#TwoBits one Link Karen & Kim

Check out Karen and Kim on everydayhealth.com

http://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/going-digital-with-type-one-diabetes.aspx

#TwoBits: ThreeBits and Ice Hockey, DSMA & DiabetesMine

Here are a Two Bits from the DOC that are worth a look today:

Cherise (aka Charisse according to my iPad's voice recognition) one ups two bits with three:

DOC Survey, HIPAA and Clinical Trial on a Diabetes App 

I am coping the first 'cause doing this survey can help DHF help us all. Win win.

Michelle Litchman is NP, doctoral student and a big supporter of the diabetes online community. For her dissertation, she is focusing on the Diabetes Online Community and Health Outcomes Research as it relates to peer-to-peer health. Michelle will donate $2  (up to $2,000) to the Diabetes Hands Foundation for every survey completed. For more information and to complete the survey,  http://www.tudiabetes.org/forum/topics/doc-and-health-outcomes-research.

Thanks Charisse (even my iPad can't spell.)

Will has a good piece at Diabetes Mine on Andy Suhy, ice hockey player and diabetes motivator. I particularly liked this part:

Andy describes diabetes as a “very complicated balancing act” that’s 95% about emotions and taking ownership, and only 5% about carb-counting and insulin dosing. 

Will closes with a little nuance around T1D vs T2D attitudes and maybe motivating the motivator:

Still, we have to be united in our front against diabetes — of all types. None of us can afford to have a “blame the patient” attitude, because that effects everyone. 

And you can’t be a good cheerleader if you don’t like the team.

#TwoBits from Industry. Glucagon Training App and Bayer Meter Talks to Medtronic Pump.

#TwoBits of news today. I use to call this stuff From the News Wire!

Bayer / Medtronic 

Bayer and Medtronic have a press release out today announcing the Contour Next Link.  Think Bayer USB that connects to a Medtronic meter - except this is charcoal grey not black. It uses new, improved and more accurate strips. I hope to read up on the more accurate part at a later date. I will be back when I do. Mean time read Riva.  

Groovy Photo from: http://diabetesselfcare.blogspot.com/

Review of the meter:  http://diabetesselfcare.blogspot.com/2012/04/medtronic-trial-bayer-contour-next-link.html

From the Press Advisory: 

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) and Bayer HealthCare today announced that Bayer’s CONTOUR^® NEXT LINK, a new blood glucose meter, is now available in the U.S. with Medtronic’s compatible integrated diabetes management systems. 
Bayer’s new meter provides exceptional accuracy utilizing high-performance CONTOUR^® NEXT test strips, helping optimize insulin delivery through wireless communication with the MiniMed^® Paradigm™ REAL-Time Revel™ insulin pump and the MiniMed^® Paradigm™ REAL-Time insulin pump. People with diabetes can have greater confidence that seamless integration with Medtronic’s Bolus Wizard^® makes bolus calculations quick and easy, eliminating inaccuracies due to manual entry errors.

This will be available to new Medtronic pump users starting now. The expectation is that existing customers can get it over the "next few months." I think you should look for the Bat Signal or a message from Medtronic in January. 

OK Bat Signal aside - here is the real text from the release:

Starting today, new Medtronic customers will receive CONTOUR^® NEXT LINK with any new pump order. Existing customers will be contacted by Medtronic and provided with new meters over time, beginning in January of 2013.

More from Medtronic:
http://www.loop-blog.com/blog/Update-on-Linking-Blood-Glucose-Meters-for-Medtronic-Insulin-Pumps

Lilly

Lilly Diabetes today announced the release of a new mobile application designed for caregivers and healthcare providers who support people with type 1 diabetes. The Lilly Glucagon Mobile App is a tool to teach how to use Glucagon for Injection, through simulated practice. 

The app is here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glucagon/id553314007?mt=8

More information is available from the Lilly press release here: 

https://investor.lilly.com/releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=704061

#TwoBits from DiaTribe

I am a fan of DiaTribe. Kelly’s team writes detailed and thoughtful pieces. If you don’t subscribe to the newsletter, you should, just click here to sign up.

Kerri has a great piece about advocacy there.  She makes it clear that Your Advocacy May Vary (YAMV.) In fact, it should. Advocacy is a wide ranging continuum of things that boil down to taking a position and doing something because you care.

I love this part:

Every voice matters, and every person living with diabetes or caring for someone with diabetes has a unique way of sharing, connecting, and inspiring the diabetes community as a whole. Simply touch one life and you’ve made all the difference.  

To that I add don't just use you voice use your ears and share the great stuff you hear.


The NEW NOW NEXT article in this issue of DiaTribe is about new medications that can help folks with some diabetes complications. I freely admit I am no expert on meds for complications. With a master in health communications I do know a little about sharing industry information about them.

Lucentis (aka ranibizumab; manufactured by Roche’s Genentech) entered new ground with their communication practice. Roche were the pioneers in building relationships with diabetes social media with blogger summits. One of the outcomes of these relationships is Roche is starting to treat social media as a legitimate way to communication with patients. Roche reached out and asked if a bloggers, including Kelly Close, others and I, would like to attend an online media briefing for Lucentis by Genentech. A hand full of us accepted the invitation.

