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

[G Melconian]

Veronica can you do some snooping for us type 2 diabetics as well see 
what's out there what's on the horizon what's new and he can give us some 
info as well. I really appreciate it I really appreciate real death report 
that you gave us on this email so you can give us more info as to what's 
happening with the type to use I'd really appreciate it thank you


On March 31, 2019 2:42:31 PM Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk 
<diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> 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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