"It's All About Your Attitude"

JDRF in Groundbreaking Partnership with Animas to Develop First-Generation Artificial Pancreas System

The development of an artificial pancreas—a fully automated system to dispense insulin to people with diabetes based on real-time changes in blood sugar levels—would be among the most revolutionary advancements in treating type 1 diabetes. JDRF has taken the first steps on that path, with the groundbreaking announcement of an innovative partnership with Animas Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company that is a leading pump manufacturer, to develop a first-generation artificial pancreas: an automated system to help people with type 1 diabetes better control their disease.

The objectives of the partnership, a major industry initiative within the JDRF Artificial Pancreas Project, are to develop an automated system to manage diabetes, conduct extensive clinical trials for safety and efficacy, and submit the product to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval.

First Steps Towards an Artificial Pancreas

“If successful, the development of this first-generation system would begin the process of automating how people with diabetes manage their blood sugar,” said JDRF President and CEO Alan Lewis. “Ultimately, an artificial pancreas will deliver insulin as needed, minute-by-minute, throughout the day to maintain blood sugar within a target range. But even this early system could bring dramatic changes in the quality of life for the three million people in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes, beginning to free kids and adults from testing, calculating, and treating themselves throughout the day and night.”

New Automated System

The first-generation system would be partially automated, utilizing an insulin pump connected wirelessly with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

The CGM continuously reads glucose levels through a sensor with a hair-thin sensor wire inserted just below the skin, typically on the abdomen. The sensor would transmit those readings to the insulin pump, which delivers insulin through a small tube or patch on the body.

The pump would house a sophisticated computer program that will address safety concerns during the day and night, by helping prevent hypoglycemia and extreme hyperglycemia. It would slow or stop insulin delivery if it detected blood sugar was going too low and would increase insulin delivery if blood sugar was too high.

Here’s an example of how this first-generation device would work: The wearer will still need to manually tell the pump to deliver insulin at times, such as around meals, and adjust insulin delivery rates based on activity, illness, and other variables. But the system would “treat to range,” that is, try to keep blood sugar within a set range between, for example, 80 mg/dL and 180mg/dL by automatically increasing insulin delivery when it senses blood glucose going above the high end of the range, and slowing down or turning off insulin delivery when it sensed blood glucose levels moving below the low end of the range.

This “hypoglycemia-hyperglycemia minimizer” system would represent a significant step forward in diabetes management, and could provide immediate benefits in terms of blood sugar control by minimizing dangerous highs and lows.

Dr. Lewis noted that JDRF will provide $8 million in funding over the next three years for this project, with a target of having a first-generation system ready for regulatory review within the next four or so years.

DexCom, Inc., a leading manufacturer of CGM devices, will supply the CGM technology for the system to be developed by JDRF and Animas.

Reducing High and Low Blood Sugar

“Although this partnership is focused on a first-generation system, not a fully automated artificial pancreas, such a system could provide better clinical outcomes for those with type 1 diabetes—reducing if not eliminating the high or low blood sugar problems that send people with diabetes to the hospital, cause accidents or injuries, and make living with diabetes so difficult,” explained Aaron Kowalski, JDRF’s Research Director of the Artificial Pancreas Project. “And better control would significantly lower the key risk for developing the devastating long-term complications of the disease, including eye disease, kidney disease, nerve disease, or cardiovascular disease.”

More information about the JDRF-Animas partnership and the development of a first-generation automated system to manage diabetes is available at www.jdrf.org/artificialpancreasproject. The site also includes information for people with type 1 diabetes about research leading to the development of an artificial pancreas, as well as interactive tools, chats with researchers, and access to information about clinical trials.

The JDRF-Animas partnership will build upon the progress made since 2006 in the JDRF-funded Artificial Pancreas Consortium, a group of university-based mathematicians, engineers, and diabetes experts that has developed the computer programs needed for an artificial pancreas, and established their scientific feasibility. The goal of an artificial pancreas has also been embraced by the FDA, which along with JDRF and the National Institutes of Health brought together scientists, regulators, industry, and patients for scientific workshops on the subject in 2005 and 2008; the FDA has designated an artificial pancreas as one of its “critical path” initiatives.

Dr. Kowalski noted that the development of an artificial pancreas system is an essential step towards an ultimate cure for type 1 diabetes—a “bridge to a cure.” JDRF’s goal is to have multiple versions of an artificial pancreas available for people with diabetes; the organization will continue to explore partnerships with other industry leaders.

Hi guys.  I was on TuDiabetes.org and came across a great forum on "Motivation?" or lack there of.  Terry Keelan had a great response to someone that was trying to stay or get motivated with their diabetes.  Thank you Terry.

Terry just won the TuDiabetes 2009 Active Lifestyle Award!  See who won here 

Terry has a saying on his about me page I wanted to share as well.  He says "I'm not always IN control, I just feel in control. Usually. And I know how to take control if things start to spin wildly away. "  What a great goal everyone should have.