What is significant is that the DOC was treated like other forms of media. Writers were invited to a conversation, treated respectfully and given a chance to question Genentech researchers. I appreciate that they fielded question and responded in detail to social media. They followed up with information requested in the call.

Social media has a long way to go to build mutually respectful relationships with industry, regulators, researchers, care givers and the rest of the diabetes ecosystem. That system is complex, interrelated and necessary to keep people with diabetes well and chasing life’s dreams. The social media communication process is not perfect. What Roche and Genentech have started is significant, they didn't let perfect be the enemy of better

I hope other follow Roche / Genentech's example of treating social media as a legitimate communication method.

#TwoBits about Containers from #DSMA

#DSMA Twitter chat was rocking as usual this week. And by rocking I mean to fast to follow. That is the way of the diabetes twitter chat. I just try to surf along with the tsunami of post and find a few conversations to join. This week one of those was about repurposing diabetes stuff for other uses.

Here are tow good link that flowed out of that part of the twitter flood.

Reusing set boxes to pack home made cookies to give to coworkers. I can't think of a better use for set boxes including holding the set that came in them.

http://sajabla.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/why-are-there-infusion-set-boxes-in-my-fridge/ 



Reusing may not be the bets idea for stuff you may be consuming, aka strip bottles, food and desiccants. Strip bottles have stuff in them to suck up moisture (desiccants.) Maybe not food grade stuff.

Violence by Ubergeek

http://www.mysweetbeanandherpod.com/2012/08/sugar-shot-sweet-bean-style.html

#TwoBits Getting Diabetes Types Right / DC School Do Right

So often we see news coverage that does not get diabetes types right. This one does and my friend K2 is right in there helping them get it right. Members of the online community often complain about bad coverage, here is an opportunity to leave a comment where they did good. How about slicking over and giving the paper an attaboy.

The most recent Diabetes Forecast has a story about the DC school system failing a family with diabetes. Scott Johnson wrote about it on his blog and I mentioned it on Diabetes Mine. Good news there is a settlement. 

#TwoBits - Congratulation Cherise & Christel

Join the Diabetes Community Air Force! Well kinda.

DCAF is officially a not for profit corporation.

Diabetes Community Advocacy Foundation, Inc.

Congratulation Cherise.

http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/we-are-officially-a-legal-corporation/

AND

in that announcement is the news that diabeteicfeed is coming back as a DCAF program.  WoHoo! Word fail at sharing how excited I am about hearing Christel again. Her show is where my DOC journey began.

Yay Christel!

#TwoBits - It makes dots on Mikey

Here are two lovely bits from around the DOC today:

Jessica Apple’s Washing It Away: A 3-Year-Old’s Take on Diabetes

“It makes dots on Mikey,” may be the best ever explanation of diabetes ever.

Riva on Accuracy

I am a big fan of Riva so it should come as no surprise that I think her comments on accuracy in diabetes are fantastic.

Enjoy!

#TwoBits NUmbers and Outtakes

Here's #TwoBits I enjoyed around the DOC today. I hope you do too.

You Can Do Tis FFL Outtakes: http://www.textingmypancreas.com/2012/07/friends-for-life-outtakes.html

The Good with the Bad (Almost a Clint Eastwood movie title.) Shares this fundamental truth, "with Type 1 diabetes is you cannot dwell on the numbers, it sucks, he’s high, he’s low." Word!
http://bridgetwrites.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-good-with-bad.html

#TwoBits Diabetes Sucks and Parents' Time

NEW FLASH: Diabetes Sucks!

I know, who would have thought it? Kelly Booth has a nice Stream of Consciousness post as part of her Wego series here. "Using insulin isn’t like taking a pill that you get 30 pills for 30 days. Every day is different and most days it is different because of things you have no control over." Well said. YDMV.

ALSO: Parents Need a Break

Sometimes Parents Get a Break When They Take a Break. Scott did. Here's a great line, "the beginning of the next step for us..." Sweet.



#TwoBits is a hash tag used to highlighting post I enjoy around the Diabetes Online Community. I think we are all stronger when our community celebrates each other. Please feel free share #TwoBits too.  

#TwoBits - One Post by @momof2T1s

#TwoBits is a way of pointing to great stuff on the DOC. Pointing out two sites helps show there is a wide span of these great ideas. I do this as much to make myself seek out other work as anything else. I feel an obligation to point stuff out. A very good friend very passionately spoke recognizing and sharing others work not competing with it at some ungodly hour in the lobby at MedtronicDAF. She was so so right. #TwoBits also helps me do that.

So here it is one link with #TwoBits. I write because… by Christina. I so love what she writes about wearing hats and when they are they are worn. It helps that Christina is a mom to two T1s. That is bit #1.

