#when i say 'back on the omnipod'

[chrismerle]

switched from the iLet Bionic Pancreas back to an Omnipod after only a couple of months because it turns out I am MUCH more of a control freak than I realized and I Fucking Hated having such little input over my diabetes

for people who don't have such tight control or who can get away with being more relaxed, I can see the iLet being a very good thing! you do not program in any basal rates. you just let it figure it out based on your CGM, and when you eat you tell it if you're having 'more than usual,' 'less than usual,' or 'usual' for whatever meal and let it figure it out. you don't correct for highs and instead just let it figure it out. but my a1c was at 5.7 in November and it did not get there by me being relaxed.

I fucking hated it! I hated knowing exactly how many carbs I was consuming but needing to just let my pump guess regardless! I hated seeing my blood sugar at, like, 255 and knowing it would take the pump probably at least two hours to deal with it while I twiddled my thumbs!

plus the iLet worked best if you could bolus before you ate, and my gastro issues make that risky. there are pretty frequent occasions of me making food, taking two bites, and then either suddenly getting sick or just suddenly losing all appetite. if I bolus WHILE I'm eating, that's fine. if I've already bolused before eating, my blood sugar's gonna fall through the floor. so my blood sugar was constantly see-sawing because I wasn't and couldn't use best practices.

also the iLet couldn't do a dual-wave bolus???? which i relied on a lot with prior pumps

so, the highs were never QUITE as high as before, but the good numbers were never as good or as consistent as when I was taking a direct approach. my a1c a couple weeks ago was up to 6.1, which is still objectively perfectly fine (pretty damn good, even), but by my standards it was a pretty large jump. I'd expected to just have to suck it up and wait out the iLet's four year warranty, but my doctor and one of the educators went to bat with my insurance for me (which was probably helped by Omnipod being cheaper than most other pump options, lbr) and got me switched. the educator who talked me into the iLet acknowledged that if she'd realized just how Type A I was about my diabetes she wouldn't have recommended the iLet to begin with.

I've been back on the Omnipod for two days. I can already shove the graph on the controller in my mom's face and go 'mm mm mmmmm look at that line' again, because I've been coasting at 113 for four straight hours. it's good to be back.

[moonstruckme]

What if you wrote something with like... Poly EMT marauders or poly doctor marauders.. with a reader who is a type 1 diabetic, but is horrible at managing it. So like... Their omnipod or dexcom expires and they just don't realize it. As to why? Idk, like they're forgetful or maybe they were just diagnosed with it recently? Whatever sounds more interesting to you lmao

Thanks for requesting! Funnily enough I got this request the same week my uncle was in the icu with a blood sugar of over 1000 (the highest the paramedics said they'd ever seen!) so this was one of the only emt marauders drabbles I've ever done where I didn't actually have to do a bunch of research because I already knew about it haha

cw: diabetes, reader is impaired/faint, mention of needle

emt!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 628 words

The television blurs in front of you. You have the vague impression that you used to know what was happening in this show, but now you can hardly tell one character from another. A hand touches your face, sweeping hair away from your eyes and scratching nicely at your scalp. 

“Getting tired, dove?” 

You hum. 

“Want to go to bed early?” 

“I think I could sleep here on the couch,” you admit. 

For a moment, there’s no reply. You feel the couch shift, and then a hand is gently turning your chin, directing you towards three concerned faces. It always makes you shy, being at the center of their combined attention, but right now the usual effects don’t feel as intense. 

“Are you feeling okay?” James asks you. 

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”

Later, you’ll learn you’d been slurring terribly. 

“Where’s your phone, baby?” Sirius starts looking for it as you try to recall. He finds it before you can, clicking it open and tapping at the screen until he finds what he’s looking for. “Her blood sugar’s at 300.” 

Remus’ brows push close together. “How’d that happen, hm?” he asks you. The sleeve of your pajama top gets pushed down. “Where’s your pod?” 

You blink, working hard to remember. Sirius gets up from the couch. “It’s…I don’t know. It expired,” you say. 

You hear the sound of the freezer opening, and a shrill beeping fills your kitchen. “Found it,” says Sirius. 

“Fucking hell, you’ve got to stop putting it in there.” Remus sighs, though you don’t think he’s really angry with you. “I heard it earlier, but I thought I was going mental.” 

“Sweetheart, why didn’t you get a new one when that one expired?” James asks. He rubs your calf from further down the couch, infinite in both sweetness and patience. 

“I was going to. I forgot.” You’d gotten distracted with something or other, dishes that needed to be done or something outside the window or an attention-deprived Sirius calling you from the next room. 

“You can’t just forget, silly girl.” Sirius gives your knee a mean (loving) squeeze as he sits down again. He sets a new omnipod on the table, filling it expertly with a syringe of insulin. 

“Do you have a swab?” Remus asks, and Sirius hums, passing him one. “Thanks.” 

Remus cleans off your arm, using one hand to ensure you’re still while Sirius gently presses the new omnipod to your skin. He runs his fingers around the adhesive a few times for good measure. 

“4 units, yeah?” James asks, thumbing something into your app after the others agree. You wince when you feel the needle, still not used to it, and he makes a sorry sound. Presses a conciliatory kiss to your knee. 

“There you go, babylove.” Remus sits back against the couch cushions, a tension you hadn’t noticed before dissipating from him. His hand finds your hair, carding through the strands close to your scalp. “You’ve gotta start taking better care of yourself. We can help if you want us to, but this is important, yeah?” 

“I know,” you sigh, leaning against his shoulder. “Sorry, I just forget.” 

“We’ll help you remember,” James offers in his easy way. 

Sirius nudges both you and Remus over so he can squish in on your other side. “Can’t believe we were about to go to bed with you sky high.” He pokes your thigh. “That wouldn’t have been very nice to wake up to tomorrow.” 

Your heart heavies, thinking of your boyfriends panicking and you nearly comatose in bed the next morning. “I’m sorry,” you say again, meaning it. 

“It’s alright, dove.” Remus drops a kiss to your hair. “We don’t mind taking care of you. We’ll help you get the hang of it.”

[writeriguess]

Hey !!

I was wondering if you could write a bakugo x reader fic. Where reader is a newly found diabetic and they sometimes forget to replace their omnipod (it’s an insulin pump just in case). And Katsuki notices they start slurring while watching a movie or just doing random things and he goes to check the app and see that their blood sugar is through the roof and they forgot to replace their pod. And he scolds reader while replacing it. (All fluff and things)

Only if you’re comfortable with it, of course. ❤️

Sweet Spot of Concern

“Oi, you good?” Katsuki’s voice is sharp, cutting through the low hum of the TV. You blink, head lolling slightly as you realize you’ve been staring blankly at the screen for who knows how long.

“M’fine,” you mumble, trying to push past the fog clouding your thoughts. The movie’s been on for over an hour, but you can’t recall much beyond the opening credits.

Katsuki’s eyes narrow. “You sure? You’re actin’ weird.”

You force a grin. “Just tired, I guess.”

He doesn’t buy it. He never does. His eyes flick down to your Omnipod, and your stomach twists. “When’s the last time you changed your pod?”

“Uh…” You drag the word out, scrambling to recall. It was...a few days ago? Maybe longer. You’ve been so busy—work, errands, trying to keep up with Katsuki’s whirlwind of a schedule. A creeping guilt curls in your chest.