So here is his response to this forum post. 

 "my blood sugar always seems to be high, and my A1C is just awful. When I do check my blood sugar very often, and eat descent foods my blood sugar is manageable. I know the answer to all my problems is to just get on top of things. However; I just pig out and never test my blood sugar. I think I just need to be motivated to check it, and keep better track of what i eat. can anybody help me? give me some motiviation?"

Terry's response:

It's hard to stay MOTIVATED all the time. Instead of thinking of caring for yourself as requiring constant, grinding, uplifting MOTIVATION!! take things in small steps and look for 'opportunities to do a good deed.' Waiting around for MOTIVATION!! is a bad form of laziness. Instead, look for "efficiency" - the GOOD form of laziness.

For instance, do you 'just pig out'? Look at when and where you pig out. If you only visit restaurants that serve healthy food you don't have to worry about being 'motivated' to buy good stuff to eat - that's all that's there. If you only buy healthy food at the grocery store, you don't have to be 'motivated' to avoid unhealthy stuff at home. That's substituting 'opportunity' for 'MOTIVATION!!" Eat too much at a sitting? Eat standing up. (And never in the car.) Drink a lot of disgusting stuff? Carry a water bottle instead. Small things that create opportunity to do good for yourself and don't require motivation. Does it require motivation to buy a bottle of water? Well, you only have to buy it once. After that you can just refill it.

Never test your blood sugar? NEVER? Set a small goal for yourself to test before each meal and to test in pairs. By testing 'in pairs' I mean create a compulsion to match each pre-meal test with a post-meal test. First focus on testing before each meal. Remind yourself that you have to match that test with one more in order to balance the universe. Remember when you walked home as a kid and you had to touch each part of a fence in a certain order or something terrible would happen? Same idea. If you make it a compulsion you don't have to be MOTIVATED!! (Unless you consider preventing the destruction of the world as we know it a sort of motivation.)

Take small steps. Do one thing at a time. Soon it won't require any more MOTIVATION to test your blood than it does to tie your shoe or take a shower. Just don't try to become "the World's Most Motivated Diabetic" all at once. That requires MOTIVATION and a ton of work and will probably lead to total and complete failure because NONE of us are motivated all the time. Instead, take the lazy man's way and slowly add things to your routine so that they become second nature and require zero motivation - you just do them.

So Forget MOTIVATION

Remember OPPORTUNITY

From now on, every chance is a second chance.

Good luck,

Terry

I have been diabetic a very long time.  When I was first diagnosed, my mom and dad helped me with shots and tests for the first year.  After that they were not involved other than shopping for food for me, they believed it was my job to manage the disease.  This was a blessing and a curse all at the same time for me.  I get that they were trying to teach me to be independent and be able to manage diabetes by myself but it made it very difficult for me to ask for help when I needed it.  Over the years I never asked anyone to help me, even when I really needed help.

Fast forward to about two and a half years ago.  Not taking care of my diabetes finally caught up with me and I became seriously ill.  My poor husband wanted to help me get control of my diabetes and I pushed him away, telling him "I can do this, I don't need your help!"  He watched me struggle to get control of testing, eating, and shifting my diabetes care focus.  And he stood by me, ready to help with anything at all if I would just ask.  But I didn't ask.  Then I got the pump.  He learned how it worked, read all the documentation, and gave me the space I demanded since I wanted to do it all by myself.  I guess I hadn't realized that my diabetes was a family issue, it didn't just belong to me.

When I got the DexCom last spring, once again I didn't want any help.  I could master this on my own.  My husband watched helplessly as I got angry over pump and CGMS issues, biting his tongue and letting me rant.  A few months ago I was reading some old blog posts of Kerri's over at Six Until Me.  She had pictures of her DexCom sensor in her arm and she said her husband helped her put them there.  My poor abdomen needed a rest from sensors so I decided it was time to ask for help.  I asked my hubby to put a sensor on my arm for me.  I think he understood how hard it was for me to ask for help.

So the first attempt at my hubby putting a sensor into my arm didn't go well.  He was nervous, I was really impatient and kind of mean to him.  Don't get me wrong, the sensor worked fine but I was terrible to him!  We don't fight often but we did fight that day.  I thought alot about why I was so angry with him when he didn't do anything wrong.  That is when I realized how hard it was for me to ask for help.  We talked it out and I promised the next time I would be aware of my behavior.  So yesterday we tried it again and guess what?  When I relaxed and just let him help me, the sensor insertion went fine!  I thanked him for being patient with me and understanding.  I am starting to get how much my diabetes is part of his life too.

So do you find it hard to ask for help?  Do you get angry sometimes?  I would love to get your feedback!

You can be 1happydiabetic too, it's all about your attitude!

