New pill can deliver insulin • Hacker News Board

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#241

Post by pimeys » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 8:02 AM UTC

jeffdavis wrote: post #216

midnightcaller wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey - I assume you're using a CGM - Dexcom? Check out XDrip. Its an opensource community built collector for CGM data. They have a version that runs on Google Wear so your android watch can act as a collector. You can also still use your phone to collect and just have the data appear on your watch. Nightscout is another good related resource https://github.com/jamorham/xDrip-plus/blob/master/Documenta...

Cool! Yes, on the dexcom G6. Thanks, I will check those out!

And if you want a smart watch able to show your glucose value, get a pebble if you can find one somewhere. The battery lasts 6-7 days and the e-ink screen is easy to read in the sunlight and will not blind you at night.

Works with xDrip.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#242

Post by lolc » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 8:54 AM UTC

rzzzt wrote: post #152

lolc wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried using the intermediate segments of the finger instead of the fingertips? It makes a big difference for me in pain perception. Drawing blood is a bit harder sometimes but I still prefer that over having to prick the sensitive tips. (Not that I fret over it. Luckily I lost that within a week of doing regular measurements.) Hospital staff is surprised when they see where I draw blood but so far none told…

The suggestion in the manual of the lancet I used was to use the fingers on the less dexterous hand. It seems logical (but may not actually be correct) that you have more precise/sensitive feeling in the dominant pair.

I used to alternate hands, but I dislike pricking my tips on either hand. Using the other two segments of the finger doubles the amount of available segments so now I only prick the right hand, as I'm somewhat left-handed.

And as we're deep into the nitty-gritty: My device (Accucheck Mobile) shows the count of remaining strips when turning it on. If I take modulo 8 of that number I always know which segment to use, so I automatically distribute wear. Except that the cartridges start at 50, which means my index finger gets more pricks. I should really lobby Accucheck to make a cartridge with 56 checks! :-)

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#243

Post by arcticbull » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 9:21 AM UTC

visava wrote: post #93

lolc wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean diabetes type 2. It's tiring to keep getting suggestions of how to change diet when my body absolutely needs insulin from an external source. Further, while people may be able to reverse type 2, they still need insulin until they actually get there. So research into insulin delivery is relevant to all diabetics. Also there are many ways of reducing carbohydrate intake. The diet you write about is just one of…

It is not just about carbohydrates.It is the healing by natural minerals vitamins from fruits and vegetables which cannot be replaced by supplements. There is a long science with research papers which cannot be explained here.

It can't be explained here because it's wrong. People with Type I are born with or later develop an inability to produce insulin. It may be physical (the removal of a pancreas) or an autoimmune condition can destroy the beta cells, or they were born without functioning beta cells. Type II is a disease of poor nutrition, and is absolutely reversible through diet, exercise and/or fasting. Type I is a physical inability to produce insulin. Fruits won't solve that.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#244

Post by ascar » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 10:45 AM UTC

dotuser wrote: post #75

daeken wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know a single diabetic who cares about injections and blood sugar tests. I'm diabetic and the sole reason I don't check my blood sugar (unless I think something is drastically out of whack) is that it takes me upwards of 30 minutes to do a finger prick for testing. My anxiety skyrockets and nothing I do can tell me that it's not going to be excruciating. Most of the time I end up having my wife do it, which…

I was on a CGM (Dexcom) for about 3 months until my new insurance would not cover it. Even though it's convenient, it comes with its own set of problems - having to restock every month (with copays) got tiring and somewhat expensive compared to strips. I also had false low reads a number of times. And the amount of wasted plastic (the applicator gun) is concerning if you are environmentally conscious. As for lancets,…

> I tend to use the same lancet 10 or more times (I know, probably not recommended)

I'm not a diabetic or anything else that needs to use needles regularly, so I can only vaguely imagine the economic downsides of only using a needle once. Especially when your insurance doesn't cover them.

But this picture kind of freaked me out and would me make think twice: https://i.imgur.com/Sh8lteI.jpg

It shows microscope pictures of a needle after 0, 1, 2 and 6 reuses.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#245

Post by pavelrub » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 11:48 AM UTC

Pharmakon wrote: post #29

samcday wrote: post #4

> Once ingested, water dissolves a disk of sugar, using a spring to release a tiny needle made up almost entirely of freeze-dried insulin. The needle is injected into the stomach — which the patient can’t feel, owing to a lack of pain receptors in the stomach. Once the injection has occurred, the needle can break down in the digestive tract. That's some pretty impressive ingenuity. Also sounds kinda terrifying if the…

Once ingested, water dissolves a disk of sugar, using a spring to release a tiny needle made up almost entirely of freeze-dried insulin. The needle is injected into the stomach — which the patient can’t feel, owing to a lack of pain receptors in the stomach. Once the injection has occurred, the needle can break down in the digestive tract. With the right compound in the needle, thst sounds like an incredible way to a…

Seems like a very complicated and expensive way of administering poison.

