Podcasts about diabetes connections

This week on Diabetes Connections, “We are not waiting” became more than just a slogan — it sparked a movement. Back when the diabetes community was fed up with slow progress, DIYers stepped in with solutions that actually worked better than what companies were offering. That rallying cry? It came from Lane Desborough in 2013. And more than a decade later, he's still challenging the status quo. We're catching up with Lane to talk about his latest project, Nudge — much more than just another insulin pump algorithm, it's an innovation to create more open and accessible systems This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week on Diabetes Connections, the Eversense CGM gets its first pump partner. This is the implantable CGM sensor – it now lasts for a year.. and it will soon connect with the twist.. a brand new insulin pump. I'm joined by Brian Hansen, the president of CGM at Ascenia, that's the company that distributes Eversense, to talk about how this will work, what's changed for eversense, besides the much longer wear, and what the future holds. This was a wide ranging conversation and a fun one. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. My guest Brian Hansen was appointed the this president of CGM in early 2024. Before that, among other jobs,  he chief commercial office at Tandem. We have followed Eversense for a long time, including talking to people who have worn it for a long time – I'll link up our previous episodes in the show notes. Our previous episodes about Eversense here Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week on Diabetes Connections, a look into the RV Life... with type 1. I'm talking to Chris and Amanda Stocker – Chris lives with T1D as does one of two children – and they've been living the RV Life since 2021. If you've ever thought about living full time in an RV… with diabetes.. we are answering all those questions. What does it look like? How do you visit the doctor? Where do you store everything? And why do they love it. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Learn more about Chris and Amanda's travels at Type 1 Detour Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week on Diabetes Connections, an episode we want you to share with family and friends who don't have any kind of diabetes.  We all know that bias and stereotypes about diabetes can be bad for your health. Diabetes stigma is an ongoing issue.. and a new survey and campaign looks to spotlight just how it impacts health. I'm talking about Abbott's recent Above the Bias campaign… with a diabetes clinical psychologist.. what needs to change how can we make things better Here's the video from the campaign More about Above the Bias here This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

It's a bonus episode of Diabetes Connections! We've got an Ask Me Anything panel with two incredible advocates. Kerri Sparling and Kenny Rodenheiser talk about everything from independence, to their support systems, communication around type 1, mental health, burnout and more. It's smart and honest and funny – and even after 18 years of parenting a child with type 1 – I find these talks incredible helpful. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Learn more about Kerri Sparling Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week on Diabetes Connections, we're exploring a groundbreaking approach to diabetes care that's not just about providing treatment—but also about understanding the impact of giving. Unbound is  leading a unique study to see if generosity and connection can improve health outcomes for both the donor and the recipient. I'm talking to Dan Pearson, Chief International Program Officer, about the study, who they're looking for, and what they hope to learn Learn more about the study here This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week on Diabetes Connections… people with Down Syndrome are more likely to develop diabetes than the general population. It's not really known why.. but having that double diagnosis brings unique challenges. I'm talking to Rhonda Gray – her son Trevor was diagnosed at age 8  (2010) and is now in his early 20s. What does T1D management look like with Down syndeom s? What does it mean for independence, holding a job, all the usual concerns. And How did Nick Jonas spark a big change for Trevor? This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

It's a special end of the year episode of Diabetes Connections! We produced more than 70 podcast episodes this year. In my mind, these are the top ten biggest T1D stories we covered. What do YOU think is the top story? What did I miss? Let me know in the FB group or email me! This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Join us at an upcoming Moms' Night Out event! Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Edgepark Medical Supplies Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.

This week, managing type 1 diabetes into your 70s is a bit of uncharted waters.. While thankfully more and more people are living long with T1D, that wasn't always the case. I'm taking to Dianne Mattiace who is in her early 70s and was diagnosed as an adult, 30 years ago. She was the first person in the US to use the Eversense CGM when it was approved in 2018 and she's still using it today. She answers your questions about this implantable CGM, why she's stayed with it and what else she does to manage in retirement and beyond.   This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. More about Eversense here Our previous episodes about Eversense here  Find out more about Moms' Night Out  Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Edgepark Medical Supplies Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Learn more about AG1 from Athletic Greens  Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Episode Transcription:  Stacey Simms  0:00   Diane Matisse. Thanks so much for joining me. Welcome to Diabetes Connections. It's great to talk to you. Dianne Mattisse  0:04   Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, let's Stacey Simms  0:07   jump right in. Let's start with your diagnosis story, because you were initially misdiagnosed, right? Take me through what happened? Yes, Dianne Mattisse  0:15   I was 40 years old. And my family history was type two diabetes. And they actually, as soon as you say that to a physician, and it was a general practitioner, it was not an endocrinologist, they automatically just put that label on me and said, you know, you're another type two in your family. It went on for about three months. And I actually was in the honeymoon phase, which now was not even recognized back then. But I, it was at the time where you're making enough insulin to keep you from going into DKA into ketoacidosis end up in a hospital, but not enough to make you feel well, so my blood sugar's were still rising, the medication they had me on wasn't working. And finally, after, I think about three or four months, well, during that time, I saw an endocrinologist. And he also was doing a lot of testing, even the C peptide, which is now a diagnosis tool wasn't able to be done where I lived, they had to send it out to a lab in Atlanta. So once that was kind of established, he admitted me, and started me on insulin and, you know, multiple injections per day, Stacey Simms  1:35   why did you What led you to actually seek out an endocrinologist? Dianne Mattisse  1:39   I was not feeling great with the general doctor treating me and I just kept getting worse and worse. And I was taking oral medications, they weren't all these designer meds that they have now for type twos. Back then it was couple pills. So I was I would call them increase the pills. And as I was increasing the pills over the three or four months, so was my blood sugar increasing, and I kept losing weight. And I'm thinking, well, this is a great diet I'm on I was eating better. But my blood sugar's were going into the three hundreds. So finally, I had been in the medical field before that, actually, it was in the medical field at the time, I was a controller for a nursing home company, but it didn't really have access to a lab or anything like that. I was actually the Regional Controller. And I was on the financial side, right? So I actually went to a lab got my blood sugar taken. I didn't even think to buy a meat or anything like that, which I should have, but I did not. And I kept seeing my blood sugar's go up and up and up. And so I finally just on my own said, I'm gonna go to an endocrinologist. And as soon as I went, he told me, I think you're a type two. And type one, I think you are type one, misdiagnosed as a type two. And let's do some testing. He started he did the C peptide, sent it out, did a bunch of other tests. I have no no recollection. Now, it's been 33 years of what else he did. But over that weekend, so that was like a Friday over that weekend, I just be compensated more I started getting muscle cramps, I called him and he said, go to the hospital Monday morning, seven o'clock and bring a bag you're being admitted. So I did. And he said, I was really on the brink of going into diabetic ketoacidosis. So it was really, really just, you know, it's good that I went to the hospital that morning and got on insulin, I think but I think a lot of people when they're diagnosed after 40 or 35, I just talked to somebody the other day who was diagnosed at like 55. And I think the older you get, the less they even think it just automatically think you're a type two. Yeah, yeah, Stacey Simms  3:58   it's something like half of all cases of Type one are occurring and people over the age of 20. But as you say, once you're over 20, many doctors don't know that it could be type one. I hear a lot of stories of Pupil misdiagnoses type two who have type one of a lot of people who have lotta, you know, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. I don't hear a lot of these stories happening in the late 1990s. Or prior to that time period. Did you ever talk to your endocrinologist? Like, I don't want to say he was cutting edge because it was pretty obvious you were suffering, right at that point. But it is interesting that this was 33 years ago, and somebody finally got it right. Dianne Mattisse  4:41   I think I was just so sick. By the time I actually went to see him and I had lost about 40 pounds. By that point. He looked at the amount of medication oral meds that I was on, and I think it had been about a period of three months and I kind of was keeping track of the blood sugars on a piano And a little notebook back then, that we had. And he looked at that and said, you know, you're you're decompensating, you're not doing well on any of these meds, the amount of weight I had lost. And I was young, younger. So I wasn't. I mean, I was losing muscle mass, but it wasn't as noticeable if I had been 60 or 70 years old. And he said, You're losing muscle mass. And you're just feeling so bad. I mean, I remember going on a trip with my husband. And we went to the Statue of Liberty at that point. It was you were able to go up the stairs and go into the statue. Yeah, well, we actually went with some family members. And this is before I actually was on insulin about a month before. And I remember going up three steps, and turning around and telling my husband, I can't do this. Oh, wow. And we had always, I had always been going to the gym be doing aerobics. Back then more of a runner than walking. Walking is more popular. Now. Of course, you know, less on the joints and everything. But I was a runner back then I was into aerobics. I was very athletic skier and, you know, snow ski or water skier. And he looked at me and said, What do you mean? And I said, I can't do it. I'm out of breath on step number three, I need to turn around. So that kind of pushed me to figure out. And now when I look back at those pictures of what I look like, I'm like, I actually looked very, very sick. I mean, that weight for me was not a normal weight ever in my life. Maybe when I was 10. Stacey Simms  6:45   For a lot of weight, I Dianne Mattisse  6:48   think I weighed 103. And I mean, I think I weighed more than that. Honestly, in fourth grade. Yeah. Stacey Simms  6:53   Wow. Especially for somebody athletic. That's really tiny. Right? Right. Um, Dianne Mattisse  6:59   you know what it is? It's it's denial. Oh, because nobody in my family. I mean, my family thought I look great. You're, you're on a diet, you're doing great, everything's good. But they didn't know how I was really feeling you know, health wise, I felt horrible. And weak and, and constantly thirsty, and constantly urinating and, you know, in the bathroom all the time and starving me, you actually are starving your body. And it's just the worst, it was a thirst. When I describe it to people, it was a thirst that no matter how much you drank, you could never make it go away. It was just something that was there all the time. So I mean, it was very, I was very lucky to find the right endocrinologist that, like you said, was a little bit of ahead of time, and kind of just said, You're a type one. You're not a type two, there's just no way and immediately hospitalized me and got me on track. So Stacey Simms  8:00   I'm imagining that you did go home with a meter this time. Do you mind taking us through your technology journey because we're here to talk about you know what, you're one of the first people to use the ever since Dianne Mattisse  8:12   I was first I was the first person implanted in the United States with the ever since and my doctor who is in Opelika, Alabama was the for about Columbus, Georgia. And he has an office in OPA Leica. He was the first person to be sort of the first physician to be certified. Wow, the technology. Let me tell you technology now. I always say this if you have to have a disease and a chronic disease. I'm so happy now that I have all of the help and see GMs I had actually left the hospital with a meter. And it was like, I think he had to wait two minutes for it to actually read. You know, your drop of blood. It had to be a much bigger drop of blood and all that. My doctor at the time would not there were pumps, but they were obviously much larger. And the CGM, the first CGM that I had was I had to go to the hospital and have it put on and I wore it it was a big box and I had to wear it for seven days. Then go back to the hospital. They would take the recording out they would review and and print everything, send it to my endocrinologist and then I had to go back to the endocrinologist for a report. So it only took a week of my life and of course, like anybody else I was sure that I was doing everything right and trying to have good read, you know a good recording done. So I would get a good report when I went there. Now I had changed my my original endocrinologist had a family tragedy with his son, so I had to change endocrinologist. And I thought I had a really good endocrinologist. But for some reason, she didn't really push me with the CGM. So I really pushed that. And I have been on all of them. I've been on all of the 10 to 14 day ones I've been on. Like I said, the original one that had to wear for seven days. And honestly, the last one, not the last few years before I went on, ever since I did not, they didn't get along with my body. I mean, I had too many alarms. I had too many failures. I had skinny rotations, I had just inaccuracies. And I finally said to myself, I'm not being compliant because of it. So I just started doing more meter checks. And I tried to manage my diabetes, which I could not I mean, to be honest, I was thinking I was compliant when I when I moved to Alabama and got with my physician now, my endocrinologist. I was not I was not being compliant, because I didn't have a CGM. So I mean, it's almost impossible to stick your finger every five minutes. I was gonna say do Stacey Simms  11:19   you think the right word is compliant, though? I mean, you were trying, right? It's not like you were in your like, I hit that non compliant page. I Dianne Mattisse  11:27   was right. You're right. I was trying. But now that I look back, I'm like, I should have. Well, there was nothing like ever since before I got it. So it was funny thing. My husband heard about it. I actually moved to Alabama a year earlier than my husband he was working down there want to do is finish his job for another year. And so I moved to Alabama, because we bought a house on the spur of the moment. We're on a visit up here. And so yeah, we weren't it wasn't a plan. It was not a plan. We just did it. So when I came up here, I did not have a physician here. I didn't even have a primary. But I did have a pump and I needed to get my supplies. So I I actually called there's only two endocrinologist in Auburn, Alabama. And that's about a half hour from where I live. So one of them wanted me to have a referral. But I didn't even have a primary yet. So I called the other one. Because I needed to get my insulin and my supplies. And they gave me an appointment. And it was funny. I went in on a Thursday to see Dr. Baliga. And he looked at me and said, This is my you know, I'm a new patient started talking to me about the ever since. Have you ever seen it? Have you ever heard about it? And I said, you know, it's funny. My husband saw something on the news about it a few months ago, and he mentioned it to me, but I hadn't seen anything else about it. So he started telling me about it that it was something that was placed under the skin. You wore it for at that time, it was 90 days now it's 180 days. And I said well, let's let's do it today, because he made it sound so wonderful that you wouldn't have to be doing, you know, I would know something every five minutes, I would know if you know and I was familiar with other products that gave you arrows, whether you're going up whether you're going down so you can kind of fix things as you're going along. I didn't have that right now. When I went to see him so I'm like, Ah, it sounds great. He goes well wait, we we haven't got he was at the FDA had certified it. He was certified, but they had to bring the team from Atlanta at the time. So he says but we can do a Tuesday. And I'm like, Okay, I can't wait. I mean, I was so excited. So I had it placed on Tuesday four days after I saw him and I'm now on number 24th sensor and it has been actually so life changing for me i One of the main reasons I was so anxious and happy to hear about something like that is because I was having severe low blood sugars at night and nothing not to wake me up. I mean I My husband actually would call me every morning at 839 o'clock to make sure I had made it through the night that I was still alive. So it was a horrible really way to live and I was having multiple sometimes multiple low blood sugars during the day and or blood glucose during the day. And then I would treat them and then I would go up and down you know so it was it was just up and down cycle and you don't feel well with that at I don't anyway most people don't because you you know you now you have to fix this and you know hope that it fixes that. So once the I got on ever since that disappeared, basically disappeared from my life, I maybe have one, low blood sugar, maybe once every two months now, I have a very, very low percentage less than 1%, every 90 days. So it's amazing to me how technology has changed my life and made me feel like I can actually live kind of like a normal life. I need it. And I also was never really addicted to looking at my phone all the time, like a lot of younger people do. And you know, I don't do a lot of selfies and but now, I mean, I do sit at the table and have my phone there because I want to see what's going on. And if I'm out to dinner, I put it there. And I want to see if it's going down, is it going up? And it gives me that you know that that safety net of, I'm not going to go high, and I'm not going to go low. Do you mind if I ask Stacey Simms  15:57   what other technology you're using because the CGM alone isn't going to prevent lows. Dianne Mattisse  16:02   I have an insulin pump. I don't have the loops. I don't use that because I have the CGM that I 100% believe in and, and love it. I do have a meter. And I do have to calibrate the Eversense once a day, which to me, gives me that feeling of security and safety that I am getting good numbers throughout the day. And if something's really off, you know if it feels like it's off, I will check with my meter. But I use the meter a lot less to be honest, I you know, I really trust you ever since. And I mean, it's been it's proven to me because many times the meter and the ever since will have exactly the same number, or within a few a few numbers. And that makes me feel so much better. Right. Stacey Simms  16:53   But you use you use a pump. That's just I wouldn't call it a dumb pump. But you don't use an automated system. I Dianne Mattisse  16:59   don't use the loop. I don't use the automated system. It has the capability. Okay, but but I don't I just that's not an important factor for me, right? Stacey Simms  17:10   I mean, I'm just trying to be clear for folks that you know, we're listening, you know what you're using in right with, I mean, my son, it's funny to look at technology because he was diagnosed in 2006. So we went, you know, shots and meter, and then DME pump and meter for forever. And then CGM pump your meter to calibrate like you say, and now in 2020, he went closed loop. So he's got a pump that communicates with the CGM. So it's just wild to see how it all works. All right, all the questions people have about ever since tell us about the insertion and the removal, because a lot of that makes a lot of people uncomfortable to think about. Dianne Mattisse  17:49   Right, right. I think the placement of the ever sense has, I think a lot of people think about it as a surgery and as this and that, it really is such a tiny little, maybe just a tiny little incision, not even as big as your pinky fingernail. And they actually, you know, they numb you, of course, and then they put the little the little sensor right under the skin. I mean, you can actually kind of feel it through the skin, you know, which is helpful when you're placing the transmitter. And it doesn't. I mean, honestly, it doesn't hurt at all, I'd rather have that done and then have my teeth cleaned, to be honest. I mean, it's it's really that simple. And I've had, like I said, I'm on number 24. And it's really nothing the removal is the same thing. It takes maybe the insertion the longest part of the insertion or the placement is getting the Lidocaine to numb the area, you know, they actually do it in a very sterile way comes with a big sterile cape. And you know, you're laying on the table and they clean the area very well. I've never had an infection I've never had any what I would call any bleeding I mean it might bleed a little tiny bit, but they cover it with steri strips, there's no stitching, there's no you know, there's nothing like you have to go back and have surgery looked at it or anything like that there's no stitches or anything like that. So the removal my physician has always used an ultrasound for removal. So I think that has become very popular because I belong some a lot of these pages that people talk about it and I can actually feel mine because it really is right under the skin and but I think the ultrasound kind of helps them know exactly where the end is. Because listen, there's you're putting it under the skin, it could move a little bit it could you know turn or whatever, right so I've never really had any issues. I mean, you hear horror stories from people who have never even had it, which really is quite annoying, because I think it's just like slamming a restaurant, if you've never eaten there, you know, just and I think the greatest thing is that we have a choice. Now, it might not be for everyone. But it is something that for people who get these severe irritations or allergies to certain products, you know, with some of the 10, the 14, ones, 14, day 10 to 14 day CGMS. And also, I think a lot of people worry about getting it knocked off. And the cost of it, were this the transmitter, which where you were on the outside, if it comes off, you know, you just stick a new adhesive on it and stick it back on. The other great thing is, you know, we live by a lake and we have a boat. And if I want to go swimming, I take my transmitter off, I get into the water. And I don't have to worry about anything, I don't have like a permanent thing going into my body a permanent or fish going in, you know, which always kind of bothered me going into a pool or going into a lake or something like that. This is once that heals up after a couple of days, there's nothing really on the outside plus it you know, the great thing about ever since also is it uses a different kind of technology. It's not the same technology as other CGMS use. So I believe and this is personally my opinion, I believe that it's much more accurate because of the type of technology that they're using. It's very advanced, Stacey Simms  21:47   you being the way the sensor reads. Yes, the way the sensor reads. And you said you had a lot of irritation from the other CGM. You don't have any irritation with the adhesive that the transmitter sticks Dianne Mattisse  21:59   on at all. None at all. None at all. The little adhesive ups the little adhesive that we put on the back of the transmitter is very very skin friendly. Very skin friendly i and I'm fair and I have blue fair skin blue wise, so I have had pretty severe irritations with other CGM said I had to move them around and try different things and try different products under it. Also products to keep them on, which haven't had to do that either. You know, this kind of stays on? And I don't really think about it. I mean, I think more about checking my phone now than I do thinking about having the sensor. So tell me again, Stacey Simms  22:47   this is your 24th Yes, sir. How long will this one stay in? Dianne Mattisse  22:54   Six months, not? Well, it stays now up to 180 days or up to six months. beginning it was up to three months. And I do know that the FDA is working on the approval for the what 365 Day, which we're all looking forward to that. What I mean, I love going to my doctor so I'm like, you know, I we always kid around. So you know, we have to stop meeting like this. But yes, I mean, it's a it's going to be quite awesome for a lot of people to get it for one year because I do go to my doctor every three months to get prescriptions for the other supplies I need and insulin and things like that. But some people only go to see their endocrinologist or their primary doctor only once a year to manage your diabetes. Stacey Simms  23:49   In the six months, I'm just trying to you know, I'm trying to picture that you think that all the different the CGM changes that would happen within six months. Have you had any issues any reason to go back to your endo and say take a look at this get out the ultrasound machine or is it smooth sailing for you? Dianne Mattisse  24:05   I haven't had any issues for several years. I mean, we're going on six years this July that I've had it the greatest thing is which I've never used the most recent products I'm not sure but but the ever since has an online or on your phone whole picture of what's going on. So I'll tell you how long you're you know how much time you're in. It will tell you exactly the percentage time and range and it also will tell you seven days, 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days so you can actually see and it will also tell you what your estimated A1C will be it will tell you what percentage is low you're in the low area what percentage you're in high so it gives you all kinds of information. The greatest thing is my doctor has that information also. So if I make a call to him, and I say, you know, I'm not doing well, something's not right, I can't get the sugars down and, and it's not the pump I, you know, I've moved it, I've changed insulin, all that thing, all those things, then he will go on there and say this is what you need to do. But this is what we need to change around, you know, because it's all based on the insulin that you're getting and the activity. It's nothing really I don't feel to do with the CGM. Right? So with the sensor, so I haven't ever had to call him and say, I think it's a sensor. I think most of the time, it's just been the amount of insulin. Or maybe I'm sick. You know, maybe if I have an illness that's not, you know, I had or I made a couple months ago, I had take a steroid shot my wrist. And that just blew me out of the water. So I called him and he was like, Okay, this is what we need to do for two days, you know, so the CGM? No, I mean, I find no fault with that. I mean, I think if the built in protection there is if your meter reading when you put in your calibration in the morning, which I do mine in the morning, you can kind of set it up to do whenever, but I always want to do it first thing in the morning, because I want to know where I'm starting anyway, my day, is it going to be good, bad or ugly that day? So I put my calibration number in there. And if it's, let's say it's off, it's off by 30 or 40 points, you know, you, the sensor itself will tell you something's not right. And it will actually ask you to do another calibration in another hour or so. So, to me, it's, it's kind of a safety check. So that I don't worry about it going off, and being kind of crazy on its own. Because, you know, if something like that happens, and I'm sure with technology, everything has, you know, kinks in it. They you would call the customer service, they have great customer service. And they can actually do a lot with Reese not resetting it actually totally, but figuring out if it really is the sensor really is you. I've had to do a reset on the sensor maybe? Stacey Simms  27:20   Sure. Um, I'm curious, you had mentioned you're in some groups, and I'm sure you know, people who also were there ever since and a lot of people who are interested in it. What's the first question people ask you about it? Like diabetes people? Dianne Mattisse  27:35   How about how is the insertion? How is the placement? Does it hurt? Does it scar does it? How is the surgery? You know, they all like to think it's surgery and everything? Because listen, when you're thinking about that you're thinking about, I don't know, maybe they're thinking of a transplant or something. But it's a very simple thing. And there's a lot of other medical procedures now that use these placements under the skin. There's hormonal ones. I know there's a testosterone one, I think there's an there's one for birth control now. So it's it's, you know, very upfront technology that's being used a lot in medical treatment. So it's not anything, you know, that people should be afraid of. I mean, this is an advanced, very advanced product, I think, and simple life is so much simpler with this, you know, just, I mean, once every six months now you go in, I mean, you're it's 15 minutes, and you know, I mean, the 10 minutes, I'm waiting for the Lidocaine to work. That's, that's the biggest thing. Stacey Simms  28:44   Do you have scoring? Do you have a scar on other very Dianne Mattisse  28:46   fair, like I said before, and I don't scar and usually the FDA requires that they switch arm to arm every six months. So like, they'll do the left arm and then they do the right arm. So in that meantime, I can't even like when I go back to have the removal. If if the sensor has already expired, like but I usually try to go a couple days before. If it's expired, of course, it's not going to have a reading. And then, you know, I have to really figure out where it is because I don't see the scar anymore. There is actually I think it's so tiny that it heals up. I mean, you're supposed to leave the bandaging and everything on instructions or five days. Usually, it's healed up in about two or three days completely healed. You can't even really see anything. So I mean, some people would scar I would imagine, but I mean, I think you have that's the trade off or having a totally accurate CGM. That's easier. That's less expensive than things that are failing and you have to replace all the time I mean, for me, it's, it was never I never thought twice about that. I may be by my age, I have a lot of scars anyway, from falling, and it's like, you know, I'm not worried about having perfect skin anymore. So, but no, actually, because I'm fair. I, I did think about that, but but only for about two seconds. Stacey Simms  30:25   Well, you know, and if you don't mind, um, you know, I'd love to talk about aging with type one. I mean, you know, it's different. Life is different from 20 to 50. Certainly, you've mentioned like, you don't run so much anymore, you know, so I don't want to make a whole Pash of like we all know we're getting older. For lucky, we know we're getting older as like, but you know, years and years ago, people weren't living past 50 type 1 diabetes, let alone 70. And I have listeners in their 80s. And we know people in their 90s with type one. So it's a pretty wild. So I Dianne Mattisse  30:58   73. It's changed 73. My A1C is 6.6. I'm so proud of that. Because when I first got the Eversense inserted, it was in the mid nines or a little bit higher. It wasn't 10, but it was in the night. So I've made tremendous strides in getting it down being healthier. And I'm just very proud of that. Because you know, I would like to be in the fives but I, you know, I'm fine. My physician is fine with it being in the sixes, getting rid of the low blood sugars was a huge thing for me because many, many people die in the middle of the night from having a low blood sugar. And that still happens to people and really with CGM and all these choices, it shouldn't happen. And the fact that the CGM gives me this vibration, I know all anywhere, anytime, if I'm out eating, if I'm in bed sleeping, I know I'm going to get a vibration that's going to tell me what's going on. So that has really helped me be happier in my life. I think I worked 25 years in health care as administrator and then 25 years is real estate. Now I'm retired but I do a lot. I have a charity I'm treasurer for up here in Alabama, that does art. We provide art classes and projects for kids in the schools here, elementary schools and some high schools. I have a little word working business with my sister here, we make maps of the lake and we sell to all the little stores around here and everything. And I keep very busy, I also do a transaction. I'm a transaction broker for my son who's a broker in Florida. So I do a lot of paperwork online for him. So I keep very busy. But the fact that I'm getting older, you know, and I know people will say this, you talk to anybody old, your mind is still young, you still look you know, when you look in the mirror, you go Who is that old lady, but when you when you when you feel good, and I feel so much better with a normal blood sugar. I don't feel like I'm that age, you know, I mean, I I enjoy traveling, I traveled to Florida quite a bit because of a lot of relatives and friends still down there having been there for a long living there my entire life basically. And I feel comfortable traveling by myself, which is a huge thing. Because I can tell you 10 years ago, I did not I mean, I always wanted to have my husband or my son or somebody with me. So that getting old and having diabetes. And I've been very lucky because I don't have any side effects. I don't have any complications from having diabetes for so long. I mean, on one hand, I was very lucky, I didn't have to go through puberty or childbearing. So I got it when all that was done, had my children and everything. But on the other hand, you know, 33 years when I think back 33 years is a long time to be dealing with a chronic disease 24/7 And I don't think anybody really understands that it is a full time job. It is something that is with you 24/7 You cannot forget about it even for a day. I mean, it's dangerous if you think you can, but you just can't. But getting older. I just like to I'm so excited to see all the things that have have come from diabetic technology, all the opportunities that we have now. I love being part of the ever since group of people because honestly I never knew anybody growing up, you know, during when I was diagnosed at 40 I never knew another type one. I felt very isolated and kind of depressed about it because I'm like, even in my family, they didn't really acknowledge it because Nobody had the knowledge about it, they knew a lot about type twos and you should lose weight, eat better and exercise, but they didn't really know much about why I was a type one or how I was managing it or how encompassing it was to your life. So I think just having better communities, among us is has helped tremendously for me. And the ever since has just been, like I said, before, life changing for me, no matter what age I would have gotten it, I think it's just the best product because it's the easiest product to use. And I've used them all, I mean, you can't name one that I haven't used and, and I've gone through the progression from when they had to put it on the hospital until the very newest ones. And nothing really, my body didn't like them for whatever reason. But getting old is great. I just look at it and go, I have friends from first grade still, that I see when I go down. And I'm like, you know, and they, you know, most of my close friends know when everything and they, they are very supportive, but they don't really understand it. So now that I understand it better. I'm okay with that. I mean, I think age has just made me feel like, Hey, I am so lucky to be here and feel as good as I do can be as active as I want to be. No, I don't run anymore, and I don't ski anymore. I last skied when I was 65 And I'm like, hey, that's it. I'm done. I'm not doing that anymore. I you know, I got away without ever having a broken bone or anything. Or last time we went, you know, I went with a bunch of younger girls and, and family, bunch of family. And and I'm like, Hey, I'm skiing is good as he's 40 year olds, but I'm not risking it anymore. Yeah. Stacey Simms  36:45   So I meant to ask Do you know is ever since covered by Medicare? I can look that. Yes, I Dianne Mattisse  36:49   did. Absolutely. Now the first couple years, it was not. And my husband I made that decision to pay out of pocket. But yes, it is covered now. That's great. Yes, right. covered. And it covers the insertion and the removal for the physician also, which I think some of the other insurances don't but but yeah, that was not the deciding factor for me. I mean, we paid out of pocket, and and we just knew it was going to be the best thing for me. Stacey Simms  37:18   Good to know, though. I mean, it's really interesting, again, with a lot of my older listeners, you know, and as we are so excited that people with type one are living to Medicare year and beyond, right, it's really important to look at these things. It is it's a deciding factor for a lot of people. Yes. Okay, before I let you go, Diane, how did you get hooked up as an ambassador? I mean, it makes sense. You're the very first patient in America. So I guess it's kind of a dumb question that everybody wants to speak out, you know, right? Dianne Mattisse  37:42   Well, I never Well, okay. So like I said, I never really was in a group of people, I didn't really even have anybody. You know, nobody in my family, nobody to talk to. So the team came from Atlanta, when I had my first insertion, placement, they'd like you to lose placement. So when I had my first placement, the team from Atlanta came, and that was six years ago, this July. So the person who is head of the sales now I believe, she was on that team, and she came in, and we kind of hit it off. And then I think it went on for about, I think six months later, they decided to get a group together, and call them the patient ambassadors. And that's when that is before a Sensia actually got began, began to be involved in the marketing. So that was when Sen. psionics was doing it. So this person picked eight or nine people. And we still have, I believe, four or five of the original ambassadors, and now it's more demographically varied. You know, we have young, I obviously, I'm the older person, you know, but it is good, because I think it's, you know, it shows that it's for everyone. I mean, there's not an age barrier. And there's not a weight barrier. There's not any kind of barrier, except you have to be a type one and you have to want this device. And it's just but that's how are we got hooked up and we kind of it kind of slacked off a little bit when we became the marketing went over to a Sensia. And they had that agreement with a Sensia. And then they picked four or five of the original people and and you know, we're still very close, we have our own little group chats and things like that. So and it's good because now I know if I have a question or if they have a question we can get with each other. It's it that is the greatest thing. I think younger people or anybody now, Facebook has pages, you know, people like you who are spreading the word. I mean, if there had been This, I think I would have felt so much better. I mean it I'm almost getting teary here. But I think I would have felt so much more inclusive, then than I felt for many, many, many years. So I think that you're doing a wonderful thing by spreading the word and helping people and sharing. And I think you know, somebody like your son, who's 19 is going to have a whole different experience with this than I did. And, you know, because you just by 40, you've gone through all those teenage angst and everything but and I was done having children everything, but then it's like, what the heck now? i What is this, you know, coming on, and I was healthy at that time. And I'm like, What did I ever do? Never did drugs, never smoked. Never, you know, there wasn't all the information about immune system, autoimmune and it runs in my family. We have so much autoimmune disease, but not type one. Yeah. So but the patient ambassador, it's a greatest group, we have a blast when we get together. That's awesome. Well, Stacey Simms  41:10   doing the show is truly a privilege for me, you know, getting to talk to people like you and learning so much. I really appreciate it. Diane, thank you so much for joining me. I hope we connect again soon. So Dianne Mattisse  41:21   and I hope you are very good at that editing.  