Katsuki’s face hardens. He grabs his phone and pulls up the app synced to your Omnipod. You watch his expression shift from irritation to full-blown alarm.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he snaps, glaring at the screen. “Your blood sugar’s through the roof!”

You wince. “It’s not that bad—”

“Not that bad? It says HIGH!” He leans forward, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look at him. “How long have you been feelin’ like this?”

“I dunno…just tired.”

His jaw clenches. “Tired, my ass. You’re slurring your words.” Katsuki gets up, stalking over to the kitchen. He rummages through a drawer and pulls out your spare pod and supplies. “Get over here. Now.”

“Katsuki, I can—”

“Shut it,” he growls. “Sit down before you pass out.”

Your legs carry you over, weak and wobbly. Katsuki grabs your arm and guides you onto a stool, movements rough but careful. He works quickly, disinfecting the site and peeling off the old pod. The adhesive tugs uncomfortably, and you wince.

“Hold still,” he grunts, prepping the new pod. “You can’t be this careless.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” you mutter.

“Doesn’t matter.” His eyes flick up to meet yours, crimson with a simmering frustration. “You could’ve gone into DKA if I wasn’t here. You know that?”

“I know,” you murmur, shame burning in your cheeks. “I just...forgot.”

“Forgot,” he echoes flatly, pressing the pod against your skin and activating it. The tiny click of the needle sounds, and he smooths it over. “You can’t afford to forget. This ain’t like skipping a damn meal.”

“I know,” you repeat, voice small.

He glares at you for a long moment, then sighs, the tension bleeding from his shoulders. “Look, I get it. It’s a pain in the ass, but you gotta stay on top of it.” He softens, a gruff sort of gentleness creeping in. “What if I wasn’t here, huh?”

You swallow hard. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he snaps, then sighs again. “Just...do better. I can’t be watchin’ you twenty-four-seven.”

You look up at him, eyes stinging. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” he grunts. He cups your face, thumb brushing your cheek. “Can’t have you droppin’ dead on me, idiot.”

A weak smile tugs at your lips. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

He smirks back, leaning down to press a rough kiss to your forehead. “Damn right.”

The concern in his eyes lingers, even as he pulls away. “You feelin’ okay now?”

“Yeah,” you nod, already feeling clearer. “Better, thanks.”

He grumbles, “Next time, just tell me if you’re off. I’m not a mind reader.”

“I will.”

“Good.” He grips your chin, holding your gaze. “Or I’ll kick your ass myself.”

You can’t help but laugh, the sound light and genuine. “Noted.”

“Damn right,” he mutters, smirking. “Now get back to the couch. I’m rewinding the damn movie.”

You settle in beside him, the weight of his arm draped around your shoulders, and let the warmth of his presence ease the guilt gnawing at you. You’ll do better—if only because Katsuki won’t let you forget.

[ladyanaconda]

Meeting Eva

Find your father. 

Don’t let anyone see you. 

If you can’t find him, leave the palace and go to my workplace. They’ll keep you safe until they can contact him.

You’re a big girl now, Fayluna. I know you can do it.

Uncle Redimus’s words replayed in Fay’s head as she roamed around the palace, striking to dark corners and behind pillars, out of the guards’ sight. She still remembered the stories about the pillar-sized mechanics, but thankfully for her, they were dormant. Fay’s curious side urged her to touch one and see if he reacted, but her more rational side discarded the idea. Now’s not the time for that.

But try as she might, Fay couldn’t catch Daddy’s scent no matter how often she sniffed. Eventually, her search led her to one of the many royal foyers. She’s never been around here. It dawned on her that Daddy might not even be here right now. Perhaps he was hunting again? If so, she had to find a way out of the palace and find Uncle Redimus’s cremates. 

Now the question: where is the way out?

Fay ran down the hallway, coming to a halt as she heard a commotion just as she was turning around the corner. She thought she heard Zin’s panicked voice telling the guards to get something off. Perhaps his hat got stuck in his head again? This time, the temptation to watch the Arsian flailing around and crashing into stuff was too great to pass by. Fay turned around the corner just in time to see Zin fall to the ground, right in front of her. 

What she did not expect was for something… or someone falling right on top of her. Fay screeched in pain and crawled from beneath the perpetrator.

“Look where you’re going!” She snarled, fur bristled—but it flattened again when she saw who it was. Rather, what it was. 

A hooman, just like the ones win the museum’s paintings… Sort of. This one had dark skin, and even darker fur on her head, tied in a bun. She was wearing a bright green jumpsuit of sorts. 

The hooman recovered from the fall faster than expected. She got on her feet and ran off without even apologizing. Fay only followed suit so Zin wouldn’t see her. Uncle Redimus would be in big trouble if they found out she’d escaped. 

The hooman stopped to rest in one of the pillars, but Fay ran past it and into the royal garden, jumping off behind the plants. 

As luck would have it, the hooman joined her in that very same spot. 

“Hey, this is my spot! Go find your–!” The hooman quickly placed a hand over her mouth—it smelled strongly of dirt and sweat—just as a guard peeked into the garden. Thankfully, it moved away when it saw no signs of the hooman. 

That’s when Fay did her move.

“OW!” The hooman cried out after Fay’s teeth dug into her hand. “What was that for?!”

“That’s for falling on top of me, you smelly hooman!”

 “It’s not like I meant to fall on top of you, I was trying to escape from that… thing!”

Fay’s curiosity got the better of her and she began to climb over and sniff out the hooman. 

“What are you doing?!”

“Why do you only grow fur in your head?”

“Ow! Stop it!”

“Ew, your claws are tiny!”

The hooman snatched her hand away. “Would you keep your paws off me?!”

“Is it true you hoomans live in deep underground caves? Zin says you have retractible claws. Is that why they’re so tiny?”

“Human nails are not retractible.”

Fay jumped back with a startled hiss when the hooman’s hand suddenly spoke. More specifically, it was a black round object attached to it.

“No no, it’s okay! That’s just an omnipod.”

“Is it a hooman toy?”

“I am certainly not a toy.” 

Her curiosity piqued, Fay grabbed the hooman’s hand again to examine the little artifact closer. “Oooh, it talks! Can you sing a song?”

“Singing is not in my programming.” 

“What kind of toy are you?”

“Would you knock it off?” The hooman pulled her hand away again. “Look, maybe we started on the wrong foot. My name is Eva!” 

Fay puffed out her chest. “My friends call me Fay, but you call me Fayluna.” That said, she began pushing Eva out. 

“What now?!”

“This is my hiding spot! Go get your own!”

“Hey, you–!” Eva almost tripped as the ref-furred alien tried pushing her out into the open. “Stop it, you’ll get the both of us caught!”

“Well, you started it!”

Fay heard the echo of very light footsteps approaching. In a panic, she ran over to hide beneath the smaller plants, knocking Eva over in the process. 

Eva cursed under under her breath, rubbing her sore back after the creature practically pushed her to the ground. Soon, she saw the reason why: it was the alien in the golden robes from before. Zin and Loroc had called her ‘queen’…

“You wouldn’t believe what we have in the palace today. An actual hooman! It caused quite the scare…” She spoke to the statue in a forlorn voice. “I-I very much miss you, father…”

Fay watched the scene, head tilted slightly. She looked… sad. It’s hard to believe this is the Queen who ordered her and uncle Redimus to be kept in jail.

Unfortunately, her shifting moved one of the plants in her hiding, startling the Queen into noticing her presence. Fay squared in dismay and tried to dig further into the bushes, curling up. 

