Closed loop system to go on trial in UK

[DeusXM]

BBC NEWS | Health | Young to test artificial pancreas (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6110472.stm)

Not impressed. It's still another 7-9 years off - shouldn't they be using that time to find a cure, instead of just another treatment? If the dual-drug therapy is really about 5-10 years away as suggested, that would look a much better option.

[JediSkipdogg]

Personally, I just don't think the idea is possible in the terms they are talking about. There are too many outside factors that just won't make it work, or if it does work, you can't eat anything that would cause a fast BG spike because it would be too fast for the CGMS half to recognize. Making one run high for 30+ minutes. That and we need a CGMS that takes readings more often than every 5 minutes so that it can do an average of say that last 5 readings before making a conclusion. I know many on current CGMS find an oddball number in there. So, that would just be more of a danger than a help in my eyes.

I'll wait out the dual drug therapy and hope progress is made with it in humans.

[Stuboy]

just looks like more devices to be hooked up to! tubes and gadgets all over your body... ill stick with MDI thanks !

[Mister Q]

Just seen a report about this on the BBC news, not ideal I know but I take some comfort from the fact at least they are trying to make a difference.

[JediSkipdogg]

The one thing I'm still puzzled with is why try it on children first? I think that would be the last you'd want to try it. First you'd try it on adults with a stable BG on the pump. Then try a step up to adults with an unstable BG. But not the children first.

[Funnygrl]

Are they talking about a true closed loop artificial pancreas, or the paradigm RT system?

[spike]

BBC NEWS | Health | Young to test artificial pancreas (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6110472.stm)

Not impressed. It's still another 7-9 years off - shouldn't they be using that time to find a cure, instead of just another treatment? If the dual-drug therapy is really about 5-10 years away as suggested, that would look a much better option.

I don't get it: the picture shows the MM system. We all know there will be no such thing as an artificial pancrease using the subcutaneous infusion method due to the many hours that insulin remains active in the body.

[Cyborg]

Sure looks like the Paradigm RT to me...

[E-NICE]

If there are other more promising possible cures coming. Research dollars should not be going toward this, unless there is something we are not being told.:top:

[Dewey]

In the UK, I have heard of the implantable pump having been in trials, but nothing about a closed-loop system. As other posters have mentioned, the latest Paradigm with CGMS integration was what the article pictured.

Also, I read most of the article, and maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but don't you all just 'love' the negative spin they get (from only one or two sources, for example)?

It just irks me to No end when they quote such things as, "Daily insulin injections and finger prick blood tests are such a tremendous physical and emotional burden" - JDRF chief executive Karen Addington
Testing one's sugar is hardly a burden when compared to all the fun stuff that could happen down the line if we don't...or, especially when compared to worse diseases...

Also, how about the quotes of the little girl who said, "I just want to fit in with my friends. I feel like the odd man out." What ever happened to being a leader and Not trying to be like everyone else!?
Besides, if the little girl quoted has real friends, they won't care about the few extra steps it takes to maintain her health, and would worry more about what they could do to understand & help. I don't care what age they are (7 or 70), it's always better to learn while young and will teach them valuable lessons in life & health.

Sorry, didn't mean to get off-track, but those things just bother me. Now back to the "closed loop" discussions.

[Funnygrl]

I was scared about being open about diabetes at first, but now I am totally open, and my friends have never once made me feel like that odd one out. I lot of people have their own issues. Diabetes is just a small part of me, and certainly doesn't define my style or personality.

[Dewey]

I was scared about being open about diabetes at first, but now I am totally open, and my friends have never once made me feel like that odd one out. I lot of people have their own issues. Diabetes is just a small part of me, and certainly doesn't define my style or personality.

I hope I didn't come across as knocking the little girl, cause that wasn't my intention at all. We all have varying opinions, and that's cool.

I think what I was getting at, is the negative spin the media loves to put on having Diabetes - like it's the world's worst "burden." That was my biggest annoyance. Then, to utilize just a few of the little girl's comments (that happened to reflect the things she personally felt dissatisfied with) to push that logic is even more irritating. Not every person that has this condition feels that way, but you never seem to hear from those who don't...:whistling

[Funnygrl]

I hope I didn't come across as knocking the little girl, cause that wasn't my intention at all. We all have varying opinions, and that's cool.

I think what I was getting at, is the negative spin the media loves to put on having Diabetes - like it's the world's worst "burden." That was my biggest annoyance. Then, to utilize just a few of the little girl's comments (that happened to reflect the things she personally felt dissatisfied with) to push that logic is even more irritating. Not every person that has this condition feels that way, but you never seem to hear from those who don't...:whistling
Yeah, and that's what I was agreeing with you on.

[DeusXM]

On the other hand Dewey, you gotta remember that there's a difference between coping and not coping. I 'cope' with diabetes. I don't let it stop me doing whatever I want in life. That doesn't mean that I necessarily deal with it too well psychologically.

I'm sure the following is true for you too. I absolutely hate having diabetes. I never thought when I was a child it would be possible to hate something so totally and entirely. All I want is a bit of REAL normality, not the version that I have to prepare myself. No-one else out there is constantly thinking about what their BG is doing, how much insulin they need to take, how they're going to cope in an unexpected situation. That's what I want, that's what I ask for. I would do anything, absolutely anything to get free of that. I'd wade through rivers of blood if it meant a way out.