I feel so lucky to have been part of the conversation that makes up this week's episode. My guest is Stacey Simms, herself a big name in the diabetes world, and the host of the Diabetes Connections podcast. At one of her Mom's Night Out events, she had told me that she had a question about her T1D son's transition to college — and here she is to talk about it. Stacey starts by naming a few different areas where she's struggling as her son transitions to college and she transitions to his independence. The first is simply about him leaving and the ways that she worries about his diabetes management, especially since they had made an agreement that she would no longer be on Dexcom share once he left for college. She also notices her reactions to his management style when he is back at home and wonders how the conversation about diabetes should look now that he's a young adult. And as the topper: This super experienced T1D mom questions whether she did a good enough job teaching her son about diabetes. This is a robust conversation about the ongoing challenges of parenting our T1D kids, even as they become young adults.Listen to hear more about:*The ways we sometimes compare our child's diabetes “performance” to that of other kids*The challenges we feel about our own adequacy when our kids aren't doing as well at management*The balance of our feelings of awe and respect for what our children carry and our critical feelings towards our kids for the things they forget or don't get right with management.*What it means to be “impressed” by what our kids are managing and how to communicate that authentically while still giving them space to fail with diabetes.*How to talk to our young adult kids about their management*Remembering that our kids might still need and want our help with diabetes — and how to ask them about that*The ways that it feels like the worry about T1D never stopsMentioned in this episode:Need help getting your kid the right snacks?That's why I've created the Sweet Talk Snack Course. It's a free mini-course to give you 6 snack sized lessons on making sure you're giving your kid the right foods to keep them nourished and their blood sugar in check. Get it at https://diabetessweettalk.com

Today I'm talking with Stacey Simms. Stacey is the founder of Diabetes Connections and the host of the Diabetes Connections Podcast.Stacey launched her diabetes podcast back in 2015 and has since launched a second podcast, Diabetes Type 2. She's a published author, renowned speaker, and the organizer of Mom's Night Out - an overnight conference for moms of children with diabetes.In this episode, Stacey shares her podcasting journey and the impact the medium has had on her career. She also shares details about an upcoming Moms Night Out event in Charlotte.Diabetes Connections with Stacey SimmsMoms' Night Out 2023 - CharlotteBooks mentioned:Start with Why by Simon SinekAtomic Habits by James ClearThe 2024 Lake Norman Visitors Guide, produced by The Best of LKN, is available now. Download your free copy at discoverlkn.com.The Best of LKN is an Epic Journey Media production.Support the show

We're talking about raising kids with type 1, the journey to diabetes independence, and educating around the use of emergency glucagon. We're bringing you a panel discussion from Moms' Night Out Frisco! We have terrific speakers at our Moms' Night Out events but we also have some panel discussions. This time around it's Stacey and Cami DiRoberto. Cami's daughter, Maci, was diagnosed with type 1 at age 7 in 2017. She and turned 13 just after our conference back in October. Couple of quick housekeeping notes: this was presented and recorded as a hybrid Zoom and in person presentation – Cami broke her arm and was unable to attend in person. Her audio is fine, but Stacey's recorded through the computer mic and isn't up to our usual standards. We're providing the transcript below. Cami is a Gvoke ambassador and this panel was sponsored by Xeris Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes Gvoke. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Note: Gvoke is a prescription injection for the treatment of very low blood sugar in adults and kids with diabetes ages 2 and above. Do not use if you have a specific type of adrenal or pancreatic tumor, starvation, chronic low blood sugar, or allergy to GVOKE. High blood pressure, hypoglycemia, and serious skin rash can occur. Call your doctor or get medical help right away of you have a serious allergic reaction including rash, difficulty breathing, or low blood pressure. Visit www.gvokeglucagon.com/risk for more information. Find out more about Moms' Night Out  Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Take Control with Afrezza  Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Edgepark Medical Supplies Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Learn more about AG1 from Athletic Greens  Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Episode transcription:  Stacey Simms  0:05 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. This week talking about raising kids with type one, the journey to diabetes independence and educating around the use of emergency glucagon. I'm bringing you a panel discussion from moms Night Out Frisco. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. You know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. I'm your host, Stacey Simms and my son was diagnosed with type 117 years ago this week right before he turned to he's almost 19 years old. He's a freshman in college and he's far from perfect. I'm far from perfect but cannot believe how far we have come at our moms night out events. We always have terrific speakers. Coming up for our Charlotte event. In February we have Sarah Stewart Holland. She is the co host of pantsuit politics, and her son was diagnosed really not too long ago. She went through that very publicly, and just going to be sharing her story. Our other speaker is Madison Carter. She is a local TV news anchor who lives with type one herself. But we also have some panel discussions at these events. This time around you're going to hear me and Cami de Roberto hammies daughter Macy was diagnosed with type one at age seven in 2017. She had her birthday just after our conference, which was back in October a couple of quick housekeeping notes. This was presented and recorded as a hybrid zoom and in person presentation, kami broke her arm and was unable to attend in person. Her audio is great, but mine recorded through the zoom. And it is pretty rough. My amazing editor John has worked his magic the best that he can. But I'll be honest with you my side of the conversation is not up to what I think our usual standards are around here. I will tell you though, I'm putting a transcription in with this episode. Wherever you're listening, you should be able to scroll down on the podcast app and see and read what you're listening to. If there's any confusion about my side of the conversation, you can always head over to diabetes connections.com and click on the episode homepage to read it as well. Also, Cami is a Gvoke ambassador and this panel was sponsored by Xeris pharmaceuticals, the company that makes Gvoke you know I like my full disclosures around here. But they made this really easy. This is a genuine Parent to Parent conversation. And it's mostly about independence. You know how you get from a kid who's totally dependent on you to a young adult that you you can send off on their own. And one more thing about mom's night out the early bird special for our next event in Charlotte has ended but I'm gonna give you a promo code right here just use m n o mom's night out m n o 30 to save $30 off Charlotte registration. Alright, that is a long enough introduction. The panel is up next and since I just told you about CAMI I took out the introduction that I gave at the event and the big lead up so we're going to just jump directly in right after this important message. Gvokeis a prescription injection for the treatment of very low blood sugar in adults and kids with diabetes ages two and above. Do not use if you have a specific type of adrenal or pancreatic tumor starvation, chronic low blood sugar or allergy to Gvoke High Blood Pressure hypoglycemia and serious skin rash can occur. Call your doctor or get medical help right away. If you have a serious allergic reaction, including rash, difficulty breathing or low blood pressure visit Gvokeglucagon.com/risk. For more information. I think everybody has heard my family's diagnosis story. My son was going to the strip before he turned to one can tell us a little bit about Macy's diagnosis.   Cami  4:01 Yeah, so Macy was diagnosed in second grade. It was the tail end of her second grade year. I'm sure like many of you, I was completely ignorant about type 1 diabetes. I knew there was a type one I knew there was type two, I really didn't know the difference. I knew one kind of struck children, but I was completely ignorant. So it was like the last week of her second grade year at school and we had just moved back to California from Arizona actually. So we were kind of transitioning and all in all areas of life. And she had three bedwetting accidents in a matter of three weeks. First time she was at my mom's house, like having a little sleepover with me. And my mom called me the next morning and I called and checked in. Hey, how was everything? You guys have fun last night? She said yeah. She said we're just we're cleaning up to today. Macy had a little accident and I was like, well that's really weird. She hasn't done that in years. But that's so weird because it's not totally outside of the norm for a seven year old little girl you know it could happen so that was weird, but a week later happened again and I was like, Okay, are we drinking too much water before we go to bed? What's happening? Let's let's really so I started to pay more attention happened one more time a week later on, I was like, something's wrong. The red flags, you know, we're going off. And so it was a party it was because it was the last week of school. It was a party at school. And I woke her up and saw that she had had an accident and it kind of laid some towels down and changed your sheets. And I said, Oh, honey, I said, You had another accident. I said, I think we probably need to get in and see a doctor now. I said, Do you feel okay, you know, in my mind, I was hoping like bladder infection or something like that. But somewhere in the depths of my mother's instinct, diabetes flashed across my brain. And i i To this day, I don't know why. So I was sort of praying that it wasn't gonna be that, but I didn't really even know why I was thinking that it was all very blurry and confusing. But she said she felt fine. She wanted to go to school. So I said, okay, and I made an appointment with her pediatrician that afternoon. So I picked all three of my kids up from school that afternoon, and the four of us had at the end of the pediatrics office, and she checked it out and you know, took her vitals and sort of a physical exam. And she said, I think she'll show your daughter fine. She said, I think she's growing. It's hot outside, you know, but she's fine. And I said, Okay, I said, we'll upgrade nose and I said, Can you just indulge me? And could you check for diabetes. And I swear to you, I still don't know why I felt so convicted to request that. But I did. And she did sort of begrudgingly. And our blood sugar came back at 323. I'll never forget time kind of stopped in that moment. Doctor came back after the nurse came in and prick Macy's finger, you know, she left when three, the four of us were playing I Spy in the room. And like 1015 minutes later, so kind of like now that I look back and inordinately long time, the doctor kind of knocked on the door and up and said, Hey, Mom, can you come out in the hallway for a second? So I walked out. And she had the landline kind of cradled her shoulder and she she was clearly on hold when she said I am so sorry, I don't really know how to tell you this. But you're right, your your daughter has diabetes, and you're going to be heading to the hospital for a couple days. And you know, here's my office, if you want to make arrangements for your other kids, and just the world just kind of stops for a second. And in that moment, I didn't even know what I didn't know. I mean, I'm sure many of you can share that sentiment. It's just confusing. You don't even really know what you're about to deal with. But that was how she was diagnosed. And then off we went to children's Fortunately, she was, you know, we avoided DKA, which I'm so grateful for, like I said her blood sugar was 323. So they actually sent us home and called us when a bed was ready for her. So we were able to go home and pack a bag and kind of try to be positive and find some sanity for us. But also,   Stacey Simms  7:34 we were so lucky, our pediatrician, I called them similar symptoms. And she said, You have never seen diabetes, can anybody under the age of two to provide your program and so we can move on out. And we had such a incredible start to the families today because of that very smart pediatrician didn't let it get to be a routine thing. Can you talk a little bit of you mentioned your other children. This could be a whole separate discussion unto itself. But to talk about the impact to your to your family,   Cami  8:03 if you can believe this, at the time she was diagnosed, we were literally living through a kitchen remodel, my whole dining room was set up I had like a hot plate and we had moved our refrigerator was like an all the way by the front door. Our house was an absolute disaster. And of course, we needed to figure out our new sort of diet plan as well after all this. So kitchen remodel and type 1 diabetes diagnosis were not ideal at the same time. So my husband Tori and I were in the hospital for two nights. And fortunately, we have a big family here. And so we had my sisters in law and my brothers and I mean, we had all kinds of family that came and stayed with my kids. But those first nine to 12 months were really particularly rough on Macy's, little sister Emma, they're they're really close in age, but 14 months apart. I think it's so confusing. She was six at the time. And I think she was terrified. And so much attention goes to managing it's in those early weeks, months, gosh, even the first year who you're still trying to figure out what your cadence for management is, you know, how often are you going to prick your finger and where and when and how do you leave the house and make sure you have everything that you need. I mean, there's so much it's like everything else stops and all you can do is focus on how to make sure this child of yours stay safe. And so I think there there definitely was an impact on my two younger children because all the focus was on me so we worked really hard on my husband and I like taking turns to like take the other two and do kind of go do special things and get them out of the house. But that was tricky for a while. That was definitely tricky, but we encouraged my other two kids to like prick their fingers and hey, let's all check our blood sugar. So we did a lot of that in the first couple months, which was kind of fun. My Anna Macy sister was not not a fan of the prep but my son was like all about it. He was doing it to my sister so that was super cute.   Stacey Simms  9:53 It is hard it still works to this day. I don't want to seem genuine so like self promotion machine like I did talk to my daughter went off tests. It is one of my favorite episodes. It was just last year. It's part of the sequence and it's okay to acknowledge that what helped me was just really honest. Aisha Nina, she's 22 She is really got an interesting perspective. It's been a while to see she was fine with me was diagnosed and she's very honest. And she still has some hard feelings about it. But she's an adult to, to acknowledge why it was the way it was. And she's also it was a lot of fun to talk about that damn Calgary, Kimball. Because my son was diagnosed who for the first time all that disrupted Alright, so I'm gonna ask him, I'm gonna put my own two cents in real quick. So we're gonna talk about that what was going through your head when Macy was diagnosed? Right and talking about your concerns and views for the future? Here's how. I don't want to say dumb. Here's what I didn't know about diabetes. So my little 23 months old. My first question for the endocrinologist was, don't I have to be shuffling his feet and put his toenails differently? I was like   something is like, okay, no, it's got to be like that. I mean, we're talking about bigger fears. But you know, that's where I started out.   Cami  11:27 Yeah, I'm not too far off. My first question was, was she going to have to like wear on her body because I didn't want her tiny little frail body like Mark with devices. I was like, am I Heartland my, my mind went immediately, like pacemaker I'm like, can we get this stuff inside, so we don't have to, like be visible about the so my first little vanity, which is a concern, you know, I didn't want her to have to wear stuff. And they were like, now there's, there's no pacemaker type machine. That's gonna. I mean, it's amazing how quickly I got past that. I mean, we were we had we used to call it a power packs. And so you know, the more visible we could be the better. So we got past that. And thankfully, I think we might even touch on this a little later. But she's super open about her devices. And when people ask her and said that, so that was great. But yeah, my initial thought was, oh, my God, oh, my gosh, and and it really wasn't until I got home, Stacy that I realized the 24/7 hour nature just and actually, I remember, I think it was day two, and we were on lunch of day two. So we had checked in like late afternoon on I think, a Thursday. And so we had dinner at the hospital. And then we had breakfast at the hospital. And so we were working on lunch at the hospitals for our third meal. And the nurse comes in and says, okay, so it's time to, you know, let's do our carb counts and let dial up our insulin, we know what our ratio is. And we were like, Yeah, we got this and I looked at when I went, hey, just to like, be clear, I go, we're not this isn't like, Bro. This is like, like, while we're in LA, oh, we're gonna, this is gonna level out. We're not gonna have to do this all the time. Right? And she was like, yeah, no, this is basically, this is how we have to do meals. Wow. So that was a moment to   Stacey Simms  13:05 Yeah, we're here in order to talk about dealing with loans preparing for loans. Do you remember when you realize, because when you and I were talking, I'm gonna ask you to some of these things I have the answer to so Don't be coy. I didn't think about this for a while but used to think about this in the hospital already. When they started applying with us. Right. It   Cami  13:24 was discharged day. And it was our last meeting with the diabetes educators who were fabulous. By the way. They were wonderful contents. Yeah, it was our last day. And so we like our final meeting. And you know, Macy stayed in a row and just touring and I went into the diabetes education room. And they kind of did like an overview. And then they said, Okay, and there's, you know, there's one more thing that we need to make sure we go over with you. And that's, you know, what we call severe lows, and they pulled out the red glucagon emergency kit. And they said, You know, sometimes you can have too much insulin or too much activity. And, and it doesn't happen very often. But, you know, sometimes it can happen, and you need to be prepared to use this kit. And I was like, what? Can you pause for a moment? And let's just rewind a minute. What do you mean, and that was a massive moment in time where I realized, so this medicine that you're telling us, we have to give her, and we have to decide how much to give her to keep her alive, if we give too much, could also be fatal. And, boy, that was a poignant moment. And I'm sure one we could all share and pause on because that is the reality. But yes, that was when we left the hospital and I was absolutely terrified, terrified about severe lows.   Stacey Simms  14:42 I want to just get to the other question before the one in terms of like, do you have those fears, but you you still want him to lose their life? You still want them to be independent? I mean, your seven year old so you're going to immediately send her off to be super independent. But how did you Once the engine, you know, I hesitate to see how did you get the cast that but how did you move forward with that?   Cami  15:05 It was difficult, um, you know, that was sort of the age, you know. So we're now heading into third grade and I remember I had this like special lunchbox for her that whenever she ever we would leave the house, we go anywhere and had all of our staff had had her with an emergency kit and had her sugar it had her testing all the stuff. We all we all have that. And I remember there were a couple of times where Macy got invited to have playdates at some friends house. And again, we kind of knew what the school kind of knew newly back in California, so I didn't know everyone yet. And she had a couple playdates. And so I sent mom would text me and say, Hey, Mom, you know, so and so wants to know if Macy can come over after school and play. And so I would respond and say, yes, she would love to however, I just need to make sure you understand BCS type 1 diabetes, and this can mean this and you know, she's, she's on it, but I really need you to just have your phone with you all the time. And I will tell you, it was challenging because we didn't get a lot of repeat invites. And then and then I would go over how to use that glucagon emergency kit, because I was scared. I mean, what if, what if they're out jumping on a trampoline? And God forbid, that's her first low. I mean, so I felt like, I had to do that. But it was really tough because I didn't want to and I think her social life. So you know, then I I tried to include an invite over to our house. So I did you know, slumber parties. That was a whole nother chapter to get through. But we did them in our house. You know, we didn't have in our house for a long time. But as long as I had a willing person on the other end, I allowed me to go do those things. As long as I had a mom or a trusted, you know, dad or trusted caregiver. On the other end, I really tried to give her that opportunity to go and be away from me. Like frankly,   Stacey Simms  16:38 it was interesting. He was a two year old, my son. We taught him some things. And I know we're gonna talk about that a little bit later. But did you start teaching Macy to do her own care with like with supervision, pretty much   Cami  16:51 immediately, immediately. I have videos of her coming home, like five days after the hospital and going okay, here's Macy, she's gonna give herself her insulin injection, and I'm videoing her and she's smiling on the couch. And so immediately, I mean, we really, and I don't know why I certainly could not have possibly had the foresight to know that that was important at the moment. I don't know why we did that. But I'm glad we did. I mean, Stacy for you. I mean, he was so young. How, at what age? Did you start giving him independence? Or or? Yes.   Stacey Simms  17:25 Everybody curates differently.   Unknown Speaker  17:27 I noticed, you know, I   Stacey Simms  17:28 jokingly call myself the world's worst diabetes mom, but slight. And I, we always wanted to raise our kids to leave home. And if it's about them, and you know, everybody, everybody's different. But when he when we both worked full time, so my kids were both in daycare, and we're, we're the luckiest people, I think when it comes to the type one things that happen. And so when I brought him back to daycare, the manager was like, oh, yeah, I used to be a minute, I can get injections. And I was like, Can you sleep here because I don't want to give you the money. And then go, actually, the whole team here started learning how to do it. And once he got an Insulet, on six months later, everybody was like, Yeah, I'll check that out, you know, and two of the ladies there became nursing students, not because of him, but like he was just cool. He didn't have a desk calm because this was 2006. He didn't get a desk until he was nine. And so we decided that when he was going into kindergarten, which honestly was one of the most terrifying things for me, like that was a hard, hard transition. Because we've had it so good at daycare, we told preschoolers, as we called that, like, hey, we want Benny to know how to check his blood glucose and muses, champions to kindergarten. And so we're going to teach him that at home. And can you help us out a daycare? And if your kids have ever been in daycare, like that's where they are independent, they come home, they would do anything for being going to calculus and the dude helping us a four steps. So let's do one. He talked to him, like, boys took their own leadership when kindergarten things like demonstrated I was able to do it so that once you could do that, and he always knew, officially, I have to show my there was always a responsible adult, he wasn't just doing that. So that helped us because in our neighborhood, first grade is when people start going playdates pretty much by themselves. And so we would line up, no Dexcom. But people have to call me and be like, Here's what a meeting person and I'm going to be helping from the dose and I want everybody in my neighborhood a person, which is really fun. And that's what I believe is really good friends with London because we get the case. Every evening on the counter for the kids, I don't know it's like after school.   I could go on and my answer to that question is very gradually, every year he did something else that is more leading more and more towards independence. Was the blood sugar perfect? Absolutely not. But that's the trade off I think sometimes. Alright, so we come back to our stuff we're talking about. Do you have any lessons you learned that can help other moms with, you know, similar aged kids just starting out?   Cami  20:14 I think probably, and again, not not because I did this, because I knew what I was doing. But as it turns out, we gave me see the confidence or Macey develop the confidence to be really open about her diabetes. Um, there's actually an influencer, who she's now a PA, some of you may follow her. But she's, she's a PA, she has type 1 diabetes, and she just had chant twins a couple years ago. But anyway, she did this whole post online, maybe three years ago, something like that, about the importance of teaching your kids to be confident about this, and to talk about it enough to be embarrassed about it. Don't go into the corner and trick your finger. Don't try to hide all your stuff. Because what she found she was talking about her own experience when she was younger, she said, there was so much curiosity among kids about what you know what, what is going on? What are you doing over there? And why are you freaking out? You know what's happening? And she said, When I tried to hide it, that's when people really got curious. And it became kind of this big thing. And she said, as soon as I was like, Oh, I'm pricking my finger, because I have type 1 diabetes, and I just need to know my blood sugar. They were like, oh, okay, no big deal. And when she said that, it resonated with me, because I feel like we did that, again, by the grace of God, not because we knew what we were doing. But, you know, we really encouraged me see, to talk about it. And to educate people, I said, you know, you have this for better or for worse. And it's kind of your responsibility to talk about it and to educate and to kind of be an ambassador for this. And if you see someone else who has come on, welcome and introduce yourself and say, Hey, like, like your next column. And so to be open about it, and to embrace it, I really think it's helped or to just be confident and to accept it. And I, you know, it's easy for me to say, because my daughter was seven at the time, I think if you have a diagnosis, when you're you know, on stage, it may be for you to a little bit like that, if you have a diagnosis with a 16 year old boy, man, I think that would be really, really challenging, because you just might not have that same response from him or, you know, 15 year old girl. So I think that's difficult, but to the extent possible, I really think that's invaluable. Probably one of the most valuable components of Macy's type 1 diabetes life is that she's not embarrassed about it. It is what it is that she wished she didn't have it. Of course she did. But it is what it is. I would say that's probably my number one piece of advice,   Stacey Simms  22:21 I think to you, you kind of as I said, we were very lucky. Betty is extremely outgoing, don't know where to get stuff from. And she nearly it was never shy about diabetes, daughters Natori introverted. And I would worry, I think it would be different, but I worried about her in middle school in high school, it would have been a different experience. I think, overall, they're just different kids. Yeah,   Cami  22:43 I mean, I think as they get older, you know, Macy's in eighth grade, right for 14, and college scares the heck out of me. I mean, when she goes spent the night at a friend's house, where I know the mom very, very well. And five minutes away from me, that's one thing, but I'm terrified of college, and her leaving the house, we're doing everything we can to prepare her. But I'd love to hear a little from you. Well,   Stacey Simms  23:08 you know, I'm gonna start by my mother gave me advice a long time ago, especially when he was really little, which is don't borrow trouble. Like there's enough to worry we have in front of us. So when he was two, she was like, don't think about college yet, but you'll get there. So I won't say don't think about just obviously, your top two. But that kind of helped prove a little bit. But I will say and we touched on this a little bit. The gradual independence that we gave Benny really helped us. I mean, it helped him, but it helped us. So our diabetes educator who is just an amazing woman recently retired, she has two adult sons with type one, one of whom was in New chronologist now, and she told me that the first time we met her, I said, like, oh, you know, do you have any advice? So that what can I basically I was like, How can I not mess this up and make him a good person and a healthy adult. She's like, why we can't tell you how, but I can tell you what not to do. She said, I just taught an 18 year old who's had this for a long time how to get insulin shot, because he had never done it. And he's going off to college. And she's like, don't do that. Don't do that. And you know, we all know that families don't want to pass judgment. I don't know what's going on. But I just was like, Okay, we've got a long time to get into the printer. So what we did was at the beginning of every school year, I would say, Hey, how you want to manage diabetes this year? What's your goal? And so I didn't give him that choice in kindergarten because I was ticked like I said, I was terrified. But in first grade, he said he wanted to eat lunch by lunch at the cafeteria once a week, at least. You know, by fifth grade. He was like, I don't want anyone ever checked in with the nurse because we live in North Carolina where they don't have full time school nurses. So we had a nurse at the office maybe two days a week. We had amazing staff who were like very caring individuals but didn't really know who diabetes. So that's another reason why I taught him to check his blood glucose. Because Jeff's calm which was not just been scheduled this time. So don't shut down we got we got Dexcom we had no Sherawat follow. So I mean we do is at the time he was supposed to pick us up and even just look at the steps. So he's your team didn't really change very much. But fifth grade was I don't want anybody looking over my shoulder anymore. I'm just going to Joe's gonna be compromised. Because I don't know about you guys but Middle School fifth, sixth, seventh eighth grade Marines like Whovians. So I do anything that I need a thumbs up to your teacher, that you gave yourself insulin for lunch. And he was like, Cool. Mr. Parker said, we're good to go. Then Middle School, he's like, I'm not checking in with anybody. I'm on my own. But I want you to text me every day before lunch. You're young, you're bolus. Oh, how wonderful. You would think how wonderful and you want to do bolus every day of that we just want to run with it. And we also talk, a little wonder, but we also have the same conversation starting in middle school about how are we going to manage Dexcom share, because I have a very funny Facebook post that I pulled out for the second book. And it's one of the first to share, he went on a field trip. And I was like, how do people do this? This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I have to look at these numbers all the time. Oh my god, this is overflowing. I need this. So I sat him down and I'm like, but if you read above this number for this long, I will text you if you're below this evergreens, Islam, I will text you and we went every year we changed that. By the time he was a junior in high school. I turned off the high alarm senior here, which was our independence here. I was like, okay, but the junior senior high school, I am not going to help you. And once you really, I turned off my love. The real turning point for us was that when he was 16, he went to Israel for a month with a kid, not at the biggest scale just because of regular sleepaway camp. And when he didn't Well, and came home, I said, What am I supposed to do now? Like you're done? I'm done. You're cooked. When you say now your customer service. And we went to camp this summer where he was a lifeguard. And he said, we're done. Like off with follow. So I don't follow. Kids, we're doing this before sharing follow up. You're like, right,   Cami  27:12 is to allow anyone to follow him.   Stacey Simms  27:15 Know that he's following him right now. But I know in the heads of the question, I'll ask him. In the past, he's had friends follow him, friends with him without diabetes. And that's fine. He's young. He has a roommate. He's not alone. I'm sure. My concern right now is more about highs than lows, because he's just kind of doing the minimum. I do like index complexity. But you can see the back end look. I'm gonna talk to him about it, because I figured he's a busy freshman figuring it out. Yeah. So again, we all hear differently. And because I feel him in one cameo, and I'll wrap it up in a second. But because we took all those steps to independence, already, we had really bad diabetes experiences. He's been low on sleepovers. He's been high on sleepovers, he has had his infusion sets come out. He's walking on insulin at restaurants. He walked across my neighbor's lawn to our lawn that intersect without telling anybody at four o'clock in the morning because he was low and didn't like the juice selection. Do you realize   Cami  28:19 that follow over   Stacey Simms  28:21 when they're 62. Right? So we've got a lot of time to make a lot of mistakes and realize like he's a tough cookie. So it's really yeah, we've done it all. Okay, so um, but Matt, what's your question for me? I want to ask you to county before we move on, you mentioned the Congress and things and it's tough on their stuff. And I mean, everything stuff. My daughter's maybe like, can you complain to me, too? Am I the guide a little easier, she's older and she doing 13 to 14 is like when they're really pushing you to make them more independent here to them more.   Cami  28:56 You guys. Yes. So for her birthday, last year, her 13th birthday, she had all these friends that did some these like elaborate parties and all these things she could mom, all I want is I want to go to the mall with my friends. I don't want you hiding in a coffee shop down the street. Property, I want you to drop me and my friends off and leave go back home. All you when we're ready to be picked up. So I dropped her off. And that was what she wanted for her birthday. They went out to dinner. And you know, they I think they were there maybe four hours. But she literally asked for independence for her birthday. You know, we also take advantage of this technology. So she she wears an Apple Watch. So even at school like you know, if we see we're on a chain actually, it's my husband and I and Macy and then they have an iPad in the school office, that some chain so we're always watching her numbers. And if she goes really high, you know, we kind of have to kind of have thresholds like if she's too high for too long, then we're like Amy see, are you having insulin? If she goes low, he may see or you know, are you having sugar so we've kind of got this cadence of communication. And I think because we've so to hold her accountable, it's been easier to allow her to be more independent. Because she and we'll talk about this, I think in a few minutes, Didi like, you know with low she communicates mom and having sugar mom I know I'm high I'm gonna give myself three units. So that's great you know she she communicates but back to your point a few minutes ago there Her brain is also gone because she's 13 and this junior high where it's just like, sometimes we'll be on dessert already through a meal and I'm like, oh Macy bullet strike. She's like, Oh, I forgot. I'm like, provide like we've been doing this for seven years every time you put a morsel of food in your mouth?   Stacey Simms  30:34 Yeah, that's a change. Yeah. I do want to talk about, we're gonna change gears a little bit and talk about severe blows. I noticed people very nervous. I do want to say this is meant to be educational and not scary. But CAMI is going to share some stories. But I do need to say that definition realize that severe lows occur when blood sugar gets too low for your body to function optimally, and requires immediate health to recover. It is really important to be prepared for the unpredictable. And I joke around a lot. But we do take this very seriously in the afternoon students of preparation when I think of the Ford Academy, because you had unfortunately not experienced with us.   Cami  31:16 Yeah, so Macy's had three severe love, none of which happened in the first like four years of her diabetes diagnosis, which was, you know, wonderful, because we never had to use the red mix kit. I don't know if I even would have been able to do that in a moment of panic. And as I walked through the story, I think this will make more sense. But initially, when we were informed about severe lows, what they could look like what they were, I was so terrified, it was like this taboo that I almost didn't even want to think about or talk about, I knew it was there. And I acknowledged it but I just wanted to do everything I possibly could to never ever, ever have to even get into that realm of a severe low and say. And things changed for us a little bit, to be honest, when I learned about Gvoke and how it could be used. So let me walk through, you know, our severe lows and kind of how those played out. So the first one was a few years ago, and my husband was traveling, he was out of town. And so it's just me in the kids home and I tried to eat pretty low carb, but for whatever reason, this pasta night, so I made some pasta. And Keith and I were eating and Macy bolused for her entire plate of pasta, and then eat about half. And then when I was jumping, kind of like a trampoline this like Airtrack thing we have in our backyard at the time, my son was really into like learning how to do flips. So he was like, Macy, come on, let's go out. Let's go out jump on the Airtrack. And so they were out and my daughter and I were kind of inside. I think we were watching a movie or something. So all was quiet, everything's fine. Kids were having fun. It was just a regular night. And then I get the alert on the Dexcom. And it's 50 to two arrows down. And right at that moment we see blast through the front door. She's like Mom, I feel really low. So I'm like okay, so I get her some apple juice. I think we actually use the little gunk, she doesn't like apple juice. So we give her some gummies waited a few minutes. And then then the reading said low we prepped and it was extremely, she was really low. And I said Macy. You can keep pounding sugar I said or we can pull out your G book right now. And she was like, let's just do the G book.   Stacey Simms  33:08 Hey, this is Stacy jumping in. Just to give a little bit of an explanation. Here. Hypoglycemia is defined by level one glucose lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter, and greater than or equal to 54 milligrams per deciliter level to glucose lower than 54 milligrams per deciliter. And level three is a severe event characterized by altered mental and or physical status requiring assistance. This level of hypoglycemia is life threatening and requires emergency treatment, typically, with glucagon. Now, back to kami. And   Cami  33:45 so we were in that moment, I gave her a choice because she, in the absence of intervention, she was going to pass out and she was headed down. And so we injected G voc. And within a very few short moments, she started feeling well and recovered. I think she got up to about 180 and then ultimately leveled out. That's it. That was experience. Number one. Tell us about Jimi Hendrix. Number two was a little bit kind of the same, but kind of different. Again, my husband was it was during a period of time where he was working on something and so he was traveling quite a bit. So it was after dinner, I had to open like 839 o'clock at night. We were actually all up in my room. And my when my husband travels or just forgotten early on, all my kids get to have a slumber party in my room. So Macy and I were reading I think I had one on like a blow up mattress on the floor. And we were watching a movie and just kind of his quiet moment. And the Dexcom alarm goes off. And it's super low reading. And so it was we treated it the same way where we tend to treat with sugar first. And we had no we had no idea. She was I think she was 49 Two arrows down and she had like three and a half units of insulin on board. To this day, we still don't even really know what happened. And so she had sugar continued to drop, we pricked her finger, and she actually that time said, Mom, I want to use Gvoke and so We have several of them. And so we opened it, she actually injected it herself into her the first time I did it in her arm. Second time, she gave it to herself right in her thigh. And same recovery scenario. It was amazing. It worked really quickly. And I knew that it was going to give her what she needed, so that we avoided that biggest fear.   Stacey Simms  35:19 Stacy here again, just jumping back into give this disclaimer, it's really important to understand that Individual results may vary. And you've always got to consult your healthcare provider.   Cami  35:28 Right? I mean, think of severe hypoglycemia, you think of someone on the floor on that worst case scenario? I mean, really, that's what you're thinking, think of incapacitation? And I mean, is my child going to lose his or her life, I mean, that that's really what we've kind of been trained to think about severe low, and there was sort of this paradigm shift for me in my mind about using glucagon, not to say that you use glucagon every time you have a low, not at all, you know, always, of course, treat with sugar. But there are scenarios given the way technology has progressed, we know when someone is headed for disaster, we can prick a finger, we can look on it next time, we can look at their symptoms. And we know that in the absence of intervention, something bad's gonna happen. And with G voc, you can use that to ward off that unimaginable moment of someone passing out. Actually, that's a perfect time to bring up the last time she's just a little over a year ago. She was at a slumber party. That was a birthday party 13th birthday party. I know the mom quite well. She's one of those very supportive moms that you just want to hug and say thank you for understanding and for taking this on and sleeping with one eye open when my daughter spent the night at your house, they had gone out to dinner, they went to PF Changs. And so she had shared a bunch of food with our friends. And they've gone back to the house and they were all getting ready to go swimming. And Macy got a LOW Alert ello w. And I was like, oh, okay, and so we stayed on the phone. And she said, Yep, she just administered it, and she feels fine. And, you know, call you back in a few minutes. She knew she needed it, she was afraid she was gonna pass out. And she administered her Gvoke, her blood sugar popped up within a few short moments. And she never had to experience the full blown incapacitation, that gives me such comfort, knowing that she knows how and when to use that. Because you don't know when it could happen. as vigilant as we all want to be they happen. And so knowing that she has the confidence to pull that out and know when she needs to use it is a massive source of comfort for me. And we're   Stacey Simms  37:20 going to start wrapping up in just a couple of minutes. And I have another quick question for you can we but I want to share, we need to set the amount of comfort, we'd have not had to administer anything that wouldn't have gone. I would have liked it in a few places. We've been to some external markers, that red box here. But one of my proudest parenting moments, wasn't even there for freshman year of high school being wrestled in high school for a couple of years. And we didn't do this in high school, but the sports teams to travel now love them. And they fundraise and they say right hotels and I, I had an instance where I was, you know, still following me as a freshman, and I couldn't reach him. So I called the teen mom. And she was like, Oh, he's actually my son tonight. Like, I'll ping them. And of course, he just wasn't looking at his phone. And he was like, I was laying on me. That's kind of mine. Fine. But he came home though. I said, What would you have done? Like, let's talk this through more, because now I am thinking about more. You know, how do you manage that he's like, Oh, my gosh, luck is anytime I'm with new people overnight between summer camp and wrestling and sleepovers. Anytime when we meet people, I take out the G book United type 1 diabetes I'm going to be and this is the other thing I'm not drinking, if I'm passed out or I'm slurring my orders or anything like that, I'm actually Lucky's like, call the coach then use this and he shows them how to use it as well. Like I really don't want another 15 years of administering. Yeah. But at the same time, I was really proud. And then I said, Well, do you ever like Does anybody ever gets to change rooms? Because of the hammer because of the BB? And he's like, Oh, my God, Mom, I already see what works, you know. But I was really so my one of my last questions who can be here as I don't have a child who has used this? You would like you said, you were there the first time there was another adult there the second time she used it, but have you been talked about? Like, how is it helping? The chief? She fearful? What is she doing? She think about it? You   Cami  39:11 know, I've asked her? And she said she just feel safer? Because she knows that there. She's not scared of it. And to me that's everything because there's a lot of fear involved in this disease, fear of your client, my blood sugar is too high. What's that going to cause in the in the future? I mean, we're we're constantly you know, trying to mimic them an organ, a human organs. You know, there there's a lot involved in that. So just knowing that that component, that fear factor part of it, she's got a plan. She believes she's covered. If she gets to that point, and we do everything possible to avoid it, of course, like all of us do. But if God forbid it happened again, she'll know what to do. And that's amazing that Benny educate other people. I think that that's huge because sort of like wearing your seatbelt right? We we don't put our seatbelts on every day when we get in the car because we think we have a high probability of getting a new car accident but what if we put our seatbelts on? It's the same kind of concept   Stacey Simms  40:09 you're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. Big thanks again to CAMI for zooming on in again, she broke her arm just before the event. And I give her so much credit. I had a crowd to talk to. But she was basically just looking at herself. You know how Zoom is. So I really appreciate that. Kami. Thank you so much. We did take some questions after that last comment of camis. I know it ended a little bit abruptly, but the audio really fell off. After that. There's only so much that John can do with his editing magic. If you liked what you heard, please share the episode. And please join us for mom's Night Out Charlotte in February. And for our other three stops in 2024. I am scheduled to share those locations this week. As you're listening I may have already done it. So please be sure that you're following me on social media. You can always reach out though Stacy at diabetes dash connections.com I will say there was one city that we heard the most comments from and that is on our list. So definitely let me know if your city or a place you cannot get to is on the list. Definitely ping me for 2025 We are listening to you. And we are I mean I'm going forward with this full steam ahead in probably four events a year until I don't know until people stop coming. Thanks again to jump you Candace, my editor and a big thanks again to Xeris for all of their support. I'm gonna read that important safety information one more time. Gvoke is a prescription injection for the treatment of very low blood sugar in adults and kids with diabetes age two and above. Do not use if you have a specific type of adrenal or pancreatic tumor starvation chronic low blood sugar or allergy to Gvoke High Blood Pressure hyperglycemia and serious skin rash can occur while your doctor or get medical help right away. If you have a serious allergic reaction including rash difficulty breathing or low blood pressure, visit Gvoke glucagon.com/risk For more information, I'm gonna link all of that up and the link in the show notes. And Stacey Simms. Thanks so much for joining me. I'll see you back here soon. Until then be kind to yourself.   Benny  42:14 Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged.