Suzanne

I hope everyone is doing well.  I just wanted to say Hi to everyone!  I really want to thank all of our members for joining www.1HappyDiabetic.com.  Thank you for posting such good questions and comments on our Forums.  Your pictures are the best!

I have a few ideas on upcoming videos but I would love to get suggestions for videos!  If you have any ideas or questions you want answered via video.  Suggest them here. 

I haven't told "My Diabetes Story" yet on video.  I did do a video for One Touch and the Diabetes Handprint.  You can see my video here or click on the picture below.  If you haven't seen it, I hope you do.  It's a nice personal story I told about diabetes and why I do the videos on this site.

But before I did "My Diabetes Story" on video I thought maybe there might be some questions you had for me about growing up with diabetes.  I have had diabetes for 21 years since the age of 8.  I grew up taking care of my diabetes at an early age.  I've done the Middle School thing, I've done the High School thing, I've done the College thing, I've done the MDI Shots thing, the Pump thing, the CGMS thing, and most importantly I've done my thing!  But how was my Diabetes conrtol during those times?  Maybe in the video I do, you will get to know.  But if anyone had any questions about my "story"  I would love to answer them for you on the video I do.  So leave a comment below or if you would like you can email me Bill@1HappyDiabetic.com

Thanks in advance!  - Bill

Our friends over at TuDiabetes have put together an event for all of us for World Diabetes Day this Saturday, November 14, 2009.  Check it out and participate if you can.  It's all about raising awareness about diabetes!  Here is the info about the event:

November 14 is World Diabetes Day. On that day, at 14:00 hours (localtime), thousands of people with diabetes will test their blood sugar,do 14 minutes of exercise, test again and share their results onTuDiabetes or on Twitter.

The event is called The Big Blue Test because blue is the color associated with World Diabetes Day. It is based on a test-in activity that took place July 14, where more than a thousand people with diabetes tested their blood sugar at the same time and shared their results online. This time, the activity incorporates 14 minutes of physical activity to reinforce the importance of exercise.

Participating in this event to raise diabetes awareness on November 14 is easy...

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE...

You too can be 1happydiabetic, it's all about your attitude!

Suzanne

Oh yes World Diabetes Day is here!!! November 14th to be exact. It’s not really a holiday I celebrate in with cake and candles. Nor do I celebrate it with my family, over a nice Italian dinner, or with conversation and opening gifts. Too bad, I would really like that.

But I did do something different last year and I thought I would stick to it each year on World Diabetes Day. I am going to give up something for myself… some would say Dietetically Benefit Me!

Last year I gave up Bagels. Yup… I did! That’s right. And not just you’re ordinary Bagels, but them all. I felt the 120 crabs of exploding glucose rushing into my fragile insulin producing body was a good thing to limit. It was. Not to mention how to Bolus correctly for Bagels, they all are so different and hard to carb count correctly.

It was hard to do and I slipped up a few times this year, but nothing close to my weekly or biweekly habit. And I am honestly proud of it. I am not a bagel eater anymore.

So THIS year… a true challenge… I am going to give up eating FRENCH FRIES!!! Ahhh!!!!

They are my next on my list! And I don’t know how I feel about it. I bet it was just like how I felt about giving up Bagels last year. I think I can do this. I know I will slip up and eat some yummy Fries… heck… I am probably going to eat fries tonight as fond farewell, I think I will.

Fries are not something I eat everyday but I do eat French Fries… gosh just writing about French Fries makes me want some, lol… So tonight, I will start my decline of the fry bandwagon so at this time next year I can honestly say…. I’m not a ______ ______ eater anymore.  I’ll fill in the blanks when it’s true.

Today is officially diabetes blog day, in honor of Diabetes Awareness month.  A big thanks to Chris, over at The Big D blog for designing the awesome logo below.

I usually take forever to put together a blog.  I research, I write and then re-write, and spend a lot of time trying to put together a whole feeling or message.  This time I am going to go a little stream of consciousness, just for fun!  Here aresome of the thoughts that go through my head in any given week that involve diabetes:

1. Wow, look at all the black dots on my fingertips!
2. I wonder if my endo will get on my case for not testing 2 hours after meals like I use to do religiously?  With my new job it has been hard to do this….
3. How did I ever survive without a CGMS?
4. In an average year I use approximately 4500 test strips.  At about a buck a piece, I sure could go on a killer vacation each year with all that money!
5. Oooohhh, look! They have a low carb version of pita bread!
6. If there was a cure today, would I still think of myself as a diabetic?
7. Diabetes sure does make me a strong person.
8. Diabetes makes me feel weak sometimes.
9. I hate asking for help with inserting a DexCom sensor in my arm, but I love that my husband is willing to do it for me.
10. I wonder if I my dog can tell when I am low or high?
11. I sure carry around a lot of food with me….My purse is sooooo heavy!
12. Fruit juice, glucose tabs, or left over candy? Which should I have to treat this low?
13. It isn’t fair I have to deal with diabetes.I wonder if there will ever be a cure… 

You can be 1happydiabetic, it’s all about your attitude!

