I love communicating
I love to listen to the 'I have a dream' speech in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr Day. It's quite possible perfectly conceived and delivered. Enjoy!
I've been told that this blog is a great many things to the people that read it. If that's true and I hope that it is, I should confess something to all of you... It's really my pleasure to write it because I love to communicate. It's been said that I'll talk to anyone about anything. I have opinions and ideas like most and I feel alive when I'm sharing them with others. Arden's Day is a great many things to me as well and I'm grateful that you stop by and read it.
I'm much better in person then I am in print and by that I mean, I talk better then I write. My use of punctuation is questionable and my typing isn't exactly something Mavis Beacon would be proud of but none of that matters when I'm talking. Speech can be as enveloping as your favorite piece of music and just like music, it will sound different to everyone that hears it. Being transparent about life with diabetes is one of my passions, so I write about it the best that I can but only because I can't get you all in a room to say it person... that would be an opportunity that I would relish!
I've long worked at being the kind of communicator that doesn't just pass information but captivates his audience. My whole life I've enjoyed the feeling that comes with the ability to capture, keep and satisfy a person's interest. When I hear a well written speech delivered with passion and purpose, I feel joy and jealousy. Talk about transparent, I just told you that I equally love and covet when I experience a communicator practice their trade well. In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I'd like to share one of the most well conceived, prepared and delivered speeches that I've ever heard.
When a speaker is perfect the topic is of no consequence, their words will sound like a symphony. However, when the topic is that of civil and human rights and it is delivered this wonderfully, hearing the words can and will lend euphoria to your heart and mind.
We should all strive to just once have the effect on our fellow man that Dr. King did on August 28, 1963.
DexCom CGM: Buy 4 sensors get 1 free offer
DexCom is offering a free sensor with your next order of four. This buy 4 get 1 free promotion seems to be an effort to get customers introduced to their new online store. Looks like you just have to register and then place your order via that online store. The offer ends in March 31, 2012.
If you are an adult (users under 18 see below) DexCom user this is a no-brainer, we've all been waiting for the company to set up an easier way of placing an order. Now you'll be able to order online or set up a auto-reorder. You can visit the DexCom website and choose the link that looks like the image below (they banner rotates), it will take you to this link.
Now if you are the parent of a Dex user things get a little confusing but you can still easily take advantage of the offer and set up an auto-reorder (they call it 'Schedule Ship'). Since minors can't register to make purchases through their online store the form on the website is not going to help you. I had to call customer service, wait for a call back, etc. I asked my CSR if there was an easier way for the parents that read my site to take advantage of this offer, he and I came up with this...
Parents of minors that use DexCom can take advantage of the buy 4 get 1 free offer by simply calling...
Brian at 877-339-2664, extension 5561
Tell Brian that you were sent by Scott from Arden's Day, that you would like to set up a Schedule Ship and receive a free sensor as part of their offer. Brian will email you the 'Schedule Shipment' form, you send it back to him and you'll be finished signing up for their Schedule Ship program... getting your free sensor in the process.
Speaking of free stuff:
Apidra is free until 4/30/12
I have a 3 year supply of Spring's Universal Infusion Sets to give away
Social Media is helping me lose weight
I have never been a thin person. I have at times considered myself fat, overweight, in shape, not too bad and an entire slew of other body and health terms. I put on weight for the first time in my life around age six and didn't return to a healthy weight until about ninth grade. That dance has continued throughout my life. My weight hit an all time high around 1998. That was the first time that I took a drastic measure to reduce my size. The diet worked great and before I knew it I looked the best that I ever had! Then we had Cole and I put half of it back on. I've been up and down ever since. I never get so heavy that I feel unhealthy but somehow I always feel better when I take off a few pounds so I know that the weight effects me poorly.
Intellectually I know that I should be leaner and I wish that I looked better but these things never seems to be enough incentive for me to maintain a constant weight. The truly odd thing about me being overweight is that I am not a food person. I don't have cravings or even get hungry very often. It took me a long time to realize that my issue was two-fold: I don't eat enough food or water (often I joke that my body thinks that we are shipwrecked and is conserving fat) and when I do eat, I put no effort into eating well (though my kids are fed very well). Even after coming to that understanding about myself... I still haven't addressed it. I did however eat two batches of Christmas cookies, one at a time, over an 18 day period last month.
I needed help but I know that I wouldn't have sought it out on my own.
About a week ago one of our friends posted on FaceBook that he needed to lose weight. In minutes the idea of a competition was suggested and a week later forty people were signed up for a weight loss contest. Everyone threw in twenty-five dollars and the 'biggest loser' will take home a cool grand. Nice idea and my wife was doing it so I joined in as well. I wasn't all that enthusiastic until I saw something happen, something that was very familiar to me because of diabetes and the DOC.
