have a group like this.
I marked my 35th year with diabetes by raising over $11,500 for research in a diabetes bike ride. Hint: it's not too late to support this.
I received an award from Lilly and Joslin for 25 years with diabetes. Thanks Dr. Spatola for organizing this one.
I setup the diabetes search engine. It now indexes over 800 sites and I like to think that it's helpful for folks.
I joined the great TuDiabetes.com social networking site for diabetes. Big kudos to Manny for starting this.
I worked together with Beth to start the diabetes365 project (originally her idea). As of today there are about 1,750 photos that give some insight into what it's like to live with diabetes.
I almost completed NaBloPoMo for this year. I didn't post for every day of November. Next year will be better.
I started using the Dexcom STS continuous glucose monitoring system and moved to the Dexcom SEVEN system later in the year. Life with a CGM is a lot easier, though it still has its frustrations.
And of course I posted many blog entries. Along the way I hope that I informed some readers. I know that I learned a lot from your comments and I also managed to get lots of practice with my writing skills.
So what's in the cards for 2008?
I'm getting some blood drawn in January as part of the research for Dr. Faustman's work on a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes. No, I'm not getting an early version of the cure, I'm just donating blood samples for the work. I hope to meet her and ask a few questions, I'll let you all know what I learn.
I'll keep blogging, though maybe a little less.
I hope to get involved in another fund-raising bike ride in September.
I'm guilty. Even though I'm in NaBloPoMo, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday.
Like most of you, I was travelling late on Wednesday. And I was changing time zones. As I got on my plane, I had to chance the time settings on my insulin pump, my Dexcom and my blood glucose meter. One of the many joys of a diabetes geek. And when I'm travelling home on Sunday, I'll be setting them all back.
So besides the toll on my body, I guess my insulin devices will be out of sorts for a while. It could be a lot worse.
As I'm on the road, I have to keep my posts on the short side. But I'm taking a few different pictures for diabetes365 and I'll post these with a longer update early next week.
One note for Dexcom users. The new Dexcom sensor sets off the security wand at the airport if they decide to wand you. I don't know whether it also sets off the security scan as I had several things that might be the culprit there.
Beth is the person who started the wonderful diabetes365 project. As of today we have over 800 inspired pictures that will help you understand more about living with diabetes.
And she's offering some beautiful diabetes buttons. Check her blog for more details.
If you have a camera and you'd like to explain a little of what it feels like to live with diabetes, please consider joining us on the Diabetes365 project. You'll need a flickr account, which is free. And you'll be in good company because we have several new photo-takers in the last week alone.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, it's expected to cause 3.7 million deaths this year alone.
Maybe you know someone who has diabetes, why not call or contact them in honor of today and learn a little more about what this disease is all about?
Most people with diabetes have Type 2, and often the symptoms are not recognized in time to stop complications from damaging their body. Do you know the symptoms of diabetes?
And if you'd like to know a little about what it's like to live with diabetes, check out some of the pictures from the diabetes365 project. They'll give you a glimpse into how diabetes impacts our lives.
Why would anyone want to take one picture every day for a year? And what good does it do?
Beth of the in search of balance blog first came up with the idea in early October. And when I read her post I saw this as a great way to explain to those who don't have diabetes what it's like to live with this disease.
It's been a little over a month now, we've got an official web site, and almost 30 photographers who are telling a little part of their story. In pictures and in words.
Because often there's more to the story than you can see at first glance. Like this shot of my foot protectors.
You see a pair of well-worn slippers. But because of my diabetes, I see my trusty foot protection.
When you have diabetes, your circulation is often affected. And that means that any damage to your feet can take a long time to heal. Even minor cuts, bruises, or blisters. In fact diabetes is responsible for "more than half of all lower limb amputations in the US" according to the NIDDK.
Maybe you already knew this.
But I'll bet that if you look through some of the over 500 pictures in the diabetes365 project you'll learn things about diabetes that will surprise you and may even move you.