“What is this? A Dorcean cub?” Fay’s fur bristled as Queen Ojo knelt down, smiling kindly. “It’s alright, little one. I won’t hurt you.”

Reluctantly, Fay got up. She trembled as she stepped unto the marble floor. 

“Are you by yourself, little one? Where are your parents?”

Fay swallowed hard. “…I can’t find Daddy.” 

“Is that so? Where did you see him last?”

“Uncle Red told me I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” 

Oddly, Queen Ojo giggled. “A very wise lesson, young one.”

Another plant twitched. This time, it was Eva who’d moved one of the bigger leaves from the palm tree. Queen Ojo gasped. 

“Guards, guards!” She called, protectively putting herself between Fay and Eva. “It’s over here!”

“No, no, no!” Eva stepped out of her hiding spot. “Don’t! Do not call the guards!”

“Please don’t!” Queen Ojo stepped back in fright, but to Fay’s surprise, she still tried shielding her with her body as much as possible. “Don’t melt my brain!”

“What? No, of course I’m not gonna–!” As Zin’s voice echoed down the hallway, Eva’s expression shifted. “I mean, yeah, don’t give me a reason to, ‘cause I might melt it. Got it?” She stepped back into the plants. So, the guards. Call them off, or else…”

Fay barely managed to hold back her laughter. This hooman isn’t a good liar, yet Queen Ojo didn’t seem to see through it. No offense, but she really should get out more. 

The cub remembered to hide out of sight behind the Queen’s robes just as the guards entered the garden. The Queen managed to regain her composure.

“Guards. Good. You are looking for the hooman?” She pointed to another corridor. “It went that way. Hurry.”

With the coast clear, Eva came out of hiding. “Thank you… I mean, thank yourself for saving your brain. Not that I wanna do that… Human melting thing to you… But I might have to! Unless you help me find something…”

“Daddy could do way it better, hooman.” Fay said flatly. 

Ignoring her, Eva held up the omnipod. “See this? Zin bought one of these from a trader in Lacus, and it’s somewhere in this palace.”

“I would bow, Your Majesty, but I can’t.”

“That toy is boring! It doesn’t even sing!” Fay pointed out. 

“It’s rude for children to speak when adults are talking.”

 Fay stuck her tongue at the artifact.

[jessicawesker83]

(The Fall of Sanctuary) (A WondLa Fanfic) [Part 1]

The crisp, sterile air of Sanctuary 573 was all Eva had ever known, but a new sound, a ghost of a whisper, echoed in her heart when she read the paper on the back. “Eva, find me."

The whisper wasn't in the air, but in her bones, a seismic tremor.

"Wait, is someone looking for me?" she asked herself.

Suddenly, bright lights pierced the darkness of the tunnel above. Eva squinted at the brilliant beams that streamed into the tunnel leading to the surface. Excitement bubbled within her. The deep rumbling and persistent droning only fueled her curiosity.

"Omni, light level 10!" she commanded, shining her own light into the tunnel.

"Whoa. Okay, okay. Come on. Come on."

She tried to get its attention.

"Omni, activate visual signal. Come on, come on. Over here."

Her omnipod's light blinked frantically. Above, the figure's light caught her attention, sweeping across the tunnel.

Beeping, Eva stammered, "I'm here! I-I'm here! It's Eva!"

The droning continued, seeming to acknowledge her.

"Hello, I'm… I'm Eva, from Sanctuary 573! I'm here! I'm right here!"

She swelled with pride, convinced she was about to meet another human.

"Hello?!" she called out, but the only answer was the heavy footsteps approaching.

A large figure appeared in the tunnel, its brutish form filling the space, and pointed a weapon – a boomrod. The gun whirred menacingly.

"Hello?" Eva repeated, her voice shrinking. The weapon fired, sending a concussive wave that slammed into Eva, knocking her onto her back. Frightened, she scrambled to her feet and ran, tearing through the classroom with the desks and back down the hall. She glanced back to find the creature chasing her, its massive form surprisingly swift. She dove under a closing door, kicking the box away just in time, letting the door slam shut behind her. Panting, she leaned against it, relieved, until—

"Eva?" Muthr's calm voice.

"Sis?!"

Eva jumped, spinning around. Gasping, she cried, "Muthr?! Eight?!"

"You entered a restricted area?" Muthr asked, her optical sensors glowing with concern.

"Eva? What the hell?! You know you're not allowed near the surface doors!!" Eight scolded, her voice laced with a fear Eva rarely heard from her older sister.

"I know! I know, I know. I'm sorry, but I found something." Eva breathed heavily, her chest aching. "I think there were other kids."

Shock struck both Eight and Muthr. "Eva…" Eight murmured, her usual protective anger replaced by a rare vulnerability.

"We can explain," Muthr said, her internal mechanisms whirring softly.

Suddenly, thuds came closer, shaking the very structure of the Sanctuary. Scared, Eva straightened, turning around. Her eyes widened, but Eight's face was etched with a raw terror that surpassed even Eva's own.

"Eva, what's going on?" Muthr asked, her voice tight.

The thudding continued, relentless.

"There's something else in there," Eva whispered.

The gun whirred louder. Muthr instinctively held an arm in front of Eva while Eight, with a flicker of practiced speed, drew a gleaming dagger. The door began to crack, boxes clattering to the floor from the powerful blasts of the Boomrod as the creature's fingers grasped the door from the bottom. Thuds reverberated through the metal. Horrified, Eight knew the creature was Orbonian.

"Oh god, no… NO!!" Eight exclaimed, her voice thick with anguish.

Terrible memories of Eight losing her previous sanctlings swarmed through her head as Muthr grabbed the hands of both sisters.

"Seal room 1-13," Muthr commanded.

The door held, but the Meego plush on a nearby shelf toppled over, its tiny voice saying, "We got this."

Another thud hit, and an explosion occurred, sending Eva, Muthr, and Eight running, the Sanctuary shaking violently around them.

(to be continued…) (sorry I have to split this into two parts. Friggin tumblr word limit had me blocked from posting the whole thing.

@ladyanaconda @dracocheesecake

Part 2

[diabetes-365]

Unable To Escape

I’ve been using the Omnipod now for...probably 7 years now.  I love it, I have good and bad things to say about it but overall it’s changed my life.

With that said, and maybe this isn’t just with using the Omnipod, I feel trapped.  Today I had to put a new pod on, the beeping assured me of that *rolls eyes*.  So I got a new pod on and it hurt me me as it inserted way more than it normally does.  Now this is a tell tale sign in inserted in a bad spot, and there could be bleeding or it just might not work properly.  That’s not always the case, so I walked around and sat down a few times and tried to get through the pain (I place mine on my upper butt area). 

A few minutes go by, and it’s just not getting better. It hurts, it’s uncomfortable, I just know in my bones something isn’t right. I’m about to head out for the day and the last thing I want to do is, deal with unnecessary pain, and to also possibly have a pod failure.  So I take it off and sure enough, some blood at the site and it must have went into a bad spot.  So I take it off, and then just pause for a moment...and those who use the omnipod, or any pump will understand this...is that when you don’t have a pod on...you’re free.  But, despite being free of a device or tubes, I don’t feel free today.  I swear I can almost feel instantly worse when you don’t have a pod on, but that doesn’t make much sense since the omnipod isn’t trickling insulin in every single second, but for some reason it instantly feels like my body doesn’t have what it needs and I feel terrible.  

