Dear Depressed In The West

Kelly Kunik aka K2 has an emotional response to a letter from a reader about diabetes worry. It a great little piece and if you haven't seen it yet go read it now. Anything I have to say, can wait.

So now that you have read it this next bit is redundant because it is my comment there:

I'll jump in with the not particularly sage observation that Diabetes is in fact a rat bastard. It likes to play mind games with the goal of keeping PWD less than they can be.

All too often diabetes care is talked about in terms of numbers and compliance. Who the hell wants to be a number? As for the compliance bit I have seen enough science fiction to know that the robot overlords from outer space want us to be compliant.

Those robots are not the only ones. Yesterday I wrote about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I wish I had read this first because I would have cast the idea that diabetes care is about numbers and compliance as The Bad. (MTV's casting call would still be The Ugly.) The Bad doesn't see that living with diabetes takes an emotional toll. The Bad doesn't see the whole person with diabetes. It cuts out the emotions, well except the bad stuff like guilt and depression. I think emotional support is every bit as necessary as insulin and from what I hear around the DOC so do a lot of other people who are smarter than I am.

Don't let the the rat bastard focus on The Bad and The Ugly. You are entitled to have The Good too.

Verio 510k Clearance

Anyone know anything about this meter? I was bored and started looking through the FDA 510k approvals. Yeah that bored. Anyway I came across this:

DEVICE: ONE TOUCH VERIO BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING SYSTEM
LIFESCAN, INC.                    510(k) NO: K093745106(TRADITIONAL)
ATTN: LISA  MCGRATH               PHONE NO : 408 956 4446
1000 GIBRALTAR DR., MS 2C         SE DECISION MADE: 11-FEB-11
MILPITAS CA 95035 6312            510(k) SUMMARY AVAILABLE FROM FDA

I found an Australian page at: http://www.onetouch.com.au/

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I watched the Indy Car opener toady. Delaney was psyched to see Charlie Kimball’s car. We were all sad to see him leave the race early.

I think he is a roll model for her and a lot of other kids with type 1. I don’t expect many of those kids to have an interest in becoming Indy Car drivers.  That isn’t what a roll model is about. Charlie is a roll model because he is living his dream and bringing diabetes along kicking and screaming whether it likes it or not.

Diabetes is a rat bastard. It doesn't want kids with type 1 to dream. It wants to limit and define the lives it touches. Charlie shows that with hard work, character and a Dexcom screwed on the high tech steering wheel of life they can chase down their dream at a few hundred miles an hour. Chasing dreams is more than simply good.

At some commercial break during the race I saw a tweet that MTV is casting a reality bit with someone with diabetes. They are looking for a bad diabetic. Here in part is their casting call:

Does your diabetes hold you back from living the life the way you want? Do you have an extreme form of the disease which requires you to constantly inject yourself with insulin? Does it make you feel different from your peers? How is your situation more difficult than your friends' at school? Are you embarrassed by your diabetes?

It sure seems like they are looking to help that rat bastard diabetes limit and define lives. That my friends is just another case of the ugly.

In reality, we have a choice. We can tune into MTV and wallow in diabetes or what ever the find that limits and defins lives. On the other hand Indy Car has races trough the fall. We can watch Charlie strap the Dexcom to the steering wheel and take diabetes where no one has taken it before. Where fast matters and diabetes doesn't.

Charlie is a rookie in the professional big league of his sport. He is a dedicated, hard working and pleasant. Those traits are the reality of what makes him a roll model.

I am looking forward to the next race. I'll be watching. As for MTV well I will maintain my perfect record of tuning them out. Diabetes isn’t the only thing that wants to limit and define the lives it touches. Unlike being diagnosed with diabetes we have a choice as to what we get on TV.

Use the powers of your remote only for good.

@CharlieKimball: Go Fast Insulin

We hold theses truths to be self evident; that fast cars are cool. The type 1 community's own professional race car driver Charlie Kimball is racing in his first Indy Car even this weekend driving the Chip Ganassi Racing Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda Dallara. A.K.A No. 83. This is the Big Leagues sports fans.

Here is Charlie in a video he made for theBeteNOW.


24/7 On Track Charlie Kimball from thebetes now on Vimeo.

He will be speeding around the streets of St. Petersburg in the Honda Grand Prix. There is great behavior to teach your insulin using kids to emulate... wait... maybe not so much unless the speeding around the streets is in an actual sanctioned racing event. Better for your car insurance premiums than getting a fist full of tickets - you can tune in on ABC tomorrow at 12:30 pm to watch.  Learn more on IndyCar.com.

Delaney and I are looking forward to the watching the race. She as an autographed picture of Charlie on the wall along with other type 1 athletes. He's cool. He goes fast. He is type 1. He  signs pictures for kids at Friends For Life. All that and he is crazy nice.