I was diagnosed with diabetes 35 year ago, at the end of a summer spent on the west coast of Ireland. It's hard to describe just how magical that summer was. I had taken lessons scuba diving and a large group of friends spent almost every day in the water.
In the afternoons we'd head back to my house and devour a huge chocolate pound cake that my Mum made. (We took to calling these tombstones because of their size and shape.)
Back home in Dublin after a week of getting sicker, I was sent to hospital and given the official diagnosis of diabetes. I can't really describe how this felt.
I think it's as if I was sailing along on beautiful country roads with blue skies and no delays. Then I turned a corner and I was on a highway, in a rainstorm, with horrible traffic and nothing but red tail lights stretching ahead of me.
Anyone watching wouldn't have seen changes in me, but inside I always expected the inevitable onset of diabetes complications. I sort of expected the worst.
It was almost 20 years before those tail lights went away. Thanks to a wonderful and patient endocrinologist at the Joslin Clinic, a lot of those clouds were lifted.
Now most days are easier. And I've mentioned elsewhere all I've been able to do despite (or because of) diabetes.
It's still a lousy disease, that requires constant work every day of my life. But I've learned about acceptance and endurance and blessings from God.
There is no cure for diabetes.
Yet.
Learn more about what living with diabetes is really like at the diabetes365 project.
Early on Sunday morning we changed our clocks by moving them back one hour. So this evening at work I noticed an early sunset. Now I have to get used to leaving for home in the dark.
On Saturday evening, I go around the house and change the clocks on the stove, microwave, thermostats and so on. Then I have to remember to change the clocks that are built into all my diabetes equipment. So I correct the time on my insulin pump, continuous glucose monitor and blood glucose meters (I've got a few of these for backup).
This is another way in which diabetes grabs attention and chips away at my available time. It's only an extra few minutes twice a year (plus whenever I'm traveling). But I also have to deal with my body and the change in eating time and whatever impact that may have.
It's much easier than dealing with lows but it's still annoying. And unless you live with diabetes you wouldn't even know that I ever do it.
This last week started with the arrival of my newest diabetes gadget, a Cozmo insulin pump. I got it while at my office on Monday afternoon and opened the box to take a peek at it. But I didn't completely unpack it until I got home that evening. After dinner I headed off to a quiet spot and spent an hour or so programming it and 'plugging' it in.
I've already video taped the little guy once, when showing how to do a super bolus. I plan to do more videos in the future to show off some of the features that I really like on this pump. And now that I've done a second infusion set change and been wearing him for a week, living with him is pretty easy.
So the only thing left to do I suppose is to give him a name. I mean, I'll be living with this little guy for the next four years. I can't keep calling him 'my pump'.
Apart from toys, normally we only name cars in our family. (For example, Man the Van named after our favorite singer Van the man.) So I'm having trouble thinking about the right name.
Maybe you can all help me. I know some of you have named your pump. How have you gone about choosing the right name and what is it? Did having a name help in living with and using your pump?
Confession Time
My intentions were good. I signed up for NaBloPoMo, and I'm planning to write a post per day for the month of November. But yesterday I dropped the ball and missed posting. I can't believe it and I'm hoping the NaBloPoMo police don't go too hard on me.
I even started a long post on Symlin and how to use it. Maybe it was too long, because it's in my draft bin right now. I guess I've learned one lesson, keep them short and leave the long ones for a second post. Especially on the weekend.
I'm still recovering from lost sleep due to the World Series. Remember I come from Ireland originally, so I'm still really learning about baseball. But having the Sox win in 2004 really got me interested.
And then there was the final game on Sunday. It's 11:30 at night and we're heading towards the end of the game.
Thanks to my Dexcom CGM, I'd watched my blood sugar heading lower. But I didn't want to miss the game to correct it. Finally I tested with my OneTouch, and it pretty much agreed with the Dexcom.
So I had to run downstairs to get some quick-acting carbohydrates to bring my blood sugar up to a normal range.