The World's Worst Diabetes Mom – Featuring Stacey SimmsTAKING CONTROL OF YOUR DIABETES® - THE PODCAST! ...With Expert Endocrinologists Living with T1D, Drs. Steven V. Edelman & Jeremy PettusJoin Dr. Steve Edelman in this candid episode of "Taking Control of Your Diabetes" podcast, featuring special guest Stacey Simms, author of The World's Worst Diabetes Mom. Dive into an open and honest conversation about the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned from parenting a child with Type 1 diabetes. Questions We'll Cover in This Episode: Who is Stacey Simms?  What led Stacey Sims to shift from being a broadcast journalist to becoming a vocal advocate for managing her son Benny's diabetes?  How does diabetes affect family dynamics, especially regarding sibling relationships and Benny's extroverted personality?  What lessons has Stacey Sims learned from real-life mistakes in managing her son's diabetes? What inspired Stacey to write ‘The World's Worst Diabetes Mom' and how does it aim to support other parents?  How has Stacey Sims fostered independence in Benny while managing his diabetes, especially in college preparation?  What impact does social media have on parenting a child with diabetes, and how has therapy benefitted Stacey's personal and parenting life?  What initiatives, like ‘Mom's Night Out', has Stacey developed to support mothers of diabetic children, and what advice does Dr. Edelman offer for young adults with diabetes living independently?  “Diabetes Connections” presents: Moms' Night Out: https://diabetes-connections.com/events/Follow Stacey Simms on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceysimms/Listen to the “Diabetes Connections” Podcast: https://diabetes-connections.com/recent-episodes/Discover “Diabetes Connections” Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@diabetesconnections/featured**Tune in for 2 new episodes each month! Like what you hear and want to help us grow? Please rate and review this podcast so we can reach more people living with diabetes!** ★ Support this podcast ★