The real question here isn't the delivery mechanism, but the properties of this magical compound - whether it leaves any traces in the body, and what symptoms it causes.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#246

Post by asudosandwich » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 12:17 PM UTC

ascar wrote: post #244

dotuser wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was on a CGM (Dexcom) for about 3 months until my new insurance would not cover it. Even though it's convenient, it comes with its own set of problems - having to restock every month (with copays) got tiring and somewhat expensive compared to strips. I also had false low reads a number of times. And the amount of wasted plastic (the applicator gun) is concerning if you are environmentally conscious. As for lancets,…

> I tend to use the same lancet 10 or more times (I know, probably not recommended) I'm not a diabetic or anything else that needs to use needles regularly, so I can only vaguely imagine the economic downsides of only using a needle once. Especially when your insurance doesn't cover them. But this picture kind of freaked me out and would me make think twice: https://i.imgur.com/Sh8lteI.jpg It shows microscope picture…

Thank you for that. I re-use them myself - I justified it as a harm-reduction technique because I test and inject myself more regularly then. This will make me take the extra effort.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#247

Post by RHSeeger » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 1:52 PM UTC

dotuser wrote: post #75

daeken wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know a single diabetic who cares about injections and blood sugar tests. I'm diabetic and the sole reason I don't check my blood sugar (unless I think something is drastically out of whack) is that it takes me upwards of 30 minutes to do a finger prick for testing. My anxiety skyrockets and nothing I do can tell me that it's not going to be excruciating. Most of the time I end up having my wife do it, which…

I was on a CGM (Dexcom) for about 3 months until my new insurance would not cover it. Even though it's convenient, it comes with its own set of problems - having to restock every month (with copays) got tiring and somewhat expensive compared to strips. I also had false low reads a number of times. And the amount of wasted plastic (the applicator gun) is concerning if you are environmentally conscious. As for lancets,…

If you were on the G5, you might want to look at the G6 if/when your insurance begins to cover it. I've had both, anf the G6 seems much more accurate. Plus, you never need to poke yourself to calibrate it (I still do sometimes, but you don't _need_ to)

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#248

Post by pimeys » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 4:32 PM UTC

bigtunacan wrote: post #196

pimeys wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right now it seems there is official support only to prevent hypos, but not to give you more insulin at night when you ate something too heavy and didn't guess the right TBR. Only the open source AndroidAPS for Android and Loop for iOS do this. And then you have a very limited set of pumps you can use.

The Medtronic 670g is the only pump that currently will automatically correct highs, but it only works with the Medtronic CGM which is untrustworthy. The Tandem t slim x2 only has support for hypo prevention today, but it supports at home firmware/software updates and they are pretty far along with the FDA on getting approvals for their auto dosing for highs. They anticipate a release this summer. I wish that OmniPod…

OmniPod support is coming to AndroidAPS. Development has already started.

https://androidaps.readthedocs.io/en/latest/EN/Getting-Start...

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#249

Post by bigtunacan » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 6:13 PM UTC

pimeys wrote: post #248

bigtunacan wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Medtronic 670g is the only pump that currently will automatically correct highs, but it only works with the Medtronic CGM which is untrustworthy. The Tandem t slim x2 only has support for hypo prevention today, but it supports at home firmware/software updates and they are pretty far along with the FDA on getting approvals for their auto dosing for highs. They anticipate a release this summer. I wish that OmniPod…

OmniPod support is coming to AndroidAPS. Development has already started. https://androidaps.readthedocs.io/en/latest/EN/Getting-Start...

Yeah, I noticed that. I went and took a look to see how the project was coming along after you reminded me of it.

I would be seriously interested in a closed loop Omnipod, but it will be awhile before I’m eligible for a new pump under insurance.

Re: New pill can deliver insulin

#250

Post by SpikeDad » Sat, Feb 09, 2019, 6:26 PM UTC

daeken wrote: post #26

RPLong wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What doctors and researchers get wrong about diabetes is that pin-pricks and injections are not even remotely bad. I don't know a single diabetic who cares about injections and blood sugar tests. You get used to that within the first week of diagnosis. No, the unpleasant part of being diabetic is having to live every second of your life as an act of weighing how what you're currently doing is going to affect your blo…

> I don't know a single diabetic who cares about injections and blood sugar tests. I'm diabetic and the sole reason I don't check my blood sugar (unless I think something is drastically out of whack) is that it takes me upwards of 30 minutes to do a finger prick for testing. My anxiety skyrockets and nothing I do can tell me that it's not going to be excruciating. Most of the time I end up having my wife do it, which…

Although I'm type 2 I just starting use a CGM (Lifestyle 14 day) and it's a revolution in data collection for me. I had no issue with finger sticks but you miss a lot of data. Now I get a full and complete set of blood sugar reading for a full 8 hours even if I don't scan the sensor.

It's really helping me decide how much medication I need and when it's most effective. And it's not economically difficult - if I finger stick 3 times a day then I need about 100 strips which costs me about $30. 2 14 day sensors covers a month which cost about $15 (insurance) and since I can read it with my iPhone the actual meter is optional.

I find the sensors read within 10% of a blood stick which is perfectly fine for me. I don't know if that's acceptable to Type I.

Nicely FreeStyle has an online website to access the data from the sensors and it has full download capabilities of the raw data so one can do all kinds of stuff with it.