DexCom and Tandem Diabetes Care Announce CGM Development and Commercialization Agreement

Breaking diabetes tech news!

DexCom and Tandem Diabetes to develop a "CGM-enabled insulin pump"

Read the blurb and then continue to the link for the rest... New diabetes tech innovations are always good news, I can't wait to hear more about this and other collaborations. 

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), a leader in continuous glucose monitoring systems, announced today that it has entered into a Development and Commercialization Agreement with Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. to integrate a future generation of DexCom’s continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology with Tandem’s t:slim™ Insulin Delivery System, the first ever touch-screen insulin pump.

You can read the rest of the announcement at this link

Current Tandem Pump

Current DexCom Receiver

DexCom CGM: Buy 4 sensors get 1 free offer

DexCom is offering a free sensor with your next order of four. This buy 4 get 1 free promotion seems to be an effort to get customers introduced to their new online store. Looks like you just have to register and then place your order via that online store. The offer ends in March 31, 2012.

If you are an adult (users under 18 see below) DexCom user this is a no-brainer, we've all been waiting for the company to set up an easier way of placing an order. Now you'll be able to order online or set up a auto-reorder. You can visit the DexCom website and choose the link that looks like the image below (they banner rotates), it will take you to this link.

Now if you are the parent of a Dex user things get a little confusing but you can still easily take advantage of the offer and set up an auto-reorder (they call it 'Schedule Ship'). Since minors can't register to make purchases through their online store the form on the website is not going to help you. I had to call customer service, wait for a call back, etc. I asked my CSR if there was an easier way for the parents that read my site to take advantage of this offer, he and I came up with this...

Parents of minors that use DexCom can take advantage of the buy 4 get 1 free offer by simply calling...

Brian at 877-339-2664, extension 5561

Tell Brian that you were sent by Scott from Arden's Day, that you would like to set up a Schedule Ship and receive a free sensor as part of their offer. Brian will email you the 'Schedule Shipment' form, you send it back to him and you'll be finished signing up for their Schedule Ship program... getting your free sensor in the process.

Speaking of free stuff:

Apidra is free until 4/30/12 

I have a 3 year supply of Spring's Universal Infusion Sets to give away

I just unintentionally saw Twilight

Arden and Cole both received the same Christmas gift from their grandmother... Gift certificates for dinner, book shopping and a movie with Grandmom. Arden wasted no time and exercised part of her gift tonight, asking to see Twilight. My mom isn't able to manage diabetes on her own so I tagged along to set Arden up with snacks and insulin. I was going to sit in the lobby or another movie so Arden could feel like she was by herself with her grandmom.

In the beginning things were going well. Arden's BG was 120 and drifting down as we took our place in the concession line. Everything was set up perfectly for Arden to enjoy the evening and I thought that we had handled an earlier meal well, putting her in a great position to watch Bella and the gang stare lovingly into the camera and/or off into space.

The concession line was very long and moving insufferably slow so I suggested that Arden and my mom head into the theater to find their seats. Arden was so excited, she was about to spend two hours feeling independent and hanging out with her grandmom. I was equally happy and loved the idea of her spending this time away from the constant overseeing... sadly diabetes had other plans. I watched the time closely as I waited for the popcorn because Arden's DexCom was still indicating a diagonal arrow down when she walked away. The concession line continued to crawl along, taking twenty plus minutes to get snacks and return to the girls.

I thought that I'd find Arden with a BG of around 100 when we met next.

When I arrived at Arden's seat she said, "did you get my text - I feel really dizzy". The long wait in line had set me back about ten minutes but I didn't think it was an issue becasue Arden was going to text if there was a problem. It turns out that I wasn't receiving my text messages (due to a week cell signal in the lobby), these messages came through a few minutes after I got to Arden...

Arden didn't take steps to control her BG drop because she thought that I'd be there any second with her food and "(I) didn't want to get too high so I waited".

I tested Arden as the opening credits rolled, her BG was 47 and still falling. I quickly gave her a glucose tablet and she began to eat her movie treats but it was too late, she was beyond dizzy. It was then that Arden asked me to take her home... I immediately felt incredibly sad for her.

I suggested that she stay, promised that she'd feel better soon and that she could still enjoy the movie. She agreed, I sat on the floor in front of her (the theater was full), she continued to eat. The DexCom finally indicated that her BG fall had stopped so I bolused for the snacks, she said that she felt better so I went to the lobby to give her the alone time that she had so wanted. fyi, I did get to see Bella marry that British kid before I left.

About twenty minutes later I received this text from Arden, "I feel dizzyer and the cgm says that I am 108". I went back in, we talked and she asked for some candy. A little while later she indicated that she felt better and said the sweetest thing. She said, "a feel a little better but I think that I get more dizzy when you leave", she paused and looked a bit uncomfortable. I told her that I could just stay with them but she indicated that I should go... I could tell that she wanted me to stay. I asked her why she looked conflicted, it was then that Arden told me that she believed that I was in a different movie and she didn't want me to miss it. Her concern for me was so sweet... I told her that I was just reading in the lobby and that I didn't mind staying, she smiled and sat back in her seat. I tried to find a good position at the top of the stairs to watch the last hour of the movie. By the time the film ended my left leg, butt and lower back were numb, perhaps as dead as Bella after she completed her transformation but I didn't mind. After the movie I tried to apologize to the woman sitting next to Arden but she wouldn't let me, she smiled in a way that said she understood and put her hand on my arm.

I am happy to tell you that while this evening didn't go even slightly as planned, it was still a success in Arden's eyes. She had a great time and called the movie "creepy but good". I am so proud of her, she never gave in tonight, she's the toughest person that I know.