This episode title is a bit misleading (sorry!) because Benny is actually marking 17 years with type 1! He's away at college and while I hope to talk to him for the show soon, we just couldn't swing it in time for his actual diaversary. To mark the date, we're going to replay the first time I talked to Benny for this podcast – which I did along with my husband and my daughter back in 2016. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Find out more about Moms' Night Out - we have announced FOUR LOCATIONS for 2024! Use promo code MOM30 to save $30 off any city This is a longer episode, so I wanted to break it down a bit - and a full transcription is below. 00:00 2023 Stacey introduction, talks about Benny's 17th diaversary 03:55 2016 Stacey explains how the order of interviews and a few housekeeping notes 05:22 Slade 24:27 Lea 40:42 Slade (part 2) 1:12:15 Benny 1:26:07 2023 Stacey wraps it up   Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Take Control with Afrezza  Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Edgepark Medical Supplies Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Learn more about AG1 from Athletic Greens  Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Episode transcription below - our transcription service doesn't speak diabetes perfectly, so please excuse any mistakes. Thanks! Stacey Simms 0:05 This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. This week is my son's 17th diversity 17 years with type one to mark what's really his entry into being a young adult with T1D. He's almost 19 We're going to take a look back at when he was a lot younger. We've got a replay of the first time I talked to Benny for this podcast back in 2016. It's a conversation that also includes my husband and my daughter. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. I'm your host, Stacey Simms. And you know, we aim to educate inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. I am not great about remembering Benny's exact dye aversary. And most of the reason why is because his diagnosis was very, it was prolonged, I would say it really only took a week, maybe a week or a couple of days from the time that I called our pediatrician and said, I don't like what I'm seeing Something's really wrong to an actual in hospital diagnosis and, and all the education that goes with it. But we had so many bumps along the way. And I've told these stories before, you know, a fasting blood glucose. That was normal, it was 80. And that was on a Monday. And then some subsequent diagnoses of things that we now know were just symptoms, you know, infection, things like that, that they treated, and we thought, yeah, we got it. And then finally, the A1C results, which came back five days after that initial fasting blood glucose, which is when they sent us to the hospital, all of that to say I remember the days of the week, Monday was the pediatrician Saturday was the phone call to go to the hospital. But I never remember the actual dates. Social media memories usually remind me and sure thing they came up this morning. So I'm recording this on Benny's actual 17 year diver serie on December 2, December also means and I need to tell you one quick thing about moms night out that the early bird special for Charlotte is over. I do have a promo code for you that you can use on the regular price to save $30 off. And that promo code is m n o 30. Mom's night out m and o 30. You'll save $30. With that I will put a link in the show notes. You can always go to diabetes dash connections.com. We have a mom's Night Out tab as well there now. If you go there we are announcing our next cities this week, I may have already done so. So follow on social for that announcement or click on over to the website, click on the mom's side out tab. See the new cities registration is not open for them. But you can sign up to be emailed directly when registration does open. And for more information. All right. I am hoping to talk to Benny for a new episode soon. As you know he's away at college. And I cannot wait to get that kid home for winter break. As this episode goes live. I think he's coming home in about 10 days, not that I'm counting diabetes, while he's been away has been fine. But I've tried really hard not to ask him a lot of bout it other than once in a while like you're doing okay. Right? Because we don't follow his Dexcom anymore. And I really don't know much day to day. You know, he's reordered supplies with me. So I know he's he's doing that kind of stuff. I can't wait to talk to him more. I will let you know when we're going to be taking questions for that episode, we'll post to the Facebook group for that. These conversations you're about to hear were recorded in fall of 2016. Benny is in sixth grade, his voice hasn't even changed yet. Oh, my goodness, I left in the original introduction, which gives more context. But I also want you to know, this is a much longer discussion than I remember. So I'm going to do more comprehensive shownotes with some time codes, if you want to kind of jump around on this episode and pick and choose where you want to listen. So here we go. My family's thoughts on one decade. Remember, this is seven years ago with type one. Stacey Simms 03:55 This part of the podcast is usually where I interview somebody else get them to share their story and their thoughts about living with diabetes. This is different. This is my family's story. And let me tell you, this is what I've done my entire career, talk to people interview people since before I even graduated from college. And these are the toughest interviews I've ever done. I was so nervous. But they were they were wonderful. And I was just thrilled that they agreed to even talk to me. My husband and my daughter are really not front and center. Attention people. I don't know how they live that way. But here's how it's going to go. You're going to first hear from me and my husband Slade. And then you'll hear from Leah. We're in the middle of that interview. I'm going to pause the conversation. And then you'll hear Leah's interview, because I had maybe the most Frank, honest and open conversation about our brothers diabetes that we've ever had. And then we'll wrap that up and you'll hear more from me and slay And then finally you'll hear from Benny. Oh my gosh, that kid, if you have a middle school boy, maybe you'll understand that conversation was, let's say it was interesting. There is a bit of overlap in these conversations as you'd expect. I mean, there are some events that we all talk about. So you'll hear about those things more than once, that sort of thing. Okay, here we go. I'm really interested to see what we talked about today because Slade doesn't really talk about Benny's diabetes publicly. I mean, of course, you you're very, very involved, and you talk about it, I'm sure with friends, and things like that. But it's not like you are front and center at functions. And, you know, that kind of thing over the years, I don't Slade 5:41 have a podcast, Stacey Simms 5:43 I could help you set one up. But I've been told in the past, I speak enough for everybody in the family. So I'm really interested to hear what you have to say if your conversation matches mine. Alright, so let's start 10 years ago, Ben, he was diagnosed with type one. He was not yet two years old. And Leo was just had just turned five. What I remember vividly is the month before he was diagnosed, when I was working at WB T, doing morning radio, you got the kids every morning. So you used to text me, like 730 or seven o'clock every morning and say, you know, kids are okay are off to daycare or you know, here's a funny picture. And you texted me one day and said you are not going to believe the amount of pee that came out of this kid. Do you remember that? Like the mattress is soaked in the floor was wet. I Slade 6:35 remember one morning, getting him out of his crib, right? And the entire mattress was soaking wet. Like everything. All the blankets were wet. The pillow was where the entire mattress was. So it was I'm like it didn't make any sense to me. Stacey Simms 6:53 Right. And you know me at work. I was kind of thinking when you trade off like we did because sleep had a restaurant for many years. So I had the kids in the afternoon and in the evening when he was working. And he had the kids every morning because I used to do a morning radio show that started at 5am. And I just remember thinking, not on my shift like you gotta fix Slade 7:14 which I did right away. Of course, drying the mattress out trying to figure out what happened, but we Stacey Simms 7:19 kind of thought it was a one off. Oh, yeah. Because it didn't happen again for a while. Yeah. And then it happened to get about three weeks later. Well, Slade 7:25 we noticed I think from that point on over the next couple of weeks that he was drinking a tremendous amount of liquid for a 18 month old or 20 month old. It was you know, and he would suck down a little 10 ounce sippy cup in like, you know, 15 or 20 seconds. It was absurd. Stacey Simms 7:45 So the the mattress wedding thing was in October, I think late October or something. And then of course, there was Halloween, which I'm sure didn't do him any favors. That was the year the kids dressed up. But it was the only matching costume we ever did. Leo was Ariel and Benny was flounder. And then, at Thanksgiving, we had family photos on the Friday of Thanksgiving that year. And then we went to the lazy five ranch. And I've told this story before one of my brothers was here, right brother David was there, right? And I posted that picture recently on Facebook of David and Benny with a giant glass of orange juice. And then we went to the lazy five ranch and of course Benny couldn't he was still in diapers and he was soaked and he was just laying down and he was exhausted. He felt like garbage. And then that Monday, we went to the pediatrician that Monday right after Thanksgiving, right? And Slade 8:37 then I mean, I think they did a fasting glucose and a few other things. And they thought he had a urinary tract infection knew and I already had suspicions that it was something more like it didn't make any sense. Yeah. And then it was a few days into an antibiotic for what they thought was a urinary tract infection and there was no change. And so his outward symptoms continued to be the same right where he drank tremendous amounts of water and liquid and was always going to the bathroom. Stacey Simms 9:08 Well on that Monday when we went to the doctor his as you said his fasting glucose was normal. It was 80. And then they did a blood draw. They must have found something in his urine, right? They must have found sugar in it because I remember they did a urine test to do a urine test on a kidney. They didn't Slade 9:24 remember that we had to kind of push for them to do an A1C like they it took a week or so. Yeah, Stacey Simms 9:30 but we didn't ask for A1C We just asked for a blood test. I didn't know what we were asking for did I remember holding you had to hold him down? Yes, I did have to hold them down Leah was in the hallway Leah remembers that remember some screaming? Slade 9:40 It wasn't exactly pleasant. Stacey Simms 9:44 Yeah, and then he did that they said I had a urinary tract infection. And I remember when we treated it he seemed to feel better once a day right just from the urinary because he did have one but you know job raucous or pediatrician friend down the street said to me Why would a healthy two year old boy have a urinary You're trying to keep keep looking. So I was convinced at this point that he was he had contracted a fatal disease. I was on the internet. I was looking at all sorts of horrible things. I thought he had kidney cancer. I really did. I was so scared. And then he seemed to feel better. And then on Saturday, they called us and David was still here. And they called us on Saturday and said, like it was an emergency get to the hospital. But they wouldn't. They didn't tell me why. Well, they did tell they thought they told me why because they told me his blood sugar was like, you know, 700, or the A1C correlated to, you know, I don't know what it was. But I remember thinking, He's fine. He looks fine. He's doing okay. Why do we have to rush to the hospital? But we did. Slade 10:33 Yeah. But I remember during that week that we kind of, we were guessing that it might have been diabetes? Stacey Simms 10:42 Oh, well, yeah. Because most people and you know, the symptoms matched perfectly. But I think it was the fasting glucose being kind of normal that threw me off. And I of course, went to worst case scenario, Slade 10:51 you went, you definitely went deeper. But you know, still concern. Yeah. Not knowing. And it's, it's a scary thing, when the doctor calls and says, Take your kid to the emergency room. And you go while he's walking around playing with some toys, he's just fine. So and then, of course, it's just a, it's a crash course. Right? You get admitted in two days later, you're out and you have diabetes and have to live with it the rest of your lives. Stacey Simms 11:19 Oh, you know, one thing I forgot is, when we took him to the pediatrician that first time on the Monday after Thanksgiving, when I called, we knew just enough to say he's got the symptoms of type one. We knew that much that the pain and the drinking, because of all the stuff I'd done with JDRF already and in Charlotte, and my pediatrician, Dr. Scott said, I've never seen it in anybody younger than two. Right, bring him in, and we'll rule it out. And thankfully, you know, they took us seriously because I've heard some nightmare stories of people that don't. But what's funny is, here we are 10 years later, almost every time I go to that pediatrician, and it's one of these big practices with like eight doctors, they all look at Benny's chart and we go in, they say, oh, like he was the youngest one we saw at that time, you know, and now of course, there's lots of kids that are diagnosed younger, unfortunately. But for that practice, it was it was unusual. It's pretty unique. Slade 12:07 Yeah, I just I just distinctly remember that we had to push a little bit. Yeah. To get them to think in that direction. Stacey Simms 12:15 Oh, when he walked in with AD, yeah, they tried to figure out something else. So Slade 12:19 I mean, I think all that really says is, doesn't matter what the age or what you're thinking, you have to be your own advocate, you know, in some way, shape or form, if you're not your voice, then there's an opportunity to miss something. Right? Not get a good look at it. So I think that I think that not going down the you know, the rabbit hole right? To something considerably more catastrophic. And trying to rule that stuff out. You have to, you have to ask and you have to instruct and you have to, you know, your medical team, you have to be part of the conversation, right? You can't just tell me what to do. Stacey Simms 13:04 But it's hard to in some ways, because you don't know what you don't know. But you're I agree with you. You have to we've learned this for many years. Now. You got to push you got to be your own advocate, you got to ask questions. But, you know, if I didn't know, peeing and drinking was a sign of type one, I don't think I would have known what to ask the doctor. Right. But Slade 13:19 I also think that that I don't think doctors are offended by that. I think that that helps them do what they're trained to do is help. Help people get better. And if you're not engaged in the conversation, it's a one way street. Yeah. It Stacey Simms 13:32 would help. Alright, so we're in the hospital now. And I remember he had those things. What are those things called all over you with a stick you the sticky things I had like an Slade 13:41 EKG monitor, right, and he kept pulling Stacey Simms 13:43 them off? Slade 13:44 Yeah, that couldn't have felt good. Stacey Simms 13:48 That was like when we first started using the Hulk analogy, because he was like the baby Hulk pulling everything off. Slade 13:54 Well, it's interesting, and he doesn't have any idea what's going on. Stacey Simms 13:57 But that night, we took turns, you know, you went home. I stayed. And they pretty much didn't tell us until the middle of the night that he had type one. They kind of I think everybody thought we knew. And finally I asked if they had a diagnosis. And they said, Yeah, he's got they would like yeah, he's got type 1 diabetes. I mean, they were nasty about it. But I think everybody thought someone else had told us along the way. Slade 14:19 We didn't see Dr. Werner alto second day or the next day. Yes. We Stacey Simms 14:23 went in on Saturday morning or Saturday, mid morning. We saw nurses and hospitalists there was that one horrible woman. She came in and she smelled. She didn't say anything to us, like not Hello, how are you? I'm so and so she came right in and smelled him. And now I know it was for fruity breath. Right? So when she came in, she smelled him. And you know, I am of course very calm. I said, What are you doing to my son? Who were you? She kind of explained but she kind of left us like you're not coming back and just I don't know what I said. I'm sure it was very nice. But yeah, that night we met the hospitalist. And that was when that was when he said to me, who stays home with Benny, not our endocrinologist, but but just a hospitalist, a doctor who sees people in hospital. And I was already panicking because I had my dream job. And I had health insurance. You had a restaurant you owned a restaurant is that like you can untangle from that pretty easily? You know, I'm closing the doors. When Slade 15:21 we tried to untangle from it, it took a long time. Stacey Simms 15:25 And I was terrified because it couldn't really quit. I wanted to quit my job. But I had to health insurance and I really didn't want to quit my job either. So we said who stays home with Benny? I said, nobody really nasty. And then I burst into tears. And you weren't there. And Vinnie, do not remember you were not there. He was another night. And then then he put his kidneys awake. He's 23 months old. He puts his arm around me. He says it's okay, Mommy. I was like, Dude, you better get your stuff together to myself. You bet this is your 10 year old is comforting you this is not how it's supposed to work. And that was a big turning point for me. And like the guy was great. He said, I'm sorry. He said, What I should have said is what's your situation? He's like, I'm just trying to help you acclimate? And he told us even go back to daycare. And he you know, nobody said no to us. They'll try to help us figure out how to make it work. But that moment was a big turning point for me. Slade 16:14 I don't think I had any big turning points. I mean, the only thing that I realized was, you know, when we finally did come home, and you know, I went grocery shopping. Stacey Simms 16:26 Oh my god, wait. So hold on. Let's get there. So we met Dr. V. The next morning on a Sunday. And he came in and I remember him coming in and saying hi to us and being great. But getting right on the floor with Benny. Yeah, Slade 16:39 and what I remember. And and you have a better memory than I do. But what I remember is him saying listen, based on where we are today with treating this. There isn't any reason he shouldn't have the exact same life he would have without diabetes that he has with diabetes. I mean, that was that was that just set the tone? Right? Stacey Simms 17:00 Yeah, it really did. And I remember, thank you. I will anyway, I remember, like my first questions to him, because what do you know about diabetes? Right? You know, type two, I remember thinking and asking him like, do I have to cut his toenails differently? Like? He was like, Oh, I could see, right? Yeah, take a deep breath. And like, this lady is gonna be fun. But he got right on the floor and met Benny and I don't think he had kids at that point. He did not. Yeah. And he was terrific. But I interviewed him. I said to him, you know, I'm glad to meet you. But you know, I don't know anything about endocrinology, or endocrinologist, or endocrinologist in this town. Right? Of course, I want to make sure that my child has the best. So I asked him a million questions. And he was great. He was really great. Yeah, Slade 17:49 I just think he set the tone that said, hey, what you're going to deal with is lifelong. And then that's the way it is. But it's not life threatening. Yeah. Doesn't have to be life threatening, right? Stacey Simms 18:03 He didn't he didn't come in and tell us a cure is around the corner. He talked a little bit about the artificial pancreas. I remember because I asked him about technology. He he did say that they were one of the first practices in the country that routinely gave pumps to toddlers, because this was 2006. So that wasn't happening all over the place that he thought that Benny we know down the road, we would talk about that. But he was not overly he didn't promise anything. Slade 18:30 No, actually he did. He promised us Benny would have a normal life if he took care of himself. Right? Well, that's true. It didn't make that that's Stacey Simms 18:36 true. And that was very reassuring. And he has been consistent in these 10 years. He said, The three things that he says at almost every appointment, I'm pretty sure he told us then, which was he wants to make sure that he can live a long, healthy life he's supposed to, that he has, he feels good, and can enjoy life right now. And that we find a way to make diabetes fit into what he wants to do, and not the other way around. And we've been able to do that pretty much. It's not you know, when people say, Oh, diabetes can't stop you. I mean, some of that I, you know, I shake my head a little bit or I raise an eyebrow because, you know, obviously diabetes definitely can slow you down. And there are days when it can stop you. That's okay. I mean, you know, when you break your leg, it's gonna stop you. You know, I you know, it's I know, it's a mindset more than a truism. But, you know, I think we've had a pretty realistic look at it. Yeah, I Slade 19:27 think you as you go through, particularly growing up, and there's, you know, there's minefields everywhere, right? It's just one more minefield, right? I mean, it's something else, you have to navigate it and it gets added into your routine added into the way that you think. And it's, yeah, it's a it's a burden because it's different than what a lot of your peers have to deal with. Is it a burden in it in that it can be a roadblock to accomplishing something you want to accomplish? like you and I think that way, I don't think that's true. Stacey Simms 20:02 We try not do not it's not a not a dead end road, you can make it that way. Well, it can be a roadblock that you can overcome, right. But it shouldn't stop you in your tracks. Slade 20:11 You can do a lot of what was me? Well, yeah, well, that's different, right? You can do a lot of what was me, but there isn't. There's a, there's a roadmap to accomplishing what you want to accomplish with diabetes. All Stacey Simms 20:24 right. Speaking of routine, let's talk about that grocery store. Slade 20:28 That was hysterical. So, you know, of course, you know, when you talk about diabetes, you talk about carbs, right. And as you load your body up with carbohydrates, you need insulin, Stacey Simms 20:38 oh, and I should add, we were put on a carb counting regime or a carb counting routine. Immediately. We didn't do any eat to the insulin, it was all give them as many shots as you want, right? And count carbs and dose him that way. Right. I mean, obviously, at first, we tried not to give him a lot of injections. But we were some people go on different routines at first, right? We weren't, we were all carb counting from the beginning, Slade 21:00 right? But it's really all about, you know, the basics of understanding how to take care of yourself is you have to know what you ingest, right? You have to know what you eat. And you can give yourself insulin to help your body, right, continue to move forward and act the way it should act right by adding an insulin. So we're like, you know, maybe we should really go low carb or no carb. So I went to the grocery store, I think I spent two and a Stacey Simms 21:30 half hours. That's what I was gonna say. It was definitely two hours. And Slade 21:34 I it's I think I know the label of every item in the grocery. But I just went and bought everything that was low carb when he came home and put it in the cupboards and put in the refrigerator and he loved some of the food and fed it to him for a few days and then realized we were feeding him fat. Yeah, Stacey Simms 21:50 we did two weeks almost of Atkins, basically. And I lost about six pounds. It was, I'm sure that had nothing to do with being crazy. But yeah, I mean, we went from eating, moderate. Everything in moderation and pretty healthy. I mean, our kids were five and not an almost two. It's not like they were drinking soda and McDonald's all the time. But we were eating things like oatmeal for breakfast and pancakes and stuff. And we went to eating sausage. And I don't it was ridiculous. Like everything Slade 22:19 was a lot of me. Yeah, it was a lot of meat and a lot of cheese. And we realized is we're just gonna, we're just eating fat, and we're gonna kill him. So after a couple of weeks, I actually threw a bunch of that stuff out. But Stacey Simms 22:29 the turning point for me or the final straw was when you were like, how about pork rinds? That's a good snack. He's doing we're Jewish. I mean, we don't keep kosher, but I don't remember. I was like, that's, I know, many people enjoy pork rinds. I'm not. I don't, I bet he would love them. Now. You can find some things, I mean, olives, beef jerky, Slade 22:56 just remember kind of throwing it out and go, that's it, we're just going to, I'm going to feed him the way we would normally feed him. And, and we will treat him medically the way that we are given the tools to do it. And that's what we're gonna do. Stacey Simms 23:08 And we also counted every carb tried to do it exactly. I think it's I think the whole thing, we figured it out two hours of routine to our day, because we had a yellow legal pad, right, we wrote everything down. We've got all the food, the dosage, the routine, but we were counting carbs, and ketchup, and green peas. And I mean everything because that's what we were told to do. Right. And I remember going for a follow up, when you go for free first followed two months later, one month later, and there was a mom and dad was like, really? This is excellent. But you do not need to do with the two cards that are in the ketchup. Well, Slade 23:40 I still think actually, that's kind of important, because you need to understand that it's out there. You need, I mean, their cards, you're ingesting Stacey Simms 23:47 what we need, and we needed to do it then to learn. Yeah. Slade 23:49 And that's what happens is you learn you know, kind of what carbs are, where they are, where they're hidden, how your body reacts to them, particularly how Benny's body reacts to them. And then it's really kind of an art at that point, right? It's not really a science. I mean, there's all kinds of ratios and logarithms and all that stuff. But it really comes down to everyone's body is a little different. And it's it's much more like juggling right than it is like anything else. Stacey Simms 24:27 I'm gonna pause my talk with Slade here and bring in our daughter Leah. She's three years older than Benny four years ahead in school because of where their birthdays fall. And about 40 years older in maturity right now, you know, it's okay to say that I was so happy she agreed to talk to me about this. And this might be the best discussion we've had about her brother and diabetes. I will say I remember a few things a little differently. But this is her story. Alright, so let's start at the very beginning. I when I talked to dad, we talked about when Benny was first day He noticed and one of the things that I brought up was when we had to take the first blood draw. You were outside of the doctor's office. Do you remember that? No, Lea 25:08 I remember the electrodes, but and him always pulling them off. But I don't remember the blood draw. We Stacey Simms 25:13 because you went to the pediatricians office with us. And he was screaming his head off, and you were in the hallway. Because you were just you just turned 508. Lea 25:21 I think I do. Remember I was playing with my LeapFrog. And I was sitting in the hallway. And I was like, I would hear screaming, but I'd be like, Oh, it's whatever. It's fine. I'm gonna play my game. Stacey Simms 25:33 And then we went when Benny was in the hospital. You remember the electrodes and Uncle David was with that Lea 25:38 was funny. I mean, because I didn't understand what was going on. So it was funny, because he had electrodes all over him. And he would just like, pull them off. So they couldn't do anything. And I mean, he was crying and like, you were very frustrated. And I'm just laughing because I had no idea what was going on. Stacey Simms 25:52 And then the next day, we actually went ice skating. It was our community ice skating thing with when we were making the temple. It was like our first time though, into the ice skating rink. Lea 26:01 Did the rabbi go, Stacey Simms 26:03 I don't think they had the rabbi yet. It was just us. And you were very little. Okay, so you remember, okay, so what do you do you remember, like, what kind of things you remember from when you were little. Lea 26:14 I remember very general stuff. I don't really remember like specific instances. Like when he was first diagnosed, I didn't think anything was wrong. But apparently he was like, drinking too much and peeing too much. And I was just like, Yeah, whatever. Because I was not the biggest fan of my little brother. And I remember, as he got older, and I think it was more, I was less of like a small child and more of like, preteen, I was very upset because he'd always get so much attention, which now it's like, you get it, because it's an awful horrible thing and all blah, he needs all this stuff. But as as a small child, it was like, pay attention to me, Mother, I exist to you have a second child who was actually your first child. But you know, it was cool. I was an only child for four years, which was a wonderful thing. Stacey Simms 27:03 It was like, almost three years. Before, it was three Lea 27:07 years. Like for almost four. Stacey Simms 27:10 It was almost three, it was three U turn three, November, whatever. And then he was boring. Okay, very similar. But I remember a lot of when you were very little as you were a big helper. Like when he was first born, you would help me with the help with the baby, you would help with diapers, you would read to him every night, you know, to get sick of him all that stuff. And the same thing with diabetes. You wanted to learn how to do everything. You guys would give shots to the stuffed animals. Lea 27:35 Oh, yeah. The Little Bear and there were like little patches on it. Yeah. That's Rufus the bear with diabetes. Oh, that's fun. Stacey Simms 27:44 That's nice. And right. So you would do that. But you were very helpful to me in the backseat of the car. Because when you have a kid in a baby seat, basically, right, he was in front facing. I don't remember what the requirements were now. But like, you'd have the three point harness the five point harness those kinds of chairs. And so you were next to him? And if he was low, you you actually checked him once or twice for me when you were like five or six years old. You did? And then yes, and then you but not often, but you were very responsible. And you were like I'll do and usually I would pull over if I needed to like if dad wasn't mad. That's I mean, it wasn't making you do it. But you did it once or twice. But you were always willing and helping me the juice boxes and stuff like that. So much Lea 28:23 has changed. Stacey Simms 28:27 But then as you got older, like you said, it became more of a why? Why him? Why are you giving all the attention kind of thing? Lea 28:34 Because I never, I mean, until now I never really fully understood what, like, why he got so much of the attention. It was always just like, you spent so much time like talking to him talking about him, like calling people about it. And just you had all this you had like Lantis and Hume along, whatever all that stuff is just words that I hear around the house. But you had all of these packages shipped, like every couple of months or like, whatever you would go to these conventions and the walks and it was just like, well, let me do my walk, Dude, where's the layup walk? Stacey Simms 29:09 Do you think we should have done a better job educating you about diabetes? Because I feel like we did tell you it's Lea 29:14 not that I wasn't. It's not that I didn't really understand what it was it was just that like, I was a child. And I still am a child, but it's like, pay attention to me pay attention to me. It wasn't that I didn't know that it was some awful thing that he like needed to have all this attention because I knew that it was just like, why can't I also have attention? It wasn't like I was trying to take it away from him. It was just like me to say him. Stacey Simms 29:37 What would your advice be to parents listening to this who have a kid with type one and other kids who don't in the family? Lea 29:43 Well, you certainly don't have to. You shouldn't like take attention away from a child with diabetes just because one of your other children is feeling a little like left out but that doesn't mean that you can be you can totally ignore that child because they're still like They're your child. They're there, they need you. But it's, I think it would be better if you if someone explained to me that, like, if you'd like sat me down, and with Benny, and been like, this is what's happening, blah, blah, blah. This is why we give them so much attention. It's not that we don't love you. And just something like that. And sure, I probably still want to complain, but whatever. Like, it's fine. Stacey Simms 30:23 So like, the little things that we tried to do, like weekends away, or just you and me stuff like that, like spending, Lea 30:29 spending a weekend with my dad or with my mom, like, that's great. Because it's, it shows like, sure you spend basically every second of every day worrying about this other kid. But you still have time for me, which is pretty awesome. Stacey Simms 30:43 So tell me about camp a little bit, because this is something that you and Benny share that you do not really share with me and your dad. You I don't know if you remember, but used to come home from camp. This is the regular summer camp slip away for about a month. And tell Benny, it's gonna be so great. You're gonna love it, you know, can't wait. So you would go and I would always think there's no way. There's no way and you were ready to go when you were eight. And when he was eight, I was not ready for him to go. But we sent him anyway. What? Do you remember why you want them to go? Did you just think he would have fun? Lea 31:14 Well, I mean, when he first went, what unit like, well, how old was I? When he first went? Stacey Simms 31:21 Well, he was bony one. So you would have been three years older than that. I don't know how we can never keep track of those things. Well, he Lea 31:26 was like eight when he when he was eight. So I would have been like 11. Yeah. So at 11 It was still very much like it will because because of the fact that he's had diabetes, and we've known for so long. It's just kind of part of our lives. And I don't think of it as like this huge deal. Like it's just something that he just has to deal with him. It's like whatever, because he's a normal kid. It's not like, it's not like some other things that people can get where like you see, like, what you see the symptoms or you see, like the damage that it does, it's just sort of something that you have to deal with. And it's just like, whatever. So, I mean, it never even occurred to me that like he wouldn't go to a sleepaway camp, because that was just like, oh, yeah, it's like, Andy has diabetes. It's like, he's got brown eyes. He's got diabetes, like whatever. So, I mean, it was it was just, like, such a fun place to like to go and to get away. And it was, like, you get to do so much there that you don't really get to do at home. And it was never, it was never about him. Like, oh my gosh, he's my brother. I love him so much. I want to come to camp. It was like, I want you to experience this wonderful place. But it was it was never, it was never about the diabetes. It was just about him wanting to like go, Stacey Simms 32:37 I don't think he ever would have gone if you hadn't been so excited about it. Because that was part of the reason I wanted him to go because you liked it so much. That was wonderful. Yeah, he's really has a good time there. I mean, I'm so glad you had such a great experience to Lea 32:50 take my place. Okay, Stacey Simms 32:52 okay. All right. So that was great. I can't Unknown Speaker 32:55 go anymore. Yeah, Stacey Simms 32:56 you're too old for camp. Now. That stinks. No, Lea 32:59 but I can go back this summer if I wanted to. Next summer next summer. Yeah, but I don't think I would I might be counselor, be counseling Stacey Simms 33:06 keep your brother in line on the different side of the camp. Okay. Has since since Benny was diagnosed, I know you've met other kids with type one. But you don't come to conferences much. So it's not like this is a hey, it's a type one atmosphere, you know, other than the walks and things? Do you feel that? First of all, have you ever talked with someone and I haven't really been asked this question. But like, do you feel like knowing about Benny's diabetes has maybe helped you get to know other kids with type one better? Lea 33:38 Not really, I mean, most of the people that I talk to, like kids my age, or adults or kids Benny's age, it's always, like, that's just sort of a thing that we both know about them that they have diabetes. And it's we don't, I mean, the most that we would ever talk about is like if they were low, or if like they had to bolus for something, and it would never be like a big deal. And most of the time, we would just talk about like, other things, just because, I mean, for me, I'm just so used to my brother having it. And for them, they have it, so they just kind of have to be used to it. So neither was ever make a big deal out of it. And it's just kind of like whatever, Stacey Simms 34:11 it would be kind of weird. For teenagers, you'd be like, so tell me about your type 1 diabetes. Lea 34:18 You wouldn't. I mean, you can certainly have a conversation with somebody else about it if you don't have it yourself. But I mean, unless you're like you're very new to what diabetes is. It's generally not a big deal. Like if you're talking to somebody who has diabetes, you generally know they have diabetes, and that's why you're talking to each other. So it's never really like a major point of discussion. If that makes any sense. Got it. Did Stacey Simms 34:47 you ever have a moment where you were scared with Benny? Lea 34:51 There was I was like, it was like five minutes where you first showed me an epi pen like in case he got like really low. Oh, the glucagon, glucagon. It's an epi pen. Stacey Simms 35:05 But it's okay. But it looks like the same thing. Lea 35:07 It does the same thing. And I remember like you came up and you showed me and it was like, this big red needle or whatever. I'd never seen anything like it. And you're and you explain the whole thing to me. Like if Benny gets really low, or this happens, or if he passes out, you have to stab him in the thigh with this giant needle. Like, if nobody else was around, you have to do it, or he's gonna die. How old was like nine, five? Stacey Simms 35:30 No, I don't think I'm kidding. I don't remember how Lea 35:35 it was before I turned 10. I remember this. And I was just like, What on earth is this? You want me to stab my brother? If he's like lying on the ground? But and you're like, keeping it in the cabinet downstairs? And it's like, what is this? But I mean, other than that, it's pretty much been totally normal. And Stacey Simms 35:52 it's funny because some of our babysitter's we found because of diabetes, and you've learned to be really good friends with them, which is pretty cool as you've gotten older. Yeah. But Lea 36:01 it was never because of their diabetes. It was just like, oh, you know how to take care of yourself. You can take care of our child. Well, it Stacey Simms 36:07 was for us it was for you had nothing to do with it. What do you care if they had diabetes, it was just one of those things that we felt, we just fell into these great, we found great people. And, you know, like our neighbor, Christina, who was diagnosed as a young adult, and now she's family friends, which is really nice. She's pretty awesome. She is pretty. So family is pretty awesome. Do you worry about Ben growing up with diabetes or being an adult with diabetes? Now? Have you ever even thought about it? Um, Lea 36:29 I'm not worried for him. Not, not with him being able to take care of himself because he's totally capable. I'm just worried about like, what other people might say about it. Because when, because, people when you hear diabetes, you think of like, generally what people think of diabetes I think of as normally type two, which you can get, which is like, generally related to like obesity, or just being overweight and not healthy. But he has type one, which is totally different. And I just, I don't know, kids are mean. I mean, really, kids are kids are mean. And I don't know, I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about everybody else. Stacey Simms 37:06 In what they're gonna say that you'll beat them up if they're meeting of course. Alright, let me just make sure before we start, people had questions. I think they were mostly for Benny, but somebody did so offended. Will do me a question. It gets all the attention. I Lea 37:21 know. Isn't it? Great? Let's see if all this it's okay to complain about your sibling getting all the attention. I think that's a great point. Stacey Simms 37:30 Definitely. It's okay to complain better than season. Lea 37:34 See thing. Don't hate your parents. They're just trying to keep your other sibling alive. Oh, Stacey Simms 37:40 this was an asked these questions. I would love your daughter's perspective. Did it cause her to be jealous? attention seeking, seeking? And how does it feel to have to worry about him? Or do you worry about him? Well, Lea 37:52 I'm gonna go with the second part of this because I feel like I've already addressed like the first part of this question, but I don't really worry about him. Like at all. It's always I know, you and dad worry about him all the time. Because it's like, what if he's not bolusing? What if he's really high? Like what's going on? But I'm just like, whatever, you can take care of himself. You won't let him die. It's okay. There's a hospital down the road, he'll be fine. I mean, I probably should worry just a little bit more than I do. But it's just, it's part of my life. It's part of his life. It's just, it's something we have to do. Well, I Stacey Simms 38:23 think what we tried to do was to make you aware, but not to make it your responsibility. I just never felt like it was your responsibility as a kid, everybody. And if you remember when he got on the bus, he was in kindergarten. So you were in fourth grade. And people a lot of people said to me, Oh, well, it's what a relief that he's on the bus because even though you can't be with him, Leah's there and she can take care of. And I never felt what I told you at the time was, you don't have to worry about his diabetes, just take care of him as a sister and brothers should take care of each other. We told him that to like, if somebody's picking on you, he needs to stand up for you. And vice versa. If you get sick, he needs to holler for help. You know, it's just that kind of stuff. It was never diabetes specific. And I know you guys looked out for each other all the time, or didn't you sit next to each other all through elementary school? Lea 39:08 No, for one grade, Stacey Simms 39:09 I think Did you really say that? I was kidding. No, Lea 39:11 I think it was no, I remember because I was in like fourth grade. So I was I was like, slowly like into like the cool part and like the back of the bus. And I was really excited about it. Because like me and all my friends. We sent like the ferry back and it was like, Oh my gosh, we're so cool. We sent back the bus. But the bus driver, it was Ben he was in like second grade or like, I Stacey Simms 39:30 don't know, I remember this. This was in kindergarten. We foster going to school to major sit together. Lea 39:34 He sat in the very front row, right? They were terrified right behind the bus driver because they were like, what if he like passes out? What if he goes totally insane where he doesn't have any food. And so they made me sit with him? Because I was at SR and like, I knew that they were olders I knew it was going on and I could like call like my mom because I knew your phone number. And I was very I was very upset. But you did Stacey Simms 39:56 that for like a week or yeah, I've been told Does Yeah, there was no, yeah. And then you were like, Mom, we need to address Lea 40:04 this. We have an issue. That's Stacey Simms 40:06 great. I forgot all about that. And he was happy to see you go to Yeah, we Lea 40:10 were both like, Go away. Get away from because my brother like he couldn't talk to females on the bus because they're like, why is your sister with you are like really awkward because like, he was like in kindergarten and I was like a cool fourth grader, not really. And so, and I was just upset because I was like, I want to go sit with my friends. Now. I don't want to do my little brother like ill. Stacey Simms 40:30 And on that note, thank you so much, sweetie. This was great. No problem. You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. I am so proud of her. Even though I was biting my tongue a bit. I mean, we explained diabetes a lot with her. I am sure you know that, you know. And yes, she knows an epi pen and glucagon are not the same thing. But wow. That was that was nice for me. That was really great to talk to Leah. All right, let's go back to me and Slade. And when we left off, we were started to talk about how we try to make diabetes fit into our life, rather than making life revolve around diabetes. Before before we left the hospital, though. We had a long planned event with our congregation. That that year that summer, we had also decided to help start our temple, right. That was that summer and then this this winter, this happened. But we had a an ice skating. I had planned an ice skating event in downtown Charlotte for the Sunday the day after Benny was diagnosed. So we were still in the hospital. And we talked about it and you said you should go right. And I didn't take Leah. And so you went to the hospital that day, we traded off. And I took Leah to the ice skating rink and I was really nervous. And I was really kind of upset about leaving him in the hospital. I'm so glad I did that. I'm so glad I did that. Because it showed her that life goes on. It kind of convinced me that life goes on. It was a great fun event. And our friends and our community were amazing. They were just amazing. It was so supportive of me. And they made sure we had fun. It was great. I'm so glad we did that. That was cool. Slade 42:17 Yeah, I think that kind of sets or maybe not on purpose, but kind of set the tone for how are you we're trying to normalize we we work really hard and normalizing our lives. In fact, we live our lives first and treat diabetes second, almost, right, because it's just part of what you have to do. It's kind of like you have to put your shoes on if you're gonna go outside, right. So you have to treat your diabetes when whenever you're out and about so. But I think that kind of set the tone for it, right? I mean, because you can you can get into a dark place if you don't. Stacey Simms 42:50 Well, and Dr. Dr. V. also told us probably that day, or the next day, don't buy him a pony for checking his blood sugar. Right. Don't reward him unduly because this is not going away. Yeah, it's not like, you know, oh, boy, I Slade 43:04 think you started looking at ponies Stacey Simms 43:06 I would have looked at I was looking at Porsches looking at everything. It's really funny. You know, it's it's interesting to when you talk about life goes on. I think we put him back in daycare, right? Three days later? Slade 43:19 Well, we're very fortunate. Was it three days high? It Stacey Simms 43:22 was very soon, probably within a week. And we were lucky. Slade 43:25 But we were very fortunate in that the people who are the managers at the daycare center, had had some experience, and then took it upon themselves to go and get more training. Yeah, it was crazy. So we were really fortunate, but that that wasn't common than it was only 10 years ago isn't common, but it's very common now. So I think the challenges that people have about daycare are they're much easier barriers now than when, even just 10 years ago. Stacey Simms 43:56 I would say that there are more resources to help. But I think that daycare is a huge challenge for a lot of people. I don't know how lucky we were. Slade 44:06 Well, no, I don't disagree that it's a huge challenge. But it's there are more and more kids that are diagnosed that come through the doors at daycare centers, and they are their experience level is much higher than it was 10 years. Stacey Simms 44:19 Well, what happened with us was there was a family right before us with a little girl and the mom was a teacher and a nurse. It was crazy. So she had made a whole guide book for them and came in and trained a few people. And so when we brought Benny they knew more than we did I wanted him to sleep there. I kind of did no no. And and Rebecca who was the manager who really just became part of the family for a while. And one or two of the teachers, as you said they did more training. I sent them to one of the JDRF training days and they learned along with us they were absolutely amazing. Then that little girl moved just like three days after we came back from the hospital so they weren't even there. And then the other thing I remember, I should probably stay chronological but I'll skip ahead We had a planned trip with my friends, my college roommate with Beth and Dave, to Las Vegas in. Slade 45:06 But you know, back to the daycare thing, I think the key, the key to that is, and it's kind of the way we've always dealt with it is, our objective is when we put our son in the care of somebody else, particularly early on, our objective was to make them feel as comfortable and as confident as possible, that they that they could take care of them there or, you know, we didn't put pressure on them to say, you know, you were worried you're not going to be able to, or we were scared parents, we let them know that, you know, it's if you have to dial 911, you dial 911, it's okay, you do the best that you can with the tools that we're giving you and the tools that you have. And I think that that's, that's a hard hurdle for people to get over. But I think if you get over that, you get a lot more help. Right, and you get a lot more people who, when they're when your child is in their care that they feel confident, we all know that feeling confident, no matter what you're doing, helps you perform better. So we really worked hard at trying to instill confidence in the people that were at times across the years taking care of our son. Stacey Simms 46:16 I think we were also the beneficiaries in a weird way of less or no social media. You're not on Facebook a ton, and you're not in all these diabetes groups. But I think if if I had been when Benny was diagnosed, my outlook might be different. Because some of them have 1000s and 1000s of people in them and everybody's experience is different. And you know, it is on Facebook, you only see the best and the worst. And people post a lot of nightmare stories that other people assume are the norm, and they're not. And I think I would have been more frightened, I would have loved the support. I mean, we had nobody up here for the first couple years. We didn't know anybody. But I think that that that has added to I don't want to do a whole thing on social media here. But I think that has added to some of the fear was, Slade 47:01 I think that and because social media wasn't as prevalent as it isn't, it's the same thing, right? You believe half of what you hear and less than what you read, right? I mean, it's you have to make decisions based on your own experiences. And it's okay to view other experiences and see how they might, might influence what you're doing. But you can't, you can't say it happened to that person. So it's going to happen to me. Exactly. Stacey Simms 47:26 And I will say he was great. I mean, he had highs, he had lows, he was always safe and happy, which as you know, if you listen, that's my goal is not perfect, but safe and happy. And the one time he went to the hospital was Was he he just got his thumb caught in the door. You remember he did Slade 47:41 the same thing that other people do at daycare, they get hurt falling down, you know, somebody threw a block at his head, right? I mean, that's the same kind of stuff. And you Stacey Simms 47:51 needed stitches. That was the one thing. And I was so nervous, because that wasn't too long after diagnosis, maybe a couple months, and I'm still nervous, because my oh my gosh, how are we gonna manage diabetes? Fine. It Slade 48:01 was fine. It was easy. Stacey Simms 48:02 It was easy. So the next big thing that happened in terms of life goes on was we went to Las Vegas with my college roommate. And I called my mom because she was going to come watch the kids and my parents lived in Florida. And I said, you know, I don't know if we should do this, you know, should we stay? And life goes on. You have to go you have to go. She said, You know, this is not you know, I'll do it. I'll do it. So as we started talking about she said, but I can't give them a shot. I got it. And you know what? I think she would have if she had to she would have right? Yeah. But we were very fortunate one of the girls from daycare, who was as she was trained to be a nurse, right? She was nursing student, Kristen. She was so she came over. I met her she stayed here. But she came over and did all the insulin at the weekend. And you know and mom called us a ton we were in was the Aladdin was it? It was it was the end of the Aladdin right? Because they Slade 48:59 Yeah, it wasn't. Oh, yeah, it was yeah, they return it they were tearing Stacey Simms 49:03 down around us. And so I remember distinctly like taking a call from her getting in the elevator on the Aladdin and losing the call. And then she called me back. So when we when we mean it, but we had a great time. Slade 49:15 Was that before the show we went to what show the show when Dave Stacey Simms 49:19 No, that was that was months after the show was the following weekend. It's what you tell us. Okay, so when you tell I'll tell the story. So one week after diagnosis. We're so fortunate. My brother in law David Slate's brother says four older brothers. And David is closest in age to him. So David was staying us for like a month after Thanksgiving. It was great. He was in between jobs. And he's just so close to my kids. It was wonderful. Unfortunately for him, he was here for diagnosis. So we had tickets to spam a lot. Me and you that following weekend. So again, David's like go go I've got it. I mean, David knew just as much as we did at that point. Yeah. So we get three numbers into spam a lot. I mean to know if it was that lady of the Like, I don't know where that is, or maybe I made it up. And, you know, in the phone rings, so you go out to take the call and like 15 minutes later yeah, it wasn't because I saw three numbers I think you saw like, and I went out to see what was going on. And he thought, you know, when you think about how you dose a little kid, he was 27 pounds. He was 23 months old, and he got like little puffs of insulin. But we were using syringes, right? So he would get like a quarter of a unit or you tried to estimate a half a unit and I think he was supposed to get a half a unit and David gave him six units or something like that. Or two, you couldn't have taken two units. I mean, he had this tiny little dose and David thought he gave him four times as much right? So we couldn't figure it out. So we just said forget it. We went home. As I remember Slade 50:43 on our way home. We were driving home and he had it under we never stopped him. Did we? Yes, of course. We Stacey Simms 50:49 came home. Okay, we we didn't come home. I thought we went right to the NATs house. Okay, so he's but But what happened? Is we checked or he checked. Isn't that funny? I can't remember either. We're getting old honey. So he checked or we checked and his blood sugar never felt right. He was perfectly fine. He was like, I'll make it up. He was like 150 all night. I mean, never fell. So he couldn't have possibly either do injection? Or he never miscalculated, right? Or, or Benny snuck a pizza in the middle of the night that we didn't know about. And so we were on our way home, right. And a friend of ours had had a holiday party going on that night. We're like, I will just go there Slade 51:22 just fine. So the we left the show early, right. I mean, we're 20 minutes into the show. We laughed. We're driving home talking back and forth with David and realized he was fine. So we kept going went by the house and went to a friend's holiday party. Stacey Simms 51:35 We're terrible parents. No, we're not. I don't think we're gonna terrible parents either. That's really funny. Yeah, and that we never saw spam a lot. No, I still haven't seen it. Slade 51:48 I mean, I want to I don't know if I could bring Benny Stacey Simms 51:55 All right, um, I promise we won't go year by year, day by day through the 10 years. But just a couple of quick things about the Look at me. Like, are you sure? Slade 52:06 I don't have a good enough memory to do that, please. Stacey Simms 52:10 Benny, God has insulin pump. We talked about that with Dr. V. Right from the beginning. And he got his pump. We went to our educator to Lynette Right. And, and we said, I remember saying give me the one that's easiest for me to use, and will be the best for him. Because I was really scared of how complicated it was gonna be. And we wound up with the atom is 2020, which is what they had back then. And I showed it to Benny, and he threw it across the room. Got Slade 52:40 your hand and chucked it. Stacey Simms 52:44 Maybe this won't work out so well. But he was two and a half. You know, we kind of explained to him what the deal was. And you know, this will be a big shot every three days. But not all the shots in between that by this point. He didn't care. You could give him a shot. Slade 52:55 He would just stick his arm up like shot, he raised his arm you give me I put his arm down. He Stacey Simms 52:59 didn't care at all. At that point. He was so so good. And so used to it. But that night when he had the pump, because we had the sailing trial for a couple of days, he said, I said do you want it? I didn't know he was gonna sleep in. So I kind of said, Do you want me to take it off? And he said no mine. And that was it. He loved it. He's just he wouldn't give it up after that. So that was really good. And we had a little trouble with the very first inset we ever did. We had a capillary, there's a lot of blood member and then we weren't sure it was going to work. And we like geniuses, we decided we were going to go away to start the pump. So we went to my parents house where this was in the summer. So you I went to my parents house for a week, because when you start an insulin pump, and they probably still do this now you have to check every three hours around the clock for the first couple days to get the level, you know, close to right. I'll go with, I'll stay with my mom. My parents spent the summers in New York at that point. I'll spend the summers spend the week in New York. And then my mom can spot me with the kids. It'll be great. I'll sleep when I sleep. And you had a golf tournament with Bill in Vermont, in Vermont. And I said, Oh go I can do this. Go ahead. And you know, I'm fine. I'll be with my parents. So I remember thinking when we first had that bad inset, this isn't I'm never gonna get on a plane. This is not working. And I remember we changed it and he was, you know, we've checked in right before we got in the car to go to the airport. And luckily it was fine. So I was much calmer. We were crazy to do this Slade 54:20 as well. And I remember I was in Vermont and I don't know if I think I was supposed to pack up the diabetes supplies. Stacey Simms 54:29 I don't know. That guy was yes, you packed all the diabetes supplies and I for the record. Slade is fastidious, he is an excellent Packer. Usually what happens is I put out clothing and then you pack it. Yeah, I mean, he's really, I would trust him more than myself in terms of remembering things. So I'll give you that much credit. Yeah, well, you blew this one. Oh, I forgot to add Slade 54:51 the cartridges that you refill and then put back in the pump. And I'm in Vermont and you we're scrambling, we're on the phone, you're scrambling trying to figure out what to do. And Bill had a good friend whose son had type one. And he was on a pump. We had no idea if it was the same. But like, he calls them at like eight o'clock at night, we go to his house, he gives us a couple of cartridges. I mean, it was really, and we were ready to drive back to Manhattan, right? Or back to New York, to bring it to you. And you guys had figured out another way to Yeah, Stacey Simms 55:27 but it was really funny. Because again, before Facebook, yeah, I probably could have put out a message and said, Does anybody have this within 30 miles and somebody would have helped me out. So what happened was, we went to change the cartridge, and I'm all proud of myself, because I've got it all laid out, and I'm calm. And so we had a good start to the pump. We really, we didn't need a lot of adjusting for whatever reason the dosing worked out pretty easily pretty quickly. So when I went to change the cartridge, I was feeling maybe overconfident. So I had everything else spread out everything right. And I realized where the cartridges were the cartridges. So I called our endocrinology office, and I called our educator and the endocrinologist called back first and said, You need a luer lock needle, and what the heck and you can't get it at a pharmacy. So my dad is gone. I'm going to the hospital. And he goes to get the luer lock needle so he can say you can screw it on to the cartridge and I had insulin I had an insulin vial. So then Lynette our educator calls me back, she says, We're gonna MacGyver this thing. And she teaches me over the phone, how to, you know, open up the cartridge had to make sure that you have enough space in it and and then we just injected the insulin and it was a regular needle. So she was really helpful, and she was so happy to do it. She was fantastic. I also had called the Animus, and they couldn't do anything that night. But the next morning, they came to my mom's house in rural Westchester County, which if you're not familiar with Westchester County, there's like old she is less than I said rural Westchester County it is what is it? It's not like there are farms there. I mean, they're like Ralph, Lauren owns a farm. But what I mean is they're tiny roads, they're not well marked. I can't say that. It's Slade 57:11 like any other street it has. Your house has a number in his street name, I find it to be very confused. Like it was unmarked land and her whole western neighbor fought Stacey Simms 57:20 with machetes to get to my mother's. I was impressed that they came over the next morning, and they gave me different cartridges, different sam

It's a special minisode with friend of the pod, Stacy Simms! Rob talks to Stacy, the diabetes mom that has got it going on about: * The transition of making the diabetes decisions for your child to letting them grow up and go off to college * Inception of Moms' Night Out o First started in Charlotte, NC with sometimes two people, sometimes 30 people, it varies. o Stacey planned it originally as a book launch, but it evolved into a place for moms to meet with Diabetes educators, industry, and technology companies. * Upcoming Moms' Night Out happening in Frisco, Texas with Rob Howe as a speaker, and educators from Intergrated Diabetes Services o Use code “diabeticsdoingthings” at registration for a big discount We want to hear from you. Send those questions, comments, queries, and general diabetes concerns to THE MAILBAG at mailbag@diabeticsdoingthings.com!