About 30 minutes later my blood sugar was closer to 100 mg/dL and the game was over. Victory for the Red Sox and a safe enough blood glucose reading that I could go to sleep.
There's no cure for diabetes. Yet.
If you've got diabetes and would like to show others what it's like to live with it, please join the diabetes365 photo project.
One thing that diabetes has taught me is the importance of water. We all need it just to keep hydrated. But anyone with diabetes probably needs water even more.
Whenever my blood sugar goes high my kidney have to work harder to take that excess sugar out of my bloodstream. And the higher sugar concentration isn't good for many parts of my body. So anytime I get a number higher than 180 mg/dL, I try to drink extra water. If my numbers are over 220, I'll drink about a pint of water or more. It's refreshing, it helps my kidneys flush that extra sugar and it also (I like to think) dilutes the excess in my bloodstream just a little.
There is no cure for diabetes.
Yet.
There's a great collection of photos that reflect life with diabetes at the diabetes365 project.
Those of you in Red Sox nation will understand my late posting.
I spent three days last week at a technical conference. A reasonably large turnout and a lot of interesting sessions for a geek like me.
In the middle of one session my continuous glucose monitor let me know my blood sugar was going low.
Naturally, I always carry something with me to help me correct it. In this case I used Smarties. These contain a good deal of dextrose which is quickly absorbed by the body. And they taste reasonably good.
If anyone noticed me, they probably thought I was just snacking on some candy. But I was really stopping my blood sugar from going lower and causing more problems.
Recently I try to eat at least one good helping of salad every day. Fresh vegetables with a light balsamic dressing. Here's what I had before dinner on Thursday.
If I eat this before anything else it fills me up and helps me eat less of those troublesome carbohydrates. Plus the extra vegetables are good for my health overall.
Living with diabetes my life is full of minor adjustments like this. It's a life of small changes and compromises that reduce my risk of long term complications.
This is my blood glucose meter and some of the test strips that I've used over the last few days. I don't use that many strips now, thanks to my Dexcom continuous glucose monitor.
The reflection in the background is the first Red Sox World Series Game.
Because even when I'm relaxing at home focused on a game, I have to think about my diabetes and my blood sugar levels. I need to check my levels after eating because I don't want to go to sleep with a high reading.
And while I sleep I have diabetes. It's with me 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. I've had diabetes for more than 35 years so it's been with me for over 13,000 days. And counting.
I'm about to replace my out-of-warranty insulin pump. It's over 18 months old (replacing a Minimed 512 that broke down after 30 months) and I've worn it 24 hours a day for a total of at least 13,000 hours. Here's a picture of the little guy.
And for all that time my plastic pancreas has helped me control my blood sugars and live a closer to normal life. Trust me, it's no substitute for a real working pancreas.
For something that I've worn for that long, it's in good condition and doesn't look like it needs replacement. Insulin pump makers generally provide a 4-year warranty with their pump. And when the warranty's up I want to get a new model so I can take advantage of better features and (hopefully) the even better control.
Next week I should be getting my latest model, a Cozmo 1800. I promise to post some videos of its features and let you know what I think about it.
Insulin pumps are just one form of better treatment. There is no cure for diabetes. Yet.
The diabetes365 project is veryactive with new photos being added every day.
Note: When a pump is replaced because it broke, the replacement pump is typically a refurbished one. And the pump company doesn't restart the warranty clock with the replacement. So in my case, the replacement pump was only warrantied for an additional 18 months. This actually works to my advantage because I can now replace it without having to wait a total of 4 years.
If I told you I had diabetes and that I needed to inject something before meals, you might say "Oh yeah, insulin right?".
Well I'm wearing an insulin pump, so I don't actually inject insulin before meals, I use the pump to deliver it. But for about a year I've been injecting Symlin before most meals that I eat.
When I'm in the office, I just roll up my trouser leg and inject there shortly before eating.