Suzanne

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and on the 14th of this month, we have World Diabetes Day to look forward to.  There are over 250 million people who are affected by diabetes worldwide.  Yet little is mentioned in the American media about this epidemic affecting so many of us.  As you know, diabetes is a 24/7, never ending challenge we deal with.  Let's all take a personal pledge to educate others this month about diabetes and dispel the many myths that surround this disease!  Raising awarenes can bring us closer to a cure!

According to WorldDiabetesDay.org,  "the World Diabetes Day logo is the blue circle - the global symbol for diabetes which was developed as part of the Unite for Diabetes awareness campaign. The logo was adopted in 2007 to mark the passage ofthe United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution. The significance ofthe blue circle symbol is overwhelmingly positive. Across cultures, the circle symbolizes life and health. The colour blue reflects the sky that unites all nations and is the colour of the United Nations flag.The blue circle signifies the unity of the global diabetes community inresponse to the diabetes pandemic."

You can be 1happydiabetic, it's all about your attitude!

Suzanne

     Wow, I feel like a champ. That’s right. Last weekend I defeated my wife Chrissi in the “Sugar Free Taste Challenge!” It was a close battle but there could be only one winner!

     We had a great time making the video. It was a ton of fun trying figure out which drinks had the sugar content in them. You guys should try it. Keep in mind of the high amount of carbs in the drinks that are not sugar free. That can be tricky. My wife and I challenge you! It’s not as easy as you think. Especially since we don’t drink those beverages often. Like never drinking coffee before and having some ask you, “drink these two different coffees and tell me which one is from Starbucks.” Anyways my wife and I had a great time making that video. The bloopers that we did not put in made us laugh too. I had trouble saying “Culprits” at the end of the video a few times. Must have been all the sugar I drank.

     The idea for this video came a few weeks ago. It actually evolved from a suggestion by Joe a.k.a. “zentalklaugh” on youtube. He sent me some ideas for the Making Sense of Diabetes Video Contest www.TuDiabetes.com was having.

     Joe suggested “For taste you could go for a film noir approach. My mouth is dry, too dry. Checks sugar. It's 300. Need to take insulin. Then he decides to drink something. He gets a diet soda from Sonic (in my mind the worst offenders on giving people sugar sodas when they order diet). He then has to deduce the difference between sugar and diet soda based on taste. The thick sweetness of high fructose corn syrup versus the thinness of diet and the brief taste of sodium. Then he has the hunger. He took too much insulin, time to get something to eat. And then the same type of experience.”

   I loved the idea of getting the wrong ordered soda. It has happened to me several times. I can tell right away that this is not the diet soda I ordered. So from there I came up with the “Taste Challenge” to see if I could tell the difference between sugar and sugar free drinks and treats.

I can see me and my wife doing a few more of these “Sugar Free Taste Challenges.”

As many of you may know from the video I did last week about packing, I went on a mini vacation over this past weekend.  I headed out to sunny California for two reasons, to go to the Behavioral Diabetes Institute Luncheon I was invited to and to meet up with my online diabetes buddies for the ultimate diabetes meetup. I had a great time meeting LeeAnn, Cherise, Jaimie, and George! When I got home I had so much material for blogs and vlogs, I didn't know where to start! Last night I posted a video Test Your Blood Sugar-Single Ladies Style and decided I was going to start working on a blog about the luncheon next. Well, LeeAnn beat me to the punch with an incredible post about the experience! So here is the begining of her post, I encourage you to read the entire post to hear the whole story and to see all the wonderful pictures. LeeAnn is an incredible blogger and a wonderful human being.

What's Right with Me? 

How awesome was the Behavioral Diabetes Institute's Celebration of Strength Luncheon for women with type 1 diabetes? Well, since last year's event was so incredible, my hopes were high for a comparably amazing luncheon this year, and I was not disappointed even a little bit.

As soon as I arrived at the sign-in table, Dr. Susan Guzman, one of the founding psychologists at BDI, greeted me with a big hug and gracious welcome. If it hadn't been for her invitation, I likely never would have gone. Once I was signed in, I entered the dining room, and sitting before me was Cherise from the heartfelt Diabetic_Iz_Me, Jaimie, admin extraordinaire from TuDiabetes, and Suzanne from 1HappyDiabetic, who very similar to me, has traveled the road of denial and is now hoping to help other diabetics as a mental health provider. I wouldn?thave hesitated to call these ladies my sisters prior to that moment,but actually meeting them in person just sealed the deal. We exchanged hugs and squeals of delight, and the picture-taking commenced,naturally!

Click HERE to read more and see pictures...