My Twilight seat

Without a CGM and the information that it provides we would have never been able to make the adjustments necessary for Arden to remain in the theater. In kind, having an insulin pump and the ability to suspend background insulin was equally pivotal in navigating this diabetes moment. Type I diabetes made this night a challenge but having the correct tools and attitude were the key to not letting it get the better of us. Tomorrow, lunch and book shopping with Grandmom. I'll be outside... just in case.

OmniPod Rash?

If you've ever experienced a rash under your OmniPod, CGM or infusion set adhesive, read on.

Before I begin I need to say that I'm not a doctor and you should never confuse me sharing my experiences with health care advice. Never make adjustments to a care plan without first checking with your physician.

In the summer of 2010 Arden began to develop a rather severe rash under her OmniPod. I was confused because she had been wearing her OmniPod for a rather long time with no issues and it seemed random that she would suddenly have such a reaction. I turned to the internet, called Insulet and was presented with a number of "solutions". My problem with the answer that I was given was that it included buying more stuff and it complicated the pod application process. I really believe that the simple answer is often the best, so I held off on putting the conventional fix into practice and took another shot at diagnosing the issue myself.

Before I could put my thinking cap on I noticed that I was rubbing my finger tips against my thumb and that my finger tips were sore. I looked at them and saw that they were dry and begining to crack. I drifted away from Arden's issue momentarily to wonder about my own and then it hit me - I'm always touching alcohol swabs, that's probably why my fingers are so dry.

That realization led to an epiphany and suddenly I (thought) knew why Arden was developing rashes. At Arden's next pod change and every DexCom and OmniPod application since, I have cleaned Arden's sites with warm water and a clean towel - nothing else. Not only has she never had another rash but her pods don't stick to her like they've been cemented on when it's time for them to be changed (don't worry, they don't come off prematurely).

Turns out for Arden, chemically wiping away the oil that her skin makes naturally and then covering the area with an adhesive strip, wasn't a good idea.

I've shared our process with Arden's endo NP. She wasn't thrilled that I stopped disinfecting Arden's sites before poking a hole into her but she does acknowledge that we may have had to discontinue using Arden's pump without this adjustment. For us it's a calculated risk, you and your doctor can decide if it's the right thing for you to do. I wish you much luck!

When diabetes throws you a curve... just go with it

My son Cole is a baseball player and we talk about different aspects of playing the game with some frequency. He's a good listener and he makes adjustments most times with ease. There is this one pitch that he struggles to hit, it's low and just a bit outside but is almost always called a strike. Cole won't swing at that pitch no matter how many times I assure him that he can reach it. I tell him all the time to, "just go with the it" but he resists.

Perhaps 'just go with it' is something you have to feel and not something another person can describe but I'm still going to try.

Managing your day-to-day stress as it relates to your child's type I diabetes is, if you can find a way to 'feel it', as easy as just going with it...

Arden's BG was pretty perfect Sunday evening when we changed her OmniPod, except for her basal she didn't get any insulin for the remainder of the evening. By midnight her BG had drifted up to around 180 so I delivered a small corrective bolus. An hour later her DexCom began to beep and indicated that her BG had risen above our high limit, which was odd because I definitely expected that the last bolus would bring her to 120 but instead she was more like 220.

Getting the idea that the last bolus wasn't making a dent in her number, I gave a little more and then waited two hours to see where we stood.

Two hours later was about 3 am and her BG had not moved, I knew now that we either had to push a large bolous and everything would be great or change the site and start over. I wanted to bolus big but at that time of morning I couldn't be sure that I'd be in any condition to act if she was suddenly 45 at 5 am so I gave another small correction and set an alarm for 6:30 (an hour and a half before Arden gets up for school).

When the alarm sounded I felt like I had sand in my eyes. I checked her CGM and saw the steadiest line you could imagine, steady but too high. I bolused this time for the full correction plus the 36 carbs that Arden would be eating for breakfast. I then literally thought, "that'll do it" as my head hit the pillow to get my last 45 minutes of broken sleep.

In the morning I got Cole off to school and went back upstairs to wake Arden whose BG I was sure was going to be in range and heading south just in time for breakfast. The rest went just like you think it did. Her BG was a little lower, falling but in no way was she feeling the full effect of that last bolus. The site needed to be moved.

In that instant my entire day changed.

Arden wasn't making the bus and I needed to wait out the last bolous before she could even eat. It was a mess but I didn't let the sudden upheaval of the day rattle me or Arden. I explained how our day changed so Arden wouldn't be flustered, we pulled out some books to read to help take her mind off of her hunger. I moved an appointment, slide a number of to-dos to the next day, emailed the nurse and her teacher and then refocused on my new goal for the day - getting everything back to normal and salvaging as much of Arden's school day as I could.

I realize that being a stay at home parent helps lessen some outside influences. I don't have a boss to report to so I can be flexible but it's not the mechanics of the day that I'm most proud of. I'm proud that when the pitch tailed away from me I didn't complain that it was a ball or that the ump was screwing me. In fact I didn't even wait for someone or something else to tell me what my reality was going to be.

I just went with it, I dictated what happened next.

There is a moment in almost every situation when you make a choice. You can dress it up anyway you like but in the end you decide how you feel and what you'll do next. If you go with it and just except that in this moment you took the best option available to you, well, I don't understand how you can be upset. We may not control the when or why in our lives but we sure can have our say in the how.

When my son learns to let go and swing at that low outside pitch he's going to miss a few, he'll foul off even more but once in a while he is going to drive that shitty pitch so far into right field that it'll make all the swings and misses very worthwhile.

Arden got to school at noon. Her BG was in range, she had breakfast and was ready to learn. We even got to spend some great time together. I did the best I could with the pitch I got.