Hi all,
I thought it was about time to write a little blog about what’s been going on.
We had a great family holiday to Bulgaria this year with our three children who are growing fast as aged 8, 6 and 4 so keep us very busy lol. travelling abroad was great fun especially for the children and I had no issues whatsoever with my Diabetes whilst travelling – what I mean is airports were all fine with me wearing my pump and carrying an array of Diabetes products. I did take a letter from my DSN explaining what I was carrying but didn’t need to show it at all. We went to Bulgaria towards the end of August which meant it was still very hot so I tried my best to keep my BG levels under control especially with the children keeping us very active. I took a Frio Cool Bag which worked perfectly fine in the room as we didn’t have a fridge. The only slight problem I had was with the Abbott Libre Sensor and my Insulin Pump Cannula as because it was very hot and being in and out the sea or pool it meant they had a tendency to peel off which was very annoying especially for the Abbott Libre Sensor. All in all it was a great holiday enjoyed by us all 🙂
Having a young family and working full time does really affect my BG levels especially when I get home from work as the children seem to be very excited and I get a little bit stressed out to say the least – it means my BG levels drop rapidly so I need to find away to either chill out or keep my sugar level stable ?
I had a Diabetes Check Up a couple of months and I know my Hba1c was 7.4 as I seem to have lost track a little bit so need to sort myself out with the help of my DSN as seem to be running in double figures more often than not which is a real worry. I do find that during the week my blood sugar levels are fairly good apart from afternoons where I was about 7.0 before lunch then similar or slightly higher late afternoon. The problem I have and mentioned above is by the time I get home my blood sugars drop massively which could be down to the stress of three young children which can be quite stressful as soon as you get in, last night before leaving work (5.30pm) my BG reading was 8.5 but at 6.45pm it had dropped to 3.5 and took a while to get back up – I did panic and went mad so of course my levels then were up to 20.0 L. So I thought I would try some dried fruit before leaving work as I quite like it and it’s easy to keep in my drawer at work in a small tub – thinking dried mango, apricots mmmmmm.
Just thought I would share some great Diabetes Products with you and please let me know if you have seen anything new that I can add or may have missed :
Eversense – wow this certainly looks the part and such an exciting product that will hopefully be available to us soon, I do not not too much about the Eversense CGM so would really appreciate some comments on this if anyone knows when it may be available in the UK or Prices ?
My Insulin Pump Minimed 640g – working great and was so easy to get used to, it would be great though if the software for results could be synced to a Smartphone & Tablet App especially with all the technology we now have at our finger tips ? I am also hoping this same App technology could be integrated in to the Bayer Contour Next Link Meter which already works in harmony with the Minimed 640g Pump as so much faster and easier to look on a Smartphone or Tablet ?
Eye checks – currently I have been going to Specsavers which really do give a great service and a very in-depth eye test so if you were looking for a new Optician I would highly recommend, this seems to work well in conjunction with my Diabetes Check Up’s at the eye clinic.
Abbott Libre – I have tried this a few times now and the thought behind the device is amazing especially now the system works with a Smartphone App meaning you don’t need to carry a separate BG Meter. However for my results they do still seem to be quite a way off the typical finger test and when you are on a pump accuracy is key. I am as we speak giving it another go and I can certainly see this is the way forward and will become more accurate as the technology improves.
 Wavesense Jazz Wireless – Certainly a meter which is on my To try list so if you are using this meter please do share your thoughts as I would be really interested to know what you think ?
I am lucky that I get a chance to use these amazing products which are getting better by the year as the technology improves, here are a couple more of my favourites :
 
Ascensia Contour Next Link 2.4  –
 
A1CNOW – this is something I have been waiting for a long time as certainly something that can give you a good indication on how well your longer term blood sugar levels are running at. Like most of us when I go to the Diabetes Clinic for my check-up I am always very anxious to know what my latest Hba1c result is but now there is a simple way to do this at home, introducing the A1CNOW Self Check from PTS Diagnostics. I ordered one of these to try and it was very easy to use as almost the same as testing you BG level. I followed the simple step by step instructions just to see what it thought my hba1c would be and surprisingly the result was pretty much spot on to what my hospital had told me. Only downside is the cost as you cant get this on the NHS but may be worth purchasing if you have big concerns with your hba1c levels.
What’s coming next – I do try to search for new products coming soon but can certainly miss them so I would be really grateful if you could please keep me posted on anything I may have missed that can benefit us all ?
Thanks so much for reading and please help me by commenting and sharing this post.
Andrew
My Pump Blog 