Now of course, the feeling of taking a pod off is euphoric.  You get to itch that spot that’s been hidden from the world for 3 days, and it does feel good to not have a bulge on you for the time being.  After that initial sigh of relief, enters the dread of putting another one on.  Like I said, this device changed my life.  It’s not the device so to speak, it’s more for the fact that it’s SOMETHING that has to be on me, no matter what.  I feel suffocated with it on sometimes, and when I have it off I feel vulnerable.  For the first year of being a diabetic I wanted nothing to do with an insulin pump for this very reason.  I wanted to be free of tubes and all that goes with having a pump.  The Omnipod doesn’t have tubes, so when the time came, it was a no brainer.

The entire reason I went to the Omnipod, or well, the main reason, was because using insulin pens was torture.  I had an incredibly hard time since my body fat percentage is so low, and it was much more painful, and I’d do anything and everything to never have to give myself another insulin shot.  I wish it were easier, and one day I’ll try and go back to it, but who know when that will be.

At this point I’m rambling, but the main thing I wanted to kind of get off my chest is that, I feel trapped today. I feel like I’m losing some kind of war.  

I’ll be ok, I got a new pod on, I just ate something, I’m good. Sometimes though...you just wish you weren’t a walking cyborg, ya know?

[sugarfreespice]

670g vs. Omnipod

So this week I gave my 670g + sensor a break and wore a pod w/no sensor, this was quite the thing for me, not wearing a sensor.  Like I always tell everyone when comparing two similar items; there are the good and there are the bad things with everything.  And if you are choosing to wear a pump either for the first time or trial a different one, you’ve got to weigh out the positives vs. negatives. ___________________________________________________

The good about Medtronic’s 670g.

AUTOMODE. Need I say more. I love automode.  The automode allows the insulin pump to base your basal rate (which they call microbolus) on your Guardian 3 sensor readings.  No need to figure out what basal rate you need for a certain time of day.

The option for auto mode (AM), if you're wearing the Guardian 3 sensor.  I can’t believe the "flat lines” my CGM data gives me, my time in target over a 24hour continuous period is remarkable.

The choice of two different reservoir sizes; 180units vs. 300units.

You can purchase everything you need to use your pump (excluding the sensors) from your local drug store.  This is something I LOVE, because if you plan it right, and purchase your supplies on SDM’s “20x The Points” day, you’ll feel like you won the lottery.

Dual and Square wave bolus options when in manual mode (MM).  I never realized how much I take advantage of this when I’m using my 670g in MM.

The good about Omnipod.

NO CORDs. None. Nothing. If you’re like me and so use to wearing a sensor on your arm, you are not even going to remember that you are a wearing a pod. Memories will come back from a time, before you had diabetes. It is almost as if Diabetes doesn’t exist (until you need to find the PDM and bolus for lunch).

NO BEEPING. Until you get to 20units of insulin, then its going to beep, and beep.

The bad about Medtronic 670g.

BEEPING, all the alarms, until you learn (or your diabetes pump team teaches you) how to manage your settings to reduce alarms.

The cord, and how just sometimes the belt clip won’t stay on your pants, and how easy I find the pump slips out of my pocket, creating an insulin pendulum. 

The pre-sets for AM; sensor target of 6.5mmol/L or the temp target of 8.5mmol/L.  I know there are more T1s who have the ability and the WANT to choose your own sensor target, 6.5mmol/L is a safe number yes, but I would choose one lower.

The length of time it takes for AM to bring you down, when you’re range is above target, I find this can take too long and I just want to “ghost carb” or jump out of AM into MM, do a correction bolus and jump back into AM (this messes with the AM algorithm and I don’t recommend either of these).

The bad about Omnipod.

200units is the max amount of insulin a pod will hold. Sure you can change your insulin strength, or inject a basal insulin and use the pod for bolus only (this sort of defeats the purpose though).

On me, the adhesive is way too sticky, its actually a pain trying to get the pod off.  I don’t need anything to reinforce the adhesives.

I don’t have (or can’t find) the volume of insulin is left in the pod until its close to nearing the end.

You can't just go to the local drug store and buy pods (at least not at the two chains I’ve tried; Shoppers Drug & IDA).  You need to buy them from online suppliers, which is a big pain, especially when some delivery truck drivers either leave packages with the dogs (who destroy everything) or leave notes saying they refuse to leave it because the dogs are too scary.

Similarities between 670g and a pod.

Neither of them hurt with insertion, yes you can feel it being inserted but it doesn’t hurt.

Both make you feel like some sort of super human robot.

I find that an insulin pump in general IMPROVES diabetes management, will provide more flexibility, and improve your control.

I’m sure my list will grow, the more I use the Omnipod system.  But today I’m changing back to my beloved 670g + sensor.

Next insulin pump trial; Ypsomed’s pump. 

[diabeticsunite]

I feel the need to vent

So I ordered omnipods at the beginning of the month from Solara. They say something about needing a prior authorization from my insurance company. I say, okay, well, if that’s all, that’s fine. (My insurance company sucks, but they’re pretty good when it comes to customer service and all)

I decide to wait it out. Two weeks later, they’ve taken money out of my bank account but haven’t delivered the supplies. This seems iffy to me, so I give them a call.

They haven’t figured out the auth. It’s the only thing they need to ship. I ask if they can call to figure it out, I’m told that I should call (not them). I am not happy with this, but I’m also pissed because I’m out of supplies and I’m tired of shots.

My insurance company says that my plan specifically doesn’t require prior auths for my pods. So I call Solara back with the news. They send another freaking email and say they’ll contact me. I’m not going to take this sitting down at this point, so I call again. And again. For the next three days I call them and tell them I’m out of supplies and they haven’t dealt with my problem. Nice people on the phone, promise to help me, and nothing happens.

So finally, at this point, I’m done. I’m very frustrated, I know all they have to do is make a phone call, I pestered them while working a job and having an internship/classes so they can definitely make a call that’s PART OF THEIR FREAKING JOB IN A DAY however apparently they didn’t find the time. I decide to call my insurance company myself and tell them to call Solara. The very nice lady offered to set up a three way call. After we get into the system, she backs me up on the policy I have and within 5 minutes the problem is solved. Magically. One damn phone call was all it took when I forced Solara to face the music.

Moral of this story. Corporations suck, the health system in America sucks, and sometimes you have to force the people who are supposed to help you to actually do their jobs.

[citrusella-flugpucker]

((AFAICT, it’s more likely It’s confirmed the kid in the last gif is actually wearing an infusion set for an insulin pump rather than a CGM. It has tubing going from it and into the shirt (i.e. snaking through to a pump the kid might be wearing on their waist or something else that holds the actual pump part in place).

The very first CGMs approved in 1999 were wired I believe (though the sensor didn’t look like that), but current sensor/transmitters that would be more easily read as a CGM to a trained eye are wireless (though modern transmitters don’t look dissimilar to that). Whereas non-Omnipod-style insulin pumps (which is...basically practically any pump that isn’t an Omnipod itself) use tubing and an infusion set even now because pumps can’t... like... wirelessly transmit insulin. (The Omnipod’s form factor is that the whole darn pump is just. stuck to you)

An infusion set on someone’s arm would look like this video’s thumbnail:

(In theory the fact it’s 2002 (just 3-ish years since the earliest approved device date I could find) could also be evidence it’s less likely to be a CGM--I feel like they were significantly less common than now even when I waded into diabetes sites and topics back when I was considering becoming a pediatric endocrinologist in 2010 (which I ultimately didn’t do because I was like “IDK if I can handle 12 more years of school” and I was right).)

