Interesting article on diabetes by non diabetics

[drummingfool]

adaptive path blog Rachel Hinman Charmr: Diabetes Management Research ? There’s No Vacation from Diabetes (http://bit.ly/3NffhR)

A survey on diabetics by non-diabetics. Just talks about some of the challenges. I like how well they were able to capture some of our frustrations.

Let me know what you guys think. I think they did a good job on it.

[rak1978]

That was really good! Thanks for sharing.

[alura]

Seems like they really did get involved....while I don't require insulin or a pump, I agree that it seems they could be more user friendly based on what I have read here on DF.....hope work is ongoing for that

[Subby]

I enjoyed the read. As a general stab, I found it pretty reflective of a lot of concerns.

I can say though, that for me and a few people I know, pumps are beautiful devices, simply stunning... the added control and freedom trumps and enhances the looks, any day :) Waterproofing doesn't strike me as an issue for myself, it's minor compared to many other things. Now, would I chose to wear a pump if I could get equal control without it? No, of course not. But weigh up something a bit clunky looking next to more hypos, hypers, and more restrictions such as more difficulty exercising, and it's hard to complain about the looks. For me anyway.

Thanks for the link. Appreciated.

[drummingfool]

I agree. I love my new pump. I wouldnt care if it was the shape of a unicorn, I'd probably still wear it. :)

[rak1978]

I love the control I get from the pump also, but I agree with the article about it being clunky. Waterproofing is not really a concern of mine either...although I am sitting here inside on my lap top while my family is in the pool because of a sensor issue. :)
It seems that the function of the pump is great, the asthetics could use some improvement. Overall, it's a lifesaver!

[rak1978]

I agree. I love my new pump. I wouldnt care if it was the shape of a unicorn, I'd probably still wear it. :)

Not to stir up any controversy here, but maybe men are more comfortable wearing the pump than women? :confused:

[Subby]

Not to stir up any controversy here, but maybe men are more comfortable wearing the pump than women? :confused:

You might be right... I'd be tempted to say, it's just going to be a different factor for everyone, the degree to which a pump might annoy both in looks and in wearing.

[palefacegirl03]

I have been pumping two years. No problems with how it looks or wearing it. I dont really hide it either.
Swimming, I just disconnect and the test and reconnect as needed.

[retired60]

Thanks for sharing the article. As time goes on the pump will be like cell phones, they will be hardly noticeable .......and be able to do all kind of different things.

[poodlebone]

Not to stir up any controversy here, but maybe men are more comfortable wearing the pump than women? :confused:

I think there probably are more women than men who talk about ways to hide the pump. I personally don't care if people see my pump or the tubing. I think that of the tubed pumps out there in wide use the MInimed is pretty boring. I don't think it's as nice looking as the Animas but it's not ugly like the Accu-Chek Spirit. I never liked the look of the Cozmo much but that's not even an option anymore.

[CountYourselfIn]

Couldn't agree more w/ all that.

Pen needles are at least a huge step in humanizing insulin supplementation, insofar as it's quicker, and much more subtble than filling a needle froma vial. lol

Every tech conglomerate has eventually caught on that the human experience is a huge factor (Dell, Microsoft, etc) - our turn will come. = )

Shoot, I even saw an article where Mark Ecko was designing a fashion-forward artificial limb.

Seriously... diabetic supplies are gonna get a touch of style more than One Touch pumping out 5 colours for their Mini.

[DeusXM]

I hope so. Here's a question.

In front of me right now, I have an MP3 player I bought from a dodgy shop in Thailand in 2006. It can hold 2Gb worth of tracks, has play/pause, ffd, rwd and track forward/track back buttons, a screen that tells you what track is playing, a USB port, headphone jack, radio AND a built-in speaker. It cost me about $25

Do you what to know how big it is?

It's about the same size as the last joint of my thumb. It is tiny.

My question is, if some knock-off Chinese company could do all the above in a package that size and then sell it for peanuts, why on earth is it the case that every pump I've seen is like a massive pager and every BG monitor is about the same size as my palm? Seriously, I've got a phone that's about the same size as my One-Touch Ultra Smart. With a touchscreen. On which I'm posting this post right now.

It's almost as if the product manufacturers everywhere took one look at the 'diabetic' market, assumed that everyone in it was over 50 and therefore 'obviously' afraid of technology.

What I suspect would make many people's lives easier would be a BG monitor the size of a USB memory stick with a self contained lancet and test strips. You just put it by your finger, press the button, the lancet stabs, the strip draws the blood and then the monitor tells you your BG. Then with the conveniently added USB connector on the back, you can then plug it into a computer to upload the results.

