Yesterday was a busy diabetes day. In addition to just having diabetes (and believe me, that’s enough!), I attended an advocacy training program sponsored by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and there was a vote by an FDA Advisory Committee regarding the Dexcom G5.
Number #1: My Diabetes: Nothing momentous to say about my diabetes except that yep, I’ve still got it. I had a big unexpected BG spike after a restaurant salad lunch. Maybe there was hidden sugar in the salad dressing. Maybe my glass of wine decided to be a problem. Maybe it was the mid-morning peanut snack dosed with an extended bolus. Maybe it was because it was 90+ degrees outside with off-the-chart humidity even though I was comfortable inside with air conditioning. Maybe it was because it was Thursday. This is the sort of stuff that makes it a miracle that those of us dealing with Type 1 even have a modicum of sanity left in our lives.
Number #2: ADA Advocacy Training: I attended a late afternoon Advocacy Training seminar sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. I found it to be very empowering and in a moment of bravado, I signed up to be available for in-person office visits to my congressional representatives. I am a confident advocate when writing, but speaking and putting myself “out there” border on terrifying.
The ADA has a good app for advocacy and I suggest that you check it out. It provides information on national and state advocacy priorities and links to easily become involved in ADA advocacy. Search for “Diabetes Advocacy” in the app store.
Because Scott Johnson was the reason that I knew about this seminar, I can’t say that it was a surprise to run into him by the Diet Coke cooler. But it’s always a pleasure to see Scott.
Number #3: FDA and Dexcom G5: I was pleased to receive an email from Bennet Dunlap of DPAC sharing news from yesterday’s FDA Advisory Committee meeting on Dexcom G5 labeling. The panel voted 8-2 to recommend approval of a G5 labeling change to allow insulin dosing without a confirmatory BG meter test. The FDA will have to make the final approval, but it is likely that the advisory committee’s recommendation will be accepted. This change should help justify Medicare coverage for CGM’s as well as expand the use of CGM to more patient populations.
That’s it for today. Have a good weekend!
This post is a mixture of important and not-very-important stuff. If you’re like me and getting tired of ‘heavy” and “try to change the world” issues, you might want to just read the last section which deals with autumn colors and burned-out lightbulbs. November is coming soon and I need to re-energize myself when it comes to diabetes advocacy. I will — because diabetes never takes a vacation.
Most of us try to live a healthy life. Yeah, we make some bad decisions but we also do a lot of things right. I always think that it is funny how many of us share photos of post-doctor appointment cupcakes. Why do we work hard to prepare for medical appointments and then revel in “forbidden” treats afterwards? Are we just being healthy to impress our medical professionals? Beats me, but I always feel the need to “reward” myself after a stressful appointment or lab test.
So far I have not had a great experience with long-lasting power-saving lightbulbs. My latest glitch was the rattling and sizzling demise of a $15 lightbulb. I put in another bulb and it died in a day or two. Being the electrical whiz that I am, I determined that I needed to replace the burned out socket in the lamp. A trip to the hardware store, a new socket, and a $20 LED bulb solved the problem. The new bulb is advertised to last 22.8 years and ultimately save me $231. I’ll be 84 years old when it bites the dust (unless it’s like the old one which only lasted a month).
Mid-October is a colorful time in Minnesota. This photo was taken late last week on an early morning dog walk. Unfortunately strong winds and cold temperatures have resulted in a blanket of beautiful leaves in my yard. But one good thing: Raking counts as exercise for the Big Blue Test!
Test Guess and Go 