How Technology Saved My Life
Whenever I am thrown into a room and asked to share a “fun fact” about myself, the line that always seems to stumble out first is “I’m a type 1 diabetic.” Super fun, huh? The thing is, my diabetes is such a defining feature of who I am. Diabetes controls my mood, my sleeping patterns, my motivation, my hunger, and a million other moving pieces.
When I look back over the years and reflect on how far I have come in regards to controlling my illness since my diagnosis back in 2009, I am truly amazed. I went from having fingers calloused with pricks down the sides from testing my sugar so often to falling asleep in class because I never tested my sugar. I went from blacking out during diabetic shock, all the way to where I am today, with an A1C level of approximately 7.5. As much as I would like to say this transition is due to my sudden ambition and growth, I would not have came close to this accomplishment without the help of technology.
The evolution of diabetic technology has moved at an incredible pace over the last several years. I wanted to make this blog post to say THANK YOU to those that have stimulated this movement and to encourage those that tinker with medical technology to keep tinkering.
An Estimated Timeline of My Journey With Diabetic Technology
NEEDLES (Age 9–Pre-teen)
My journey began the same as any other diabetic. Good ol’ fashioned needles. This process meant taking a needle every single time I wanted to eat, whenever my sugar was high, and each night before bed. Before each meal, I tested my sugar with the OneTouch Ultra Mini Meter.
Needles tended to be the worst option for me because it meant a ton of extra baggage to carry around with, drew the most attention in public, and as a young child I was extremely afraid of sticking myself with a needle constantly.
INSULIN PENS (Pre-teen-Early teens)
The main improvement in transitioning from needles to insulin pens were the fact that the insulin pens carried more insulin. I no longer had to lug around a large set of needles but rather two insulin pens.
ANIMAS (Pre-teen-Early teens)
The Animas2020 Insulin Pump became my trusty sidekick throughout middle school. Switching to a diabetic pump was life-changing for me because it meant no more constant needles. I went from 4+ needles a day to having to deal with one insertion every three or so days. All I had to do was plug in some initial settings with my endocrinologist and from then on the pump was able to tell me how much insulin to take for specific amounts of carbs. Also, I could now see how much insulin was running through my system at a given time which made it easier to avoid over-correcting my glucose levels.
My biggest issue with this device was the fact that it was attached to my side with a tube. Throughout high school I was involved in color guard, musicals, and other high movement activities. During those type of activities, I consistently found myself getting hooked onto random objects and having the tube ripped out from my side.
On October 5, 2017, Johnson & Johnson made the decision to stop selling Animas insulin pumps indefinitely.
MEDTRONIC + ENLITE (Early teens-mid-teens)
Animas was not the only insulin pump corporation around during the early 2000's though. Medtronic and Omnipod were in the process of building their own artificial pancreases. I made the decision to switch to Medtronic due to their exploration with sensors that would test my sugar for me and link straight to my Medtronic insulin pump. I started using the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm but it was not long before I became sick of the tubing and started to lean towards Omnipod. I tried out the Medtronic Enlite sensor and although I loved the concept of never having to prick myself, the pain of the sensor was not worth the save. The sensor easily fell off from sweat or bumps, and would leave blood and small holes behind each fall. Each time I inserted the sensor, I would feel the insertion and experience a stabbing pain.
In 2014, many people started to realize they could hack into Medtronic’s old discontinued pumps. They began to program the insulin pumps to react automatically to glucose changes. For example, if a diabetic was experiencing high blood sugar levels, the insulin sensor linked to the pump would detect those changes and correct for them automatically. No more pressing buttons as the pump would control the levels on its own. These hacks are not FDA approved but they are certainly part of a strong movement to stop waiting for T1D progress. If this program sounds interesting to you or you would like to learn more: https://openaps.org/
OMNIPOD (Late teens-Present)
I switched to the Omnipod pump system to try out a blue tooth, tubeless pump. The Omnipod has been mostly painless, user-friendly, and reliable. A lot of the features on this pump are the same as the other companies but its size and ability to be hidden under clothes is what sold it for me.
DEXCOM (Late teens-Present)
My first experience with Dexcom was the G5 model and I had such a terrible experience I was terrified to test the G6. The G5 was extremely similar to the Medtronic Enlite in the sense that it was painful, constantly falling off, and I had to calibrate the sensor at least twenty times with each sensor change. The biggest selling point of the sensor was that a diabetic would barely have to test when wearing one but I had to test more times when calibrating my sensor than without it!
It was my doctor who forced me onto the Dexcom G6 when she was worried with my lack of blood sugar testing. I started reliably using the G6 in 2017 and since then I have never looked back. The G6 is the complete opposite of the G5. I have yet to feel even a pinch when inserting my sensor, I usually only have to calibrate once or twice, and the sensor manages to stay on without any medical tape over it. I haven’t experienced any bleeding or pain with this sensor whatsoever.
If I had to recommend any piece of technology to a diabetic it would be the Dexcom G6. It can be hard (and miserable) to remember to constantly test your sugar but with this sensor you rarely have to.
T1INTERNATIONAL & BEYOND T1(Present)
All of the products I have touched on so far have been tangible so I wanted to end with something digital that has also held a huge impact in the diabetic community. T1International is a non-profit organization working to raise transparency and advocacy around the price of insulin worldwide. I discovered this group online and through them was able to open the first New Jersey Chapter for T1International. This opportunity was huge because it introduced me to so many amazing people experiencing similar struggles. We used the online world to join together and fight rapidly growing insulin prices.
I also discovered Beyond T1 during this time. Beyond T1 is the largest online diabetes organization. This website/app offers meet ups for diabetics, resources, programs, and a platform to share stories or ask for advice on.
Without these platforms, I would feel a lot more alone when it comes to my illness. The people on these sites understand the challenges that are tied to living with diabetes and I am eternally grateful that technology has provided us with a base to build these type of international communities on.
WHATEVER COMES NEXT (???)
Every day we get one step closer to that self-sufficient “pancreas.” Not every single diabetic technology is perfect, in fact, the majority have series of problems. Regardless of minor issues, it is important to acknowledge that we are learning through each piece that is created and building upon each step as we go. My hope is that people keep exploring and coming up with affordable ways to expand and improve the technology we use as diabetics.
Here’s to whatever comes next.
