Poor quality sleep may hinder efforts to control glycemia of children with type 1 diabetes, according to new research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

By studying the sleep patterns of 50 children with type 1 diabetes for 10 to 16 years old, they found that less time they spent within a deeper sleep was associated with poorer school performance and higher levels glucose levels.

The researchers make it clear that despite following the recommendations for controlling their diabetes, many children and youths with type 1 diabetes have difficulty with glycemic control and this could be due to abnormalities in sleep patterns, daytime sleepiness and possibly sleep apnea.

All these conditions are treatable, and young people with diabetes would benefit from treatments designed to change and improve patterns and sleep quality, therefore in a better to place to better manage their diabetes.

Howdy folks

As some may know, I have tried to wrangle with my Endocrinologist here in Torrevieja, about moving over to #TeamPump.  If you didn’t, you do now.

I have an appointment with the Pump Clinic in Alicante this coming Thursday, where after a few years I finally have the chance to come face to face with someone that may be in a position to decide whether I get to pump or not!

I only found out about the appointment this morning leaving me with a day or so to perhaps try prepare for the visit.  I must admit that I feel extremely nervous and possibly overwhelmed by it all as I have pushed and kept pushing to get an appointment.

I’ve tried to play down the pump thing since the consultant agreed to get me the referral and to be honest I had expected to be waiting a while so to receive it so soon is great new.

But!  Ah, ha there is always a but!

Some questions I have thrown at myself lately include;  Am I suitable for a pump?  Will my lifestyle meet their criteria?  Do I have the right mindset?  Am I responsible and/or knowledgeable  enough to take my diabetes care to the next level?

I’m not sure what questions the clinic will ask precisely but would be shocked if they did not touch on subjects from above.

Habits?

Other things that I have thought about include;  How I bring my partner in to this?  Is she ready to support me.  It may sound silly, but I’ve never really had any kind of support network in place, partly due to age of diagnosis as I was 20, single and away from home. Partly due to perhaps my lack of openness upon being diagnosed, sure I talked about it with friends, family and colleagues but never did I have at any stage anyone that I felt I could talk too.

Fortunately things are better now, I now personally know other people who happen to have diabetes, heck I even know some of these droid/pumper people!!

For some reason I happen to have placed an enormous amount of pressure on me to do well on Thursday, like I am representing myself at court.  Everyone there to judge you, your lifestyle, your habits (well the bad one’s eh) and possibly your competence.

I’m also aware of the pressure placed upon our clinicians to offer a certain level/quality of care whilst ensuring that budgets are not demolished.  As with many other countries, Spanish healthcare reforms play a massive part of the so called “austerity measures” that have been ratified and as such I see that as the major hurdle I now face.

Alicante

I have a ton of questions that I would like to ask and hopefully I will have a real reason to ask them soon.  One question that I would like to ask those of you who have successfully made the transition from MDI to Pump is about how you approached the topic with wife’s, partner’s, mistresses, close family and friends?

Really though, I’m looking for any advice that you feel may be helpful?

Oh, one last thing!  I am asking everyone to send some “Pump Approval” Vibes to this Hospital!  Maybe we can get them to feel some DOC love!

Until next time

Saludos

Mike

Hi Folks

Firstly warmest greetings from DiS to 2012 to you all! Various reasons for lack of action on the DiS site. Rather personal so will cut to the boring stuff and hopefully bring you all up to speed.

For most 2011 was pretty crappy, although there were some bright and notable exceptions.  The year ended with an enormous amount of pressure not only economically but also physically with one’s own health.

Spain as we know it is in complete tatters and unfortunately it will only proceed to actually get worse in 2012.  The year ended with a Endo appt. in Mid December.  The a1c came back at 8% and although disappointed there were little surprises.

Again I mentioned a pump and spoke enthusiastically about such a device being of benefit to me and my health he agreed to hand me over to the pump team in Alicante to see if they are willing to let me go on a pump.  I do not hold much hope to get one as the current government need to trim 16 Billion Euros off the national budget so the pressure is on Medical teams to think about finance first and health second!  Quality of care will slide for sure.

As with many other countries they have guidelines to meet, to be selected for a pump.  This includes the A1c, lifestyle issues etc..  At times it seems that it can only serve to encourage people to let their health go wayward to get a pump.

Anyway as yet I have heard nothing, so your guess is as good as mine when I will get an opportunity to present my case to the Pump team.   So stay tuned!

Other than that this is a quick breakdown on my life – The key stressors:

• An Embargo has been slapped on us from the State, which now prevents us from paying our Mortgage each month.  I’m sure you can figure out what happens next??
• Employment opportunities are “non-existent” in Spain and now need to consider alternative locations and occupations.
• My other, and most would say better half had her work hours cut with a 25% reduction in salary! Oh, this discussed just 3 days before Christmas!  Thank you!
• I’m still consulting a Neurologist, following up on the Nerve pain in the left arm/hand.
• A surprising referral to the Respiratory Specialists to check for Sleep Apnea of all things.  This came as a shock suggestion at first but after discussing the relation between red blood cells, oxygen levels and nerve sensation/pain it became clear that this could progress soon.  It also gives me cause for concern regards to the crappy nights sleep I have had for years.
• Grandmother at the age of 83 was given the news that she has Breast Cancer.  At this stage we do not have the specifics but a malignant tumour has been confirmed by the Pathological lab. Bugger!

So that it’s from me at the moment, hopefully the above gets me of the hook with everyone.  I’ve done my utmost to stay focused and stay positive but there is very little left in this tank at the moment.  For those that I have been in contact with recently, thank you for your support!

