#still vaguely looping in the BG while typing..

[duskandcloudy]

?? some sort of beeheyem fever dream ass song stuck in head now after waking up. hwat .

[rowbeana]

sometimes i have dreams and then remember them post #16

hoo boy...

so i think the very start, the original premise, was that my dad and i and my uncle and someone(s) else were taking evan back to school basically? but as always, he went to a diff made up uni in my dream. one of the other people with us was a former (again, probs fictional) snl cast member bc....ok

anyways along the way we stop because my dad has to go get something?? idk, he’s acting weird, but whatever. there’s this fancy little gelato shop where we parked and my uncle is like well i’m going to go get some gelato and i was like ME TOO THEN?? so me, him and evan go and i’m looking at cones and fsr chris parnell is there? i know it’s bc my mom and i were just talking about him before i went to sleep but still

i say something really weird to him as he’s leaving, like “good work, parnell!” and he stops bc that was weird and i get all stressed i’m like sorry that was-- it’s just like i know someone-- i’m unable to form a sentence but it’s okay bc the snl cast member who is either in my fam or a family friend comes in and suddenly there’s a big snl reunion bc there are all these other cast members there?? makes no sense ur right

this is important to note: this town is fuckin weird ok

then, and idk how at all, but our car is just a bunch of people, mainly muscly type guys, hanging out waiting for my dad. suddenly it’s a convertible so this is somewhat feasible. but eventually like two hours pass so i’m concerned and we gotta go.

i call my dad and i don’t really hear anything so i’m like dad?? dAD????? and i’m stressed. suddenly i can hear like. sketchy sex noises and i’m like wtf but i can tell something is super wrong so i’m not like grossed out i’m just scared. then i can hear my dad way way in the bg like someone else answered his phone to creep me out bc he’s being held captive!! and i’m like DAD...WHERE ARE YOU. and i hear him say something but it’s so quiet i dont really make it out then the person hangs up. in the dream this took a lot longer which was stressful.

so omfg i literally call back LOL so i can hear the name again then i hang up. i still only remembered the last name and i knew what it meant but i was hella stressed so i forgot. i end up asking someone in the town like “idk where my dad was all i heard was the last name newman” or s/t and she’s like. oh he lives at the horne mansion

and yes, the horne mansion is literally where benjamin horne from twin peaks and his fam live and he is as sketchy and bad as in the original run. there are a lot of villains in twin peaks but he’s the one who owns the hotel/lodge and the sketchy strip club with underage girls. so i’m like. fuck! i’m really dumb bc this house is literally across from where we are parked. i gather my new muscly male pals and tell them we gotta save my dad.

BUT THEN, ELSEWHERE, I HAVE A SIMULTANEOUS DREAM. where, while we were still innocently waiting in the car, this guy i used to have a crush on and is kind of like a family friend comes by to say hello and i learn he’s recently married and he has a daughter but i think she’s his step daughter bc she’s like four or five. and i’m like (: that’s great

idk how but now jacqui has a crush on him and i was supposedly over him so i’m like hey whatever + he’s married anyways + jac has a bf lol. and, again, this bf is fictional. can’t really remember but i think he had dark curly hair and a beard? he was like a young oscar isaac maybe.

anyways, fsr we are just pretty sure his marriage won’t last so we don’t really care. idk if jac said something to him at some point but we are at this comically large department store and i see him at the register so i tell jac and she runs away and it’s my job to keep tabs on him, although he is literally just gonna buy his thing and leave. also jac’s bf was in line for the register too which i suspect was the real issue of running away but it was still weird

so i gotta go track down jac and tell her he’s left now. not sure when other than car, but i guess i talk to the guy at some point bc cut forward to me receiving a letter from him. it’s like three pages front and back but in my dream i only have time to read the first page. i remember the beginning of the letter kind of but um it’s embarrassing lol so.

i don’t read any farther bc i only notice the other pages after, like they weren’t originally meant to be part of the letter? i don’t read them bc jac walks up and i’m like oh i got this letter from him it’s super long and jac is like oh (: i think i said his marriage seemed rocky or maybe i kept that to myself bc suddenly we were walking down some stairs and i could tell jac was annoyed/upset and i was like. well, just as a reminder, this dude kissed me ages ago while i was dating someone else which i think we can all agree is bad. so he’s not like That great

but by this point i’m ofc like well i’m single NOW lol so boy should date me. i guess that’s the more complicated backstory we had, like we mutually were interested but at the time i also loved the bf i had so????