This long-awaited Medtronic 780G is now FDA approved. It's been out for two years in Europe and has features that are a bit different from other commercially available automated insulin delivery systems in the US, including a target range down to 100. This week you'll hear from Heather Lackey, global medical education director for Medtronic Diabetes who also lives with type 1 and has used the 780G. We talk about what else this system can do – remember this is the one with the 7-day infusion set – and Stacey asks a lot of your questions. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. More info here: https://diatribe.org/medtronic-minimed-780g-approved-fda Lackey mentions a study where even with no meal boluses for three months, people stayed mostly in range. Here's that study: The Official Journal of ATTD Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes Conference Madrid, Spain—February 19–22, 2020.  Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. Feb 2020.A-1-A-250.http://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2020.2525.abstracts Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Take Control with Afrezza  Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom  Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures Learn more about AG1 from Athletic Greens  Drive research that matters through the T1D Exchange The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Rough Transcription: Stacey Simms  0:00 Diabetes Connections is brought to you by The only Ultra rapid acting inhaled insulin by Omni pod five, the only tubeless pump that integrates with Dexcom G six mi Dexcom G seven powerful simple diabetes management. This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. This week, the long awaited Medtronic 780 G is now FDA approved. It's been out for two years in Europe and its features that are a bit different from other commercially available systems in the US, including a target range down to 100.   Heather Lackey  0:44 And it's just been proven to do so successfully without really increasing a lot of time below range. You know, what will the next system lead up? Will it be below 100? I don't know. But it's so nice to be waking up with glucose levels that are so much closer to someone without type 1 diabetes with this lower target.   Stacey Simms  1:05 That's Heather Lackey, global medical education director for Medtronic. She also lives with type one, we talk about what else the system can do remember if this is the one with the seven day infusion set, and I ask a lot of your questions. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Welcome to another week of the show. Always so glad to have you here. You know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. I'm your host, Stacey Simms, and we are getting some big FDA approvals. Along with the Medtronic 780 G, we got word that beta bionics islet will soon be commercially available. As I am recording this I do have an interview set up with the beta bionics CEO. If all goes to plan that will be our show next week. Real quick, while the original islet dual chambered pump was not what was in front of the FDA, the pump that has been approved has some really interesting features. It's unique in that there are no steps to the programming. When you get your pump, you're not putting in basal rates or insulin sensitivity factors or anything like that. All you do is put your weight in. But that is for next week. You can follow me on social media. We've already shared some information about the islet and I've done many episodes in the past if you want to listen to those to get an idea of what was approved, but this week, we're talking about the Medtronic 780 G, as you likely remember Medtronic at the very first of what we now call a ID systems automated insulin delivery systems with their mini med 670 G and that was approved in 2017. We've been hearing about the 780 G for a long time. It was submitted in 2021. I've talked a lot about the delays in the in the news episodes. It has been approved in Canada since last year. It was approved in Europe in 2020. We're gonna go through lots of features of the pump, but you should also know that the sensor used with this system The Guardian four is approved with no finger sticks for dosing, which to me is one of the most significant changes. My guest to talk about all this is Heather lackey. She has been with Medtronic for more than 19 years. She delivers medical education strategy for insulin pump systems. She trains Medtronic education teams around the world. She lives with type one she was diagnosed at age 16. She was also a consultant on the movie Purple Hearts. She also popped up in a scene in that movie and yes, I asked her about that. Lots to get through. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Afrezza. Afrezza is the only FDA approved mealtime insulin that comes in a powder you inhale through your lungs. So why should you consider this unique alternative to mealtime injections. Afrezzais another option if you want to lower your use of needles or if you're experiencing skin reactions at your injection sites, and it is ultra rapid acting so you can take it right when your food arrives. Even unexpectedly. Find out more see if Afrezza is right for you go to diabetes dash connections.com and click on the Afrezza logo. Afrezza can cause serious side effects including sudden lung problems low potassium and it's not for patients with chronic lung disease such as asthma or COPD or for patients allergic to insulin. Tell your doctor if you ever smoked ever had kidney or liver problems history of lung cancer or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Most common side effects are low blood sugar cough and sore throat severe low blood sugar can be fatal. Do not replace long acting insulin with Afrezza, Afrezza is not for us to treat diabetic ketoacidosis please see full prescribing information including box warning medication guide and instructions for use on our frezza.com/safety. Heather, thank you so much for joining me. I have a lot of questions for you about the new system but first welcome. I'm glad to have you here.   Heather Lackey  4:52 Oh thank you Stacey. It's my pleasure to be here and so nice to get to meet you. I listen to your podcast and just excited Good to be a part of this one.   Stacey Simms  5:00 Oh, well, I'm thrilled to have you. And I'm sure you don't mind if I say it has been a long time coming. Lots of people very excited about this improvement. Can we start by just talking about the seven EDG? What makes this different from the Medtronic pumps that have come before?   Heather Lackey  5:16 Yeah, well, the mini med seven add system is different in the fact of course, it let's say what it Phil has right still has automated basal insulin, and that insulin ID based on the sensor glucose values, but this system is set apart because it delivers does auto correction boluses, like every five minutes is needed. So we know that life with type 1 diabetes, as you well know, as a mom, someone with type one and be living with it, we know that life does not go as we expect all the time and as planned. And so many things affect our glucose outside of the three things that we've always tried to juggle for years, right? Food and insulin and exercise. But now that we really kind of identify that there's so many other things that are impacting our glucose, it really brings to light the fact that we don't get it right 100% of the time, when we dose insulin, we adjust food. And so that's where those auto corrections that are coming in real time, every five minutes, if needed, can really help. And what I love about the system is the auto corrections, you don't have to be sky high to get an auto correction. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to be high. before they begin. They're really kind of thinking like a pancreas than as soon as your glucose rises over 120 milligrams, as the basal is working as hard as it can and saying, Hey, I need help, then the auto corrections come into play. And they can start dosing a correction bolus every five minutes if needed.   Stacey Simms  6:59 So what is the difference between the auto basil and that bolus that you're talking about? Because you know, the automated systems that are out right now already adjusted basal every five minutes? What is actually happening when you say oh, and it's also giving a bolus?   Heather Lackey  7:14 Yeah, so the bolus happens every five minutes on top of the date. Right, facie, so let's say, again, the goal for many meds seven ad G, there were kind of two goals in play, right, we wanted to further improve time and range, you know, compared like with the mini med 670 G system without compromising any safety, because we all know we can drive down glucose, right, but you don't want to have a lot of lows. And we wanted to reduce the daily interactions with the system. And those daily interactions, right, the the alerts and the alarms and all of the safety pieces that were were added to mini med seven, add, those have all been now relaxed, and so less than erection and improvement in time and range without sacrificing hypoglycemia. So what's nice about the system is you not only are delivering the auto basil, like you said, right, we have auto basil and other systems that now if the auto basal cannot keep the glucose level in the target range, it predicts that the glucose level is going to go higher than it would like then that's when those auto corrections come. And they don't come once an hour, they come every five minutes. As soon as that since your glucose rises over 120 milligrams per deciliter. If the system says, Hey, I'm working as hard as I can with your basal, and I'm not able to keep your glucose at the target range that we want, right. And we'll talk about targets and here in just a minute, hopefully. But if we can keep your glucose at that target range, then I'm going to ask for some help. And that's where those auto corrections. And those are boluses. Right? boluses that happen every five minutes without the patient having to agree to them, or take any action on their part. They just happen automatically.   Stacey Simms  9:14 Alright, I have a few more questions about that. But I'll get back to that in a couple of minutes. Because I feel like most people will just see the results. And they they may not have too many questions about exactly what's going on there. But I want to get back to that bullets in a minute. But you mentioned range, and the seven EDG has a lower range than Tandem and Omnipod. Five have currently right it's correcting down to 100. Or that's a choice. You can adjust that.   Heather Lackey  9:37 Yeah, there's a couple of things that are different and new about this. And Minimates seven add definitely treats to a target, not a range. But you're right though the target is the lowest target at this moment that's available and so the auto basal target, you can set three settings Three different targets are available to where the person was diabetes , their healthcare provider can can really identify which target is best for them. But the three targets are 100 milligrams per deciliter, 110, and 120. Now 100 comes as kind of the default auto basal target. And that's because we know that this system was all of the copious data that we have. And all of the simulations that were done before this system was even launched, was using that 100 target. And that's what this system is built around to be the best target to you.   Stacey Simms  10:36 We should note that tide pool type pool loop, which was approved by the FDA a few months ago, can correct down to 87. But it is not available in any insulin pump, yet. It's a software program that was approved. So 100 for Medtronic is the lowest that you can actually use right now. But it's interesting, that's 101 10 and 120, where some other systems have, you know, an exercise mode that is a higher range, do you have any insight as to why those were chosen?   Heather Lackey  11:02 Well, those are that close to target to mirror a normal functioning, you know, system a system without diabetes . And the interesting thing is, is the 100 target is very much achievable without sacrificing time below range, right? So we're able to drive with the auto basal target being set at 100. And with having the auto corrections that are even delivering up to every five minutes, this is the system, you know, determined that those were needed. We have the algorithm that built to drive the system to 100. And it's just been proven to do so successfully without really increasing a lot of time below rage. You know, what will the next system lead us? Will it be below 100? I don't know. But it's so nice to be waking up with glucose levels that are so much closer to someone without type 1 diabetes. With this lower target.   Stacey Simms  12:03 Let's talk about the sensor because there are changes here too. Right. Tell me about the sensor that goes along with the 780G? Yeah, well,   Heather Lackey  12:10 the Guardian four sensor is the center that it works with the mini med 780G system. And the Guardian Force center was designed really to reduce the burden as daily finger sticks. That was the whole goal. Let's remove calibration from the system. And let's try to develop a system that doesn't require finger sticks. As we know, sometimes finger sticks still are needed with really with any of the systems and sensors. But the majority of the time when our patients are in the mark guard feature is they are using the SR glucose to bolus off that, you know, there's no real need for a fingerstick glucose. And interestingly enough, most patients bend upwards of you know, 95% or so in that smart guard feature. And so many patients will tell me, I am forgetting my glucose meter at home. And I had one patient that went on a trip, he went out of the country and he said, Look, I totally left insulin and glucose at home because I had kind of forgotten to take my meter bag with me. Wow, learning for sure.   Stacey Simms  13:27 Oh my gosh, yeah, my son goes without a meter quite often. Since you know his we use the Dexcom in the control IQ system from Tandem. But yeah, you don't want to forget your bag entire. That's not good   Heather Lackey  13:38 news. Okay, that's if that's now a burden that is taken off of you. And that's lovely. Yeah, no doubt. No need to be prepared, right?   Stacey Simms  13:47 Yep, absolutely. And I think it's worth pointing out that this is the only automated insulin system in the United States. That is one system, right? It's a glucose monitor infusions that insulin pump. That's all Medtronic and this system has that extended infusion set right so you're talking to sensor you were for seven days, and an infusion set for seven days, right. We'll get right back to my conversation with Heather but vs Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Omni pod. And when you're deciding that a random insulin pump, you got a lot to think about, especially if you've never used a pump before. It really can seem overwhelming. I remember that there are a lot of choices, and you want to make the right decision. And that's why I'm so excited to tell you about Omni pod five. Curious about trying an insulin pump or seeing what life without tubes is all about. Unlike traditional tube pumps, you can try Omni pod without being locked into a four year contract. You might even be eligible for a free trial, go to diabetes dash connections.com and click on the Omnipod logo for full safety risk information and free trial Terms and Conditions. Also visit omnipod.com/diabetes connections. Now back to Heather answering my question about this seven day infusion set   Heather Lackey  15:03 That's exactly right. One kind of new feature of the mini med seven add system is the extended infusion set. And that extended infusion set. It's been launched for a few months in a few different countries. But it comes now with de minimis 780G system, and really allowing people to just kind of have to think about changing a center and changing their infusions that just one day out of the week versus anymore. And so that system, you know, I have so many people that will go have our youth told us for years, you know, that we have to change our infusion set every three days. And why are we able to start to use that system now, and just been using that now for seven days. And the the, it's really simple to explain without getting into a lot of engineering details, but that infusions that is made with this advanced material. And what it does is it helps to reduce the insulin preservative, you know, kind of the loss that we would typically have, it helps to maintain the insulin flow. And it helps to maintain the stability of the unfolding. And so there's such a reduced risk of any kind of blockage or occlusions, with your infusion set whenever you use this new extended infusion set. And I always have to remind patients and people with that need us and their families, make sure you're only using the extended infusion set for seven days, and you're not using your current infusions that are that long, because the materials are different.   Stacey Simms  16:41 Yeah, good point. Can you use any insulin in those extended infusion sets?   Heather Lackey  16:47 So well, in the mini med 780G system, the insolence that are approved and on label are human log and Nova logs. So both of those are available to us with that set.   Stacey Simms  16:59 So no, Lusia if I ask, just checking, those are not approved at this time. Got it? Got it. I had a listener ask if the duration of insulin is adjustable, you know, is that a setting that people can kind of go in and tinker with?   Heather Lackey  17:13 Yeah, so active insulin kind of talks about the or is our duration and insulin kind of tuning knob that is in the programmable settings on the mini med 780G pump, the active insulin Time is of the two settings that are critical is one of the two, right the first setting is the auto label target, you know, looking at that 100 glucose target for most people with diabetes, but then also setting the active insulin time to two hours. And a lot of people will say, Look, I have never had active insulin or insulin on board. I've never thought that human log or Nova log was out of my body in just a couple of hours. And so it's interesting that Medtronic is recommending a two hour active insulin time. Why is that? And the real answer is this is what the algorithm was designed around, right, it's fine to have the ability to, you know, the algorithm is asking the patient, if you set the active insulin time to two hours, then that gives me the ability to calculate insulin, if I think it's needed, right, that doesn't always mean that you're just gonna get insulin stacked on top of, you know, each other dose on top of a dose every two hours. It just means that gives the algorithm the ability to give correction sooner. And whenever you're giving those auto correction. as frequently as every five minutes, it makes sense to be able to just kind of give the algorithm the freedom to make the decision if it's needed. And anytime I have someone that really wants to debate this, and understand how the algorithm works, I just always have to say, let's just look at the data. And you know, we're not stalking we're not having hypoglycemia in the 10s of 1000s of patients that we have data on.   Stacey Simms  19:06 Yeah, it's actually I wish I had a diabetes educator. Maybe this will be for another episode. You are obviously a diabetes educator. But it'd be fun to have somebody else from a different pump company because other pump companies will say no, no, no, exactly. As you're saying like you're stacking insulin. We set it this way for a reason. It's not adjustable for a reason. Is this two hour duration. A different setting from previous Medtronic pumps forgive me? I'm not as familiar with them.   Heather Lackey  19:29 You don't know. That's a great question. They see it the same accident one time. Honestly that has been a part of the bolus calculator settings, the bolus wizard and now the smartcard bolus feature that even since the paradigm days, right, when the bolus calculator was first presented, we're now looking at decades ago with the active insulin time. So it's the same setting we've had, but now it's kind of viewed in a different way than Then it has been in the past, right? In the past, it was very traditional, like you're saying and, and kind of how patients will think of it with, you know, whenever I'm in conversation with them, they're like, How can this be. And the simple fact is, with setting the accidents one time, as low as two hours, which is what we see the best control, the best time and range and the lowest time below range, right? So the fueler lows is actually set at two hours. And what that does is it just is a tuning algorithm knob. And it says, Hey, algorithm I'm going to allow you to give, if you determine that it's necessary, meet Insulet. And because you're looking at my rate of change, you're looking at how much insulin is on board, you know, how many grams of carbohydrate that I've entered, it takes all of this information into account and decide if action should be taken. And what lovely is the patient, the person with diabetes that mom, dad, the family, they don't have to make any of those decision, the system is doing it for them.   Stacey Simms  21:05 It should have probably started with this question. But what does the algorithm use as a starting base? You know, we're used to traditional insulin pumps where you sit with your educator or your doctor and you say, Here's my basal rate, here's my sensitivity factor or correction factor, or, as we're talking about here, duration, there is a pump in front of the FDA right now that just uses body weight. What is the 780? G use?   Heather Lackey  21:26 Yeah, that's a great question as well, algorithm really start with total daily dose of insulin, kind of as it is its starting point, right, the calculation. And that's why whenever you are new on the mini meds 780G system, people have to stay in manual mode. So the kind of the non auto basal in auto correction kind of piece of it. So they stay in manual mode for 224 hour days, right. So it's two days in manual mode. And then there's enough data as a starting point for this system to be able to, to say, Okay, this is a safe basal amount for you to begin with. In addition, if there's sensor glucose tracings, in that 48 hours of kind of that warmup period, to the smart guard feature, then those fasting sensor glucose level pump is looking to see like, how much insulin Do you require, whenever you're not announcing meals and, and so it see, okay, this is your center, glucose is in a fasting state. Now, how much auto Basil is being delivered. And that is kind of the two main pieces of information of how the system decides how much auto basil to begin with, and to deliver,   Stacey Simms  22:49 got it, can the user switch back to manual mode,   Heather Lackey  22:53 yet, they can, at any time, they can stop the smart guard feature, we know that the data is so overwhelmingly heavy weights heavy on the smart guard side. So we definitely see a major difference in time and range being improved. Whenever people are in this barcard feature versus in manual mode, right? They're always encouraged to say and   Stacey Simms  23:16 got it but the system doesn't like. And I hesitate to say it this way. But you'll know exactly what I mean, the system isn't kicking people out as much as one of the very early automated systems for Medtronic, right? That was a big complaint with the 670 was I got kicked out of auto mode.   Heather Lackey  23:30 That was a complaint. And we know that whenever the mini med six, seven ad system, the first hybrid closed loop system of its time was a pretty conservative algorithm, right? Because it was first of its kind, Medtronic really had to build on a number of safety precautions. And in many cases that led to those unwanted alerts and alarms and interactions with the pump to keep the system kind of in that auto mode, smart guard auto mode feature. And so with this, we the exits on mini med 780 G system. I mean, they're just not happening, right. And again, though, the number one of two goals of this system was to reduce the daily interactions with the system. So we can't have beats and alerts and alarms. And hey, you have to enter a BG all the time in order to stay in to the automation mode. This is a big difference that people especially those that have been on previous hybrid closed loop systems of all kinds, they're like this is really a pretty big change right? exits at night, exit in the daytime alerts at night. Those are some of the things that are really different from a user lens. Whenever I hear anyone asked my husband, you know, like what kind of from your standpoint In a view, what's the biggest change with you seeing your wife were the minimis 780G system for a while. And he just says, look, it just doesn't wake us up at night. And he just seems to be a little bit more pleased. A lot of surveys that have been conducted all throughout, you know, the countries where people are using and wearing many hats, 7080 G system, you know, it's like 94 95% of people are saying that they're satisfied with the impact on the their quality of life, they're happier with the quality sleep, that's one that's pretty high, ranked and desired by many. So for us to get a good night's rest and to feel confident to go to bed, lay our head down, not have lows or highs not have alerts and alarms. That's the system that we need. And that that's what people are enjoying.   Stacey Simms  25:54 One more question about manual mode, a listener had asked me is manual mode usable during the auto mode? In other words, if somebody really feels like they need to do an additional bolus, can they do it?   Heather Lackey  26:05 It can be done, but I would kind of ask why do they feel like it needs to be done? Right? Why would you need to go out to manual mode if you need to give an additional bolus. So carbs can be entered at any time that those are consumed? Right, we definitely want to announce our mills. And at any time in the smartguard feature, a patient can always look to see if if they what we kind of say a user initiated correction dose is needed. So you don't you know, I don't ever want people to feel like once I'm in the smart guard feature, guy can't take action. If I see glucose, where I don't want it to be or if I've eaten something that I didn't tell it, you know, go ahead and deliverable list, at least check to see if a bolus should be given. And maybe some of the feedback that patients had on mini med 670 G system where they felt like they had to enter in perhaps kind of ghost carbs or fake carbs when they weren't actually eating them to kind of trick the algorithm to giving more insulin, I think you'll find with now that control that we have able to control on this system like that active insulin times and the auto basal. I don't see that people at all are having to what we say automate the automation? Well,   Stacey Simms  27:27 yeah, we let me ask you a follow up on that. Because I don't know anybody who uses an AI D system who just puts in meal boluses and says, Great, I'm always in the range I want to be are you saying that's what's happening with the 780?   Heather Lackey  27:39 Well, I'm saying that anytime that you eat in any of the AIP systems, right, you can you can enter those grams of carbohydrate. But because many meds 780G system gives the autocorrection doses starting at anytime, and glucose is over 120 systems. If the auto basal can't handle that glucose response, then they're gonna get it. So because you start you intervene the system intervene early and intervene often, there's less of the need to take matters in your own hand. Right. So it's a different mindset. Really it?   Stacey Simms  28:18 Yeah, no, it's absolutely it sounds great. Well, we'll see. When you said meal announcements, to be clear, you're talking about carb counting and putting in the numbers of carbs you're eating, you're You're not just saying I am eating?   Heather Lackey  28:31 You're saying I Yes. You're you're entering grams of carbohydrate. Thank you for clarifying going   Stacey Simms  28:36 no, I'm just you know, I know it's coming. It's amazing to see how these things are changing. I just want to be clear as we go. Yeah. Well,   Heather Lackey  28:42 you know, that's kind of a segue Stacey to a lot of the different thoughts on do people have to now with autocorrection? Do people have to be so precise on the grams of carbohydrate that they're entering into those bits? Okay. Well,   Stacey Simms  28:59 let me give you Yeah, let me let's segue into that. Let me give you the best case use that I can make in my house or something like this. I have an 18 year old, he's a great kid. He's very responsible with diabetes. He is terrible about bowling before he eats. It's just it's just not happening. And so we have a lot of, you know, excursions that perhaps don't necessarily need to be happening. I would be thrilled at a more aggressive post meal bolused system. So talk me through what happens to scenarios for you. Somebody has an AD of just throw 85 carbs out there because this happened recently. So somebody has an 85 carb dinner, they bolus five minutes after they finish it. Or somebody has an 85 carb dinner and completely forgets to bolus how does the system handle those things? Oh, yeah.   Heather Lackey  29:45 Well, I'd love to show you my report. Because not only does it happen with an 18 year old, it happens with me more than I would like oh my goodness. I plan for 33 years. How am I forgetting to push the button,   Stacey Simms  30:01 I love it, you're human, you're human. I'm totally   Heather Lackey  30:04 human. So the 85 gram carb dinner, and they bill it five minutes later, right? We know that if you are not giving insulin before the meal, right, you're gonna have food most likely showing up to the party before the insulin arrives, right, so you're gonna have food, their glucose is gonna rise because of the food digest. And then here comes insulin. In that case, we would say, Look, if then, you know, if you're really bolusing, after the meal, you probably are going to need to reduce your meal Bolin, than we have some exact parameters for healthcare providers to kind of discuss with their patients. But you know, on average, it's like, look, probably just dose for, you know, maybe that path in your case, maybe it's not, because as you know, as those is that sensor, glucose starts to rise, the auto basal start to increase, it gets to the maximum, let's say, and then here comes the auto correction. And then you've got insulin, you know, from the bolus still showing up to the party at that point. So what's so great about this system is it knows like, okay, auto Basil is increasing, then there's some, you know, potential auto corrections, as soon as the bullet is given, the system goes, Okay, let's just, let's back off, right, let's see, what's gonna happen with the system before we really just push the pedal to the metal and start giving more correction. Right? So everything is done with the total safety in mind, right, which is something that's so great. Now for the 85 grams of carbohydrate, and they don't bolus at all, well, then that's really what are the auto corrections and the auto basil can shine, that's really where you're going to see sensor glucose is rising. And am I going to say they're never going to go high with an 85 gram carbon bill, I would say that wouldn't be, you know, really unlikely, depending on what what the nutrients are in that food, I would think it was going to be unlikely. And so glucose is going to rise, the system is going to to handle it as as well as it can. But what I can see time and time again, with when mills are skipped, that patients don't go as high and they don't say as high as long. But we have a study that actually support that patient who did zero pole was seeing for a period of time. So this is every single meal for this length of time. And I'd have to look at the report to know exactly the days, but their time and range was just right under that 70% of time and rain. Yeah. And so that's not at all what we are recommending, because we know that if you bolus and you're using the recommended settings, it doesn't matter if you're eight year old, or if you are a 18 year old, or if you're a 58 year old or if you're a 78 year old, we know that for everyone, you can have an upward time and range of 80% plus, right. So we know it's better. And we absolutely want to provide the charge that we should be announcing mil but it's so nice, whenever the occasional I forgot to bolus to you know,   Stacey Simms  33:29 sort of occasional   Unknown Speaker  33:32 got your back for some more than   Stacey Simms  33:36 excellent. I did get this question about the bolusing system, how much of a correction is given? Because on some of these other systems, it's a partial correction. I don't know if you can share that, you know, it's it may be part of the algorithm that you can't share. And then also, how does the system differentiate? Or does it between a missed meal and a random high? You know, a high that may come for another reason?   Heather Lackey  33:57 Yeah. Thank you good questions. Okay. So for the repeat the first one, if you don't mind, sure   Stacey Simms  34:03 how much of a correction is given, you know, like on the T slim, I think I may not be correct here, but it's something like, you know, once an hour can give 60% of the program to bolus. So is that something that the Medtronic keep some good and maybe proprietary? Well,   Heather Lackey  34:16 I can tell you this is the difference with the mini med 780G system is it gives a full correction, you know, if needed every five minutes and every correction bolus, right? It's like if you were giving a correction yourself with a pump, you're going to enter your glucose. The system does the same. It says look, this is where the glucose is. This is where I want it to be. And it's targeting 120 Whenever it's giving a correction dose of insulin, right. That's why after 120 it can start to deliver a correction dose and it looks at the difference and it sees how much insulin is going to be needed. And then it also applies other metrics as well like how much insulin is circulating in the body and And then it determine the safe amount that is going to be needed every five minutes. Got it?   Stacey Simms  35:06 Got it. Okay, great. And then the other question is about does the system differentiate between, you know, missing a meal or a high for another reason? And I could think of highs, you know, and teenagers for, you know, hormones or exercise, things like that, does the system differentiate? And I guess the follow up is, does it need to, or is a high, just a high,   Heather Lackey  35:24 you know, really high is the high and and that's what's so great about the the system anytime there is a rising rate of change, and you know, parameters are met, that the pump says, Wait a second, this is a rising rate. Oftentimes, it's a meal that's missed right? To meet the parameters. When the system sees that this is Matt, what it does is it allows a correction dose to be delivered even a little bit more aggressively. Right. So you know, it does have a mill detection module built in. It has mill detection technology built in, but it doesn't so much say, Oh, this is your sensor, glucose is rising now because of the meal. So I'm going to act this way. Versus your since your glucose is rising, because you have hormone releasing in the middle of the night and you're sleeping, right. Either way, this system is looking at the sensor glucose response. And if it's corrections need to be delivered in a more aggressive manner, or larger corrections need to be delivered either way, then the system is able to do that. You know,   Stacey Simms  36:40 we've mentioned several times that you live with type 1 diabetes. I mean, I know I can talk to you about the pump for probably another two hours. And I hope you'll come back on and we can talk more about it. But I want to ask you about your your journey. You were diagnosed as a teenager, what did you use what was the first diabetes technology, I assume it was a blood sugar meter. coming right back to Heather in just a second. But first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And Benny has been using the Dexcom CGM for almost 10 years now, that first insertion was in 2013, just before he turned nine. I mean, it was great. Then if you've done finger sticks for a while you know how amazing it is to go from that to continuous glucose monitoring. But it is even better. Now. The Dexcom CGM systems just keep improving, continuing to get more and more accurate with no finger sticks or scanning required. The easy push button insertion has made it easy for Benny to do it himself. He has done every one since we switched to the GS six in 2018, which is really great for his independence back then, as a younger teen. Of course, we still love the alerts and alarms, and that we can set them how we want if your glucose alerts and readings for the G six do not match symptoms or expectations. Use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. To learn more, go to diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo. Now back to Heather talking about what things were like she was diagnosed at age 16.   Heather Lackey  38:10 Yeah, you know, I was diagnosed in 1990. And of course, I had a meter. The old lancing device that I had was the one that you lay on the table and it's spring loaded and it like warm around like a hammerhead, and it would poke your finger. Right. So that was my first one. And you know, I was just on conventional insulin therapy, right, at least had disposable syringes. I wasn't sharpening a needle or have a glass of orange or anything like that. And you know, for me, Stacy, my parents were so great. My dad worked internationally. And they were just constantly talking to people like what, there's got to be something that right because I was doing everything I could, I mean, I really tried hard. And I have for, you know, three decades, tried hard to really kind of manage things. And they said, you know, there's got to be something better. And that was right at the end was actually before the end of the DCCT trial, when my parents were told, Hey, there's, we've got to get her on something better. We're starting to notice that these multiple daily injections are going to be a lot better. So went to went and started multiple daily injections. And at that point, this was in 1992. At that point, they they the healthcare team said you ought to consider a tump you're you're young your parents have insurance. You guys are certainly kind of wanting to have the best control you should consider a pump and Stacy for cash for seven years. The first seven years after I was diagnosed I did not want an insulin pump to save my life. I wouldn't even think about it until someone said hey, I had gained some weight in college, as many females and male do and I was trying to lose weight exercising to on the elliptical and or the treadmill, either one. And every time I would exercise, I would go low. And every time I would go low, I would have to have juice and peanut butter crackers, or whatever the case was, and I was having more calories than I had exercised off, you know, you can see the counter of your calories that you're burning. And I'm like, This is ridiculous, I'm going to continue to go low, and not be able to trim down my weight some, and I didn't have the right tools. And so that's the reason I started on a pump and then have been on a pump. For the last, I don't know, 2026 27 years, maybe when you   Stacey Simms  40:37 used to do a lot of patient training on insulin pumps, I know you still do some now, I'm even in your role here. What are their biggest concerns? You know, there's a lot of mechanical learning if you've never used an insulin pump before. But there's also as you mentioned, there's a reluctance sometimes. Can you share a little bit about what patients tell you?   Heather Lackey  40:54 I think the unknown is the biggest thing for patients, right? They don't know if it's surgical, they don't know if it how this goes in how you disconnect, how you're going to get live. The five emphases as I call it, you know, how do you sleep? How do you shower? How do you swim? How do you go in, you know, with exercise and do sports, what happens with intimacy and things like that, you know, those are unknown if you haven't met with a an educator or you haven't had a friend or even a health care provider that's kind of talked to you through that. So I think once people understand how insulin pumps and continuous glucose sensors kind of work inside of our life, and really how easy they are. The trainings are so much more simplified today, because the therapy is so much easier, right? And so I think once they start to see they're starting to put the pieces together, like the technology is working in the background, I don't have to work as hard. Here's the the, you know, two or three things that I have to do change my infusion set once a week, change the sensor once a week, and then I have to enter some grams of carbohydrate, however those grams of carbohydrate are calculated, then they start to understand this is not as big of a deal.   Stacey Simms  42:09 All right, I have to go back. You said the five S's and then I kind of heard you editing as you went, you can say six on this podcast. But what were the other ones we had sleep swim.   Heather Lackey  42:18 So fleet that were when boarding and zek?   Stacey Simms  42:22 That's great. I love that list. That's a great list. All right, before I let you go, I can't let you leave without talking about Purple Hearts, this Netflix movie that you were a consultant on, right? Tell me a little bit about what happened there. This is a character that has type one. And she marries a marine to get benefits health benefits. And it's a very romantic story. How did you come to be a consultant on that? And what was it like? Well, what was so interesting   Heather Lackey  42:46 about this, I mean, it was I mean, what a one and a life champ or V I mean, it was really great. The director, or producer, I think it was the director, she had reached out to Medtronic, specifically, because she was, you know, obviously going to be doing this movie, and the hurt. So her team had reached out to Medtronic. And she really wanted to one US product in the movie. But I guess her colleagues and friends and and others that he had talked to whenever she mentioned that this character was going to have type 1 diabetes. They were all like, Yeah, well, we, you know, we've learned that Medtronic pump for, you know, years and years. And so that's why she reached out, right, so reached out to our communications team and our marketing team. And those teams were so great to say, hey, look, they're going to be using a pump and sensor on the set, they might need to have some help. Just making sure that everything is used correctly. And you know, you're always in film, in movies, etc. Whenever I see things being used in an incorrect way. So yeah, so anyway, I was able to go out on the set. And then, you know, one thing just kind of led to another and they were like, well, you know, we're gonna need someone to train. You know, Sophia Carson is the actress. I mean, like, what an amazing thing to be able to beat her and all the other dudes amazing talent on that, that and they were like, Why don't you I mean that you do this? So why don't you just do this in the movie. And I was so happy that that tiny little piece was not cut it, it was such an important thing for my friends and family to be able to see so. And it really does kind of make people with type one I've heard over and over it was kind of cool for the film to kind of walk through people without type 1 diabetes. Like there's a trainee, you know, like, we have to get to understand how to use this equipment. And it's kind of the big day whenever you go on an insulin pump. The coolest thing about the scene that I was in with Sophia Carson, whenever she we finished the scene and she got on the system and we had everything is moving and working at and it was it was there. She was like, Heather, this is amazing that people go through this. And then she was like, gonna give you a hug like this is like I feel empowered having this system on me whenever I'm playing a character that has type 1 diabetes, so it was very organic and natural. And that wasn't anywhere in the script, you know. So it was just a true testament to how powerful technology is and people with diabetes. Five,   Stacey Simms  45:31 is there going to be a second one?   Heather Lackey  45:32 I have pushed. I have said, I hope that there is everybody wants to know what happened to those two characters. I don't know about it, but I would I would love to see a second movie as well.   Stacey Simms  45:45 That'd be great. Well, we will leave it there. Thank you so much for sharing so much of your time with me. I would love to have you back on to talk more about this system. We still have a lot of questions. I'm sure we just scratched the surface. But I really appreciate your time. Thanks so much for sharing so much information.   Unknown Speaker  45:59 Thank you Stacey. Have a great day.   Stacey Simms  46:05 You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. Lutz where information with diabetes dash connections.com. I know we didn't get to all of your questions. I will definitely talk to the folks from Medtronic. Again, I thought Heather was really terrific. And she laid everything out. I loved her five S's. But you should also know that the 780 G she mentioned this. It's currently approved for users seven years old and above with type one, they have started taking pre orders that happened in the middle of May, and they will be shipping later this summer. throughout the US. If you have a 770 G, you will be eligible for a free upgrade through remote software. If you want to be notified more, you can go there's a link in the show notes and get their upgrade notification newsletter. So just go to diabetes connections.com Click on this episode's homepage. It'll give you all the information that you need. I'm taking a deep breath because as I have been telling you, my May was bananas. It was wonderful. It was busy and all the best ways. But I mean, I went to Ireland at the beginning of the month. Then I went to New Orleans for my daughter's graduation. Then we had a giant family reunion at my house. So hopefully as you're hearing this, nothing that busy has popped up for the month of June. What I do have on the calendar is the ADA Scientific Sessions conference toward the end of this month. I have never been to this. I've always tried to make it but it's never worked out. So I have immediate pass. I have my microphones packed Well, not yet, really. But I am going to be going and talking to all of these companies. I'll be putting stuff in the Facebook group. So please join Diabetes Connections, the group or sign up for our newsletter. And you can do that at diabetes dash connections.com Because I'm gonna be asking what you want here, who do you want me to talk to what questions you want me to ask. I'm going to try to do a whole bunch of interviews while I'm there and set up a whole bunch more. You can always email me Stacey at diabetes connections.com. I'm super excited about going to this event and really hoping to bring your questions to more of these folks. As I mentioned at the beginning of the show, I am scheduled to talk to beta bionics about the eyelet so that should be next week's episode. And of course we have in the news this Friday to fill you in if there are any more FDA approvals a there's more stuff in front of them. This has been a really interesting year so far, and we're not halfway through. Thank you to my editor John Buchanan, audio editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Stacey Simms. I'll see you back here soon until the end. Be kind to yourself.  