Symlin is an artificial version of amylin, another hormone produced by the pancreas, in the beta cells. If you don't have type 1 diabetes, this hormone slows down the emptying of food from your stomach and makes you feel fuller (increasing satiety). It also seems to slow down the release of glucagon from your liver.
The net result is that my blood sugar doesn't go up as quickly as it normally would after eating. So it helps me maintain better control of my blood glucose levels.
Because it slows down food getting into your system, Symlin can cause severe lows that are difficult to treat. In my case I can also go low just from taking Symlin without mealtime insulin. This may be due to the glucagon suppression and a basal insulin level that's effectively too high when Symlin is being used.
I also had terrible nausea for the first month that I used Symlin. So bad that it made me not want to eat. But that's passed now. Even if I don't take Symlin for a few days, the nausea doesn't return.
There isn't a cure for diabetes, yet. But some of us are working to fix that.
Diabetes365 day 14 October 21, 2007 - Uisce Beatha
On an average day I take about 30 units of insulin. That's 1-3rd of a CC, or about 1/8th of a teaspoon. If you're a baker you know that's half the amount of nutmeg that you'd put in one apple pie.
It's a really small amount of liquid but for me it's essential to life. I think of the Irish for whiskey - uisce beatha or the water of life.
Because I have Type 1 diabetes, insulin is my water of life. If I wasn't able to take this small amount of precious fluid every day, I'd get extremely sick and die within a few weeks.
Because I have a broken pancreas I physically carry insulin with me every day of my life.
To control my type 1 diabetes, I use an insulin pump instead of taking injections.
Before each meal I use the pump to take additional insulin to cover the carbohydrates that are in the meal. The rest of the day (the whole 24 hours), the insulin pump delivers a small background dose (basal) of insulin.
And that's what normally happens for me. But this morning I was woken abruptly at 2:50 AM by a loud beeping and buzzing.
My insulin pump was displaying the error message No Delivery, which meant that it wasn't delivering insulin to me.
So I:
Get out of bed to capture this photo.
Get rid of the error message on the pump.
Take additional insulin to cover my blood glucose level (around 220 mg/dL).
Drink lots of water.
30 minutes later I'm back in bed asleep. Unlike my diabetes, which never sleeps.
Diabetes365 day 10 Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Difficult Food
On Fridays we get free bagels and muffins for breakfast at work. It gives us an opportunity to spend time with colleagues and chat. A really nice idea.
Though I have diabetes I can eat pretty much anything I want. But I find both bagels and muffins are difficult food.
When I eat something that contains carbohydrates I need to take insulin. And bagels, especially yummy ones like this, have a lot of carbs. According to CalorieKing, about 56 grams of carbohydrate for one medium-sized plain bagel. That's like two of my normal breakfasts.
So if I eat one of the bagels I'll spend most of the morning trying to get my blood sugar levels back under control. And I just hate doing that, it's not worth the effort.
There is no cure for diabetes. Yet.
You can learn more about life with diabetes at the diabetes365 project site.
Diabetes365 day 11 Thursday, October 18, 2007 - Fog
If you have Type 1 diabetes, you already know just how hard it is to control it. Every morning for breakfast you have the same things and you eat them at about the same time. When you test your blood sugar two hours later (a postprandial test) you get wildly different results.
And why is this? Well maybe you were stressed on one day and not on the other. Or you're coming down with a cold and that drives your blood sugar up. Or you ran for the bus and that made your blood sugar go down.
Managing diabetes is not a rigid, well-defined, set of instructions like a baking recipe. There are guidelines and lots of numbers and ratios. But a big dose of judgment is also needed.
When I see my endocrinologist (diabetes doctor) and they fill out that form with all the checkboxes afterwards, one of the boxes has the code 250.93 beside it. That's the one is normally marked for me.
It means "Type 1 diabetes - uncontrolled".
Well it's not that my diabetes is uncontrolled or out of control. It's just extremely hard to control it. The control is defined based on my blood sugar readings.
