#libre sensor

[architectureenthusiast]

Everytime my sensor alarm goes off I get filled with indescribable rage.

Like shut the fuck up why are you making noise I will look when I care to or when it's convenient to me 😭

Why are you so obsessed with me 😭

[shxleo97]

I was happy to see it within range then this happens. ☠️

Then it freaking drops like a canon

My pancreas is a trampoline at this point. 😭😂

[theamazingsaraman]

I went to a Christmas party the other day and decided to add diamantés to my arm sensor. I think this may be the most inspired thing I’ve ever done.

[scarfman]

Have you heard the news today? My type 1 diabetes is A-OK

A blog that celebrates my great self-care of my type 1 diabetes. Unexpected news ‘I am ringing-up about your diabetes’, said my diabetic nurse to me at around 10.30am today. I took a big gulp and braced myself for the worst. The worst did not happen though because her next words were, ‘your average has come down to 58, you’re doing really well.’ No longer feel like a prisoner I felt…

[detective-like-i-give-a-damn]

30% off your first chewy.com pharmacy order

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[navybluetriangles]

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[diabeticcorner]

Choose the best FreeStyleLibre sensor to buy online! It helps continuous monitoring. You can measure your glucose every minute, and store readings every 15 minutes. Stays on the body for up to 14 days, and can be worn while swimming, showering, or exercising.

[medicalsupplyca]

Contour Next EZ Blood Glucose Monitoring System

The Contour Next EZ Blood Glucose Monitoring System provides accurate and quick blood glucose readings. Its simplicity and affordability make it a popular choice for managing diabetes.

[hafwen]

Libre 3 Recall

[Image Description: headline "Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Sensor Recall: Abbot Diabetes Care Inc Issues Recall For Certain FreeStyle Libre 3 Sensors due to Risk For Inaccurate High Glucose Reading" The paragraph beneath it says "This recall involves removing certain devices from where they are used or sold, and does not apply to the Libre 3 reader or app. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause injury or death if you continue to use it." End I.D]

ID by @arctic-hands

[needlepokes]

how to write a diabetic character: CGM edition

is your diabetic character wearing a CGM? do they have to? CGMs these are Continous Glucose Monitors that can detect how much sugar is in your bloodstream.

How are they different than tradtional fingerprick (blood) tests? they take blood sugar readings 24/7, and provide you with how your sugars are doing at all times, rather than just at that moment. This leads to tremendously better control over blood sugar.

The way they work is that they can "sample" your blood sugar by testing your subcutaneous tissue for sugar levels then adjusting that value.

However, they're less accurate than a fingerprick (blood) reading and will often "lag" behind by about 15 minutes.

SO if you have a character who is expereincing low or high blood sugar - they'd get an alarm on their CGM, and then they might take a fingerprick reading to make sure. CGM false alarms DO exist and it can cause some very annoying situations.

A less careful/depressed/struggling/burnt out character might A. not care or "sleep through" alarms B. not double check with a finger prick C. not care that they're wearing a CGM - pump into stuff or just rip it off (although they are very expensive!).

can you mute them? yes, and a character might choose to do this while they're sleeping, having an exam, or if they know they're about to fuck up their blood sugar.

how long do they last? the libre ones last 14 days. the dexcom ones last up to 10 days.

can you shower with them? yes

can you swim with them? yes

can you have sex with them on? yes, and i've read very funny anecdotes from diabetics having to pause during sex because their cgm was beeping

are they expensive? yes! sometimes, they're covered by insurance, but not completely. If a character is in poverty, or do not have insurance, they likely would have to rely solely on fingerpricks.

Who usually uses CGMs? they are very widespread between T1Ds and are increasingly being used by T2Ds as well.

can you share the readings on multiple devices? yes! your character might share their info with their SO, parents, roommates, close friends...etc. It is genuienly one of the most telling signs of a close relationship between people - because those people will see your "mistakes" and decisions.

where do you stick them? the libre ones (circular ones) officially just go on the back of your arm. The dexcom ones can go on just about anywhere that's "soft" - stomach, thighs, back of arm, chest...etc.

does putting them on hurt? sometimes! the way they are installed involves a needle going into the skin then sitting in the subcutaneous tissue. This can sometimes cause some bleeding, and soreness for a few hours.