But the actual solid evidence is what I found while writing this reblog, an interview with Susan Fong by a diabetes website in which it’s specifically noted to be a pump’s infusion set and not a CGM. They made the choice to put it on the arm specifically because of how animation tends to frame the upper body and face more so a pump on the waist (or an infusion set, say, placed on the stomach and thus hidden under a shirt) might be less easily spotted and wouldn’t be seen in so many shots.

TL;DR: It’s an infusion set, not a CGM!))

Trivia from Turning Red (2022) dir. Domee Shi (insp)

[insulingetsmelow]

November 8th: Day 8

Things Non-Diabetics Say™

Pfff, yo, I have a whooole tag dedicated to this, And post series??? There;s a about 7 posts in it and 5 and 7 seems to be pretty popular ngl. But I have fking heard it all. I’ve heard the, “you’re low so you need insulin,” and the, “you can’t eat that,” and the “my grandfather has diabetes,: and the, “miracle veggfruit,” and the, “I’m not talking about your diabetes,” and the, “you’re cranky so you must need food.” The list seriously goes on and on.

This one time while I was at UConn, I was waiting for one of the campus buses so I could go back to my dorm and this guy comes out of literally no where. Starts with an, “excuse me, hi, hello,” I thought the guy was going to ask for directions to getting to some creepy building on the other side of campus, Oh boy was I naive. He points to my pump, the Omnipod , that was on my arm at the time and asks, “is that a nicotine patch?” Wut? A nicotine patch? this sets off a red flag but I ignore it, Omnipod was relatively new at them time and even other diabetics that I had run into didn’t know what it was. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. So I correct him, “No, it’s an insulin pump I-“ “Oh, you’re diabetic!” “Yeah, I’ve been diabetic since I was four years old.” “Oh, I’m so sorry! That must be so rough!” “Nah it’s not too bad. When it’s the only thing you’ve ever-” He cuts me off a second time, “You know, there are many diabetics that have found the healing properties of...” He went on about his religion. It was dark, it was cold, and this guy was using my illness as an icebreaker to tell me about his religion. HIS RELIGION. In the end I politely declined to take his free book with me, on principle.

Join in the challenge!

[theneedyneedler]

Woah dude, I just saw where you put your pump site on your calf?!? How's that working?! Does it not hurt??

So far so good! I actually love leg sites they seem to get knocked around a lot less and the adhesive stays on a lot better for me! I’m trying the inside of my calf because I tend to sleep on my side so when I put leg sites on the outside of my leg it can get kind of painful. They’re so great to add to the rotation though, especially since I don’t put pump sites on my legs very often.

I will say though that leg sites can be very hit or miss depending on your anatomy. Calf sites especially. They seem to work super well for some people and rarely for others. A lot of people also put their omnipod there!

I try to find a fleshy ish spot and then completely relax my leg while standing to give it the best chance of working. I have used the far side of my calf a few times with great results, and a few times have been duds. You can also use the back of the calf! Although personally I haven’t done that one yet!

[t1diabish-blog]

Pump me up

I cannot wait to get my insulin pump started. My pump was delivered to me on Friday and I cannot wait to get going! I will be documenting my journey here for all other type1 diabishes that may be thinking of making the transition. 

I chose the omnipod, primarily due to the lack of tubing. I honestly think my lifestyle would benefit from tubeless. We will see!

I also applied for a dexcom - awaiting approval from insurance before switching over to that.

I remember being gung-ho about diabetes education when I was first diagnosed. I feel that I have lost touch and I think it is because my current doctor is nowhere as good as my first doctor. To be fair, I had not seen her in about 2 years and there were issues with my health coverage that prohibited me from seeing her but we are back on track now hopefully. 

This is all happening very quickly but I could not be more excited. I have found my blood sugars to be very erratic for the last 2-3 years. It has been extremely taxing mentally. I try very hard and some days it just throws you for a loop with no warning. Oh! Today we want to change her ratio to 1:20...PSYCHE! Let’s switch it to 1:3 without telling her, mid-workout so she REALLY feels it. Diabetes is a bitch sometimes and can be very isolating.

The days when my BGs are in check, I am mentally more stable and feel safer in my own body. Chronic disease is such an interesting thing. I attribute a great deal of my anxiety to this condition. However I am grateful for the awareness it has brought me. And let’s be honest it ain’t going anywhere so I am going to continue to do the best that I can. For the most part I am a healthy and well person, but the days it knocks you down, when it makes you so fucking sick, those are the hard days. Upward and onward we go.

Currently, (I say current because I have been experiencing this for the last few months, but who knows what tomorrow will bring) I wake up with HIGH highs, (think 16.9 ish) or sometimes LOW lows (think 2.7 ish). A matter of 1 unit in my lantus can swing me one way or another. During a workout - don’t even bother. I am constantly eating to catch up with my lantus. Problem is, if I decrease it too much to account for the high level of activity that is my evenings usually (I say usually because goddamn what if I don’t want to workout one night? Sometimes we can’t predict what an evening will bring us), I will run way too high in the mornings.

Having to eat excessive glucose, gummies, bananas, juice and sometimes my entire fridge has also led to some extra lbs. Don’t get me wrong, I am about the thicc life but I know for sure I’m packing an extra 5-7 lbs that I am hoping I can shed by way of simply not having to eat these things.

The pump will also allow me to tailor my insulin ratios depending on time of day (really low ratio in the mornings, really high ratios in the evenings).

Sounds like magic eh? Can’t wait to see some tricks.

Will keep you all updated. I just HAD to eat a bounce bar because my BG was 7.5 before bed and that is way too low knowing what trouble my insulin might want to get up to tonight...lolz we thicc af fam.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

Tech-Friendly Clothing Choices for Women with Diabetes

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/tech-friendly-clothing-choices-for-women-with-diabetes/

Tech-Friendly Clothing Choices for Women with Diabetes

For women especially, wearing a bunch of diabetes devices can be quite a struggle. Personally, I use the OmniPod patch pump that does away with dangling tubes, but in these days of #WeAreNotWaiting and do-it-yourself closed loop system innovations there's a lot of stuff that needs to be portable and easy to tote around.

With Mother's Day coming up this next weekend, it seemed like a perfect time to offer a perspective on this topic from our own Mike Hoskin's T1D mother. As you may recall, Judi Hoskins in Michigan was diagnosed nearly six decades ago as a young girl, and during the past year she's shared her adventures embracing new DIY tools.

Today, she shares some tips on, er... intimate apparel for ladies with diabetes.

Clever Clothes for Women with Diabetes, by Judi Hoskins

Women with a tubed pump at one time or another need someplace to put it out of sight when they have no pockets. Unlike men, not everything a woman buys has pockets.

For those of us who've started on early versions of homemade closed loop technology, that clothing challenge gets even more interesting when you're using an older tubed pump along with a CGM device, carrying around your smartphone and even an extra little box called a RileyLink!

Diabetes Tech-Friendly Shirts (or Camisoles)

For me, I've found a great option iwth the Cari-Cami -- it's a camisole (you know, a sleeveless undergarment for women) that has two large pockets at the lower edge. The pockets are designed to be large enough that you don't have to take a bag or purse along when you go out. Cari-Cami is a 1.5-year-old company out of Murray, UT, founded and run by a husband-wife team.