Our guest today is the wonderful Stacey Simms. This episode is absolute gold for parents and caregivers of kids and teens with type one diabetes. You may already know Stacey if you listen to the Diabetes Connections Podcast. She is a podcast host, award-winning broadcaster and speaker, as well as the author of two diabetes parenting books The World's Worst Diabetes Mom and Still the World's Worst Diabetes Mom.Stacey's son Benny was diagnosed with T1D in December of 2006, one month before he turned two years old. He's now eighteen! In this episode we discuss…What stages of Benny's childhood were the hardest to navigate with T1DThe balance of when to keep diabetes in the background vs. when to bring it to the forefrontHelicopter parenting The detrimental mindset of comparing your child's numbers to other T1D's numbersHow to get out of chasing perfection with blood sugars as a parentWHERE TO FIND STACEY: Visit Stacey's Website HERE.Follow Stacey on Instagram HERE.Check out Stacey Simms's “Still The World's Worst Diabetes Mom” on Amazon and wherever you buy books and at Diabetes-Connections.com. If you buy through the website, you can get a signed copy and use the promo code “Risely” for free shipping!  Learn more about Stacey's MOM'S NIGHT OUT event HERE.Hit the subscribe button and rate and review to help this podcast rise! Follow me @lauren_bongiorno and @riselyhealth on Instagram to stay in the loop for when new episodes drop.Send me a DM to introduce yourself with any feedback, questions, or suggestions on topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.RESOURCES FOR YOU: FREE Blood sugar hacks guide for T1D parents HERELearn more about our coaching programs HERE.Disclaimer: Nothing you hear on the Reclaim your Rise podcast should be a substitute for personalized professional medical advice. Please always consult your physician or other medical professional before making any changes to your diet, insulin dosages, or healthcare plan. 

Stacey Simms, host of Diabetes Connections and author of The World's Worst Diabetes Mom, is Natalie's guest this week to talk about her career in morning news. Natalie and Stacey have a conversation about women being overlooked for promotion, proving their worth in the workplace, and how to have honest conversations with your co-workers about what it means to be a woman in the workplace. They also dissect what it means to use your knowledge about your audience to your advantage when presenting topics that may be out of their comfort zone or what happens when your audience's comfort zone dictates what you get to present to the public. The episode rounds out with a discussion on building a community around diabetes and how important it is to understand someone else's experience in a community you take space within. It is an episode that brings together two women from different generations who have a lot in common, even if their approach to their place in the general media takes different notes or tones.Follow us at @menivetoleratedpod on Instagram and https://www.patreon.com/menivetoleratedpod on Patreon for bonus content! All ways to support the show, including our merchandise, can be found at https://linktr.ee/menivetoleratedpod. “Still Comfy?” Can be found live on Instagram and YouTube. Make sure to like, subscribe, and review so Natalie can send some good vibes and positive manifestations your way as well! Find Stacey on all platforms at @staceysimms

Omnipod 5 was approved earlier this year and just rolled out to a wider release. So how is the first tubeless automated insulin delivery system doing in the real world? We put together a panel of early adopters and got their feedback. That was great, but it brought up quite a few questions, so we reached out to Omnipod for clarification and follow up. The result is a super-sized episode full of info! Our panel: Liat Kochavi, mother an almost-8-year-old with T1D, Stephanie Williams, mother of a teen with type 1, and Sam Durante who was diagnosed with type 1 just before she turned 16. You'll also here from Insulet's Director of Medical Affairs Alex Nyugen, RD, CDCES. FYI, we were fortunate to speak with Insulet earlier this year, just after the FDA approval, and really went point by point through Omnipod 5. So we're not rehashing everything here. If you missed that episode, here's the link: Omnipod 5 interview from Feb 2022 Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's in the news! The top stories and headlines around the diabetes community this week include new progress in the quest for oral insulin to treat type 1, a new study says a common type 2 diabetes drug may help those with serious heart condition, a look at teen brains and T1D, NSAID and type 2 and more! Learn about the T1d Exchange: www.t1dexchange.org/stacey  Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story.. very early on here, but some progress in oral insulin for type 1. A team at University of British Columbia has developed a different kind of tablet that isn't made for swallowing, but instead dissolves when placed between the gum and cheek. This method delivered all the insulin to the liver without wasting or decomposing any insulin along the way. That's a big change from earlier studies and methods. The oral tablets absorb after about half an hour and last for up to four hours.. long way to go, no human trials yet. The the lead researcher on this project has a father with type 1 . https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220830093215.htm?fbclid=IwAR1AzjI5UJma9I6g4hST044FS0MbJnUA0EXCmKXyhcOiOKL-ckIQTO4h8dY XX The type 2 diabetes drug dapagliflozin might also be used to help people with heart failure. A new study at Brigham and Women's Hospital showed that dapagliflozin – sold under the brand name Farxiga - reduced the risk of a cardiovascular death, or worsening heart failure, regardless of ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is a term that basically refers to how much blood is pumped out by the left ventricle of the heart each time it contracts. That's important because this drug has already been shown to help people who have the reduced pumping. And that's a lot more people. Big study here, more than 12-thousand people with lots of ages and races, benefits consistent throughout. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/29/business/brigham-womens-researchers-say-diabetes-drug-helps-reduce-heart-failure/ XX I hesitate to bring this study up, but it's gotten a lot of attention this week. It shows tight control of blood sugar in teens with Type 1 diabetes may help reduce the disease's damaging effects on the brain. But this small study from Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville and Stanford University School of Medicine didn't release any numbers, n other words, it's not clear what they mean by tight control or at what level they're referring to for brain issues. Their findings to indicate that automated hybrid closed loop systems work really well and that better glucose control can actually improve brain structure and function in teens with type 1. I've reached out to this group and we're working on getting more information in a future episode. https://neurosciencenews.com/blood-sugar-brain-diabetes-21328/ XX Very early on here.. but an Indiana startup says they have a potentially game changing type 1 drug in development. In T1D, the body's immune system causes destruction of beta cells, and as a result, they eventually stop producing insulin. These researchers say their models show thy can take what were thought to be dead beta cells, which are actually sleeping beta cells, and increase their insulin secretion and, basically, get them back to a functional state.” They're focusing on a calcium imbalance within the beta cell and designing molecules to correct that calcium imbalance, ultimately returning the pancreas to a healthy state. JDRF has given them a big grant for a two year project, hopefully getting them to clinical trials. https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/startup-awarded-nearly-1m-to-advance-diabetes-drug XX People with type 2 diabetes might face a substantially increased risk of heart failure if they take ibuprofen or some other type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), accord to a new Danish study. Short-term NSAID use increased risk of hospitalization for heart failure by 43% in people with type 2 but no previous heart problems. This was a large but preliminary study presented at the European Society of Cardiology's annual meeting. NSAIDs increased the risk of heart failure even more in type 2 diabetics who were 80 or older (78%) or who had high blood sugar levels (68%), the results showed. Those who'd never used an NSAID before had the worst reaction, with their heart failure risk nearly tripling. Type 2 diabetics should consult with their doctor before taking any pain medicine, the doctors said. Other types of pain meds -- specifically acetaminophen (Tylenol) -- should be safe for them to use. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-08-24/certain-painkillers-raise-heart-failure-risk-in-people-with-type-2-diabetes XX Back to the news in a moment but first.. The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy. The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey XX We told you about The Human Trial, Watch this gripping new documentary about the brave men and women who volunteer to test a radical new treatment for type 1 diabetes. n 2011, Lisa Hepner and her husband Guy Mossman heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes, a disease that shockingly kills more than five million people each year. Driven by a desire to cure Lisa of her own type 1 diabetes (T1D), the filmmakers were given unprecedented, real-time access to a clinical trial — only the sixth-ever embryonic stem cell trial in the world. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who put themselves on the line to be first. Now, in partnership with Beyond Type 1 & JDRF , they're offering the film for free. You are urged to make a donation to JDRF when you click over, there is an option to select zero, https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/the-human-trial-beyond-type-1 XX Next week we've got a great episode all about Omnipod 5 in the real world. I spoke to a panel of moms and a young adult using the system. And we've got Insulet's Director of Medical affairs addressing the questions that come up. This past episode is with my son Benny, talking about what it was like to spend 8 weeks away at non diabetes camp without any remote monitoring from us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Stacey's son spent the summer away at regular, non-diabetes sleepaway camp. 8 weeks managing all of his own care, with no remote monitoring. You had a lot of questions, including how he manages overnight lows: Benny is 17, he was diagnosed just before he turned two and, as usual, he has a lot to say. He had quite a few adventures at camp, but everything turned out okay. We get his take on independence, responsibility and a glimpse into how a teen with type 1 thinks. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's in the news! The top stories and headlines around the diabetes community this week include a new attempt to have fewer misdiagnoses of type 2 (when it's really type 1) diabetes, a new approval for Omnipod 5 down to two years old, a look at the endocrinologist shortage in the US, a milestone for Tandem and more! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX New effort to avoid the very common misdiagnosis of type 2 when it's actually type 1. JDRF and a a company called IQVIA are seeing if artificial intelligence can be used here. IQVIA used machine learning to look at data from individuals diagnosed with T2D and then, later, diagnosed with T1D within a specific time frame. The big problem, the company says, is that medical records are often incomplete and are compiled using different standards and formats. They call it a good starting point though. Earlier studies have shown that possibly 40-percent of adults with new onset type 1 are first misdiagnosed with type 2. https://www.jdrf.org/blog/2022/08/11/iqvia-algorithm-for-misdiagnoses/ XX New UK study about COVID, diabetes and kids.. shows there was an increase in new cases and in DKA. This was from March 2020 to February of 2021, compared to same time the previous year. This was a large study, looking back at cases across 49 sites. There was a 17% increase in new-onset diabetes from Year 1 to Year 2, mostly of type 1 diabetes. ED visits for DKA dropped by 31.9% during the pandemic year among patients with existing diabetes. There was a 43% increase in severity of new-onset disease from Year 1 to Year 2, with severe DKA increasing by 79% (P < .001) and intensive care admissions by 89% (P < .05 There were limitations to this study, the biggest is that data was only captured for those who went to the emergency room. The question of whether SARS-CoV-2 can trigger new-onset diabetes remains unanswered. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/979381#:~:text=There%20was%20a%2017%25%20increase,by%2079%25%20(P%20%3C%20. XX Omipod 5 is now FDA approved for kids as young as two. Omnipod 5, the first tubeless automated insulin delivery (AID) system in the U.S., was originally cleared for use in individuals aged six and older in January 2022. That makes Omnipod 5 the only AID approved for the toddler set. Tandem's Control IQ ia approved down to age 6 and Medtronic 780G down to age 7 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220822005158/en/Insulet-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Omnipod%C2%AE-5-for-Children-Aged-Two-Years-and-Older-with-Type-1-Diabetes XX Milestone from Tandem they say that in the first month since the new mobile bolus feature was released, users have delivered more than 1 million insulin boluses. The company said in a news release that it is the first-ever FDA-cleared smartphone application capable of initiating insulin delivery on both iOS and Android operating systems. The company added that it is now available on approximately 30 different devices. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/tandem-diabetes-app-insulin-bolus-million/ XX What looks like an editorial in a publication called Stability Health caught my eye. It's all about the shortage of endocrinologists in the US. Right now there are only 8-thousand in practice across the whole country. Endocrinologists receive the lowest compensation of all internal medicine (IM) specialties — lower even than practicing general internists — and 76–89% of medical students graduate with astronomical debt. Additionally, these clinicians often make themselves available outside of their office hours. But since this time may not be billable, it is often not supported in salaried compensation. Separately (but related), in 2016, 71% of entrants to the field of endocrinology were female. Due to America's long-standing gender wage gap, this may be a contributing factor in wage stagnation. Roughly 85% of Americans with diabetes rely on a general practitioner for their care. I'll link up the column so you can take a look. https://stabilityhealth.com/endocrinologist-shortage/?fbclid=IwAR0jx-nSiOL2UccmoJ9H74SnC6l3M5CCppecGcQ2t2M_zc7U-ydOj4JxfQ4#:~:text=Today%2C%2034.2%20million%20Americans%20are,currently%20practice%20in%20the%20U.S XX Update on one of the CGM smartwatches we've been keeping an eye on.. the K-Watch Glucose CGM watch is being tested by a French Company. They had their first clinical trials last year and got results this summer. the first run had a MARD of 29-percent.. brought down to a much better 16-percent. MARD is of course Mean Absolute Relative Difference to a calibrated meter and the gold standard right now is under 10 with Dexcom and Libre's next offerings closer to 8.. so a way to go here. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Painless-K-Watch-Glucose-blood-free-CGM-smartwatch-produces-positive-first-in-human-trial-results-as-PKvitality-targets-2024-for-availability.642380.0.html XX Back to the news in a moment but first.. The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy. The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey XX Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists gave their lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu, former surgeon general of the United States. Many of you may know him as the Chairman of the Board of Children with Diabetes you see him at Friends for Life and other events. He's been involved with lot of national diabetes groups and effort – he was diagnosed with LADA at age 55. He's also been a guest of this show.. so congrats Dr. Moritsugu. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20220814/a-lifetime-of-service-a-conversation-with-kenneth-moritsugu-md-mph-facpm-faade?fbclid=IwAR2DyFSAyxCqeGMpmGHAi1FG1swihxFAPe-WveCaCP6NJrcUd0rFioBedQU XX Next week we're talking back to school! The wonderful diabetes educator Anna Sabino from Finding Smiles coaching will join me to talk 504, remote monitoring, supplies and lots more. The long format episode out right now is with Patients For Affordable Drugs about the bill that passed the Senate this week. The insulin copay cap was removed, but what does it really mean for medication prices? Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Back to school can be one of the most stressful times for parents of kids with T1D and it's okay to admit that. This week, Anna Sabino, of Finding Smiles Coaching, a diabetes educator who lives with type 1, joins Stacey to help you out! We're going to go through 504s, school supplies, remote monitoring, last minute issues and set you up for long term success. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. More about Anna, including a great special she has for parents and families right now: https://www.findingsmilescoaching.com/ ADA Safe at School: https://diabetes.org/tools-support/know-your-rights/safe-at-school-state-laws 504 plan examples: https://diabetes.org/tools-support/know-your-rights/safe-at-school-state-laws/written-care-plans/section-504-plan Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's in the news! The top stories and headlines around the diabetes community this week include: People on Medicare should see insulin prices capped, A look at whether the tuberculosis vaccine prevented Covid in people with type 1 diabetes, Tandem's CEO has some news about their tiny Mobi pump, students create non-invasive glucose monitoring, and some progress on smart insulin. Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX The Inflation Reduction act is now law.. and that means a big change for Medicare patients. Among other things, it limits insulin copays to $35 per month for Medicare Part D beneficiaries starting in 2023 and caps annual out-of-pocket cap on Part D prescription drugs at 2-thousand dollars starting in 2025. Medicare will also now have the ability to negotiate the costs of certain prescription drugs. Democrats say they will try to bring a stand alone proposal to ap the price of insulin for a broader population this fall. XXDid the Tuberculosis vaccine protect people with type 1 from Covid and other infectious diseases? Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have published a new paper looking at the BCG or tuberculosis vaccine. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of patients with type 1 diabetes conducted at the start of the pandemic, before COVID vaccines were available, only 12.5 percent of placebo-treated individuals and 1 percent of BCG-treated individuals had confirmed COVID-19, yielding a vaccine effectiveness of 92 percent. The BCG-vaccinated group also displayed protective effects against other infectious diseases, including fewer symptoms, lesser severity and fewer infectious disease events per patient. No BCG-related systemic adverse events occurred. The participants in the COVID trial had previously enrolled in a clinical trial testing the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine for type 1 diabetes. Participants in the test group had received multiple vaccinations before the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/tb-drug-vs-covid XX Students at the American University in Cairo have developed a device that non-invasively measures blood glucose levels, winning first place in 2022 Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition. The device uses near-infrared spectroscopy (speck-troh-sku-pee). It's called GlucoClip and there's also a mobile app. . The project took a year, with the team having designed a prototype and testing it on more than 100 people. Amazing that this took students less than a year.. we'll see if the large commercial companies can accomplish getting something like this to the marketplace. https://www.egyptindependent.com/auc-students-win-first-place-at-johns-hopkins-healthcare-design-competition-2022/ XX Interesting progress on glucose-responsive insulin, also called smart insulin. These researchers envision ultra-stable proteins containing a glucagon analog “stapled” to an insulin analog. Preliminary studies are moving along at Indiana University. As the name indicates, this would be insulin that only responds when there is too much glucose in the blood, making the risk of low blood sugar much less likely. Nice to see some options may be possible, last year Lilly bought Protomer Technologies which had smart insulin in pre-clinical development. https://diabetesresearchconnection.org/projects/fusion-protein/ XX New CEO over at Beta Bionics – the company behind the iLet Bionic Pancreas, currently in front of the FDA. Sean Saint will be the new CEO, Martha Goldberg Aronson was interim, we talked to her for the podcast a few months ago, will remain on the Beta Bionics Board of Directors. Saint is an engineer, entrepreneur, diabetes technologist and innovator, and lives with type 1. He started at Medtronic and ahs also been at Dexcom and Tandem. It was after working at all those diabetes companies that he developed type 1 as an adult.. and founded Companion Medical, maker of the InPen. Really interesting story and I hope he'll come on the podcast soon. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/08/15/2498485/0/en/Beta-Bionics-Appoints-Sean-Saint-as-CEO-and-Board-Member.html XX But with the troubles of the second quarter solidly in the rearview mirror, Tandem is back in optimist mode, with a rosy outlook toward sales of both existing and upcoming technologies. Chief among the latter category is the Mobi insulin pump. The device is about half the size of Tandem's flagship t:slim pump and can be fully controlled by a user's smartphone. It'll also represent “the first novel form factor launched in our space since we introduced t:slim a decade ago,” Sheridan said on the call. “We are in the final stages of testing, as well as drafting the submission, and intend to submit a 510(k) to the FDA this quarter,” the chief executive said. He noted that Tandem is already preparing for the pint-sized pump's commercial launch following FDA clearance, which it's tentatively expecting to snag in the first half of 2023. In the meantime, Sheridan said Tandem is also working closely with partners Dexcom and Abbott to integrate its insulin pumps with their newest continuous glucose monitors: Abbott's FreeStyle Libre 3, which was cleared by the FDA just a few months ago, and Dexcom's G7 device, whose own FDA review is still underway after an agency request for more information. RELATED https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/tandem-lines-fda-review-new-pint-sized-insulin-pump-amid-lower-expected-sales XX Possible new way to look for type 2 diabetes before there are any severe symptoms. Researchers from the University of Geneva found that a decline in one molecule indicates a loss of functional beta cells. This molecule, which can be easily detected by a blood test, may be utilized to detect the onset of diabetes in at-risk individuals. These researchers say this discovery opens new avenues for preventing diabetes, particularly for at-risk people. A simple blood sampling followed by an inexpensive specific test could identify a potential diabetes onset in these people, prompting actions to be taken before the situation becomes irreversible.” https://www.techexplorist.com/molecule-identify-development-diabetes/53106/ XX XX The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy. The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey XX Abbott and Weight Watchers are teaming up. They've set up what they call a “strategic partnership” that will help people living with diabetes better understand and manage both their condition and their weight. The release says both companies are bringing their marketed products together to help patients, while also boosting their use. The partnership will start in earnest from next year and initially focus on the U.S. https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/abbott-teams-weightwatchers-digital-diabetes-journey-health XX Next week we're talking back to school! The wonderful diabetes educator Anna Sabino from Finding Smiles coaching will join me to talk 504, remote monitoring, supplies and lots more. The long format episode out right now is with Patients For Affordable Drugs about the bill that passed the Senate this week. The insulin copay cap was removed, but what does it really mean for medication prices? Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