But I still cope. Privately I might want a way out of diabetes (one way or the other too, for that matter) but I cope with the condition. Unfortunately, this is where the problem stems from. I feel very schizophrenic at times because diabetes makes me two very different people - one is the outward, easy-going, able-to-cope, worry-free me. That's the face I present to the world because I cannot bear the thought that people out there would feel sorry for me because I have diabetes. It's essential for my sanity that I'm able to demonstrate that the condition stops me. The other personality is the one I've just spilled out in the previous paragraph.

The worry-free me is the one that's the problem. I deliberately play down the **** we all have to deal with when you have diabetes. But then that means people think it isn't a big deal. And when they think that, they stop caring so much, they don't think finding a cure is a big deal, and they think you're ok.

I am NOT ok.

So that's why I'm so pleased this girl has 'broken the code' here - because if a little girl who's crying out for a normal life doesn't help people 'get' it, nothing will.

[Diana]

Just wanted to say, Deus, I 100% know what you mean. I feel exactly the same way. Everyone who knows me thinks I am so well adjusted, am coping so well, that the diabetes doesnt affect me. If only they knew the truth.
Thanks for your post.

[DeusXM]

EDIT FOR MY PREVIOUS POST:

It's essential for my sanity that I'm able to demonstrate that the condition doesn't stop me. The other personality is the one I've just spilled out in the previous paragraph.

[E-NICE]

We cope because we have to. We cope to stay alive long enough for the the day when we don't have to cope anymore!!

[Dewey]

I'm sure the following is true for you too. I absolutely hate having diabetes. I never thought when I was a child it would be possible to hate something so totally and entirely. All I want is a bit of REAL normality, not the version that I have to prepare myself. No-one else out there is constantly thinking about what their BG is doing, how much insulin they need to take, how they're going to cope in an unexpected situation. That's what I want, that's what I ask for. I would do anything, absolutely anything to get free of that. I'd wade through rivers of blood if it meant a way out.
I've been meaning to respond to this, but have been busy. Sorry, but I just don't fit the "mold" of most people. I don't hate my Diabetes, I own it. I'm not saying there have never been days where higher numbers frustrated me (cause there has been), but I've always viewed it as a gift rather than a curse. It has helped me take better care of myself, and provided me the ability to help others when they were/are in need. Furthermore, I've had it for 24 years, and in that time went from testing with Diastix & KetoDiastix (urine tests only) to being able to test sugars with glucometers, so something like taking the time to prick fingers was & is (to Me) a very welcomed change.

I'll tell you what diseases I DO HATE (can't say this any plainer), and ones that I consider to be a he** of a lot worse than Diabetes...Cancers (All types), Alzheimer's, Parkinson's...(just to name a few). In all the people with all the illnesses out there, the patients I find to be the most inspirational & uplifting are Cancer patients. They hardly Ever complain, Always seek new & better treatments, and above all, they Never lose hope (even if they're on their deathbed).

These are my views only. People are welcome to argue them until they are blue in the face, but I'll Never change. I've been this way since the day I was diagnosed, and will likely be this way till I die.

Back to the topic at hand: I personally think the closed loop system may be an awesome step forward (a stepping stone if you will), but believe it's going to take a great deal of time. The biggest factor is that each person with Diabetes may react differently to similar situations, and no machine has been able to master this understanding yet.

[DeusXM]

I'll tell you what diseases I DO HATE (can't say this any plainer), and ones that I consider to be a he** of a lot worse than Diabetes...Cancers (All types), Alzheimer's, Parkinson's...(just to name a few). In all the people with all the illnesses out there, the patients I find to be the most inspirational & uplifting are Cancer patients. They hardly Ever complain, Always seek new & better treatments, and above all, they Never lose hope (even if they're on their deathbed).

These are my views only. People are welcome to argue them until they are blue in the face, but I'll Never change. I've been this way since the day I was diagnosed, and will likely be this way till I die.

I'm certainly not going to argue with you. I'm in a slightly different position to you - I'm very fortunate in that I've never had to see a loved one or relative fight against a medical condition. I strongly believe that it's far worse to see someone you love and respect have to fight against something like that, than it is for you to have to do it yourself.

I'm certainly not intending to lose hope (see the thread on cures) and I never will either. Like I said, my problem isn't not being able to cope with the rigmarole of having diabetes. I can cope just fine with that. I just really, really wish I didn't have to cope. I refuse to feel sorry for myself though. My tough front isn't necessarily just a front. And I'm going to say that's where I have similarity with the people who we both agree have a worse deal. I honestly think that the reason people who have to fight through terminal conditions can be so uplifting in their belief isn't because they keep fighting - it's because they go through all the same things that I've said I bottle up and get on with it. I'm sure that every cancer patient or whatever who carries on with their zest for life despite their diagnosis has that same secret inner drive as I've illustrated - that total and utter craving for a solution and for things to be back the way they were. Like I said, we all deep down have that inner anger - it's just a question of how well you're able to fight against it. You may well regard diabetes as a 'gift' in some ways (much for the same reasons I'm not 100% sorry I developed T1), but if you can honestly say you wouldn't take a cure if one was available, then you're right, you're definitely a mould apart.