Currently, there are four colors of basic camis available -- white, black, cream and red -- that will run you $19.95 each.

One unique thing about this company is they are very willing to make accommodations to suit your needs. My request was for a 1" buttonhole on the inside next to the seam of each pocket, completely hidden from the outside. This allows the tubing of an insulin pump to be fed through the hole so it stays completely out of sight. Cari-Cami has now added this choice on their web page -- just order the Cami with Insulin Pump Option, which currently only comes in white and costs $20.95.

My camis arrived quickly and were beautifully packaged with a ribbon and bow around them. They turned out to be wonderful.

One side holds my iPhone while in the other I keep my pump and my RileyLink. It is extremely easy to get the pump in and out of the pocket for bolusing or whenever you need to check. It has plenty of room for larger pumps, such as the new Medtronic 670G or an OpenAPS unit. There is also room for a Dexcom receiver, a 10-pack of glucose tabs, a meter, a lancet device, and a bottle of strips. It is pretty amazing how many things will fit into the cami pockets! And the end of the silhouette tubing fits easily through the buttonhole with room to spare. If you feed the cartridge/reservoir end through, as opposed to the tubing end, a 300-unit reservoir fits through with no problem.

These are not loose-fitting camis. They fit tightly to the body and are made to be worn underneath a blouse or shirt. I did order up by one size and am glad. The upsize is a great fit for me, so might also be a consideration if you order. These camis turned out to be a fabulous find and I've ordered more for everyday wear since my first order.

Another idea that works well for carrying an iPhone, especially if you tend to leave it sitting somewhere and then forget where you left it, is this K-Carroll Accessories phone case for iPhones. This is a wonderful accessory for a RileyLink, where you need an iPhone to dose your insulin. There are two card slots on the back to carry credit cards, a driver's license, money, etc. It hangs cross-body and is an easy way to tote your phone when wearing something without a pocket -- especially if you are prone to losing your phone down the cushions of the chair or in the car. This is my go-to now for everyday use in carrying my iPhone. It makes the phone easily accessible at home, in the car, or out and about.

Bra Options

Last year, Amy interviewed the creator of the PocketBra and I thought it seemed like an interesting product to try out. It turned out to be very comfortable and extremely nice looking, trimmed in lace. The bra has a pocket on each side and also a pocket in each cup. This bra fit true to size. A pump fits easily in any of the pockets and the RileyLink fits beside it. As the OpenAPS units are now not much larger than a RileyLink, they should also fit comfortably in a pocket. A Dexcom receiver also fits into any of the pockets. The pockets are large enough that there should be no problem fitting in a slightly larger pump, such as the 670G. An iPhone 6s will fit into the side pockets.

This is a good way to carry a pump and CGM receiver during exercise, as the pockets hold everything very securely with no jiggling or falling out of expensive equipment. Because I found this product to be so nice and so comfortable, I ordered a second one in the other color offered. They come in pink and black and cost $39.50.

Below the Belt

The last piece of clothing I want to share is a pair of pocket panties from a small London-based company known as Hid-In. I tried out their woman's panty with a pocket stitched inside the front that holds a pump. This sounds like it wouldn't be comfortable at all, but it actually was!

Hid-In offers Body Bands (like small fanny packs) that you can wear different ways under clothing to hide your gear, and also the Pocket Panties sold in two packs of plain black and white or pretty b/w lacy designs.

The package I ordered was the black and white two-pack made of classic cotton jersey, which runs about $32 US dollars. Although this company is in London, they have US sizing options, so I found the panties very comfortable and fit true to size.

After about the first 5 minutes, you stop thinking about it and totally forget the pump is in there. The way the panties are made, the pump stays put and doesn't slide forward or backward. I never found that I was "sitting on the pump" which was something I originally feared. I could also fit the RileyLink in the panty pocket, but it wasn't as comfortable with two things in there. The pocket easily fit my Medtronic 723 pump with enough extra space that there should be no problem fitting in new, larger pumps.

Hid-in also makes men's Pocket Boxers with two pump pockets, one on each side of the front center seam, on the inside. Of course I didn't try these, but they look like they would be just as comfortable as the women's panties, as they're made out of the same cotton jersey. All of these cotton jersey underwear are machine washable and dryable, which makes care extra easy.

The best-selling item are the multi-use, unisex Multiway Body Bands, says owner Katie Isherwood: "That's our customer favorite… see our testimonials page for pumpers' perspective on all our products. Over 70% of all our sales are on this, it receives the most positive feedback and seems to be making the biggest difference to type 1’s!"

With all that in mind, my next purchase is definitely going to be one of those -- especially since I've learned you can get a custom-made body band created to fit your personal preferences. The way it works is you buy a lingerie set and purchase an extra pair of matching panties and send that to Hid-In and they fashion a custom made Multiway Body Band to match your set. Think what a wonderful idea this would be for a bride, a prom, or any special occasion where you might want totally matching, beautiful undergarments.

The only disadvantage to the bra and panties options is that you don't have an easy way to access your pump to dose. But Hid-In offers some great tips on their website for ways to access your pump when it's hidden under your clothing.

And if you have remote dosing options, these clothing items work wonderfully. Since my RileyLink system is dosed from an iPhone, keeping my devices fully out of sight is no problem.

Still, there are times when any woman is wearing something without a place to stick a tubed pump, and these are some wonderful, unique options that I was glad to discover, and I hope you will be too.

Thanks for sharing, Judi! Great to hear about these fixes made especially for PWDs and all of our diabetes gadgets.

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.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[sugarfreespice]

Freestyle Libre and Omnipod

So I have now been a #podder for approximately 2ish-3 weeks (with a short 670g break in there, and when my Guardian failed early I went back to my Omnipod). In the meantime, I was lucky to get a sample of the Freestyle Libre (check with your local diabetes centres, they too might be having virtual webinars from Abbott on how to use the Libre and they send out a sample). The Libre IS.A.GAME.CHANGER. Sure it doesn’t push the data through to a receiver or cell phone, and it doesn’t communicate with a the pod, BUT it will hold up to 8hours worth of data in the tiny device on your arm and transmit the data when you scan with either your smart phone or reader.  Just say though you forgot to scan within the 8hour period, than the previous data is erased, so its super important to remember to scan. I’ve also been super lucky that the Libre sticks so well to me (it even survived that heat wave earlier in the week), I didn't need to use any adhesive wipes.  The sensor on my arm is about the size of quarter-maybe, it has adhesive on the underside and no need for overlay taps.  Allowing more of my skin to breath.

I’m loving being tube free, and having less tape on my skin. Heres to a tubefree 2020 Summer.

P.s. you CAN put your Pod and Libre on the same arm, as long as the actual injection site and the sensor filament are minimum 2inches apart, AND if you choose to apply the pod to the same arm avoid the previous injection site also by 2inches to prevent lipohypertrophy (the buildup of hardened tissue from repeated insulin injection).

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

The Scoop on Novo's New Faster-Acting FIASP Insulin

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/the-scoop-on-novos-new-faster-acting-fiasp-insulin/

The Scoop on Novo's New Faster-Acting FIASP Insulin

There's a new ultra fast-acting insulin on the market internationally, and hopefully before long it will become available to us here in the U.S. too.

