All this press about all these new technologies and studies and companies joining up with non-profits to do this and to do that, and blah blah blah. At first when I read the post by Amy from Diabetes Mine about JDRF and BD joining forces, it instantly just reminded me of the post I just had last week about why there will never be a cure! Next, it made me think, well what exactly is it that I want from an insulin pump or what do I want to have in order to manage my diabetes. This is not like a Jetson’s post. I am trying to keep this stuff logical and something that can happen in the near future.
Easy to Use
The very first thing that I want is for the device to be very easy to use. Now that all pumps have built in carb counting and insulin suggestions, it makes life so much easier. I love that they calculate how much active insulin there is. Not too many buttons, just 2 or 3 at max to do what I need to do.
Convenient
What I mean by this is that I want to be able to use my iPhone to link with my pump. My iPhone is my life, literally. I work from it, I communicate with family, Amanda has one also so we have apps that easily keep us in touch and on the same page with each others calendars etc. I want to be able to just pull out my phone at the dinner table or at a restaurant and hit a few buttons and then bam, there goes the insulin. I would like to also just have to use my phone as a meter, not just anyphone, because I know there are phones out there, but the iPhone.
Tubeless
I still use a Medtronic Paradigm, so I have never even used the tubeless / wireless OmniPod yet. The number reason that I don’t is because I use about 120 some units of insulin a day. That only holds 200, so I would be changing the pod every day and a half. I would a pod to be able to carry, let’s say, 600 units of insulin. I basically only want to change reservoirs and infusion sets, or pods just once a week. It’s less work I have to do and less garbage and sharps containers I go through. Charge the same price, it doesn’t matter.
CGM Built-In
I want the CGM and the pod or infusion set to the be the same insertion. I don’t want to have to wear two separate things. Very clear on that.
Well, that is what I want in my insulin pump. I know some of these things exist, but not all in the same pump. So, when JDRF is giving their millions to these companies, I hope they have spoken with diabetics themselves on what we want, not just what they want to create and think will make life easier.
What do you want?
I know one of the problems with having the infusion site and the CGM sensor near each other is that the insulin you get via bolus/basal will affect the CGM readings. As in, if they are physically close to each other, your CGM will pick up your mealtime insulin and not know what that means for your reading. That’s why they recommend putting your sensor so many inches away. I wish they could be the same insertion, but I don’t know how they’re going to fix it.
I also don’t know how they would physically fit 600 units of insulin in a pod. It takes up space and that would probably mean a thicker pod. Unless they bring back different densities of insulin (U-500, etc) to make a smaller physical amount pack the same amount of punch.
Love your comments on the type of pump you would like to have. You have some great ideas. Hopefully our pumps will be more personalized in the future!
What I want in a pump?!? I honestly am happy with the Omnipod but of there was one thing I wanted to have intergrated with the Omnipod would be the CGM. I can’t wait for it to happen; heard it’s suppose to be soon.
Ok, let’s discuss some of the “why they can’t do it” here.
1. Reservoir not big enough – could this be because they want to sell you a consumable? Why not let you re-fill the device with a needle?
2. Battery not strong enough to allow for BlueTooth com with IPhone apps etc. – Really? I can communicate with a tiny ear piece and that seems to work just fine. Could it be that the manufactures need to be “proprietary”? Which leaves me with a CGM device communicating with my CGM canula, a pump communicating with my pump canula and oh yeah, a cell phone. VS. a needle and insulin bottle and test kit…
3. On a more serious note: With BD and JDF getting into be together we should all have great concern. THINK for just a minute – what cure or even treatment for ANY disease has every been given back to the people that donated to those organizations. For example, have you ever heard of the Jerry’s Kids pill that helps patients with MD/MS? Have you every heard of a pill/therapy that is directly linked to the BILLIONS of dollars that have been given to the Heart Association, JDF, or any other charity organization? NO. SO we provide the R&D money to these organizations and they develop therapies, pills, treatments that involve a continual revenue stream tied to each patient and ceases to exist if said disease is cured. Now I am fairly sure that this is a conflict of interest. Do we (JDF et. al.) even get royalties on those products?
I have been spared my sight, heart and general health by these “therapies” so please don’t take me as a nut, but rather that continuing to support a system that does not provide cures why not change it. I say give no one any money until such time as they have “cured” diabetes (and we can all agree what that means) then give them all of the money collected for THAT purpose. No charity says “help us find the expensive therapy” rather they use the word CURE.