Often times the process is completely painless, but this is not the case for everyone. A thinner character might struggle to find a place "cushy" enough for a cgm.

can you put them on your own? yes the process is made for one person to stick it on, but i've seen some couples on instagram act all romantic and sappy about applying it together, so that should give you some ideas for your diabetic characters' budding romances ;)

Some CGMs are just naturally faulty, i'd say about 4 sensors is a busted one, and in that case you'll have to replace them - which most companies just do without any hassle.

do they work with insulin pumps? some insulin pumps can work in tangent with CGMs and provide feedback for the user to automatically generate the correct doses of insulin, depending on their current blood sugar.

do they come off easily? depends on who you're asking. some people swear up and down that they never last and have to put on patches, which are admittedly very cute. Weather, clothing, and how clumsy a character is all factor in this. For me personally i just put them on raw and keep them together by sheer willpower.

CGMs can cause anxiety in diabetics. The constant flow of information can easily burnout people, and this can possibly be the case for any diabetic character you might write. Seeing arrows going down or up can be very distressing, especially knowing how painful some of the consequences are. I personally take breaks for both myself and my wallet from using CGMs to avoid burn out.

nonetheless, CGMs are WONDERFUL pieces of technology that have personally made me much happier as a diabetic, freer and a lot more independent.

does your character want their CGM to show? lots of people, including myself don't like revealing their CGMs - but your character might like showing them off!

and lastly - my favorite thing about CGMs - taking them off and having a "naked" shower once a month where i dont have to worry about it coming off. - They look like this:

[the-monkeies-girl]

Libre better count their days. I just put my new sensor on last Friday ( glucose monitor ) and it went dead last night and told me to replace it. 😊 this is my third sensor since the start of the year that has been all messed up.

[architectureenthusiast]

Sensor (diabetic one) is a liar and trying to get me killed.

[remyfire]

Guess who’s back in a silly little shirt!!

As an update, Peach's last Libre sensor broke after only one week of use, so we had to go through the process of getting a new one and today it finally got applied. We're back to two weeks of scans every 8 hours so we can see if her levels are improving ;v;

Never any pressure intended—we're all going through a lot right now—but if you feel led to donate to help out a queer disabled author, all donations go straight to Peach's care! I've updated my Kofi goal with the cost of her appointment today.

[pizzleyanked]

be kind to the diabetics in your life. you never know when a bitch has had three libre sensors fail after working in the span of a day and a half while there's a shortage of them and they're being rationed at the pharmacies

[scarfman]

Embrace change, embrace the FreeStyle Libre 2 for type 1 diabetes care

Well. You know you make me wanna shout Time to shout from the rooftops about my joy of using the FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor by Abbott. It has completely revolutionised my type 1 diabetes care, and so had such a positive impact upon my life. If using this product has taught me one thing then it is to always embrace change, never fear it! Waiting 120 seconds for a blood glucose reading Hello, I am…

[torchshippod]

Crew Profiles Part 1: Mary Gillham-32

Greetings Cosmonauts!

This is the first of a series of posts detailing the characters of Torchship: Forbidden Space, in the leadup to the release of our Pilot episode. And who better to start with than the most of important character of all, the rocket: Mary Gillham-32 herself! 

Tough little ship

By 2152, it had become clear that the Aquillian De-Militarised Zone was here to stay. A ceasefire intended to last until peace negotiations that never came. The Divine Empire, risen from the ashes of the old Aquillian Empire, officially refused to recognise the DMZ. But unofficially? They made it clear that so long as Humanity kept out of the DMZ, there would be no more hostilities. 