#2 is how she recognizes Kerri. It is both Funny and appropriate. That ties back to the whole idea of recognizing others. A good friend of the DOC at Medtronic spoke about borrowing from other and in a reply to my post emailed the source of that document making the point that when boldly borrowing from other to cite the source. So thank Lane Desborough for teaching me Proudly Found Elsewhere and that it came from Proctor and Gamble.

More importantly thanks Christina for expressing why I write too.  

#TwoBits - Research Videos on Faustman and T1D Exchange

Meet the T1D Exchange from the DC JDRF Research Summit on theBetesNOW
http://thebetesnow.com/?p=201

Manny has a fascinating video interview with Dr Faustman on TuDiabetes.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/video/an-interview-with-dr-faustman-2012

#TwoBits on Change by @Strangely_T1 and @1LittlePrick

Two piece from around the DOC that I enjoyed this morning:

Scott Strange as a wonderful essay on change. Riffing on a #DSMA comment about not letting diabetes change us. Scott make a strong case for the idea that change is what we make of it

Katie Peterson show one change for the better. And by better I mean Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies. Gluten free to boot. Check out the recipe at One Little Prick.

I am from the school of diabetes is a catalyst. It makes changes happen. Now if I can just make the cookies happen...

Technology #TwoBits: Carb Counting Blues by @CelloBard

Marie Smith aka @CelloBard has a fun post sharing her observations on sensing. She likens her Dexcom to a school hall monitor and a bit of an unwelcome snitch. With good humor Marie shows the value of sensing to improve carb counting. Oh and oatmeal gets outed.

I also love her picture. It is great to see an image that make me hear.


On the topic of technology it stands to reason that some technology is out of date. DiabetesInControl.com makes that point about meters. Some where in this post there is a grain of common sense about meter accuracy and making sure you use supplies that are not expired (even if I don’t love the semi condescending tone of patient blame. Hey who teaches the patient anyway?) Still the post is on point, use a modern meter with test strips that are in date and have been properly stored. It also gives me a chance to suggest that folks never buy a meter.

#TwoBits on Green and Orange at CWD Conshy

Children with Diabetes held a tech conference in Philly, will Conshy (Conshohocken) PA over the weekend. A very good friend asked why I go to these. Simple because when it is all said and done I need to recharge the batteries to have the energy to do the right stuff as opposed to the easy stuff. Diabetes Burn out takes different forms with parents, doing to little or even worse doing to much and making diabetes the focus of life.

So for me the focusing on diabetes for a day helps me focus on not over focusing on diabetes the rest of the time.

Here two other great views of the event form around the DOC. Kerri talks about some of the frustrations and diabetes burn out stuff and definitively defines CGM'er and Art Panc.

I finally got to briefly meet another DOC dad, Scott Benner, (Like the DOC needs another Scott, someone needs to do a study of the name Scott and the correlation to T1D.) He is someone I have admired from a far (and someone I swiped a this image from, Thanks Scott). We're both orange but I would say we bleed green.

Love to know who else is orange or green.

#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?"

#TwoBits on Cure Research. One Guy: Joshua Levy

Here’s a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

We of us living with T1D want a cure. A lot of us also want an easy way to keep track of progress towards cure. My Go To Guy is Joshua Levy. In late December he wrote two essays well worth reading for those looking for cures. 

http://cureresearch4type1diabetes.blogspot.com/2011/12/two-essays-on-progress.html

Of Mice and Men: Joshua also started a new blog. One dedicated to all the NOD Mice that get cured. The freaking mice get cured all the time and each time starts a cycle of a cure is coming headlines. It is nice then to have a resource that knows the difference between curing mice and people while still keeping an informed eye on what is going one with the rodents. 

http://t1dcuredinmice.blogspot.com

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

#TwoBits Diabetes Sisters & Stem Cells at the Mine.

Here’s a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

1: Registration for Diabetes Sisters annual conference open January 1^st. I hear they are already about half way booked. For more information see: http://www.diabetessisters.org/events/nationalconference

2: Diabetes Mine has an interesting piece on encapsulated stem cells research. An outstanding read. http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/01/whats-up-with-diabetes-stem-cell-research-firm-viacyte.html

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

#dsma Makeover & an Easy resloution #TwoBits

Here is a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

#DSMA’s New Years New Look: The web site has been overhauled and sports a more user friendly interface. Included in the more friendly part is a menu link to the weekly Wednesday night party that is #dsma chat. More on how to join that party can be found in this post.

Carey Potash my favorite blogger at dLife writes about the Medtronic mySentry, its costs and dreaming of a lost poodle. If Carey isn’t in your RSS feed adding him is a great New Years resolution. You will thank me I’m sure. 

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

Happy New Lancet and Butterfly Pod People #TwoBits

Here is a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

First Happy New Lancet form our pals across the pond at Shoot Up or Put Up who say;

"Happy New Lancet to all our readers, Please join us in cracking open a brand new shiny lancet in celebration of the new year."

Leighann has a post reporting that Butterfly strips are now approved for the OmniPod so Happy New Strips to the Pod People.

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?