51–60 of 162 posts
How much are the continuous glucose monitors alone now? You could use it for dieting.
When a non-diabetic person says "I need some blood sugar" when they're hungry and cranky, their actual glucose levels are pretty much at the same levels as usual.
Reading around, it's the controller software that is DIY, and it's grown to the point where a DIY device has been built to run the controller software. The sensor and pump/actuator are proprietary Medtronic devices, connected to the controller via wireless links. The DIY controller came about because Medtronic didn't secure their wireless traffic and the protocol was reverse egnineered. New units now come with a secu…
Near the end of the article: > A European team recently created an app for Android phones and cracked the code in a popular pump from Roche Holding AG So even if they don't find a partner, they'll probably find pumps they can use.
How feasible is this for an insulin pump? I know it adds bulk to a device that has to be worn constantly and inconspicuously but it may be a worthwhile trade if you can't find a compatible pump.
As long as it can be controlled by the wearer's finger it should be possible to automate it with an "artificial finger".
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Thank you for this work. Do you know why the applicability to type two diabetes is not as clear as for type one? I'd love to read more about that. The core problem is that the FDA-approved devices are optimized not for getting the best result, but for ensuring the manufacturer can't be blamed if something goes wrong. I live with someone who has a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) where the device came in a box with an…
I can't answer your questions from a clinical perspective, however I'll have a stab at them. I'm a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed when I was 9. > Do you know why the applicability to type two diabetes is not as clear as for type one? I'm only stabbing at this, and it's anecdotal, but I believe it is likely due to the lack of consistency across type 2 diabetics. Whilst there is variation in Type 1 Diabetes, it is largely…
The GCM (Freestyle Libre) has been a life-changer and improved long-term management of diabetes. In particular, it has been helpful for maintaining a reasonably flat glucose level throughout the night (because of better information for evening insulin doses), where they previously had high and low peaks (down to dangerous levels a few times).
I suggest you do everything you can to get a continuous monitoring system. Because you can see your glucose level history, you can then make decisions on whether you need an insulin pump or not. If your night time glucose levels are fine, you might not need one. If there are high or low peaks you can't manage, a pump will improve your life.
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Why don't doctors recommend them for type 2 diabetes? Well, my general impression is that doctors live under this illusion that patients will somehow succeed in making lifestyle changes that will cause the disease to go into regression or disappear altogether. Also, they prefer to try medications like glucophage before they resort to insulin. There just seems to be less eagerness to finely manage type 2 diabetics, ma…
Why don't more people realize this one simple logical conclusion: pumping more insulin into your body is going to end-up killing you . Sure, it will kill you more slowly than you'd die if you didn't get that insulin in the short-term, but it's definitely not a "solution". Diabetes is caused by insulin resistance . What do you think more insulin is going to do to your body in the long-term? The ultimate/only good solu…
Sad fact: patients that don't manage to change their liefestyle or are too far into the disease will stay on insulin until they die.
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I can't answer your questions from a clinical perspective, however I'll have a stab at them. I'm a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed when I was 9. > Do you know why the applicability to type two diabetes is not as clear as for type one? I'm only stabbing at this, and it's anecdotal, but I believe it is likely due to the lack of consistency across type 2 diabetics. Whilst there is variation in Type 1 Diabetes, it is largely…
My SO has a continuous glucose monitoring, and as you say, the reading lags behind by 15-30 minutes compared to measurement from blood. But the blood measurement is a single, instantaneous value while the GCM meter shows the last 8 hour glucose levels plotted and the current upward/downward trend. While it takes a bit of cross-referencing between blood and tissue glucose levels to get used to the readings, it actuall…
Would you say that's because you can get a better idea of trends once you have enough data? My understanding has always been that the true value in a CGM is revealing those trends and patterns that are really unique to the person and that are hard to spot with regular glucose testing.
EDIT: I realise that this is basically what you've said. Apologies, brainfart.
> I suggest you do everything you can to get a continuous monitoring system.
I'm currently jumping through the hoops to get myself one now. I can get my hands on one via the NHS fairly easily, it's just the pumps which are hard to get. I've done a lot of work over the past few years to get my control to a place I am happy with (finishing uni and that awful realisation that you are in fact mortal). I also wanna say that I recognise that as someone who is able to control my diabetes using injections it would be wrong for me to demand a pump when there are others who for various reasons can't control their condition. In a perfect world it would be great, but hey, we work with what we've got, right.
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Why don't doctors recommend them for type 2 diabetes? Well, my general impression is that doctors live under this illusion that patients will somehow succeed in making lifestyle changes that will cause the disease to go into regression or disappear altogether. Also, they prefer to try medications like glucophage before they resort to insulin. There just seems to be less eagerness to finely manage type 2 diabetics, ma…
> Well, my general impression is that doctors live under this illusion that patients will somehow succeed in making lifestyle changes that will cause the disease to go into regression or disappear altogether. Well in the last 3 months, I DID learn new eating habits, lost 15 kilos and had my meds cut from 6.5 tablets per day to 0.5 tablets a day working with a doctor and having good control on blood sugar. The big AHA…
Only asking as it would be helpful for others.
ketogenic diet is what is revolutionizing life with diabetes, by, you know, curing it (not type 1 though). automating the process of releasing a chemical that is roughly speaking the cause of the disease is hardly revolutionary.
Do you know if any communities of folks managing T1D with keto diet? I looked into it for my daughter when she was first diagnosed but had a hard time differentiating fact from keto evangelizing and medical community hand wringing.
Now I just do a lot of strength training which ensures my muscles are almost always in a state of glycogen deficit. In that state they can absorb glucose from blood without any insulin which makes having normal blood glucose levels easy even when eating all the carbs (so I can eat truly normally and without the digestion issues). My hb1ac tests are the same as they were when using keto diet (healthy person values, not diabetic values).
Sometimes it is a strange world we are living in.
While I admire open source and DIY solutions in general, they often lack the quality assurance a company specialized in medical equippment is used to. So I hope that soon there will be more devices from established manufacturers at reasonable prices. I would consider everything above $1k unreasonable if the hardware alone costs just $250 (for consumers).
ketogenic diet is what is revolutionizing life with diabetes, by, you know, curing it (not type 1 though). automating the process of releasing a chemical that is roughly speaking the cause of the disease is hardly revolutionary.
Do you know if any communities of folks managing T1D with keto diet? I looked into it for my daughter when she was first diagnosed but had a hard time differentiating fact from keto evangelizing and medical community hand wringing.
I don't see the point of going keto, but reducing carbohydrates to a very low amount simplifies therapy a lot. Now I eat carbohydrates in the evening only.