[Diabetes-Talk] My day at the TCOYD conference.

Mon Apr 1 00:03:59 UTC 2019

Thanks so much for your snooping, info and insight...keep it up! Diana cook

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 31, 2019, at 5:56 PM, Joy Stigile via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Veronica,
> Wow!  That was a great report.  Let us know about any progress with the
> contact name and numbers you received in case you think it would help if
> more people contacted them.
> Warmly, Joy
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2019 2:40 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Veronica Elsea <veronica at laurelcreekmusic.com>
> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] My day at the TCOYD conference.
> 
> Hi everyone.
> Just for your info, TCOYD stands for taking control of your diabetes. I did
> have a great time at the conference yesterday and learned quite a bit.
> In the Type 1 section, they started with a very funny game, like the old
> Newly Wed game on TV. Three couples, where one half had type 1 had questions
> to answer and tried to get the same response. Oh man we just roared with
> laughter. The questions were things like, what foods, not glucose tabs, do
> you devour during a low blood sugar? 
> I didn't spend quite as much time in the exhibits as I wanted to, but did
> have some interesting chats. 
> Of course I chatted with the Omnipod reps there. They took pictures of the
> tool Peter and I made that helps filling the syringes and thought that
> everyone would like this. I did feel their new PDM that's coming, which is
> the touch screen. My response, ew! It feels like a big ol' phone. I got an
> explanation of their Horizon, which will be their closed loop system. I did
> speak to someone who works with their engineers and gave my speech about
> speech and the use of "Talkback" in the PDM. We exchanged contact info so I
> sure hope I can make some follow-up happen. 
> On the Tandem, no hope for us totals on the current model. They're coming
> out with a model which is completely controlled by an iPhone. I did ask them
> if they were thinking of making the iPhone app look like their current pump
> simulator app and they said they thought so. I did my best to put in a
> discouraging word on this because it's totally graphic and completely not
> usable by us. 
> I also visited the Medtronic booth. I really wonder if this company will
> ever get it. First we have the usual discussion about the current pumps. Oh,
> blind people use our pumps. Really? How? They then describe the easy bolus
> feature. I ask, okay, what else? Pause. I then ask, would you sell your pump
> to a sighted person by telling them they could do easy bolus. Of course not.
> So why shouldn't we want all the features of a pump? Then they admit that
> they fall short. But yesterday's crew was harder to reach than usual. I
> said, that's wearing a pump, not using a pump. Then they kind of woke up.
> And wouldn't you know, I got the same answer I always get. We're coming out
> with a new pump in about a year. Yeah right!
> I did play with a smart pen a bit. This one was called, In Pen. It looks
> just like any other insulin pen but it has blue tooth and connects to an
> iPhone app. It's not disposable and you change cartridges like we did in the
> 80's and 90's. It did have half-unit clicks, which is pretty cool. As for
> the app, I didn't get to create a setup that involved VoiceOver to really
> check it out. It has some way of keeping track of what you've taken, a
> calculator to figure out insulin on board, and was a lot about sending
> reports to your doctors. I mentioned that it should be able to tell us how
> much insulin was left in the cartridge. I did get phone numbers so I may
> call and chat with someone for the fun of it. Apparently a lot of people use
> the smart pens if they want a pump vacation, like in the summer. 
> I also attended the session on the artificial pancreas systems. That was
> quite fascinating and requires more investigation on my part. This was the
> session for the hackers, oh boy! There are some companies called Loop,
> Tidepool and another name that's escaping me at the moment. But you get an
> extra box called something like Reilly or something, which essentially
> connects your pump to an iPhone and you can turn it into a virtual closed
> loop system. Apparently Omnipod is even sanctioning the Loop system. Well,
> of course I wondered about their iPhone apps to see if this had the
> potential to in effect create a talking pump for us. You bet I plan to
> snoop. But all of these DIY closed loop systems started after a father
> wanted to monitor his child at school, before the days of Share. This
> program was called Night Scout and it basically stored data online
> somewhere. Anyway, there's a big research project on this at Stanford, at
> least.
> There is another system that works off of older Minimed pumps like the Rebel
> or Paradigm Gee, maybe you could have some fun here, Eileen. 
> The current Medtronic 670G is called a hybrid closed loop system, because
> you still have to enter correction and meal boluses yourself. A true closed
> loop just watches the readings and reacts. Tandem has what they call Basil
> IQ and control IQ, which means they're kind of implementing one step at a
> time. But all of the pump companies are feverishly working towards that
> closed loop system. One of the interesting comments was that right now,
> these DIY systems, which are open source, for your tech nerds out there,
> have collected more actual data than the Medtronic did for FDA approval. The
> greatest change seems to happen for those with really high A1C's but for
> those who are at 7% or less, the biggest reported difference was less stress
> and better sleep at night. Hey, that would do for me. <grin> But it was just
> fun learning about this stuff.
> As for the Dexcom, the answers were just all over the place on Dexcom and
> Medicare. They ranged from any day now, all the way to next November. Man,
> at that point I sure paused and silently expressed my gratitude for the
> results of making all the noise I did. Nobody seemed to know when the Libre
> 2 was coming out here but the reports of good accuracy data were definitely
> increasing.
> Anyway, that's my first batch of thoughts and I'll let you know what happens
> as I do my follow-up snooping.
> Veronica
> 
> 
> "Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on
> iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
> To learn more, visit:
> http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
>                 Veronica Elsea, Owner
> Laurel Creek Music Designs
> Santa Cruz, California
> Phone: 831-429-6407
> 
> 
> 
> 
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