You may know the Inflation Reduction Act best for being the latest time an insulin price measure was NOT voted through. But supporters say there's a lot here that will help patients save money, including those with diabetes. We talk with Sarah Kaminer Bourland, Legislative Director of Patient for Affordable Drugs Now. She explains what this new plan will mean for those on and not on Medicare, debunk some of the talking points you might have heard and look ahead to what could be next for insulin pricing. Share your story with P4AD: https://secure.everyaction.com/SvIaRhn3VEmVAkJ1ccQETA2 This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Get caught up on the news and headlines around the diabetes community! The top stories in the last seven days: Senate Republicans nixed an insulin copay cap, but Democrats say they will revisit this issue in a few weeks, Dexcom pushed back their G7 timeline in the USA after the FDA asks for changes, once weekly basal insulin moves forward in trials. Plus, Beyond Type 1 is back in the NYC Marathon and much more! Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*   Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX The copay cap on insulin may come back before the Senate in a few weeks. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer say he'll bring tht issue back up.. after Republicans blocked it in a sweeping climate, inflation and health care package passed by the Senate on Monday. Speaking on MSNBC's “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Schumer said, “We're going to come back and make them vote on that again.” Seven Republicans still voted with all 50 Democrats, three short of the 60 votes needed, and it is possible more Republicans would support it if it came up as a standalone measure. It's not clear if this would again be a copay cap or in fact a cap on the actual price of insulin for all, including the uninsured. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3594003-schumer-senate-will-vote-again-on-35-insulin-cap-after-gop-blocked-it/ XX Dexcom is pushing back the timeline for a U.S. launch the G7. That's after the FDA raised questions about the device's software during a review. This has something to do with how the G7 and it's smartphone apps deliver alarms to users. Looks like maybe a limited release in the 4th quarter of this year and full rollout in 2023 if there aren't any other hiccups. As you likely know, the G7 is nearly 60-percent smaller than the G6, it's transmitter and sensor all in one and has a much shorter warmup period. It's been approved in Europe since March. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/dexcom-resubmit-g7-glucose-monitor-software-fda-review-pushing-back-us-launch XX One type of once-a-week basal insulin gets the go ahead to move forward with clinical trials in the US. Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals says it's investigation drug called GZR4 is more stable with less day to day variation than once a day basal insulin. There are a few of these weekly insulins in trials, none yet approved. Gan & Lee is also doing trials of the drug in China where they are already a big player in the insulin market. https://www.ganlee.com/detail/668.html XX XX Good news for Senseonics, makers of the Eversense implantable CGM. Shares were up on second quarter earnings and future expectations. I don't generally report on stock market moves of diabetes companies, but the past few years have been a bit iffy for Senseonics and there was speculation on whether this CGM option might not be available in the US. They partnered with Ascensia Diabetes Care and got the six month approval for Eversense earlier this year. https://www.massdevice.com/senseonics-stock-q2-2022/ XX A new call for comments to the FDA but the deadline is TODAY august 15 at midnight eastern time. I'm going to read directly from a post by Joanne Milo in the CGM in the Cloud off topic group. Joanne's been a guest of the show and leads the loop and learn group – she writes. “We have until August 15, 2022 to provide comments on FDA changes to the way CGM display and alarm systems are regulated. This has implications for remote monitoring and automated insulin delivery systems, both commercial and DIY. We request your assistance in helping the FDA and device providers (FDA considers software for treatment of disease to be a device) understand the benefits of real-time CGM access and the risks we carry by not having ubiquitous real-time access to our diabetes device data. We hope you will choose to spend a moment to add your voice to the #WeAreNotWaiting chorus. They provide some text which I'll link up in the show notes as well as the links to this post and the FDA comment portal. https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FDA-2018-N-1910-0047?fbclid=IwAR2WAtGl3vjTUonamNdlBtAu_pg2-xQOVy8bSqG2peLCUz2eq8R8OgLqtHQ https://www.facebook.com/groups/CGMITCOFFTOPIC XX The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy. The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey XX Team of 50 individuals living with type 1 diabetes will raise awareness and funds for their chronic illness SAN MATEO, Calif., (Aug. 3, 2022) – Going the extra mile this year, global diabetes nonprofit Beyond Type 1 was named an Official Charity Partner for the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, taking place on November 6. Beyond Type 1 will be among the 500 official charity partners providing thousands of runners the opportunity to run in the world's most popular marathon. This year's Beyond Type Run team includes nearly 50 runners across the United States, Canada, Ecuador and Australia, who are raising awareness and funds for type 1 diabetes as ambassadors for Beyond Type 1, showcasing how they live beyond their diagnoses and supporting crucial efforts and programs for others affected by this condition. First-time Marathon Runner Kyle Banks, known for his tour with the Broadway cast of The Lion King, is the team captain. “The Beyond Type Run team displays the ultimate resilience and strength as they run the marathon. If it weren't for the team jerseys or the technology attached to their bodies, you'd never know they were living with a chronic illness,” said Beyond Type 1 CEO Deborah Dugan. “We are grateful to them for helping us raise awareness, and we thank all of our sponsors for their generous support and donations to the team.” Since 2017, Beyond Type 1 has had roughly 150 people with type 1 diabetes run the TCS New York City Marathon through the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Official Charity Partner Program. “The TCS New York City Marathon serves as one of the world's largest fundraising platforms supporting hundreds of charities and philanthropic efforts,” said Christine Burke, Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships, NYRR. “We are very proud to support Beyond Type 1 and the incredible impact they have made to the diabetes community as they raise important funds to support people with diabetes.” The NYRR Official Charity Partner Program offers an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to raise funds to support their missions and services. Participating charities can offer guaranteed entry to runners who fundraise on their behalf. Since its inception in 2006, the TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Partner Program has raised more than $400 million for more than 1,000 worthy nonprofit organizations across the globe. Prior to the start of the official program, the New York City Marathon had served as an outlet for individual philanthropic runners since the 1980s. https://beyondtype1.org/beyond-type-1-nyc-marathon-2022/ XX Morgan Shepard book Morgan Shepherd So happy to announce my book “ T1D Looks Like Us! A Type 1 Diabetes Story” is now available to order! I am so excited to share this piece of my heart with you ❤️ Rose was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) when she was seven years old. Now she is nine and at times feels lonely because she doesn't know any other kids with T1D. With help from her mom, Rose meets people from all over the world who also live with T1D and have their own unique stories to share! This book is intended to spark conversations about empathy, differences, and self-compassion. Through the text children will learn not only about Type 1 Diabetes but also about the diversity of people who are living bravely with T1D. The book is perfect for newly diagnosed children, siblings, and classrooms that have a student living with T1D. XX Next week I'm talking to the folks at Patients For Affordable Drugs about the bill that passed the Senate this week. The insulin copay cap was removed, but what does it really mean for medication prices? The episode out right now is our special 500th episode where I'm interviewed by news anchor Cristina Frank, who hosts the morning show at WMTW in Maine lives with type 1. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

I started Diabetes Connections back in the summer of 2015. I'm not sure I had a number of episodes in mind when I kicked off the show, I just knew I wanted to make a podcast for and about the diabetes community. Thanks for tuning in all this time! For episode 500, I've turned hosting duties over to Cristina Frank, a TV news anchor who lives with type 1. We talk about how the episodes come together, what's worked (and what hasn't) and what I might add to the show going forward. We also think about how the community has changed and why the highest praise I could take for this show is that it's authentic. Thanks, all!!  -Stacey Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Jeff Ryan has lived with type 1 for more than 50 years. But he also has what's called an essential tremor. Part of the treatment for that included using powerful magnets, which made thinking about diabetes tech.. a little different for Jeff. He talks about being diagnosed as a toddler in 1971, and how treatment for both his tremor and his type 1 have changed.. as well as the power of community for both conditions. He recently got his 50 year Joslin Medal and shares how a photo of him in front of a Christmas tree in 1971 played a role. That photo was a bit of a mystery to Jeff for a long time, since he was diagnosed in October. 2001 story about Jeff's brain surgery: https://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20010822/pacemaker-for-brain-effectively-stops-tremors This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's In the News! The tops diabetes stories this week include: Australian scientists say they have a new way to restore insulin production using an existing and approved drug, Tandem rolls out bolus by phone for wider release and acquires Capillary Biomedical, an infusion set maker. Dexcom adds Spanish as a language option for the G6, a necklace is said to be able to monitor glucose levels and Netflix's Purple Hearts focuses on type 1 medical costs as a plot point. Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*   Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Australian scientists say they have a new way to restore insulin production in pancreatic cells, using a drug that's already approved for use in humans. In lab experiments on pancreatic stem cells from donors with type 1 diabetes, the team was able to activate them to begin expressing insulin by exposing them to a drug compound known as GSK126. These cells don't normally produce insulin, but the drug let them functionally step into the shoes of the beta cells that had stopped working. In principle, a single course of this kind of drug over a few days could replace the need for regular insulin shots in diabetics. The new treatment would work much faster, within a matter of days, and without the need for surgery. But perhaps the biggest advantage is that GSK126 is already approved by the US FDA and elsewhere in the world as a treatment for cancer. Its safety profile is already being assessed in clinical trials, which could reduce hurdles down the road for its use against diabetes. That said, the scientists caution that it is still very early days. These experiments were conducted on cells in culture – not even in animals yet – so there's still plenty of work to do. Nevertheless, it remains an intriguing new possible tool. https://newatlas.com/medical/diabetes-breakthrough-insulin-production-existing-drug/   XX Couple of big announcements from Tandem Diabetes this week. They've widened the roll out of their Mobile Bolus feature, now open to all customers with in-warranty tslim x2 pumps and compatible smart phones. Approved earlier this year, it has been available for a few weeks to a small group of users. https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/products/software-apps/tconnect-mobile XX Tandem also announced it acquired infusion set developer Capillary Biomedical, an infusion set maker. To quote the press release: Capillary Biomedical's unique extended wear infusion set technology is currently in development and not commercially available. The company designed its SteadiFlow seven-day-wear infusion set technology to significantly extend patient wear time to a week and maintain insulin stability. Capillary Biomedical received FDA investigational device exemption for the platform in January of this year. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/tandem-diabetes-acquires-capillary-biomedical-infusion/ XX Dexcom is launching their G6 mobile app in Spanish. It is estimated that 11.8% of U.S. Latino adults have diagnosed diabetes. Dexcom says, “ “Launching the Dexcom G6 app in Spanish is a positive step toward improving health equity for individuals with diabetes who primarily speak Spanish.” To access the Dexcom G6 mobile app in Spanish, users need to install the latest version of the app and set their compatible iOS (v1.10.1) or Android (v1.10.0) smartphone* language to Spanish (any dialect/region). The app will automatically display in Spanish as long as the phone language is set to Spanish. XX   Big issue for a diabetes app in the UK. CamAps FX is an automated insulin delivery system that works with Dexcom and Tandem. But Google has blocked it from the Play Store and won't let it send text message alerts. Camdiab, the company behind it, is having to send the messages via another service and pay for each one individually. Google said it doesn't allow any apps, other than the designated text message app on a device, to send SMS messages. CamAps FX spent 15 years in development by experts at Cambridge University and was the first system of its kind to be recommended by the NHS for use by children from the age of one, and pregnant people. We'll see if the court of public opinion has any sway on what happens here.   https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62184812 XX   Should we get excited about a new smart necklace said to measure glucose in sweat? Ohio State University recently presented the necklace, which has a clasp and pendant with biochemical sensors installed on the back so that when placed around the neck, it could capture the sweat and analyze glucose, serotonin, sodium, potassium, and hydrogen levels. In one experiment where people cycled  and drank sugary drinks, the sweat measured the increased glucose levels with a 98.9% accuracy. They didn't really say what that means, though. Long way to go here but interesting idea.   https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/38989/20220726/smart-necklace-track-wearers-health-status-98-9-accuracy-using.htm XX The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy. The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey XX A new Netflix movie featuring type 1 is getting a lot of attention: Called Purple Hearts, it tells the story of Aspiring singer-songwriter Cassie Salazar (Sofia Carson). The synopsis says: Chasing her dreams isn't exactly easy when she's juggling multiple jobs and trying to keep her Type I diabetes at bay. Raised by an immigrant single mother and navigating a cruel health-care system, Cassie has seen how the “Land of the Free” has been everything but for people like her. After learning that Marine spouses get full health benefits and extra pay, Cassie comes up with an idea to marry one. Although the marriage is temporary, their true feelings for each other are revealed when an unexpected tragedy sends her now husband home earlier than expected. I've reached out to the film makers. We'll see if this one gets type 1 right.. but it sounds like they understand some of the health care system. XX Next week I'm talking to Jeff Ryan, who was diagnosed with type 1 as a little kid back in 1971. He also lives with an essential tremor, and was one of the first people to have brain surgery for it. Which was very successful. The long format episode out right now is with Sebastien Sassville who tals about completed the race across America – a coast to coast cycling race in just 12 days. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Sebastien Sasseville recently completed The Race Across America, a grueling 3-thousand miles coast to coast cycling event that riders must complete in only 12 days. That means pushing through not just diabetes, Sasseville lives with type 1, but also eating on the bike and sleeping just a few hours at a time. Sasseville has been an ultra athlete for two decades now. We get more details about this race, why he wanted to do it and how he managed type 1 throughout. More on Sassville here: https://sebinspire.com/en/ This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Top stories In the News this week, United Healthcare announces changes to how they cover insulin for some, a new study looks at CGM use in people with type 2 over the age of 65, another company begins islet cell clinical trials, a new tool to treat diabetic neuropathy pain, gestational diabetes is on the rise, and more. Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story.. United Healthcare says it will have no “out of pocket” expenses for insulin starting January first. It's doing the same for other critical drugs like glucagon, epinephrine and albuterol. Looking into this a bit more, though, it's not the boon it first seems. This only covers certain eligible patients. Stat news says about a quarter of United Healthcare's patients will qualify but I saw a few commentators say it could actually be less than 5-percent. UnitedHealth Group shared that it earned $5.1 billion in profit for the second quarter of 2022. https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/united-healthcare-says-no-out-of-pocket-expenses-for-insulin/ XX Not too surprising but a good study about people with type 2 using CGMs. This was for people using basal insulin only and over 65 years old. They found when given a CGM, their A1Cs went down an average of 1 full point with fewer lows. These are the kinds of studies that may seem obvious to us but that are needed to show insurers they need to cover. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/dia.2021.0494 XX New device approved to treat pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The DyAnsys' First Relief system is set behind the ear – its an adhesive, nothing surgical. It features three small, acupuncturelike needles that reach through the skin behind the ear to access the nervous system. Once in place, the device continuously emits low-level electrical pulses over the course of several days at a time; the FDA cleared the system for repeated treatments spanning up to eight weeks. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/fda-clears-wearable-neurostimulator-dyansys-treat-pain-diabetic-nerve-damage XX Another company having success with islet cell transplants. ProtoKinetix announced they're completely safety objectives and will start phase 1 clinical trials of their molecule PKX-001. Not much to report here yet, but I didn't want to news of the Vertex/Viactye merger to over shadow that there are other efforts going on here. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220720005086/en/ProtoKinetix-Successfully-Completes-Phase-1-Clinical-Trials-for-the-Treatment-of-Type-1-Diabetes-in-Islet-Cell-Transplants XX Roche and Insulet settle their lawsuit.. this was a patent issue and both companies were suing each other. Insulet will give Roche 20-million dollars and Roche has agreed not to sue Insulet for five years. This was set to go to trial next week. https://seekingalpha.com/news/3855728-insulet-to-pay-20m-to-settle-patent-lawsuit XX Gestational diabetes is on the rise, climbing 30% between 2016 and 2020, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC analysis showed that cases increased 13% during the first year of the pandemic alone, a much larger spike than the previous annual increases of about 5%. Experts say that the sharp increase during Covid may be because the disease accelerated people's adoption of a sedentary lifestyle and led to pandemic-related physical and emotional stress. experts are concerned outcomes in 2021 may be worse, when Covid hit harder. If anything, the authors and experts said, the new finding is likely an undercount. Relying on birth certificate data, which the CDC study did, can miss cases that are not captured by a physician on those forms. “If you think about it, somebody who's doing 20 deliveries in a night, or ten deliveries in a night, is just kind of trying to get those reports and certificates out there,” said Morgan. “They're not paying as much attention to some of those details.” https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/20/as-diabetes-during-pregnancy-grows-more-common-experts-point-to-a-need-for-preventive-care/ XX Right back to the news in a moment but first As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX /about-us/ XX Next week on the podcast I'm talking to Sebastien Sasseville who recently completey the absolutely exhausting sounding Race Across America. We'll talk about how you manage type 1 – and everything else – when you're spending more than 20 hours a day on a bike for 12 days! The long format episode out right now is with the folks at Diabetes Wise – that's a website to help you choose diabetes technology.. they've added information for doctors – this may help you educate your heathcare providers on why you want the pump or cgm system that you do.. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

When you're thinking about new diabetes technology, sometimes your endo is right there with you, keeping up on the latest & greatest. But if they're not, a new resource could help. Diabetes Wise Pro includes more than just pump and CGM specs. Stacey talks to Dr. Korey Hood, the co founder of DiabetesWise, a website that launched a few years ago to help consumers make more informed decisions around diabetes tech. We'll talk about why they launched this new effort, who it's for and how it could even change the prescription process. More info https://providers.diabeteswise.org/#/ This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out our previous interviews with Dr. Hood: https://diabetes-connections.com/?s=korey+hood Check out the T1D exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Top stories in this news this week: Stem cell research Vertex company buys Viacyte, another company looking at stem cells for a functional cure for T1D, some tslim users are getting access to Tandem's new mobile bolus feature, One Drop shows a "health sensor" on its website, a study shows that screening for type 1 at very young ages could help detect most cases and much more! Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story this week, Vertex buys Viacyte! For context, Vertex is the company that got all the headlines last fall – big article in the New York Times for a stem cell therapy that brought one person with type 1 off insulin completely. The FDA put them on hold but lifted that just last week. Vertex previously acquired Dr. Doug Melton's Semma. Viactye is the company featured in the documentary "The Human Trial" - they're using CRISPR technology to keep the body from rejecting their stem cells. Both companies technology does NOT require immunosuppressive drugs and both say they are working toward a functional cure. Some experts are saying this will speed up that effort while critics worry that it eliminates the competitive aspect of the race. Sernova is still one separate company that has shown stem cell therapy can work.. I've got requests out to Viacyte to talk to us about all of this, so stay tuned. https://investors.vrtx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/vertex-acquire-viacyte-goal-accelerating-its-potentially?fbclid=IwAR15qlFSBsBR89blzXymyIGL3tW5C64QtdHpwq7a5fdjmv2q6JmfoTIpm-k XX If we widely screened kids for type 1 at certain ages, a new study suggests, it would identify most of those who go on to develop it by their teen years. These researchers looked at screening for the type 1 autoantibodies at ages 2 and 6. This included nearly 25-thousand children from Europe and US. One issue in this study, funded by JDRF, all the participants in the combined dataset had genetic risk factors for the disease or a relative with type 1 diabetes, in whom performance is expected to be higher. It also included almost exclusively kids of northern European ancestry. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/976992 XX Tandem bolus by phone is slowly rolling out. This week, the T:Connect app was updated in the The t:connect app was updated and emails started arriving for those notified they were part of the early release groups. I did see some reports of people not yet getting the email but seeing the update in their portal so be sure and check. Mobile Bolus is reportedly available for those using Control IQ and Basal IQ. It's worth noting that for those outside the US there really is no timeline, but Tandem has previously said they're going to replace t:connect with a new system that will debut outside the US first. By the way, I got my email this morning, but Benny is still at camp for three more weeks so it'll be a bit before we do the update! XX Interesting look at teens and young adults with type 1.. the early morning psychosocial state may explain a proportion of their daily variance in time in range. The study included 88 participants aged between 14 and 26 years, 56-percent of whom were women. This is tough to quantify but they had the participants complete an engagement prediction survey and set a diabetes management goal for the day when they woke up, and also completed an evening survey. These questions were about mood, motivation, control beliefs, social support, stress, general health, self-esteem, and perceived need for assistance. Of note, lower morning glucose levels correlated with measures of good sleep, high motivation, and good health, whereas higher morning glucose levels were associated with illness and feeling the need for support. https://www.medwirenews.com/diabetes/morning-mindset-daily-glucose-fluctuations-young-people-diabetes/23255450 XX Good catch by our friend Nerdabetic over on Twitter.. One Drop plans to enter what they're calling the continuous health sensing market with a daily disposable, minimally invasive biosensor in development. They say this is designed to provide greater flexibility and insights for people living with diabetes compared to blood glucose monitor (BGM) fingersticks alone. The availability of our continuous health sensor is subject to receipt of clearance or approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pending regulatory approval and commercial adoption, we believe integrating the One Drop health sensor with our existing digital solution, One Drop Premium, should augment proven outcomes and yearly cost savings for members living with diabetes and other chronic conditions. https://onedrop.today/blogs/blog/bgm-vs-cgm?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_campaign=social-campaign_jul-2022&utm_content=blog XX Navitus Health Solutions, which is owned by Costco & SSM Health – has joined CivicaScript as a founding member. CivicaScript was created in 2020 to bring affordable versions of common but high-priced generic medicines to market. Earlier this year they announced they would be adding insulin to that list, but it likely won't be available for at least two years. This partnership would seem to insure the lower cost insulin will be available at Costco pharmacies, which you don't have to have a membership to use. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220713005349/en/Navitus-Health-Solutions-Joins-CivicaScriptTM-to-Further-Availability-of-Lower-Cost-Generic-Medications/?fbclid=IwAR0vBF0YlCo9ZJ-9Yd0nLag_Mjuf8s4YpnR9IJVudvVGDR1Rj508HSd_kXw XX Right back to the news in a moment but first As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX The Food and Drug Administration received more than a thousand comments—mainly from diabetes patients and their family members—in response to draft cybersecurity guidance. These are for staff to use when processing submissions from medical-device manufacturers. “Please do not let medical device manufacturers use cybersecurity as a pretense to prevent me from accessing my OWN devices,” reads one entry from a sample of the comments FDA posted to the docket on the guidance. Howard Look, CEO of Tidepool is quoted in some of the article around this. Tidepool provides software that allows patients to see their data and better manage the disease. And supporters are working to make Tidepool Loop the first FDA approved app for more convenient automated insulin delivery. “Following best practices for cybersecurity does not need to imply blocking patient users from accessing their own data or controlling their own devices,” the comments read. “Tidepool asserts there is a risk that the FDA guidance will be interpreted or misinterpreted to suggest restriction of access by the patient user is appropriate or encouraged. The FDA can mitigate this risk by clearly stating a patient user's access to and use of their own device can be considered authorized access, and should not be considered a cybersecurity threat.” With a 90-day public comment period ending Thursday, the FDA will now begin the process of finalizing cybersecurity guidance for its pre-market submissions, according to a notice in the Federal Register. https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2022/07/diabetes-patients-flood-fda-comments-cybersecurity-medical-devices/374020/ XX Congrats to the team over at Divabetic Podcast – which celebrates 12 years this month! Divabetic was inspired by the late R&B legend, Luther Vandross, and founded in 2005 by his long-time assistant, Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek. It's now a national nonprofit organization that uses highly engaged, non-traditional virtual programs, videos and podcasts to promote prevention, early action and education. Congrats to Max and the entire team! https://divabetic.org/about-us/ XX Next week you'll hear from the folks at Diabetes Wise – that's a website to help you choose diabetes technology.. they've added information for doctors – this may help you educate your heathcare providers on why you want the pump or cgm system that you do.. the long format episode out right now is all about campviews, a new system that lets diabetes camps see every camper's CGM all at once. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

It's that time of year - diabetes camps are in full swing. As remote monitoring technology changes, many camps are adapting as well. There's a new system that lets camp staff monitor everyone's CGM, all at once. That's Sarah Gleich, executive director of the Nevada California Diabetes Association. We'll find out more about what's called CampViews, where it's already in place, how it's going and whether it'll change diabetes camp for good. This technology could also make a big difference for hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Her daughter was diagnosed during the first year of COVID.. now Katie Roseborough is looking to help other moms by sharing her story. Katie's started a podcast; she talks about why and shares stories about her family's experience. She has three kids, only one with type 1. More about Katie here https://www.sugarmamaspodcast.com/ Book presales are open! "STILL The World's Worst Diabetes Mom" will be out this fall. Order now and use promo code "Earlybird" to save $5! https://diabetes-connections.com/book-store/ You can also save $5 on the first "World's Worst Diabetes Mom" at that link, just use "Earlybird" at checkout. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Top stories in the news this week: researchers are testing an injection to help prevent type 1 diabetes while not harming the immune system, a new study looks at older adults and CGM use, help for pharmacists when it comes to prescribing CGM and a new group takes over the Lilly Diabetes Journey Award Medals. Plus, amazing feats of endurance from ultra athletes with type 1 diabetes. Learn more about the T1D Exchange: https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Interesting new study looking at preventing type 1. The drug, currently known as IMCY-0098, blocks the immune system response that is thought to be the trigger. Very early on here, the Oxford scientists who are part of the study say it will likely be at least ten years before they'll be able to bring it to market, if it works. One of the most promising aspects is that the injection seems to only target production of cells that damage the immune system, so it doesn't seem to affect the body's ability to protect itself against other infections. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10952755/Type-1-diabetes-stopped-strikes-thanks-simple-jab.html XX No surprise but glad this is being looked at. Older adults with type 1 diabetes using CGMs for the first time had lower A1Cs AND fewer lows. This study called WISDM - Wireless Innovation for Seniors with Diabetes Mellitus (WISDM) followed adults over 60 for six months. These researchers say the benefits of CGM combined with recently improved Medicare coverage should serve to increase adoption of CGM as standard of care in all adult populations, especially older people who are at increased risk of hypoglycemia. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20220627/cgm-improves-time-in-range-reduces-hba1c-for-older-adults-with-type-1-diabetes XX New resource thanks to the Helmsley Trust. This is for pharmacists and it's hoped it will expand patient access to CGMs. The release says Involving pharmacists in providing access is especially important for rural communities where they may be the most reachable healthcare professionals given the lack of diabetes specialists across the U.S. The guide was developed by the American Pharmacists Association and its Foundation http://ow.ly/zZ3c50Jz20f XX Looks like the Lilly Diabetes Journey Award Medals are getting a second life. As we reported back in January, after nearly 50 years, Lilly decided to end the program which gives a small medal for 10,25, 50 and 75 years of living with diabetes. The group Children with Diabetes – best known for putting on the Friends for Life Conference has taken it over. They'll now be called the CWD Journey Awards. You don't have to attend one of their conferences to get one and there is no cost. I'll give you the link to learn more and order one. XX The vets and keepers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) diagnosed the first reported case of diabetes in a giant anteater. Stephanie Mota, resident veterinary surgeon at RZSS said: “Keepers first discovered something was wrong when Nala was losing weight despite eating the same amount, or sometimes even more, than usual. “We carried out a full health check under general anaesthetic, running lots of tests and found that Nala has type 1 diabetes.” While the condition is known to occur in domestic cats, dogs and in tamanduas (Tuh-man-doo-uhs) in the wild, no other cases have been reported in giant anteaters. BTW a Tu-man-doo-uh is a smaller anteater and I spent far too much time today watching videos of them because I had never head of them and they are amazing. Dexcom donated the CGM to the Zoo's charity. The story I read here says. Due to her lovely personality, Nala is the ideal candidate for this technology which helps us, and her amazing team of keepers, manage her condition in the best possible way. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-zoo-monitor-uks-first-diabetic-giant-anteater-with-blood-glucose-monitor-usually-used-on-humans-3749422 XX Right back to the news in a moment but first As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Some great stories from our amazing community. First, Sebastien Sassevile completed the world's toughest ultra-cycling race, the Race Across America. It took 12 days and over 3-thousand miles. Sasseville who lives with type 1 basically spent 20 hours a day on his bike. He's the first person with type 1 to finish this grueling race. -- Don Muchow told us he was going to do it and the 60 year old has finished a 10k swim around Key West. I spoke to Muchow just after his 2021 Disney to Disney run – that's Disneyland in California to Disneyworld in Florida and he alluded to doing this race next. I've linked up his race report blog.. it's a very interesting read, especially how he treated a high blood glucose with more carbs. He came in second overall and first male in any age group. https://swimswam.com/60-year-old-iron-man-don-muchow-swims-around-key-west-for-diabetes-awareness/ https://t1determined.org/event-report-swim-around-key-west-10k/?fbclid=IwAR1U7XdI4_uw9OSe994TKuu7IuYjWC8FwHhby0Pm-RRzDIYAd9pGCMj6AD0 XX And finally, another former guest Dr. Nat Strand who works at the Mayo Clinic debuted a film she made with colleagues. It tells the story of what it is to be Black at Mayo Clinic, in healthcare, in America. Dr. Strand says, “By providing a platform for 12 courageous individuals to share their realities, we hope to move viewers toward active antiracism and start the conversation for many to continue.”   XX Next week you'll hear from Katie who started a podcast when she didn't hear the diabetes show she wanted.. that sounds familiar. You may know her online as Sugarmama Podcast. The long format episode out right now is all about the new documentary regarding stem cell research, talking to the director of “The Human Trial” i Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