anyways, somehow i think this is where the other storyline converges. i go to the creepy big ass horne estate and there’s some kind of party happening but i’m just here to rescue my dad. as i only vaguely know, my dad and mr. horne have some kind of beef or shady history together. i guess he came here willingly to talk about something but then he was taken prisoner pm

there’s kind of a reception area at this place lmao but i ask a lady who seems to be a nanny or a maid if audrey is home and she says yes. and i’m like well i’m a friend (this is true. how did i become friends with benjamin horne’s daughter if he hates my dad? idk!!) and i want to see her so nanny lady goes up the stairs but when she comes back she says audrey wasn’t in her room or she’s not coming down or w/e and i’m like. fuck bc she could help me the most but. i just smile and i’m like well that’s okay i’ll wait for her. at this point she’s def my best bet for a) finding my dad and b) successfully helping his escape

meanwhile, darren criss (why not) walks out from between these curtains that lead to a theatre bc in my dream the hornes own a theatre that actual famous people perform at sometimes. and rn darren is there for a few weeks but he doesn’t seem to love it (bc this place is sketchy as hell) bc he walks out looking at the ground with like his face covered maybe people are always wanting to get his autograph or whatever.

so i’m like. “darren. Darren. daRREN” bc off camera we have met and we have a past where we get along and are pals so i’m like. practically forced to body slam him so he looks at me and i’m like “great i need your help” and i loop my arm through his and pull him towards, somehow, a little gift shop type store that exists at the front of the house. previously, when i stormed in i didn’t have my muscly guy but some gals my age and i had a sweater and something else i was looking at and they hid them??? they’re bitches as if i need this rn when i’m just trying to save my damn dad. idk, it was weird, darren was helping me look although this was clearly not the priority of the moment. i’m also like forgetting about that other guy bc darren is right there and would be much easier to date

anyways, did we find the sweater? did we save my dad???? who knows bc it was 3pm so i woke tf up.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Pops! Diabetes: New All-Inclusive, Smartphone Snap-On Meter

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/pops-diabetes-new-all-inclusive-smartphone-snap-on-meter/

Pops! Diabetes: New All-Inclusive, Smartphone Snap-On Meter

It's tough to find someone these days who doesn't carry their smartphone pretty much everywhere they go. That's certainly proven in recent stats showing roughly three-quarters of Americans own smartphones, and everywhere we go we see people staring at those little screens.

With that trend in mind, a number of companies have envisioned an all-inclusive glucose meter that actually adheres to the back of a smartphone, with built-in slots for test strips and lancing device.

The latest outfit to tackle this vision is POPS! Diabetes Care, a new startup based in the Greater Minneapolis area founded by a longtime type 1 who comes off a career at Medtronic's cardiovascular division. Officially formed last year, this small diabetes business recently raised $1.2M with the goal of getting this new type of phone-attached glucose meter through the regulatory review process in 2017 -- a very ambitious undertaking at a time when many traditonal glucose meter companies are flailing.

The new meter would go beyond what others have developed in this space, including the all-in-one Dario meter that plugs into your smartphone, the approved but not-yet-launched all-in-one POGO meter, and the internationally-available Mendor meter. Although those all offer an integrated, portable, cloud-connected-to-mobile app package, they are all still separate devices users must carry around in addition to their smartphones.

Nope, what POPS! has in mind is an evolution of that concept, a sort of flat cartridge that attaches to the back of your smartphone with a unique pop-open fingerpricking system that eliminates the need for traditional test strips. It was actually named the winner of last year's Venture to Stop Diabetes Challenge by the American Diabetes Association.

We talked recently with co-founder and fellow type 1 PWD Lonny Stormo, who was diagnosed with T1D in his 30s about two decades ago and is the visionary behind this new system. Frustrated by all the old-school tech that came and went, and promises of non-invasive devices that would revolutionize D-management, Stormo says he wanted to actually bring something to people with diabetes that fit into their lives.

“We are living with diabetes, and we are also experiencing wonderful consumer experiences everywhere we turn – talking on iPhones, shopping on Amazon because of the one-click experience they offer, etc. But in diabetes we haven’t been given that experience. That’s what we’re out to change for people with diabetes," he says. "Really what we’re doing is creating a great user experience. Our belief is that if you do that, people will sustain their use of (the meter and app) and you’ll lower healthcare costs because of it.”

POPS! At A Glance

The new meter-app combo they're developing hasn't yet been unveiled publicly, nor has its brand name (previously referred to as the SmartMeter) or pricing. But here's the low-down on the fascinating system POPS! is developing:

Form Factor: The unit will be a cartridge about the size of 8 credit cards stacked together, that adheres to the back of the phone. Its cover slides open to reveal three built-in lancets and strips -- eliminating the need to carry a separate meter or even a test strip vial or lancing device. Based on early feedback, POPS! changed from an original flip-case to a slide style snap-on, we're told.

Built-in Testing: The lancing tech is based on a predicate "stationary lancing device" already approved by the FDA, we're told, although Stormo wouldn't name the exact previous product(s). To test, you poke a finger on the round lancer inside, place the blood drop underneath a clear plastic strip, and then the slide the case closed before turning the phone over to see the results on the screen -- sent automatically via Bluetooth. Like other early reviewers, we wonder about the cost and hassle factor of packs limited to three strips and three single-use lancets (?)