Along with the competition came a private FaceBook group. To keep things on the up and up everyone had to post a video of their initial weigh in. No one was too pleased and people spoke of dropping out to avoid making their weight public but a few intrepid souls went first and then the greatest thing happened...
People stopped feeling alone, isolated, embarrassed and the weigh in videos began to appear one after the other. Where had I seen this before? In the diabetes online community of course. It's the power of social media. Which is just a new way of saying that people need people. It's community, friendship, support, or as we love to say in the type I world... the knowledge that others are living with and surviving the same things that you are struggling with. Somehow, some wonderful somehow, once you understand that you aren't alone, everything magically gets easier.
I'm watching people that didn't know each other a week ago share things that I know they are embarrassed by. They are offering encouragement, recipes and a lot of needed contact. All of this is supporting and motivating the group. I wish that everyone could experience such community. Up until last week I thought that I would only ever feel like this when I was around the people in the DOC.
This is just another way that social media is helping me. Please share how social media and online relationships have helped you, your post may be their introduction to a much needed life change.
My one month weight loss total is... 21 pounds!
FDA clears Freestyle test strips for use with OmniPod
"The FDA has notified the company that the new Abbott Freestyle test strip has been cleared for use with the OmniPod," Insulet confirmed in an email to MassDevice. "The companies are in the midst of updating the product label and will be communicating with customers once that has been completed, hopefully next week."
It's official, after more then a year and I can only imagine how much cost to taxpayers, the FDA finally has said that we can use Abbott's butterfly test strips in our OmniPod PDMs.
I'm not all that excited and am about to be a bit snarky about this announcement because I figured this out over a year ago for free and it only took me two days.
I completely understand and support that medical devices, equipment and the like need to be safe, accurate and durable but come on - test strips? I asked myself last year, "why would Abbott develop and manufacture a test strip that wouldn't work with their business partner's testing devices". I found the common sense answer to simply be, "of course they wouldn't do that". Then I conducted my own test and began using the strips with Arden's PDM in December of 2010, we have never looked back.
I'd like to congratulate the FDA on once again turning something simple into a train wreck, you guys are nothing if not consistent. Maybe now they'll (FDA) have time to clear Insulet's latest OmniPod design, from what I understand it's being held up because the "documentation can be confusing". To be clear, I've seen the documentation, used the new pods and not only couldn't the documentation be any simpler but it's about 99% the same as the current generation's instructions. In my opinion the new OmniPod design is being held up because of bureaucratic and political BS.
Our representatives in D.C. love to say that business should allowed to thrive but they'll take any chance to stand in it's way. Insulet is not a huge or rich company. They make a wonderful product that every day helps countless people live easier and more healthy lives. I'd very much like to see the FDA give them a chance to make a profit so that their amazing insulin pump can be around until type I diabetes is cured. Hopefully that cure, when discovered, won't be held up by the FDA forever...
I assume that most of you, because of necessity, have already implemented the "new" strips but just in case you were waiting for official word, you can find it here it's entirety.
Insulet has posted a link to updated information.
Diabetes Tech News: Medtronic Launches First-Of-Its-Kind mySentry™ Remote Glucose Monitor
Medtronic announces mySentry and I rejoice. Their new innovation does sound familiar...
mySentry Allows Caregivers to See Real-Time Insulin Pump Information and Glucose Trends from Another Room
MINNEAPOLIS – January 4, 2012 – Today, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and U.S. market launch of the first-of-its-kind mySentry™ Remote Glucose Monitor, which allows a parent or caregiver to monitor from another room a patient’s MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time Revel™ System. The remote glucose monitor also marks the launch of a new category of Connected Care solutions that will provide people with diabetes and their caregivers convenient options to access their diabetes management information.
Perhaps more then any other chronic dieses, management of day-to-day diabetes lends itself to cutting edge technology. While I'm always grateful for the advancements that have already been made, I'd like to see more and see it faster.
Even if you don't use a Medtronic device (Arden uses a DexCom CGM) this news is fantastic. Wireless technology like this is sorely needed and Medtronic's announcement will serve us all well, spurning other manufacturers to move forward as quickly as possible so not to be left behind. It is also a signal to other companies that the FDA is allowing clearance for technology such as this. That knowledge will make it easier for smaller companies to get into the game. Many device manufacturers are smaller and less profitable then you may imagine and they can't afford to get trapped into a protracted submission process with the government.
I love the FDA saying yes, I love Medtronic trying and I look forward to finding out what is next - please just don't price us all out of when your products come to market.
Medtronic's complete press release is at this link.
ps. It's time to let Insulet give us their smaller pods FDA - I mean really... which ever device lobbyist has you holding this up (my supposition)... they've gotten their monies worth, time to think about the people again.