Something like that is really not beyond the realms of technical possibility and there's no reason why it would even cost much either.

[lorilei]

I agree. I love my new pump. I wouldnt care if it was the shape of a unicorn, I'd probably still wear it. :)

hmm...lol..what have you got against unicorns? j/k...agreed and purely based on this quote from your link :"The only difference is that diabetics take on the added responsibility of keeping themselves alive every day."

[drummingfool]

I hope so. Here's a question.

In front of me right now, I have an MP3 player I bought from a dodgy shop in Thailand in 2006. It can hold 2Gb worth of tracks, has play/pause, ffd, rwd and track forward/track back buttons, a screen that tells you what track is playing, a USB port, headphone jack, radio AND a built-in speaker. It cost me about $25

Do you what to know how big it is?

It's about the same size as the last joint of my thumb. It is tiny.

My question is, if some knock-off Chinese company could do all the above in a package that size and then sell it for peanuts, why on earth is it the case that every pump I've seen is like a massive pager and every BG monitor is about the same size as my palm? Seriously, I've got a phone that's about the same size as my One-Touch Ultra Smart. With a touchscreen. On which I'm posting this post right now.

It's almost as if the product manufacturers everywhere took one look at the 'diabetic' market, assumed that everyone in it was over 50 and therefore 'obviously' afraid of technology.

What I suspect would make many people's lives easier would be a BG monitor the size of a USB memory stick with a self contained lancet and test strips. You just put it by your finger, press the button, the lancet stabs, the strip draws the blood and then the monitor tells you your BG. Then with the conveniently added USB connector on the back, you can then plug it into a computer to upload the results.

Something like that is really not beyond the realms of technical possibility and there's no reason why it would even cost much either.

These things are not out of the realm of possibility at ALL. There could be a chinese company that could have the plans drawn and an item in mass production in 3 days tops. They would then turn around and sell it cheap to US consumers. Include an insulin pump into that little tester and they could easily sell it for $150, $200 max. But why will it not happen?

Same reason a vial of novolog costs $203 full price at my pharmacy but I get it online from another country for less that $30. Its greed. To pull in a convo from before, someone asked, "wouldnt it be cheaper for them to keep us alive and give us what we need to do so?" But no, it isnt. They can jack up the prices as much as they want because most people dont know they have other avenues. Those people are forced to buy at full price, hundreds a month. Its not like they have a choice, right?

And for those unfortunate enough to end up in the hospital because of a lack of meds and supplies, well who cares, right? The government funds those hospitals, so its DEFINITELY not like theyre losing any money down that avenue.

They get their money whether we stay healthy or we dont. And thats really what it boils down to.

I think that will be my rant for the day. :)

[DeusXM]

They get their money whether we stay healthy or we dont. And thats really what it boils down to.

Not so sure. Test strip companies don't really make any money at all on BG monitors. It's the test strips they get the cash from, which is why they give away the monitors, to hook you on the strips.

Leaving aside my personal feelings on the rip-off test strip industry, as you say it really would not be a massive challenge to redesign a monitor that used an existing brand of test strips but was much more functional. I'm still convinced that the problem is either the people working in the product design departments of these companies either don't get access to any feedback from actual end-users, or more likely, they're given a brief which says that the monitor has to be suitable for ALL people with diabetes - which basically means you have to consider your 80-year-old patient who has trouble operating anything more complex than a calculator or a remote control and forget the more 'gifted' customers.

It still amazes me that we're stuck with monitors that are still using monochrome LCD screens. I can get a mobile phone in the UK with a full colour screen for $10, so the technology required obviously isn't that costly.

****** I'm just getting wound up now. I'm starting to wish I'd studied engineering now because I've got the feeling the only way we'll ever see real progress on this is if someone with diabetes actually gets involved.

[drummingfool]

Not so sure. Test strip companies don't really make any money at all on BG monitors. It's the test strips they get the cash from, which is why they give away the monitors, to hook you on the strips.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying the only way they make their money is through the machines themselves. Meters and syringes are cheap because usually the same companies that make these also make the thing necessary to use them (test strips and insulin). Anything that requires a consumable product for upkeep will be cheap, while the upkeep supplies will be outrageous. Someone may go through one meter in 2 years, but what good is a meter without 120+ strips per month? Jack up the price of the consumable, and you've got money to fill those deep pockets.

Supplies in general are ridiculously priced. Its sad that we're in a market that is able to fund corvettes on the cost of staying alive. You can't tell me that the head honchos at the FDA are sacrificing ANYTHING right now. They live in luxury by keeping money out of the hands of the general populous, and they do THAT by keeping commonly required medications out of financial reach of 80+% of people.

Again... just my humble opinion. :)