He is also the closest thing to the Stig we've ever met.

You can follow him on Twitter, maybe even Tweet him good luck on his first Indy Car race.
 

Rx: Kiss-a-Pig

That is official medical advice. Well in so far a doctor suggests, well actually request, it.

The doctor in question is Andreas Stuhr. He is about as nice a guy as I've met and a real good sport. He did a bit for theBetesNOW in German only come to think of it now, I have no idea what he said...

Rumor has it he's been walking around the office in a pig costumer drumming up support for this fund raising event. Nobody should get away with behavior like that without their friends mocking them on the internet. I have spies trying to get pictures and I will post them when and if I get them.

In them mean time, if you are so inclined, join me in chipping in a little.

Tolerx Phase 3 Did Not Meet End Points

From The News Wire: Disappointing news for people hoping for a suppression of the autoimmune causes of type 1. I am not a rocket scientist or expert on how any branch pf science progresses so I look forward to reading  what more capable writers have to say. I am sure good friend of the blog Scott Strummello will have enlightening comments when he has had time to get all the facts. In the mean time here is the opening of the recent press statement and a link to the full release. 

Tolerx and GlaxoSmithKline Announce Phase 3 Defend-1 Study of Otelixizumab in Type 1 Diabetes Did Not Meet Its Primary Endpoint

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and LONDON, March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tolerx, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced that the Phase 3 DEFEND-1 study of otelixizumab, an investigational humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint of change in C-peptide at month 12 in patients with new-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes.  

Following preliminary review of the data, no new or unexpected treatment-related safety concerns have emerged during the DEFEND-1 study. Study investigators and regulatory agencies have been notified of the DEFEND-1 study outcome.

FTNW: Biodel

From the News Wire

DANBURY, Conn., Mar. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Biodel Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOD) announced today that it has selected two new formulations of recombinant human insulin for clinical testing and is accelerating clinical development plans of these mealtime insulin drug candidates.  The new formulations, BIOD-105 and BIOD-107, are designed to result in more rapid insulin action compared to currently marketed meal time insulin analogs while maintaining an injection site tolerability profile comparable to currently marketed insulins.  Biodel plans to test these formulations in a Phase 1 clinical trial of approximately 18 patients with Type 1 diabetes.  This study is designed as a double blinded, three-period cross over trial in which patients will receive one subcutaneous injection of BIOD-105, BIOD-107 and Humalog® each on separate occasions.  This study, expected to be completed in the third calendar quarter of 2011, will evaluate pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and tolerability profiles of the two experimental insulins relative to that of Humalog®.  In parallel with this subcutaneous injection study, Biodel plans to utilize a similar design to conduct a clinical pump study this year.

for more see this link

Health News - RETAIN Trial for Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Enrolls Patients

Health News - RETAIN Trial for Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Enrolls Patients

People with Diabetes are Awesome

People with Diabetes are Awesome by Ginger Vieira:

Check Up and Check In

We did the diabetes equivalent of the 3,000 mile oil change this week - you know check the A1C level and rotate the infusion sites. Being real diabetics as opposed to some sprinkle sharing unicorn like mythological perfect diabetics there were ideas on things to do better and a recognition of the things that being done well.

Before the meeting with the CDE started she introduced a women I didn’t recognize. I wondered if it was the the dietician we had scared away a year or two ago with our dedication to the SWAG method of carb counting. Nope. It turns out she was with the research team. Here name was Tammy and she wanted to know if we would participate in a database study...

I cut her off. Sure. We are in.


When I was at the JDRF Capital Chapter event a few weeks ago one of the geniuses (I don’t use that term lightly, these scientist were sharp as a fresh lancet, if anyone remembers what a fresh lancet is like. I mean daylight saving time is a way off... But I digress.) One of the geniuses presenting was talking about the lack of a database type 1. There is no registry of folks with type 1 diabetes in these United States so it is a little hard to say with accuracy if is it increasing and if so where and why.

So there we were at the next endo visit and they want to know if we will participate in a database project. Hell yes. The geniuses need it. It is in our interest. If you are reading this it probably in your interest too.

The data exchange called T1D Exchange is a project sponsored by the  Helmsley Charitable Trust.  These folks are making some wonderful commitments to make lives touched by type 1 better. Cool stuff is coming and I look forward to hearing and sharing more about their efforts. That’s later.

Right now we have a roll to play. Sixty clinical sites are working to help build the data exchange. If at your next endo visit there is a visitor looking to get you to participate - step up  ...err... make that sit down at a computer fill out a few screens of data. The sharp as a lancet dudes need a registry and we all should be in it.

 We are in. Are You?