The second part of the blogger roundtable series has been published on the JDRF site.
This time we're all talking about insulin pumps. How we first got on an insulin pump, what the challenges were, and other things about being partially bionic. It's a great read.
Thanks to Allison for putting this series together.
In other news, next Monday is Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day
This is the day where you try to tell others a little more about type 1 diabetes and what it's like to live with it.
Beth has put together a really nice diabetes handout. Maybe you can print up some copies to hand out to folks.
If you use Twitter, maybe you'd like to tweet about diabetes for the day.
Or perhaps finally tell that friend that yes it is okay for you to eat cake or ice cream, and explain why it's none of their business.
Whatever you can do to let people learn a little more about diabetes helps us all. And that may help you.
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.
Sometimes I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I demand a lot of myself and expect it from others. I'm telling you this because maybe I just have unrealistic expectations.
In September my current insulin pump (Minimed 512) will be 4 years old. At that stage it will be out of warranty and I can get a new pump and expect that insurance will cover most of it.
Insulin pumps are truly a marvel of technology. This is a small pager-sized device that I will wear 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It helps me to keep my blood glucose levels close to normal and it's something that I'll probably actually use and interact with at least eight times a day, every day.
So why are pump companies making it so hard to try one out for a short while? Yes, I can read the instruction manual and get some feeling for how the pump will behave and feel. But that's not the same as wearing the thing and using it for a week or so.
My original plan was to contact a few pump makers and ask them for a one or two week loaner. I'd fill it with a saline solution and wear it together with my old pump for that period. That way I could gauge its accuracy and usability and see if it was right for me.
So far I've contacted three different companies. One (Cozmo) has told me they don't have a loaner program. And the other two claim to be working on it, but I'm not holding my breath.
Pump companies (Minimed, Animas, Cozmo, and others) - WAKE UP. These are complex devices that are essentially extension of our bodies and our brains. There is no way I'm going to purchase a new one without trying it out first.
I don't want a 30-day money-back guarantee. I want to be able to try out the pump, with its software for a week or two. I want to know how it will work for me.
Will I be able to use it when I'm exercising? What are the insulin on board calculations like? How easy is it to bolus? What do I need to do to set a temporary basal? Can I easily calculate meal requirements? What kind of extended bolus options are there, and can I use them?
Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I should just look at the glossy brochures with pictures of happy people and just pick one at random?
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.
In other news, next Monday is Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day