You may have heard mention of FIASP, or Faster-Acting Insulin Aspart, that recently hit the market overseas and in Canada -- and been wondering what the deal is with this new super-fasting insulin. We put our ears to the ground to learn more about it, what PWDs (people with diabetes) who've started on this med are saying online, as well as what its manufacturer Novo Nordisk has to say about this new product that was just recently re-submitted to the FDA for consideration as a new type of medication.

Here's what we've heard:

Getting to Know FIASP

What exactly is Faster-Acting Insulin Aspart? Remember, insulin aspart is the official scientific name for the synthetic insulin analog that sells under the brand Novolog here in the States and NovoRapid internationally.

What's in a Name? OK, so maybe FIASP is not the most creative branding (sounds like a variety of wasps?), but the name certainly fits. Whether it will carry a new brand name here States when launched remains TBD.

By Vial or Pen? Internationally, FIASP is available by vial, Penfill, and FlexTouch insulin pen. Interestingly, we see that in Europe it's approved for insulin pumps but it's not pump-approved in Canada. Hmm. Here in the U.S., Novo tells us FIASP will only be available in pen form.

Timing Flexibility: FIASP can be taken anywhere from 2 minutes before a meal or up to 20 minutes after the start of a meal, and apparently works just as well as NovoRapid/NovoLog that is taken before mealtime. While Novo officially still recommends taking FIASP before the meal, overall they're touting more flexible dosing, mentioning “earlier, greater and faster absorption, thereby providing earlier insulin action." This something that Novo has also pushed with its new Tresiba basal insulin that can last as long as 42 hours.

Faster Absorption: It's twice as fast as regular NovoLog or NovoRapid. Getting into the science, that's because two "excipients" have been added to FIASP’s formulation -- Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) to increase the speed of absorption, and a naturally occurring Amino Acid (L-Arginine) for stability.

Better Post-Meal BGs: Clinical trial data in which more than 2,000 PWDs with type 1 and type 2 were tested using FIASP showed the new insulin was linked to a lower spike in post-meal BGs and was determined to be just as safe as NovoLog.

More Hypos?! However, data also shows patients had more hypos in the first two hours after eating a meal -- most likely, as the result of not being used to the quicker action.

A1C Effect: Yes, data also show that patients lowered their A1C levels. This remains important, despite the fact that PWDs have been saying for years (and the FDA has recently acknowledged) that A1C is not the end-all, be-all guage for diabetes care. So it will be interesting to watch how FIASP proves itself with other measures like time in range.

The FDA actually sidelined FIASP in Fall 2016, asking the company for more detailed information about the "assay for the immunogenicity and clinical pharmacology data." On March 29, Novo just re-submitted their FDA application for review, so it's TBD how quickly it moves from there. The company expects to hear back from regulators by year's end.

Real-Life Feedback on FIASP

How are patients liking FIASP? It's pretty early to tell still. And of course "fast-acting" is often a subjective term just like everything else in this pancreatically-challenged universe of ours; Your Diabetes May Vary.

One of the best visual explanations we've seen on FIASP to date comes from diabetes nurse specialist in London, UK, Ines Parro, who created this infographic for her informational site Daybetes:

And here's a sampling of some of the online feedback we've seen around the global Diabetes Online Community (shared with their permission, where applicable):

"I have been using FIASP for 30 days. I was using NovoRapid/NovoLog before. FIASP doses the same for me. I find that it starts to work faster than NovoRapid and it stops working a little faster as well around the 3-hour mark. It is too early to see results in my A1C. I did find some injection site discomfort the first few days, nothing serious. That has subsided now and I don't feel a thing with a bolus. I have tight control, 5.8% A1C last time. I think it will make a difference as I can stop a rising high post-meal BG much more effectively than with NovoRapid. I do notice that when I bolus there is a sensation similar to what I felt when injecting Lantus before I switched to the pump."

-- Steve, a Canadian in an OmniPod group on Facebook, who also mentions that insulin is available over the counter in his country.

"Have been on FIASP for a week now, and holy smokes -- what a difference that has made for my blood sugars and overall control. I barely have words to describe my gratitude. For my fellow pancreatically-challenged friends, cannot say enough about how much this has helped with meal-time dosing and corrections. Game-changer!! #fiasp #gamechanger #insulin"

- Sandy Struss in Canada

"Someone who has tried it said the initial drop is fast, so make sure you are eating and the tail is shorter... so far she likes it but she is also using it with a closed loop system."

-- from the Women with Diabetes group on Facebook

- Liz in Europe, discussing FIASP on Diabetes UK forums

"I've got some in my Omnipod right now. I don't find it works any faster or shorter acting than the Apidra that I had been using before (but Apidra was a lot faster and shorter-acting for me than Humalog and Novolog). What it did do though, was drop my BG way more than I expected, so I guess it is more effective. My very first meal with it I bolused the same 4 units that I normally would for the lunch I eat everyday, and my BG fell to 2.9 mmol/L (52 mg/dl) around 90 minutes after eating, where as normally, from the 6.5 I started at, Apidra or Humalog would have brought be down to 5.5 or 6.0 after eating. I've had to lower my basal rate as well, because I woke up three times last night to the low alarm from my Dexcom. I am using fewer units per day, but I find its effects less predictable than Apidra for me. There is probably going to be a descent length adjustment period to learn the idiosyncrasies of it."

- Vicka Plume in Canada, as posted on the TuDiabetes forums

We're also following our UK D-friend Tim Street over at DiabetTech, who's been experimenting and chronicling his FIASP experience since starting on it in March -- from his first 48 hours and initial impressions, to wondering if "this is, in fact, the next-gen insulin we've been waiting for?" He was initially enthusiastic, but ran into some snags later, as noted in his latest Further FIASP Insight blog post:

"At first it was a joy, with massively reduced bolusing time and huge efficiencies, however as the month has progressed, our friendship has soured somewhat. I’ve been needing more and more of it and it’s not been much fun trying to work out what’s been going on."

Specifically, Tim notes that while FIASP appears to work faster, it has also increased his insulin sensitivity and he's observing that it seems less effective per unit as time goes on. He wonders whether that could be a long-term issue for this product across the board, or maybe just an effect personal to him.

He also notes: "For meals with a slow absorption profile, there is a real risk of hypoing here if the upfront bolus is too high. It looks like it will be beneficial in the use of a square wave or dual wave/combi bolus though. I think these factors will need to be considered in changing to this insulin. People may need to re-learn their bolusing strategy dependent on the foods that they eat. Something for both PWDs and HCPs to be aware of when looking at changing."

We're happy to see Tim inviting others from around the D-Community to share their own experiences with FIASP, to help everyone better understand how it works in real life. Great idea, Tim!

Access and Affordability?

Of course, any new insulin product these days brings critical questions of access and affordability.

No matter how great the innovation, it doesn't much matter if people can't afford it or get access through their insurance plans. So what's the status of cost and coverage for FIASP?

We're told that in the EU and Canada, FIASP carries the same cost as existing Novolog insulin, whereas U.S. pricing has not yet been finalized, according to Novo.

That's a little unnerving given the complicated drug pricing and insurance coverage system we're faced with here in the States, where insurance plans have no real incentive to let patients change to newer or different medication varieties if they cost more. In fact, the payers are notoriously pushing patients to cheaper alternatives these days (i.e. non-medical switching), which gave birth to the #PrescriberPrevails advocacy campaign calling for physicians (and patients) to have the freedom to select the best treatment for the individual.

