7 Years of Technology

Diabetes technology is constantly moving forward. I was thinking about when I first became diabetic and what a hassle diabetes was back in 2005. Sure, a lot of it was mind over matter, but really there were some things that were just plain annoying.

When I was first diagnosed, I had to use two different vials of insulin one for my basal and one for my bolus and give myself several shots a day that were either too much or too little. Now I have an insulin pump that calculates my insulin dosage for me, and is more accurate than any syringe ever was. My insulin pump reminds me of when I need to check my blood sugar levels and doesn’t leave me alone about it until I acknowledge the alarm.

I used to have to carry around a little book called Calorie King to know how many carbs were in the foods I was eating whether it be a home cooked meal or a meal out with friends. Now there are a ton of apps out there for your smart phone that have a food catalog with all the nutritional information so that you don’t have to carry extra things around with you.

My first blood glucose meter was the most expensive or at least it seemed that way to me. If I remember correctly it was $90 and basically did the same thing my $20 meter does now. The meters used to just tell you what your blood sugars were at, now they tell you if you are trending high or trending low. And can easily be downloaded and emailed directly to your doctor. Where before you had to carry around a log with you and scribble everything down and then go over it with your doctor in your next appointment. Oh, and speaking of meters we went from checking our blood sugars 5-6 times a day to a small thing called the continuous glucose monitor that checks your blood sugars up to 26 times a day with only needing to stick your finger twice.

I have only had diabetes for 7 years and if technology has come this far I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next 7 years.