This summer we get a behind the scenes look at the evolution of stem cells as a functional cure for type 1. The Human Trial is new documentary that follows the process and the filmmakers are incredibly optimistic about what they've seen. Co-director Lisa Hepner lives with type 1. She's says she's knows to be careful about “the cure in five years' kind of statements but is convinced this is the real deal. We'll talk about the the film, the process, the science and a lot more. Listen to our first interview with Lisa Hepner from 2016 This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's “In the News..” got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: The US Senate may have a bipartisan plan to lower the price of insulin for the insured, nasal insulin is tested to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's in people with diabetes, two interesting studies about sleep and diabetes, and more! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Two Senators have unveiled legislation aimed at lowering the cost of insulin, but not for the uninsured. This is a bipartisan bill that would lower patietn's cost to 35-dollars a month, for those with commercial insurance and on Medicare. It would eliminate the rebates drug companies pay to negotiators known as pharmacy benefit managers if the drug company kept the overall price of insulin below a certain level. Democrats are also in the midst of talks on a party-line package on President Biden's economic agenda that would likely include reductions in insulin costs as well as broader measures aimed at lowering drug prices, which could complicate any push for a stand-alone insulin measure. This change has enormous support among Americans, but can't seem to get any real traction in Washington despite who's in power. We'll see what happens.. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3531954-bipartisan-pair-of-senators-unveils-bill-to-lower-insulin-costs/ XX Nasal insulin doesn't look like it works too well on diabetes, but a new study shows it may help to slow age related mental decline. This study found that after 12 months of once daily intranasal insulin, people with diabetes in the study performed better on cognitive tests than those diabetics in the placebo group. The non-diabetic group receiving the intranasal insulin also displayed improvements on decision making and verbal memory tests compared to non-diabetics in the placebo group. The biggest improvements in the non-diabetic group were seen in those subjects who started the trial in a prediabetic state. This suggests the treatment may be most effective at slowing cognitive decline in either diabetics or those with prediabetes. https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/insulin-nasal-spray-cognitive-decline-dementia-clinical-trial/ XX Go to sleep, and don't breathe too much. Researchers in the U.K. will test hypoxia to treat type 2 diabetes. Hypoxia is a state where the body does not receive sufficient amounts of oxygen. Multiple studies have shown that hypoxia improves blood sugar levels and aids in weight loss. Although scientists do not fully understand how this works, it is suggested that hypoxia burns more calories in the body, resulting in lower appetites in individuals. These researchers want to recruit volunteers so they can figure out why. Each volunteer will be provided with a sleeping tent in which they have to sleep – at home - for 10-day periods on two separate occasions. For one of they nights, they oxygen levels will be set to 15 percent. That sounds ridiculous, but, the air we breathe right now is only about 21% oxygen. 15-percent is pretty typical for find at high altitudes or inside an airplane. https://interestingengineering.com/lose-weight-while-asleep XX Another look at sleeping and type 2.. an exposure to light may increase the risk. Big sleep study at Northwestern University found that exposure to any amount of light during the sleep period was correlated with the higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension in both older men and women. A study published earlier this year by the same team found for healthy adults in their 20s. Sleeping for only one night with a dim light, such as a TV set with the sound off, raised the blood sugar and heart rate. An elevated heart rate at night has been shown in prior studies to be a risk factor for future heart disease and early death, while higher blood sugar levels are a sign of insulin resistance, which can ultimately lead to type 2 diabetes. Instead of pulling people into a sleep lab, the new study used a real-world setting. Researchers gave 552 men and women between the ages of 63 and 84 an actigraph, a small device worn like a wristwatch that measures sleep cycles, average movement and light exposure. Fewer than half of the adults in the study got five hours of darkness at night. those who had higher amounts of light at night were also the most likely to have diabetes, obesity or hypertension." Strategies for reducing light levels at night include positioning your bed away from windows or using light-blocking window shades. Don't charge laptops and cellphones in your bedroom where melatonin-altering blue light can disrupt your sleep. If low levels of light persist, try a sleep mask to shelter your eyes. In that case, consider using nightlights positioned very low to the ground, and choose lights with an amber or red color. That spectrum of light has a longer wavelength, and is less intrusive and disruptive to our circadian rhythm, or body clock, than shorter wavelengths such as blue light. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/22/health/light-exposure-sleep-study-wellness/index.html XX https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06-reveals-key-diabetes-drug-nature.htmlXX XX Nice story out of Kansas City where Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. publicly enrolled himself in a TrialNet study. His brother lives with type 1 and his father died of DKA without knowing he had diabetes. Brown said he hopes participating in the trial will help others while helping himself and his family. https://www.kshb.com/sports/chiefs-orlando-brown-jr-enrolls-in-trialnet-study-for-type-1-diabetes XX Right back to the news in a moment but first As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Congrats to the great team of Ginger Vieira and Mike Lawson on their newest book. Ain't Gonna Hide My T1D. Sherry the Sheep loves to draw and play basketball, but she's worried about what her friends will think if they see her insulin & CGM. Ginger and Mike are long time advocates who both live with type 1. This is their 3rd children's book together and I think they do a great job of balancing fun and education. https://smile.amazon.com/Aint-Gonna-Hide-My-T1D/dp/B0B455DL45/ref=sr_1_4?qid=1655748198&refinements=p_27:GingerVieira&s=books&sr=1-4&text=GingerVieira XX And finally, The Human Trial premieres this weekend. This is a documentary all about stem cell transplantation as a functional cure for type 1. I first spoke to the people behind this film back in 2016 when they were well underway. The movie follows the first two patients in the Viacyte trials. You can host your own screening.. I'll link up more information – as I do with all of these stories - in the show notes. XX And.. The Human Trial will be subject of next week's long format show. My interview with Lisa Hepner is a follow up to the one six years ago when we first discussed this project. We go into the details of stem cell research, what changed and what she's seen behind the scenes. The current long-format episode out now is all about Skirt My Pump, an ingenious idea from a women who's lived with type 1 for 40 years and got fed up with figuring out where to put her pump. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Wearing an insulin pump can be a huge help when it comes to managing diabetes, but finding a place to put it can be difficult. Women's clothing in particular, isn't great for storing stuff. Erin Calhoun-Dulaney has lived with type 1 for 40 years and she finally got fed up enough to create her own product. We'll talk about Skirt my Pump, her experience with T1D and her career as a Hollywood publicist. Stacey also has information about Tandem's Mobile Bolus limited roll out. Click here to find out more and sign up.  This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's “In the News..” got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: Tandem Diabetes announces a limited launch of their mobile bolus feature (signup below), researchers look at how Basaglar stacks up, new guidelines for diabetes in the hospital, a T1D extreme athlete bikes across the USA and more Learn about the T1D Exchange! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Tandem's mobile bolus feature is in limited release. Approved earlier this year, they've released the feature to a very small number of users and are expecting a wider, still limited, release in the next few weeks. This is the feature that allows you to bolus by phone and use the t-connect app to see pump data on your phone as well. It's not full pump control via phone, but it's a big step forward in terms of convenience for users and for Tandem' next product, the MOBI pump – which won't have a screen and will have full phone control. I'm asking Tandem to come on the show and share more about the features and how it works. It's interesting that you can't dismiss alerts and alarms from the app and must do so on the pump itself. I'll link up the site you need to sign up for the limited release. You will need to update the software on your tslim x2 pump and take some additional online training. This is US only. https://www.tandemdiabetes.com/landing-pages/remote-bolus XX The Eversense E3 gets European approval. This is a partnership between Ascensia diabetes care and Senseonics. The E3 is the six month version of the implantable CGM system. It's also approved for insulin treatment decisions, which is a switch from the XL version already available in Europe. The E3 was approved in the US earlier this year and should be distributed in Europe in the fall. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ascensia-diabetes-care-announces-european-060000125.html XX XX New guidelines for treating diabetes in the hospital. This is from the Endocrine Society, which last updated their guidelines ten years ago. New this time around, hospital use of continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump therapy, providing inpatient diabetes education as part of a comprehensive diabetes discharge-planning process, use of noninsulin glucose-lowering therapies, and more. Adult patients with diabetes or newly recognized hyperglycemia account for greater than 30% of noncritically ill hospitalized patients. https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/topics/endocrinology-information-center/endocrine-society-issues-new-guidelines-for-hospitalized-patients-with-diabetes/ XX Works just as well and costs less.. that's the upshot of a new study on Basaglar, the copycat insulin to Lantus when it comes to type 2 diabetes. The findings come from 14 commercial health plans and Medicare Advantage plans. Basaglar was approved as a biosimilar insulin glargine by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2015. This was a large study of thousands of patients and also showed that there was better adherence to Basaglar, no reason for that was given, but it could be the lower cost. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/975440 XX Right back to the news in a moment but first As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Very early but Swedish researchers have now identified a molecule that helps stimulate the growth of new insulin-producing cells, and uncovered how it works. These researchers looked at a molecule known as CID661578 and found that it binds to a protein called MNK2. In doing so, it allows two other proteins to interact at higher levels, which ultimately leads to greater beta cell regeneration. The team tested their molecule in zebrafish, and found that it lowered blood glucose levels when compared to a control group. In pig pancreas cells grown in the lab, the molecule was shown to trigger the formation of new beta cells, while human pancreas organoids given the molecule produced more insulin. Long way to go, but still interesting. XX Type 1 Endurance athlete Sebastien Sasseville is taking part in the race across American this week. Called the world's premier ultra endurance race, it's literally a cycling event from the West Coast to the East Coast with a maximum lenthg of 12 days. That mean they have to cover about 275 miles every day. The original concept runs all the way back to 1887 when newspaperman George Nellis rode across the country via railroad routes in 80 days. The more modern version began in the 1970s, when John Marino decided to see how fast he could get across the country on a bicycle. The first head-to-head race came in 1982, and there were four starters. It's been called a brutal version of the tour de France. Sasseville has been on the show before and I'll catch up with him after he recovers here. He's been up Mt Everest, ran across Canada and did the brutal race across the Sahara Desert. He's sponsored by Tandem. https://cyclingtips.com/2022/06/how-to-watch-race-across-america-raam-route-map-elevation-live-dot-watching/ XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear my conversation with Sernova's CEO all about their cell therapy and the search for a functional cure for type 1. Next week, a little less technology.. a fun conversation with a woman frustrated with the limits of wearing her pump, especially with skirts, so she found a new solution. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Big news from Sernova, one of the companies hoping that implantable stem cells will be a functional cure for diabetes. They recently announced that the first person in their trials with type 1 is completely off injected or infused insulin – and is making their own. Stacey talks to Dr. Philip Toleikis, Sernova's president and CEO. He explains how their process differs from some of the other companies looking at stem cells, talks about their partnerships and shares more about the patients doing well in this clinical trial. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's "In the News.." got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: The Federal Trade Commission probes the prescription drug middleman industry, once a week basal insulin moves forward, DIY insuln dosing systems get a thumbs up at ADA Scientific Sessions, Sernova's stem cell system releases great findings and more! Learn more about the T1D Exchange Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX The Federal Trade Commission will launch an inquiry into the prescription drug middleman industry.. requiring the six largest pharmacy benefit managers to provide information and records. They're looking at PBMs such as CVS Caremark; Express Scripts, Inc.; OptumRx, Inc.; Humana Inc and more. The largest PBMs are now vertically integrated with the largest health insurance companies and wholly owned mail order and specialty pharmacies. In these roles, pharmacy benefit managers often have enormous influence on which drugs are prescribed to patients, which pharmacies patients can use, and how much patients ultimately pay at the pharmacy counter. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/06/ftc-launches-inquiry-prescription-drug-middlemen-industry?utm_campaign=https://www.ftc.gov/news-&utm_content=1654622484&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter XX Confirming what many of you have known for years.. an open-source automated insulin delivery system -- also known as a do-it-yourself system -- was both safe and effective for patients with type 1 diabetes. This is from the CREATE trial, designed to test DIY system, presented for the first time at the ADA Scientific Sessions. This system was made up of the OpenAPS algorithm from a version of AndroidAPS implemented in a smartphone, paired with the DANA-i insulin pump and Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor. The researchers previously published additional information in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/ada/99109 XX Stem cell study showing great results. Sernova says the first three patients of six total continue to be insulin independent following treatment. One of the patients has been insulin-free for more than two years, while the other two have been free of the need for medication injections for six months and three months, respectively. At this point, the other three patients in the study have not had the device long enough to determine measurable results. The first three all have A1Cs in a normal, nondiabetic range. Sernova's Cell Pouch is an implantable device that releases the primary donor islets. The device is implanted under the skin in a minimally-invasive procedure. We're talking to Sernova for next week's show; long way to go here but another good result for stem cells. https://www.biospace.com/article/sernova-cell-pouch-device-keeps-type-1-diabetes-patient-insulin-free-for-two-years/ XX Getting closer to once-a-week basal insulin. New study says Novo Nordisk insulin icodec achieved better results than Lantus in some aspects of the study and that overall it was – this is interesting wording – non-inferior. Another previous study showed it also matched well to Tresiba, but that Tresiba caused fewer lows than the once-weekly basal. This study was about type 2 diabetes but insuln icodec is in other trials for people with type 1. https://www.biospace.com/article/novo-nordisk-scores-phase-iii-insulin-win-strengthening-market-position/ XX New partnership between Diabeloop – which makes an automated insulin algorithm - and SOOIL which makes pumps. These are two French companies that have been working together since 2020 but this new announcement was delayed by COVID. They want to bring the product – Diabeloop's DBLG-1 I controller and SOOIL's Dana ACE Pump to the US, Europe and Korea. https://www.drugdeliverybusiness.com/diabeloop-sooil-automated-insulin-diabetes/ XX Civica continues to move ahead with the development of its affordable insulins. They've announced they'll partner with the German company Profil for the clinical trials. Civica plans to set a maximum recommended price to the consumer of no more than $30 per vial and no more than $55 for a box of five pen cartridges. Contingent on FDA approval, Civica anticipates that its insulins will be available for purchase beginning in 2024. https://www.healthcarepackaging.com/supplier-news/news/22262909/civicarx-civica-selects-profil-as-clinical-trial-partner-for-affordable-insulin-initiative XX New study out of Israel shows that obesity in teenagers may lead to type 1 diabetes a few years later. The study, of nearly 1.5 million Israeli teenagers, found that those who were obese were twice as likely to develop type 1 diabetes by young adulthood, versus those in the normal weight range. The senior researcher on the study says it's not clear why obesity would raise the risk of type 1. They think it may the a trigger in people with genetically susceptible. Obesity also has other effects — including vitamin D deficiency and alterations in the gut's bacterial makeup — that could impair immune function. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-06-06/obesity-in-teen-years-might-trigger-type-1-diabetes XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX XX XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear my conversation with Dexcom's CEO Kevin Sayer. We get more information about the G7 launch, after FDA approval of course and I asked him your questions about everything from IOS issues to airport scanners. Next week, Sernova joins me to explain their stem cell pouch technology Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer joins Stacey from the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions with new G7 information, a response to Abbott's Libre 3 approval, addressing rumors about acquiring another diabetes company and a lot more. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

Got a few minutes? Get caught up on the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past week. The FDA approves Abbott's Freestyle Libre, Dexcom addresses reports it may buy Insulet, Ozempic becomes a TikTok trend, Diabetes Scholarships for college and more! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story, FreeStye Libre 3 gets FDA approval. This is a 14 -day CGM, Abbot says it's smaller and thinner, about the size of two pennies stacked up. Abbott also claims Libre 3 is the most accurate 14-day CGM based on new results. It's worth noting that there isn't another 14-day CGM on the market.. Dexcom is ten days and the upcoming G7 seems to have similar accuracy. However, Libre is less expensive and they say there will be no price increase for this new model. Libre has had iCGM designation since the Libre 2 – but the FDA says it's still not allowed for use with automated insulin delivery systems. I've asked to speak with Abbott and we'll find out more about why that is and what the company plans to do if it can't integrate with insulin pumps in the US. XX Meanwhile, Dexcom pushes back on talk that it was interested in acquiring Insulet. Here's part of the quote: It is generally our policy not to comment on rumors or speculation, however, in light of recent sustained media and market speculation as well as the upcoming American Diabetes Association conference, we wish to confirm that Dexcom is not in active discussions regarding a merger transaction at this time. We do not intend to comment further on this topic and we assume no obligation to make any further announcement or disclosure should circumstances change." I'm set to talk to Dexcom's CEO at ADA and I'll definitely ask him about this, even though they say they won't comment further. I do think it's interesting they use the word “merger” and not also “acquisition” – but the stock market seems to believe them. Dexcom went up on the news. XX New information could link environmental pollution to type 1. New study from Norway says even low concentrations of such pollutants can result in cells producing less insulin. New cases in Norway have doubled in children and teens since the 1970s. This study also included samples from American kids. Overall, the researchers found a larger proportion of those with type 1 diabetes these pollutants in their blood. They also found when mice were exposed to the pollutants, insulin production went down. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220530/Environmental-pollutants-may-be-the-reason-behind-development-of-type-1-diabetes.aspx XX Whey protein may be the next big thing for people with type 2. Drinking a pre-made shot before meals with a low dose of whey protein seems to help better control blood glucose levels. In this study, people went about their daily lives with no changes but the whey drink. Then they spent a week with no whey, all while wearing a CGM. On average, people had two hours additional per day of normal blood sugar levels compared to the week they skipped the protein drink. The researchers believe the whey slows down food in the digestive system and also stimulate hormones than help keep glucose from rising. This was a small study, but you can bet you'll be hearing a lot more follow up.. it's a simple and promising treatment. https://scitechdaily.com/just-a-small-amount-of-protein-supplement-helps-control-type-2-diabetes/ XX At least at one hospital, the pandemic showed the telemedicine and CGM use can make a big difference in kids with type 1. For the study published in BMC Pediatrics, these researchers used data from Children's Medical Center Dallas . While the number of office visits among patients decreased during the pandemic, there was no effect on disease management in this group – both glucose control and hospitalization rates were unchanged. However, the results highlighted existing disparities among patients in minority and low-income demographics. Both before and during the pandemic, Black and Hispanic patients and those without commercial insurance had worse glucose control and higher hospitalization rates. There was however a dramatic increase in CGM use by patients without commercial insurance, likely because it was then that CGM was offered to Medicaid recipients in Texas. The researchers believe the increased use of continuous glucose monitoring along with the successful implementation of telemedicine greatly contributed to preventing worse outcomes in this patient population. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220531/Telemedicine-continuous-glucose-monitoring-helped-attenuate-COVID-19-impact-on-children-with-Type-1-diabetes.aspx XX Heads up if you take Ozempic, might want to get that prescription squared away and filled.. a quote - “unexpected increase in consumer demand” seems to have come because of a Tik Tok trend. TikTok users have been documenting their weight loss using the hashtag #ozempic, even though it's not approved for that use, only for treatment of type 2. This seems to be more of an issue in Australia and the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/31/shortage-of-diabetes-medication-ozempic-after-tiktok-users-promote-drug-for-weight-loss XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX ADA Scientific Sessions kicks off today and continues through the weekend. I have a virtual press pass and I'm sure next week's newscast will be chock full of newly released studies. My email is already full of the previews and I wish all my friends traveling to the first in person scientific sessions since I believe 2019 a safe trip. XX Congrats to the newest class of Diabetes Scholars! Beyond Type 1's program awarded over 50 scholarships to students living with Type 1 diabetes in 2022. At over $166,000 these scholarships are made possible by individual donors and partner organizations. New this year, the Lilly Diabetes Thom Scher Policy plus advocacy scholarship. Thom was the CEO of Beyond Type 1 until his sudden death last year. The Scholarship in his name is for a student with a strong background in type 1 diabetes policy and advocacy. 100% of scholarship funds donated by individuals or partners are awarded to recipients, with Beyond Type 1 absorbing all operational costs associated with the program. https://diabetesscholars.org/class-of-2022/ XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear about Savannah Johnson's Type 1 Way Ticket. Next week, Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer from ADA. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Diabetes camp is great, but what if there were a program to take teens with type 1 on a more adventurous journey? A new, international travel program to foster confidence and independence is in the works. Savannah Johnson is the founder of Type 1 Way Ticket. Diagnosed as a toddler, she says travel as an adult changed her life. We'll find out more about this new adventure travel program, what parents and teens can expect. More about Type 1 Way Ticket Go Fund Me Page here  This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's in the news! Got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: Dexcom is reportedly in talks to buy Omnipod, Abbott & Dexcom sue and countersue each other over patents, new study showing people with type 1 diabetes are living longer, a JDRF advocate climbs Mt Everest, and more! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story this week is still developing.. but Bloomberg reports that Dexcom is in talks to acquire Insulet, the makers of Omnipod. Neither company has commented publicly on the report. Bloombeg says, “Talks between the companies are ongoing and an agreement could be reached in the coming weeks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Discussions could still be delayed or fall apart, the people said.” Insulet's stock has gone up and Dexcom's has gone down. These companies already have an agreement in which the Omnipod and Dexcom CGMs communicate.. Dexcom also has an agreement with Tandem and some other companies – those aren't expected to change in the short term, but there are a lot more questions than answers about this report. I'm scheduled to talk to Dexcom's CEO in early June and we'll continue to follow this story. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-23/dexcom-is-said-in-talks-to-acquire-device-firm-insulet XX Meanwhile, Dexcom and Abbott are currently going head-to-head over twelve separate patents covering their respective CGMs. Both companies are launching newer products soon, with the Dexcom G7 and Freestyle Libre 3 already available in Germany. Dexcom first sued in 2021.. Abbot then countersued. A UK High Court will hold three separate technical trials, planned for December 2022, April 2023 and July 2023. https://www.juve-patent.com/news-and-stories/cases/dexcom-and-abbotts-fight-over-glucose-monitoring-patents-intensifies-in-europe/ XX People with type 1 diabetes are living longer according to a new study based on data from Australia, Denmark, Latvia, Scotland, Spain, and the United States. The years analyzed varied by country, but overall, they cover 2000 to 2016 and include 1.5 million person-years. The data show that country-by-country annual changes in age- and sex-standardized all-cause mortality among people with T1D dropped by between 2% and nearly 6% over the study period. The risk of dying was still higher than in people without type 1, mostly because of diabetes complications. https://www.ajmc.com/view/all-cause-mortality-falling-among-people-with-type-1-diabetes XX A new study finds that herpes virus may contribute increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Herpes viruses are one of the most common viruses in humans, with 8 types currently known. Any of these can cause lifelong latent infections after an initial, usually mild or asymptomatic primary infection. Until recently, viruses had only been proposed as a potential trigger for the development of type 1 diabetes. This study was based on health data from nearly 2000 people, men and women, in Germany. The researchers found that herpes viruses consistently and complementarily contributed to the development of prediabetes and diabetes, even after accounting for sex, age, BMI, education, smoking, physical activity, parental diabetes, hypertension, lipid levels, insulin resistance, and fasting glucose. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/study-herpesvirus-infection-may-increase-risk-of-diabetes XX This one sounds kind of odd, but a one-time diabetes treatment may lower average blood sugar and improve long-term insulin resistance and pancreatic function. The company is Fractyl, the treamtment is an outpatient proceure that applies heat to the intestinal walls to – quote – strip out and reset the mucosal lining, which can thicken over years from dietary fats, sugars and other foods. Fractyl believes this thickening contributes to the insulin resistance seen in Type 2 diabetes. The device has breakthrough FDA designation, but no approval yet. It is approved in Europe. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/fractyl-shows-its-intestine-resurfacing-device-type-2-diabetes-improves-insulin-resistance XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX XX Cameron Kenny just climbed Mt Everest and unfurled the JDRF flag at the summit. Kenny doesn't live with diabetes, but his brother does. Kenny is an accomplished climber and raised money for JDRF during his prep and climb of Everest. I can't seem to find his brother's name anywhere, even in the JDRF posts, so if you know this family, please let me know. XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear about Mike Joyce is set to complete an incredible long-distance hiking trail. It's actually three trails – the longest in the US – he'll talk about how he does this with type 1. Next week, type one way ticket travel – a new way to get teenagers with T1D to experience international adventure travel. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

Mike Joyce is out there – somewhere – on the Pacific Crest Trail. He set out a couple of days before this episode airs, on a 2600 mile long distance hike. It's part of his attempt to complete what's called the Triple Crown of Hiking. He's already done the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide trail. Only 535 people have completed the Triple Crown. Mike lives with type 1 and he'll share how he went from pretty sedentary to long distance hiker and how he manages his diabetes on these incredibly long and challenging hikes. This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Follow Mike on Instagram Learn more about the T1D Exchange  Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's in the news! Got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: new research that keeps beta cells safer after transplant, a new drug for type 2 also shows weight loss success, the makers of Afrezza buy a simple patch pump, Beyond Type 1 tackles mental health and diabetes and lots more! Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story, another approach to beta cell encapsulation. There are a few methods being tested to protect the transplanted cells from the body's immune system. A new and promising one seems to be a new biomaterial in the form of microgel beads. This study was in mice only but after three months the beta cells survived and maintained blood sugar levels with no rejection drugs. Interestingly, this study put the cells into the omentum, not the liver as is apparently the usual spot. I never heard of the omentum.. in case you haven't, it's a layer of tissue connecting the stomach with the other abdominal organs. It's non-vital so it's safer if any complications take place. No word on when human trials might begin here. https://newatlas.com/medical/microgel-beads-safer-path-cell-transplants-treat-diabetes/ XX FDA approval for a new injection for type 2 diabetes called Mounjaro. It's made by Eli Illy and is shown to lower blood sugar and can help patients lose weight. Existing medicines target a hormone called the glucagon-like peptide-1 that is involved in the control of blood sugar. But Mounjaro targets a second hormone, the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, as well. It is the first medicine to target both. While not yet approved as an obesity treatment, it's performed very well in clinical trials for weight loss. One study showed it helped patients lose an average of 16 to 22 percent of their weight: That's on par with bariatric surgery https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/13/fda-approves-lilly-diabetes-drug-that-analysts-expect-to-be-a-big-seller/ XX Big deal for MannKind, the makers of Afrezza inhalable insulin. They're acquiring Zealand Pharma's wearable V-Go Insulin Delivery Device. The V-Go is a patch pump that's meant for people with type 2 – it delivers basal insulin at a set rate all day long and can give boluses only in increments of 2 units of insulin at a time, up to 36 units in 24 hours. The deal is expected to close by the end of the month. https://www.mddionline.com/diabetes/mannkind-acquires-wearable-insulin-device-zealand-pharma XX Young adults who were at risk of food insecurity had an increased incidence of diabetes 10 years later, according to the results of a study from Washington State University. Although previous research has associated food insecurity with a range of health issues, this study showed a connection over time, which could indicate a causal relationship. The investigators could not identify the exact reason for this connection, previous research has shown that food-insecure households often have diets with lower nutritional values. The study results did not indicate differences among ethnicities or races, but they also said that a limitation of the study was the number of minorities in the sample, which could be too low to show a pattern, according to investigators. The investigators plan to evaluate food insecurity risk and health issues within American Indian and Alaska Native and American Indian populations, which they said are often left out of annual reports on food insecurity. XX Beyond Type 1 has a new mental health portal.. announced as part of this Mental Health Awareness Month. The global nonprofit is partnering with BetterHelp to provide affordable mental health resources and services to its online community with two weeks of free, professional online therapy. Beyond Type 1 will continue to expand the resources available on the site.. it's not just for this month. https://beyondtype1.org/mental-health/. XX Another entry into the quest to find a non-invasive way to monitor glucose. Movano Inc reports they have – quote - successfully validated the functionality of its proprietary and patented system-on-a-chip. They say this is designed specifically for blood pressure or glucose monitoring systems. It's very early here.. they are also creating a prototype for clinical studies. But this tech got them a new patent. We're keeping an eye on these non-invasive devices – it remains to be seen if any will be accurate enough to use to dose insulin. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/movano-successfully-completes-functional-testing-of-smallest-ever-custom-mmwave-sensor-designed-for-non-invasive-glucose-and-cuffless-blood-pressure-monitoring-301545710.html XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Back to the news.. Big candy recall, so heads up if you use any of these for lows. It includes specific varieties of SKITTLES® Gummies, STARBURST® Gummies, and LIFE SAVERS® Gummies due to the potential presence of a very thin metal strand embedded in the gummies or loose in the bag. No illness or injuries have been reported. I'll link up the specific lot and manufacturer information. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/mars-wrigley-confectionery-us-llc-issues-voluntary-recall-specific-varieties-skittlesr-gummies XX A college fashion design major has a unique senior project. Naomi Kinnamon spent her senior year working on a collection titled “Type 1 Of A Kind.” This series draws on her experiences as a woman with type 1 diabetes who struggles to find clothing that fits comfortably with her insulin pump. She's lived with type 1 since 6th grade and says the most difficult clothing to find were dresses and jumpsuits. So she designed her own. Kinnamon showed off her designs at SCAD – the Savannah College of Art and Design and I'll link that up in the show notes. https://www.wsav.com/now/scad-senior-designs-clothing-for-women-with-type-1-diabetes/ XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear about the latest on the iLet Bionic Pancreas. Next week.. Mike Joyce is set to complete an incredible long-distance hiking trail. It's actually three trails – the longest in the US – he'll talk about how he does this with type 1. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.

We've got an update from Beta Bionics, makers of the iLet pump. This is the system that, among many other things, requires very little input from the user. They're hoping this makes it accessible for more people. Stacey talks to to interim CEO Martha Goldberg Aronson. She shares more information about recent studies regarding the Ilet, news about their submission to the FDA and a look into the future for this long-awaited piece of technology. More about Beta Bionics This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider. Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM*

It's “In the News…” Got a few minutes? Get caught up! Top stories this week: racial disparities in treatment for kids with type 1, new study looks at oral insulin for type 2, nanoparticles tested to prevent diabetes and why is there a Squishmallow toy being marketed as having T1D? That and a lot more. Full transcript and links to sources below. Learn more about the T1D Exchange  Check out Stacey's book: The World's Worst Diabetes Mom! Join the Diabetes Connections Facebook Group! Sign up for our newsletter here ----- Use this link to get one free download and one free month of Audible, available to Diabetes Connections listeners! ----- Episode Transcription Below (or coming soon!) Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! *Click here to learn more about AFREZZA* *Click here to learn more about OMNIPOD* *Click here to learn more about DEXCOM* Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. we go live on social media first and then All sources linked up at diabetes dash connections dot com when this airs as a podcast. XX In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population. https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/ XX Our top story, Black children with type 1 diabetes experience disparities in health outcomes compared with other racial and ethnic groups with similar neighborhood opportunity profiles. That's according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. This was a very big study – more than 70-thousand patient encounters under the age of 21 from 2009 to 2018. They looked at something called the Child Opportunity Index. This It combines data from neighborhood-level indicators, like good schools, parks and playgrounds, clear air and safe housing. They found that the probability of readmission within a year was significantly higher among Black children with a very low COI category versus Hispanic children and White children at the same COI category. These researchers say doctors and educators need to be aware and include interventions that target racial disparities. https://www.physiciansweekly.com/outcomes-worse-for-children-with-type-1-diabetes-who-are-black XX New research suggests the people of certain racial ethnic groups should be screened for diabetes at lower body mass index than white people. A recommendation that contradicts recent guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force. At a time when a lot of medicine is trying to rid itself of race-based tools this could be tricky.. but these researchers say that using a one-size-fits-all approach to screening, when diabetes is two to four times more prevalent and more deadly in Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans, is likely to result in underdiagnosis of the disease, and widen health gaps. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/09/race-ethnicity-bmi-diabetes-screening/ XX New partnership between JDRF, Yale University and a company called NexImmune. That company has something called Artificial Immune Modulation nanoparticles and the idea here is to if that could work with Teplizumab to delay or prevent type 1. Teplizumab is already being tested as a prevention method and is back in front of the FDA. NexImmune says it's wider plan is to use the body's own T-cells to generate a specific immune response to prevent not just diabetes but other auto immune conditions and even cancer. https://www.jdrf.org/press-releases/neximmune-yale-and-jdrf-enter-into-600k-research-partnership-for-type-1-diabetes/ XX Oramed Pharmaceuticals announced this week that it has enrolled 100% of the patients in the world's first Phase 3 study of oral insulin This is being looked at just for type 2 right now. The primary endpoint of the study is to compare the efficacy of ORMD-0801 to placebo in improving glycemic control, with a secondary endpoint of assessing the change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose at 26 weeks. They hope to announce results in January of 2023. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2022/05/05/Oramed-hits-oral-insulin-clinical-trial-milestone XX New partnership between two diabetes heavy weights. The Diabetes Research Institute, DRI Foundation Canada (DRIFCAN) and Alberta Diabetes Institute (ADI) have announced a research partnership The CEO of DRI says "Type 1 diabetes knows no borders or boundaries; nor should the research to find a cure. There's a lot of research funded by these groups, included islet and stem cell transplantation. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/diabetes-research-institute-foundation-joins-193300513.html XX Right back to the news in a moment but first we've got a new sponsor. As I mentioned, The T1D Exchange Registry is an online research study, designed to harness the power of individuals with type 1 diabetes. It's a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy Sign up at T1DExchange.org slash Stacey (that's S-T-A-C-E-Y). XX Insulet's CEO is stepping down.. Shacey Petrovic has been in the role since 2019 and says she's stepping down June first for amily reasons. Petrovec will stay on as an advisor for the next year to aid in the transition and support the company's launch of the Omnipod 5. She'll replaced by Jim Hollingshead, who's been on Insulet's Board for the last three years. He's been the president of ResMed – a company that focuses on advances in sleep medicine- for the last 12 years. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/insulet-swap-ceos-amid-omnipod-5-insulin-pump-roll-out XX I feel like I haven't done a newscast in a few weeks without mentioning model Lila Moss. After being on the cover of UK Vogue and making headlines at the Met Gala, she's now showing off her Libre and Omnipod In a new Fendi and Versace ad campaign https://pagesix.com/2022/05/11/lila-moss-wears-diabetes-monitor-in-fendi-versace-ad-campaign/ XX Got an update for you on T1D The Movie. We talked about this a few months ago – Star Trek actor Noah Averbach Katz is producing a short film with type 1 at the center. He started a kick starter campaign and got a wonderful response from the start trek community which, along with the diabetes community, fully funded the project. I got an update that he is starting filming this week. He also says if you backed the project at the level where you'd get a token of appreciation, they're working on those too.. more to come. XX Interesting find on the toy front. I had never heard of Squishmallows but people say the stuffed toys are soothing while others say it's just a scam and there's nothing inherently special about the plush toys. Either way, one of the limited edition plushies is being marketed as having type 1 diabetes. There's nothing on the toy itself to show that it might use diabetes technology – this is just listed in the toy description on line. I'm trying to find out the story behind this so letme know if you know atying! XX On this week's long format episode, you'll hear about the Mental Health Plus diabetes conference.. the organizers said every conference has one session on mental health – we really need more. So they did it. Love that! Next week, as I mentioned, Dexcom's Chief Technical Officer on the G7, some interesting new info.. and I asked him all of your questions. Listen wherever you get your podcasts That's In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.