Some of you likely wonder where I've been. Frankly, since my last post here, I spent most of my time gradually dying.
I saw a long-term friend of mine in April 2019 and afterwards, he told family and friends he didn't think I'd make it a year.
Image credit: Vectors by Vecteezy.
So I have my shiny new Libre. I read the manual and see how to insert the sensor. And I hesitate.
Problem #1: What if I screw up? I mean, I screw up with bG testing strips sometimes, no big deal. But this thing cost $50 rather than $0.50! I need to think this through carefully.
Problem #2: I want to blog about this and need pictures. The thing goes in one arm and you insert it with the other, so I need a third arm to take pictures. So I need to coordinate with someone else.
So, it wound up taking a few days to get the thing in my arm.
Image credit: sensor in my arm Steve Fredette
Diabetic geeks have been following the progression of the technology of continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) for some time. They have been commercially available for some time, but prohibitively expensive and rarely covered by insurance.
A CGMS allows you to insert a very shallow needle that just stays there and provides glucose readings. These are not blood glucose (bG) readings like we get from standard bG meters, but readings of the glucose in interstitial fluid, the liquid between cells.
That's why I was so excited to see Jenny, author of Blood Sugar 101: What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes, post that she had gotten a Freestyle Libre to play with back in November, before they were even on the market. I've been following along excitedly with her experience since.
I'm a T2 and a geek; I wanted one!
Image credit: Freestyle Libre system © 2018 Abbott Laboratories. All rights reserved.
2016 update
They cause diabetic ketoacidosis
I spent 2 days in the ICU after less than a month on Jardiance, a drug similar to Invokana. I had extremely acidic blood, was passing ketones though not on a ketogenic diet, was severly dehydrated, and was low on ALL electrolytes, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate.
Lowering your bG is not worth dying over!
Last time I was at the endocrinologist, Deb, my nurse practitioner, recommended I do a trial of the hot new drug, Invokana. Because it's new, and thus patented, it's expensive and doctors have to call insurance companies to get it approved. To encourage this process along, Johnson and Johnson is giving away coupons for a month for free.
When Deb suggested this to me, honestly, I was less than enthusiastic. I'm not fond of ANY new drug. Let it be on the market for 20 years and see how many people it kills or three-headed babies are born and THEN I'll try it. I have a bad attitude. ;)
Nevertheless, I took 100 mg Invokana this morning, as I have for a while now, and I'm sharing my thoughts here about this drug and who I think should or should not give it a try.
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Diabetes: Protect our Future, by International Diabetes Foundation |
November 14 is World Diabetes Day.
The overall theme for the years 2009-2013 is "Diabetes Education and Prevention" with this year's slogan being "Diabetes: Protect our Future."
I see no point in educating directly, as I know of two outstanding sources.