The Florence Bailey program was soon established. Tasked with venturing inside the disputed territory, with the primary objective of reconnoitring Divine Empire operations, charting the DMZ, and attempting to make secret alliances with any civilisations inside the region. By secretly breaking the cease-fire, it was hoped the Florence Bailey program could, if not prevent another war, at least ensure Humanity was prepared for it. Secrecy being paramount, the Florence Bailey program utilised civilian ships, modified to appear like those belonging to vessels of various alien polities, alongside ‘acquired’ vessels of Aquillian and other alien origin. 

While successful, the Florence Bailey program was rife with controversies. Including a minor political scandal when the Free Aquillian Republic Raptor Libre encountered Florence Bailey-4, a captured Raptor masquerading as Free Aquillian Republic Raptor Libre. 

Aquillian Free Republic Raptor Libre. Or is it Florence Bailey-4?

In 2162, Humanity developed their first cloaking device, finally allowing Star Patrol to explore the DMZ without the headache of acquiring alien rockets, or offending its neighbours. The Mary Gillham program was born. It carried the same objectives as the Florence Bailey program, but now using purpose built vessels, and operating openly inside the DMZ as Star Patrol vessels, using cloaking technology to remain undetected by Divine Empire rockets or listening posts.    

Mary Gillham rockets are built to contradictory standards, and Mary Gillham-32 is no exception. She needed a small profile and to appear non-threatening. Enough that if discovered, she would prompt a manageable diplomatic incident, rather than a full blown war. She also needed to be self sufficient, capable of cruising for months, potentially years, without resupply or official support, feature a cloaking device, advanced sensor systems, and be well enough armed to fend off rockets 3 times her size. How successful this was depends entirely on who you ask…

"You're shorter than I expected." - Mary Gillham-32 faces off against a Divine Empire Second Rate.

Mary Gillham-32 is one of the smallest interstellar rockets in Star Patrol, and carries the bare minimum crew complement of 4. All Star Patrol rockets are cramped, but Mary takes it to another level. Supplies and equipment are stashed anywhere and everywhere there’s room. Her moonchute (the zero gravity shaft used to navigate up and down decks) is claustrophobic, and her doors are often joked to have been designed by Martians to spite the tall. 

Mary’s most important and defining feature is her cloaking device. Effectively a second, specialised variant of the FTL drive, though rather than warping space to allow for superluminal travel, the cloak warps space so steeply that it creates a bubble through which no light, heat, or tachyons can enter or escape. Effectively concealing the rocket in a tiny baby universe all to itself. Of course, this works both ways, while cloaked Mary is totally blind, relying solely on computer calculations to determine position, and a periscope in the form of a tethered drone that can be extended from the cloak bubble, at risk of detection. 

Mary's periscope observes a pack of Aquillian Raptors.

This lack of creature comforts is most obvious when it comes to the matter of armament. Too small to fit particle cannons or railguns, when it comes to combat Mary’s best hope is to cloak and escape. If that doesn’t work, she has a set of six externally mounted torpedo tubes. With no room for anything as wasteful as autoloaders, reloading is a process that takes the better part of a day. New torpedoes must be manufactured in stages in the matter printer, transported up the ship and out the cargo airlock, assembled in space, and then manually loaded into the tubes after being fitted with the desired warhead.

With only six shots, it’s imperative that even one torpedo is enough to end any fight. So, in addition to a supply of standard flak, nuclear and a handful of antimatter warheads. She also carries a small stock of Graviton bombs. An experimental warhead that creates a pseudo-singularity with an event horizon diameter measuring tens of kilometres. Anything caught within is utterly ripped apart. Mary may only have six shots, but she only needs one. 

In short, Mary Gillham-32 is an undersized, overengineered, and overpowered rocket with an understaffed and overworked crew, embarked on a dangerous, politically dubious mission with no hope of reinforcements or aid if they encounter a problem. But whatever sticky situations their mission brief gets them into, the crew can rest assured that with a bit of clever thinking, Mary will get them out of it.