And what affects those readings? Food, exercise, sleep, illness, stress, menses. You know, the things of everyday life.
So I wander through a light fog trying to follow the markers and pretty much sticking to the path. And most days it's actually pretty good. As long as I don't think about it too much.
There's no cure for diabetes. And I really wish there was.
There's a great collection of photos that reflect life with diabetes at the diabetes365 project site.
Diabetes365 day 10 Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Test before driving
Most days of the week I get into a car to drive at least twice. And before I drive I need to check my blood sugar and make sure it's both stable and at a value that's safe for driving.
This is one of many things that I do slightly differently because of my diabetes.
I have hypoglycemic unawareness so I can't tell when my blood sugar is low. Driving without testing might mean that I'd be driving while not fully in control of the car. My reaction speed would be lower as would my ability to safely judge situations.
Because of my Dexcom continuous glucose monitor testing only requires a button press. This is a lot easier than having to use a blood glucose monitor yet again during the day! And is one reason why I like that device so much.
There is no cure for diabetes. And most insurance companies don't count test strips before driving in their calculations of the number of strips you need a day.
Do you have diabetes and can you take photos? Maybe you'd like to take part in the diabetes365 photo project.
Diabetes365 day 9 Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - Fire drill
I was sitting at my desk working this morning and the fire alarms went off! What a racket!
Whenever there's a fire alarm at work the first thing I reach for is my diabetes supplies. After that I'll take my camera and personal laptop, but those are a distance second in importance.
There's nothing worse than being stuck in an unusual situation without a means of testing my blood sugar and correcting it if it's low. That's why the diabetes supplies are so essential. If there was a real alarm and we were outside for more than 10 minutes those supplies might make the difference between a single alarm and two!
Over my lifetime with diabetes I've taken many ambulance rides as a result of severe low blood sugars (hypoglycemia). It's never pleasant waking up in a strange place and not knowing how you got there. So diabetes supplies are essential.
Yet another thing to think about because of diabetes. (And another reason why you're not likely to see me on a future episode of Survivor).
I've had diabetes for over 35 years, and it's really taught me about the value of endurance. Even though my pancreas is broken I'm still remarkably healthy. The insulin that I inject helps my body to absorb and process carbohydrates but it's not a cure for diabetes. Despite the continued high and low blood sugars I'm blessed by God with very few complications.
My hope and prayer for me and others with diabetes is that we all endure until a true cure is found for this expensive and deadly disease.
Are you planning on doing something for World Diabetes Day? If so, you've got about a month. Get your thinking hats on.
Diabetes365 day 7 Oct. 14th 2007 - Low carb breakfast
One of the problems with having diabetes is that carbohydrates taste way too good.
But there are great-tasting low carb alternatives to a breakfast of bagels, or fruit, or name your carb challenge.
We have chickens in our backyard and they give us wonderful eggs. The egg on the top is from one of our chickens, the other is store bought. Look at the difference in color and the height of the yolk.
And I was able to have a great breakfast with these eggs, a little ham and cheese. Less than 5 minutes to a yummy omelette.
If you've got diabetes, you may want to keep chickens. They give you better and healthier eggs. You get to appreciate chicken cliches in a whole new way. And they're hilarious to watch and laughing is good for your health.
There is no cure for diabetes at present. But comedy makes the time go by faster!
Diabetes365 day 5 Oct. 12th 2007 - Diabetes Detritus
Diabetes is a high maintenance disease - it takes a lot to replace a working pancreas. For today's picture I took most of the stuff out that I either carry with me, or have as backup in my office.
As you can see, there's a lot of stuff there.
When I was a child I was into all sorts of gadgets. Now I get to live with these on a daily basis.
The standard cry when we're leaving the house to go anywhere is "do you have your kit" or "Dad can't find his kit". And everyone knows it's the Eagle Creek black bag that has all my stuff. We don't leave home without it.
All of this technology is needed to replace my non-working pancreas. I'm thrilled that it exists and that I have the health insurance coverage to afford it. But I'd trade it in for a real pancreas any day of the week.