Fewer Steps: A user study from last year shows that this new system offers users about 75% fewer steps and 93% less pain, with PWDs saying it is 86% easier to use! Whoa... now that sounds compelling, no?

Mobile App: While the exact look and features of their mobile app aren't detailed prior to the FDA filing, it will obviously include standard BG results, trends and averages, and Stormo tells us it will offer "multiple coaching elements, including a reward or incentive feature." Like many mHealth apps, the plan is to get the iOS version approved first, followed by Android, since the latter platform tends to be more complicated to get through FDA.

Data-Sharing: Like pretty much all D-devices these days, this new meter will be cloud-connected and allow for data display and sharing through the mobile app and web-based portal. It will also allow for text messaging so BG results can be sent and tracked, by a parent, spouse or healthcare provider -- though Stormo reiterates it's all about the consumer experience. In other words, while doctors and educators can log in to the portal to view data, POPS! is not focused on creating a pipeline of data to the healthcare professionals.

Interoperability?: Note that the mobile app won't allow for entering other data like carb counts or fitness device data, or even manual entry of BG results if you happen to use a different meter. And while it seems to have potential to interact with an insulin pump or CGM, Stormo indicates that they're honing in on "a great user experience" for phone-connected fingerstick testing at the moment. Hmm, hopefully not a missed opportunity here.

Timeline: FDA filing is planned for this year. The expectation is that regulatory approval won't be difficult because the company's R&D is based off existing predicate devices, including stationary lancing technology. We pressed, but Stormo wasn't willing to provide details on those predicate products.

Cost: POPS! Diabetes remains equally vague about the pricing aspects of its new meter and app, though that isn't uncommon in the pre-approval stages. We wonder if the startup may lean toward the subscription-based model that others like Livongo and One Drop have embraced, and even those in the closed loop tech space like Bigfoot Biomedical are moving toward.

Why 'POPS!' Diabetes?

Stormo tells us the startup's name is rooted in the need to find something unique and clever that stands out, and doesn't sound like a typical medical device company. You know, something that pops... and also happens to be an acronym for Patient Opportunity, Payer Savings... Hence, POPS! (with an exclamation point).

Stormo himself is an electrical engineer by trade who worked for more than 30 years at Medtronic in the cardiovascular space, serving in VP and GM roles and notably leading the Medtronic Therapy Delivery business. Back when he was diagnosed in the 90s, Medtronic had not yet acquired Minimed. Even after that happened in 2001, Stormo says he didn’t drift to the diabetes side or even share his own D-story with colleagues, in part because Medtronic's diabetes took up its home-base in California, but also because he wasn’t as open about his own illness back then.

“For the first half of my life, outside of family, I didn’t tell more than 20 people that I had diabetes. It wasn’t that I was trying to hide it, but you just don’t want that to be the center of attention in daily life. Since I’ve left Medtronic and started this venture a couple years ago, I’ve told thousands of people."

He left Medtronic in 2015 to start POPS! Diabetes Care with his brother-in-law Dan Davis, who has three decades experience in medical device manufacturing and the regulatory process, and left his consulting business to head up R&D here. They now have a 15-person team, including Davis' son Erik, who is on the governing board and up until recently Stormo's daughter in marketing, before she went to work at Medtronic.

Stormo points out he doesn't see himself as a "patient," but as a person and consumer, and that's what this is all built around...

Great User Experience

"What I was always waiting for, and what you always read about, is these 'next great things' that are going to happen," he said. "You see all these cool new technologies like the GlucoWatch that come and go, and that’s what they did – they came and went. Meanwhile, I was stuck with the same basic meter with zip-up case."

Stormo adds that while he was generally diligent in his D-management, he drew his endo’s ire for not regularly checking his BGs during the day. Instead, he checked in the morning and at night, and left his meter at home during the day.

"That was the experience being offered to me,” he said, noting that other tech failings added to it – like not being able to download meter results to a Macintosh computer. “I looked at this whole thing and watched how the traditional way of monitoring your glucose had become a commodity that was getting no reinvestment, while all these other new technologies would always flame out. I thought, there has got to be a better consumer experience we can create for people with diabetes."

Stormo chooses not to use a CGM nor does he wear an insulin pump, and he notes that many PWDs can't afford those tools, nor will they have access to closed loop systems down the road thanks to cost. The idea for POPS! is to offer a lower-tech but highly convenient solution.

"I'm glad that innovation is happening, and many people can benefit from those systems, (but) there will always be a large number of people who are not going to wear continuous monitors, insulin pumps or closed loop systems and implanted sensors under their skin. They still want to manage their diabetes and have a good experience when they're doing it. That's the group we're going after."

While there are still a number of questions about how the POPS! Diabetes product will come to market, and whether it can go up against all the other glucose meters and D-tech that exists, we're certainly interested in hearing more, and we give props to Stormo and team for thinking outside the box...

Or maybe more appropriately, for thinking more creatively inside the phone than we've seen before.

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

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