#TwoBits on People and Devices

Two great recommendations from around the DOC in case you missed them over the weekend (or maybe 3 from 4). While they are not intended to be variations on a theme I can't help but eeing them that way. Yes they talk about Dexcoms but I see the theme as commentary on supporting the people with diabetes in our lives without being a pain in the ass about it. Not the easiest thing to do, particularly for a parent, but equally true of a partner or co-worker (or even a waiter* but then going there would make this three bits.)

Abby has a piece on SixUntilMe about her first day on the job as an RN, a low during orientation and a new coworkers calmly asking “Are you OK.” A spectacular piece. I particularly love the way she speaks of those three words.

“If you have diabetes, you know why this made me feel so comfortable. There was no stress from her side conveyed to me. She didn't freak out and ask someone for juice. At no point did she have a worried look on her face. She just knew.”

I highly recomend that we parents out here diabetes land read this and think about ways of talking with our kids about diabetes in ways that are: comfortable, not stressed, no freak out, skip the worried look and simply let them know we are there for them.

It ain’t easy. It is a great goal. I'll try. I'll slip up. I'll try again.

Christopher and Dayle write at A Consequence of Hypoglycemia writes about how they would improve the Dexcom CGM. Since I am out there advocating that people talk about what they want from gadgets you may think I like this because Christopher and Dayle write about what they want from their respective gadgets in this post.

OK I do like that, what makes this great is that the gadget are put info the context of how those devices effect the people they care about. They speak of time sensitive alarm volumes and custom alarms, kinda like selecting a ring tone on your phone. What is magic is they do that in consideration of the person next to them. Towards the end Dayle offers up the great idea of the Dexcom having a buddy system with other devices. Devices that play nice, what a concept. It is even more impressive when it is in the context of the devices supporting their loved ones as well as themselves. The idea that customizing devises so that people interact more comfortably, with less stress, fewer freak outs and simply dealing with the diabetes on the 'Are you OK' level seams so simple. In that it is revolutionary.

Great stuff.



*We can leave the waiter out of the equation but Kerri piece is so reminiscent of most of our dinners out with diabetes that I have to smile. Somehow dinner out is a particularly hard time to just ask "Are you OK?"