Unfortunately currently there isn't a cure for diabetes. But I do my best to support the research for a cure.
Whenever I make an apple pie at night the children always want a slice for breakfast. And it's got fruit and other good things, so why not let them.
Today is day 4 of my diabetes365 project. And you can see the children's breakfast on the right and my oatmeal on the left.
Because of diabetes I've changed how I approach baking. I make the pie crust with a mixture of white and whole wheat white flour. It still tastes yummy and the addition of the whole wheat white lowers the glycemic index (a little) so the carbs don't hit my system as quickly. Recently I started making a pie with only a single pie crust which also lowers the total carbohydrate count for a slice of pie.
If you're interested, I made the pie with local Honeycrisp apples. These are wonderful for baking with and make really great pies.
Of course this morning all this work was a moot point, as I ended up having some oatmeal for breakfast! The things we do to control our blood sugars.
For now, I'm trying to take diabetes365 photos at slightly later times in my diabetes day. At some stage, I'll switch to a different approach to documenting what it's like to live with diabetes 24 by 7 by 365.
I have a small scales at home that I use mostly for breakfast. Most packaged food now has nutrition labels which lets me see the carbohydrate content for a specific weight. By adding the carbs for all the foods together and using an insulin to carbohydrate ratio (I:C) I can figure out how much insulin I need to take. The I:C value is different for everyone with diabetes, it can even vary for the same person at different times of the day.
I've been using Symlin for about a year. It's a drug that's I inject shortly before meals. It slows down the release of food from my stomach and makes me feel full. Both contribute to better blood sugar control, though it can cause terrible low blood sugar reactions.
Insulin (and Symlin) are not cures for diabetes. They just allow people with diabetes to control their blood sugars.
For some reason I was battling a low blood sugar from about 3 AM. I took two small amounts of carbohydrates during the early hours to try and get my blood sugar to come up. But I still ended up with a value of 59 mg/dL before breakfast.
This means I can't take Symlin so my after breakfast blood sugar readings will be higher. It also means that I can't drive until I'm sure my blood sugars are above 100 mg/dL. This is the lowest value at which I like to drive.
Remember there is no cure for diabetes. Those of us with Type 1 diabetes use insulin (and sometimes Symlin) to try and keep our blood glucose values within a reasonable range. This is really an imperfect approach.
This is the second photo in my diabetes365 series. You can find photos from others taking part in the diabetes365 photo project on flickr.
Yesterday was one of those excellent blood sugar days that I dream about. Here's the picture from the Dexcom software.
I can thank Symlin for the lack of any post meal highs during the day. The two horizontal lines are the limits (140 for a high and 80 for a low) that I like to use with my Dexcom CGMS. Trust me, I don't get enough days where the line stays within the limits so much. The big gap early in the day is when my 7-day sensor ran out. I had to reset it and then wait 2 hours to recalibrate. I'm now on day 9 of this sensor and so far it's still working well.
Diabetes365 is an idea that I got from Beth of insearchofbalance. She started her Diabetes365 photo project a few days ago and I couldn't think of a better way to inform people of what it's like to live with diabetes 365 days a year.
The idea behind this Diabetes365 project is that I'll take one picture every day of the year. I'll post it to the flickr Diabetes365 pool and blog about it briefly.
Would you like to take part in Diabetes365? You can join the flickr pool provided that you post a picture there each day (or wait a few days and post several pictures, one per day). Each picture must be tagged with diabetes365 and titled with the date taken and which day of your year of photos it is. If you'd like to blog your photos, feel free to do that also.
Let's see if we can't raise a little awareness about diabetes and what it takes to live 24x7x365 with this disease.
Diabetes: technology, devices, software, and other stuff.
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 35 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 CGM to track my blood glucose levels. I also take Symlin to help control my post-meal blood sugars.
I'm blessed by God, and every day brings the possibility of a cure.
