Hi all-
Today I'm feeling extra-nostalgic about the olden days of diabetes care. I know I'm hardly the veteran diabetic that has seen it ALL, but in 14 years with the disease I like to think I've seen quite a bit.
I recently took a week off from my CGM (I use the Dexcom G5, by the way) because I wanted a break from the constant onslaught of information it gives me, and I wanted to hit a hard refresh on the way I look at the numbers it spurts out at me. You see, and those of you who wear CGMs know what I'm talking about, sometimes all of that information becomes white noise.
So I took a seven day break. Now I've taken a couple of days off- I usually do, in fact, in between new CGM sites- but never an entire week. And a few extra days sticking your fingers seven to nine times a day and never REALLY knowing what your BG is without going through the entire process is a much bigger deal when you're doing it for a week versus a day or two. So during this week off, I had time to reflect.
Diabetes care has made leaps and bounds of progress even since I've been diagnosed. I still use the same brand of insulin that I did when I first began dosage (the price has spiked astronomically, but that's a whole nother post/rant...) but the technology that surrounds the treatment is completely different. When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I wasn't allowed to have an insulin pump. It was a new(er) technology and the insurance companies didn't feel it was safe to use on children. Isn't that interesting? A life-saving technology that, in today's world, is more common than not in treating people- children especially- with diabetes was once thought to hinder diabetes care. It took a little over a year and a half before we convinced insurance to cover an insulin pump.
The insulin pump I first wore doesn't even exist today- to be honest, I can't recall the name of the brand. But it was purple and clunky and I loved that thing. I've been through probably eight or nine insulin pumps in my 14 years with diabetes. Not all different versions, but new-to-me pumps at least. I've seen at least 4 technological upgrades that I can recall, but I'm sure there were even more than that I'm forgetting. And far more to come. Although I only used long-acting insulin for a little over a year, I know the brand names and different choices of such a drug have changed since I was first diagnosed. The glucometer I used in 2004 looks ANCIENT compared to the one I have in my purse today. And huge, in comparison, as well. The near-instant gratification of touching the side of my fingertip to a test strip and reading a number is far faster today than it was way back when. I barely need to get any blood on the test strip today, compared to my original meter. Even the thought of a Continuous Glucose Monitor sounded like something out of a sci-fi novel back in the early days of my diagnosis.
It's incredible the changes that can happen in a little over a decade. Amazing, really. And looking forward, the stuff that's still to come is just as impressive. I just saw on my facebook newsfeed that the Dexcom G6 is finally FDA approved, and that it'll have the potential to partner with an insulin pump. I have friends who have tried out actual, usable technology that combines the two in an "artificial pancreas" study. Medtronic has its own closed-loop system on the market. You newbies don't know how good you've got it! Haha.
I am so excited to see what this next wave of innovation brings to diabetes care. I'm also going to fight as hard as I can to make sure everyone who should and can know about it, and benefit from it, is aware of the resources available. Because what good is all of this innovation if no one uses it?
I'll be writing another post in the next couple of days about why I care so much about advocacy (spoiler alert: I'm real passionate about this), but today's post is just a trip down memory lane.
The week I was brought in to the hospital with a diagnosis, it was Holy Week. I remember the first question I asked my endocrinologist, in all seriousness, was whether or not I'd be able to eat my chocolate bunny. I still worry about that some days- because chocolate is really important to my mental strength sometimes- but the beauty of technology and innovative diabetes care is that yes, we can have a piece of a chocolate bunny without going into DKA.
Happy Easter Monday, everybunny!
Signing off,
Heather
No comments:
Post a Comment