At the moment, we can only cross our fingers that PWDs will have reasonable access to any insulin they need, up to and including exciting faster-acting varieties that could improve results.

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.

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

"Golden Rules" for Living with Type 1 Diabetes

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/golden-rules-for-living-with-type-1-diabetes/

"Golden Rules" for Living with Type 1 Diabetes

One of the best resources for learning about diabetes and connecting with other PWDs (people with diabetes) locally can be summed up in five letters: TCOYD.

That would be Taking Control of Your Diabetes, the national educational conference series founded by endocrinologist and longtime type 1 Dr. Steven Edelman in San Diego. He's not only a super-knowledgeable clinician and researcher, but a really funny, passionate guy who infuses these day-long seminars with energy and inspiration. Seriously, everything I need to know about diabetes I learned at TCOYD.

For the past dozen years, I've had the privilege of speaking at my local Santa Clara event, that brings in about 1,000 patients for a full day of talks, panels, activities, a product expo and a banquet lunch -- all at the affordable price tag of just $20 per person!

This year, I was honored to be on a very cool opening panel for the Type 1 Track led by another awesome accomplished endo + type 1, Dr. Jeremy Pettus (who shared his smarts on alcohol and diabetes with us here).

Our panel was titled, "Golden Rules for Type 1s: Tips for Living Well with Diabetes," and included Dr. Bruce Buckingham of Stanford, Dr. Christine Ferrara of UCSF, Adam Brown of diaTribe, and Yours Truly from the 'Mine.

I think the audience really appreciated that we weren't trying to act as if we had all the answers, but rather just talking turkey about the realities of the hour-by-hour challenges of T1D. I thought you all might enjoy hearing the answers I prepared for this session, which aren't exactly "golden rules" but my own personal best practices, such as they are...

TCOYD) Do you have an overarching philosophy with your approach to managing your diabetes?

Amy) Do just enough to stay in decent control while STAYING SANE.

Has this philosophy changed over time?

It’s only grown stronger. Not having regular meltdowns over diabetes issues is an ongoing effort.

What would you say is the most important thing that has made a difference in your type 1 life and helped you keep on track? Inner strength/approach? A healthcare provider? Family members? Your job?

The support of my family for sure, and to a large extent exercise -- which makes me feel good physically and psychologically.

I also think it's super important to connect with other PWDs for sanity checks (TCOYD is excellent for that!)

What therapy or equipment has made the biggest difference in your life (CGM, pump, rapid insulin)?

I would say the OmniPod tubeless pump and Dexcom CGM. I love being able to pump with no dangling cannula, and the CGM has been a huge game-changer in just being constantly aware of what's happening in my body. I've also been using Afrezza inhaled insulin for the past year and have found the biggest advantage of that is having less complexity with IOB (insulin on board).

As you know, injected insulin sticks around in your system for four hours, whereas Afrezza is in and out in 1.5 hours. That means way less chance of insulin stacking, going low during exercise, nighttime lows, and more.

How important, or not, has a healthcare provider been in your success?

From my POV, the priority is that your HCP does NOT annoy / judge / misunderstand you / dismiss your concerns. You need to be comfortable and feel respected with that person! I have been fortunate to find such a doctor, although I must admit I don't see her all that often.

When everything goes to shit, what is usually the reason? Travel? Life stress? Change in diet? And what do you do to get back on track?

Travel and lack of sleep are huge for me; they usually go hand-in-hand. For that, I do my best to eat as low-carb as possible and check often, plus correct often.

Laziness / procrastination are also big factors. There are lots of times when my pump is beeping that it's time for a pod change or my CGM is alarming high, and I just don't want to deal with it immediately. I don't want to have to drop what I'm doing. But the results are almost always bad. I chalk this one up to being human.

Finally, my period does wonky things to my BG levels that are hard to predict. For the Ladies reading this: am I right? Hormonal cycles have a strong effect on blood sugar, an issue that's not discussed or explored enough.

How do you deal with exercise? Does it help your BGs or make them worse?

It’s constant trial and error. I have some set Temp Basals that I use regularly for spin class, aerobics, kick boxing, hiking and other workouts, but they’re far from fool-proof. To me, the most important thing is not to have to eat a bunch of empty calories I’m not hungry for -- in other words, to avoid going low at all costs, which often means I end up high after exercise and have to spend several hours at least chasing those highs. Come to think of it, I could use some improvement in this area.

What's your approach to food? Do you eat whatever the hell you want and just bolus for it, or do you avoid certain foods? Do you have any additional dietary restrictions?

I’m also gluten-intolerant, which is a pain in the rear, but it helps keep me very low-carb. I try to eat as low-carb as possible without making myself miserable -- meaning I try to do "just a taste" of the carby foods I desire most (which for me is mainly tortilla chips and granola bars).

Overall, I just eat a lot of protein and veggies, mostly salads. Thank God I actually like kale 🙂

How involved, or not, is your significant other in your diabetes? Do you want them more or less involved? If you could tell them one thing to change, what would that be?

My partner is very supportive, but not at all involved in the daily nitty-gritty. That's usually how I like it.

If I could change one thing, I guess I wish that instead of peering over my shoulder every once in a while to ask something like, "175, wow isn't that kind of high?," he would periodically ask a broader question, like, “Hey, how’s it going with your diabetes?” and then just listen to whatever I feel like sharing -- without necessarily trying to "fix it."

What do you LOVE to eat when you are low?

Raisins! I loved to eat lots of dried fruit before I got diagnosed, and had a hard time giving that up. Now I buy copious amounts of those little red snack boxes of raisins. Did you know the mini-boxes come in chocolate-covered and yogurt-covered varieties now too? Yum!

I stash them in my car, purse, nightstand, kitchen, suitcase, etc.

I stock up so much that one day when I had a bunch of six-packs piled in the backseat of my car, I picked up my daughter and her little friend asked, "Does your mom sell raisins?!"

Tell us a time that you have used type 1 to your advantage?

This is a hard one to admit, but I've definitely used it to get to the front of a buffet line. When I get really hungry, it feels like a low, even if my BG isn't dipping too badly. If you tell people you have type 1 diabetes and need to eat now, they're usually accommodating.

I've also had my doctor write me a letter to avoid jury duty. She actually encouraged me to get out of it if possible, because it really is tough if you get stuck there for weeks on end -- in terms of being able to eat right, exercise, etc. (Before you get judgy, know that many PWDs have gone this route.)

What does "being in control" mean to you? Is it an A1C? No hypos? Time in range?

I would say an A1C of 7.4 or less WITHOUT FREQUENT HYPOS.

My good friend Dr. Richard Jackson of Joslin Diabetes Center always encouraged me to think of "good control" this way -- not as pressure for ever-lower A1Cs, but maintaining a decent level without frequent lows, which shows that you are actually staying "in range" most of the time.

Tell us about your approach to complications. If you have them, how do you deal with them? If you don't, how often do they enter your mind?

I don’t have any yet, knock on wood! But I do think about them often – especially for eyes and feet, which are my “weak spots.” Gotta get those screenings regularly!

Give us a parting piece of advice to others on how to make life with type 1 better?

I’d return to my overarching philosophy: “Do just enough to stay in decent control while STAYING SANE.”

Sanity in this case means allowing yourself slip-ups, and taking time for family, friends and activities you enjoy (and occasional food splurges) WITHOUT FEELINGS OF GUILT.

So Dear Readers, got any "golden rules" of your own to share?

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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