Solution to Fluctuating Blood Sugar Levels

Introduction - type 1 diabetes devices

    When first being diagnosed with diabetes, it can seem like a huge situation to tackle.  But through time and technology, it makes this process easier.  With diabetes, comes many different ways of solving the underlying problem of managing blood sugar.  Through this post, I will go through the different devices that help manage type 1 diabetes.

The First Stepping Stone

    When the first insulin pump was made in 1963, this was the first step in the right direction for medical devices to help patients manage their diabetes.  Dr. Arnold Kadish paved the way for this system. (Gdanietz, Ilka).
     It wasn't perfect, but it allowed for improvement in technology to take place.  Dr. Kadish solved the first problem of how to make insulin delivery easy.  While this pump was the size of a microwave, it allowed the ball to get rolling.

If you want to read more about Gdanietz article, click here.

Next Stop

    After the first insulin pump was made, over the next several decades it was improved.  The insulin pump kept with the technology advancements of the times and was developed with the best interest of the patient in mind.  The pumps we have today are small and portable.  They can be in your pocket, clipped on the waistline, or in a pouch.  This is a big improvement from the first model of the pump.
    The technology of the pump is what makes managing diabetes so effective.  As I have talked about in other posts, the insulin pump makes caring for one's diabetes the easiest it can be today.  After setting up the pump with the insulin to carb ratio, basal rate, target blood sugar, and correction factor, the pump does all the work.  The pump knows how much insulin to give you from an input that takes 30 seconds max.  This removes the need to calculate how much insulin to receive and then draw up the insulin and inject it was a syringe.  The insulin pump was truly one of the most beneficial inventions for managing type 1 diabetes.

Two Peas in a Pod

    In recent years the brand of insulin pump known as T:Slim or Tandem, developed a program form their insulin pump called Basal IQ (BIQ).  Firstly, the pump would pair with a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) specifically the brand Dexcom.  The insulin pump would be able to see what the blood sugar of the patient was and potentially save a low blood sugar from occurring.  If the patient is trending down on their blood sugar, the pump would recognize this and stop all insulin deliveries until the patient got back to a normal range.  This was a huge advancement in the diabetes world as it further increased the automation of caring for the disease.
    After the huge success from this program, Tandem took it a step further.  Instead of just stopping low blood sugars, the new program would also stop high blood sugars.  This new program, called Control IQ (CIQ), would also notice trends in the patient blood sugar.  Just like before, if the patient was trending to go low, the pump would stop all insulin.  But this time, if the patient was trending up, the patient would get extra insulin. 
    If you refer to the phone on the left in the picture below, you can see that the patient is obviously trending up.  First, you can tell by the steady increase in blood sugar on the chart, and second you can see the arrow above the current blood sugar reading is point up.  This indicates that the Dexcom has already realized the rising of blood sugar.  If the pump was connected to the Dexcom as well, this is when you would get extra insulin. This is the step that was added to Basil IQ to make it Control IQ.
    Looking at the phone on the right, you can see the patient's blood sugar is trending down.  Both by looking at the chart and by seeing the arrow pointing down by the current blood sugar reading.  This is when the pump would stop insulin deliveries to prevent a low blood sugar.

    This brings us to where we are today.  Automation is at an all-time high and caring for diabetes has never been easier.  Personally, this is the setup that I use.  I have the T:Slim X2 insulin pump for insulin delivery and I use the Dexcom G6 for monitoring my blood sugar.  The fact that two can work together to monitor my blood sugar even if I am sleeping is a huge life saver.  My A1C continues to get lower each doctor visit I go to, and I couldn't ask for anything more at this point.

The Solution

    Using these devices helps regulate fluctuating blood sugars levels.  The best part about it all is that it is automated as well.  As I said earlier, these devises work together and even can monitor or correct blood sugar levels when you are sleeping.  At this point in time, the only events that cause me to physically take my pump out and enter information are:
  1. When I am changing the cartridge and adding insulin
  2. When I am entering the amount of carbs I am eating
  3. When I need to update the pump information (insulin to carb ratio, target blood sugar, correction factor, and basal rate)
Besides these times, I am not constantly looking at my pump to chase blood my blood sugar levels.
    Ever since starting Control IQ, I have dramatically noticed a difference in my blood sugar levels.  The craziest thing is that I am actually doing less than I was before!  Technology has really come a long way since the beginning of type 1 diabetes management, and it is for the benefit of all type 1 diabetics who use it.  My hope is that by reading this article, you will realize that this technology is available to you and can make a very positive impact on your diabetes management.  Speaking from experience, I was scared when first switching to this system because it was something new.  I was used to what I was doing before and didn't want to take on new challenges.  But after the initial learning curve, I am truly grateful that I decided to take the leap of faith that changed my life forever.

If you have any questions or want more information about my experience, feel free to contact me!  This is done by clicking the "Contact" link at the top of the page and filling out the form. Or you can always leave a comment below!

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