Until next time, stay safe and bolus like crazy!!  :)

Un brazo

Mike

Yesterday I did my Big Blue Test!

Do The Big Blue Test: each test = a life-saving donation.

14-20 min of exercise lowers your blood sugar, gets life-saving supplies to people with diabetes in need.  Check out my short video above!

So I tested, got active, tested again and shared!  Have you???  Everyone together raising Diabetes awareness on World Diabetes Day!

The European Medicines Agency is aware of a shortage of Apidra, a medicine for treating diabetes, affecting the supply of Apidra 3 ml cartridges and Apidra prefilled disposable pens (OptiSet and SoloStar) in several EU Member States.

The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has made several recommendations to manage the situation and ensure patients continue to receive appropriate treatment during the temporary supply shortage.

What is Apidra?
Apidra is a solution for injection that contains the active substance insulin glulisine. It is used to treat
patients aged six years or over with diabetes, when they need insulin.

What is the cause of the supply problem and how long will it last?
The company that markets Apidra, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH, informed the Agency that an accidental spillage occurred on 11 July 2011 at the plant where the medicine is manufactured in Frankfurt, Germany. Manufacturing has been temporarily suspended while internal investigations are taking place. This will result in a continued delay in the release of batches of Apidra cartridges onto the EU market. The shortage affects Apidra cartridges and Apidra prefilled disposable pens, OptiSet and SoloStar. It does not affect Apidra vials or any other Sanofi insulin product (Lantus and Insuman).

Statement from the European Medicines Agency regarding the supply of Apidra from Sanofi.

Problemas temporales de Apidra España: Este articluo en Español/This article in Spanish

Hey Guy’s n Gal’s

So whilst trying to motivate ones self to write more on this site, it finally occurred to me that I may have open up more.

While it is relatively straightforward to write about diabetes, it not as simple when writing about yourself, for various reasons such as not wanting the bore the living daylights out of people and wishing to keep hold of those inner secrets forever and ever.

Over the last few weeks, there has been plenty of activity on the Diabetes scene with the recent congresses over in the USA, the EASD which was held in Lisbon just a couple of weeks ago.  We have a couple of new products in the pipeline that have now been introduced to all the Diabetic Minions which is the “Daily Dose” from Insulution and Timesulin‘s “Smart Cap”.

For me things are going along, health is a challenge and for once it has nothing to do with Diabetes.  For a little under a year I’ve been various with pain/discomfort/numbness in my left arm, tingling sensation in both my cheeks.  In turn I have also developed a small arrhythmia (at mo, it is an extra heartbeat) which after investigation been noted as non-harmful and that I should make sure it is followed up every year.

So this does not look brilliant on paper and it certainly adds to the stress levels , none more so than when you are “unemployed” and about to face imminent financial disaster.    Not an ideal situation to be in at all and one that I’m desperate to climb out of.

A complication is that I have had surgery on the problematic arm so getting to the cause is somewhat challenging.  So why I am telling you this, well it is easy to forget about the rest of your body.

We all impart so much time and effort trying to be a “Super-pancreas” (Can I trademark that Tim?) that we sometimes neglect our bodies.  Not every pain is diabetic neuropathy, not cut foot is an amputation, not every kidney infection is a fast track to dialysis.

So for no, I am no longer taking any pain medication.  I’m going au-natural for the time being with the support of the Neurologist.  Tests are to be performed to see what is blocked, clogged, broken, trapped or not quite working in the arm/neck and will be revised when that is completed.  More electric shocks, oh joy!

As for the Diabetes, I am still MDI(ing) along with an A1c hovering around 7.6/7.9% over the last year, I am currently irritating my consultant via email to see if we can sort out a referral to the Pump Clinic before we meet up in December and to see if he can grab me a BGstar from our friends at Sanofi.  Here in Spain it is illegal for Pharma to dish out freebies to patients so everything has to go through the clinics.

In the mean time I am trying very hard to stay cool, focus on keeping all the body parts greased, whilst playing “Super-Pancreas”!

So everyone please look after yourselves!

Until next time, Saludos

Mike

Hey folks

It is that time again to hit the blog trail again!  Sadly lacking over the last couple of months, so please do except my apologies.  The 2 lads in the picture have something to do with that!

Personally for me, things are real tough with no sign of relenting.  I find that when times are hard, one’s own health does suffer not only physically but psychologically.  No more than now!

Just the other week I had a Endo appt. which to be honest was disappointing as it felt as though I had wasted both mine and the doctors time.  Hindsight would suggest that the appt. could have taken place via email for example.

It did return a A1c of 7.7%!  Not so bad you say; and I guess it could be worse but we are swinging wildly from the glucose branches at the moment which results in a massive deviation everyday.

I have discussed a pump with my doctor but still face a battle to get him to give me the nod and put me forward for one.  Frustrating to say the least but all I can do is manage accordingly, keep pushing, keep learning, keep advocating and keep trying to look after myself.  ”easier said than done, though”.

In readiness, and to demonstrate my readiness I have even picked up a copy of “Pumping Insulin”, started to read last night and will hopefully help me decide if I am ready to use a pump first off and if ready to be able to hit the ground running.  We shall see!

That said is a little update on me.  If you are facebook please head on over and like my Diabetes in Spain Facebook Page, would appreciate the like love.

Until then salud@s

Mike

In Torrevieja, nurses at the towns Hospital de Torrevieja, have created a education program aimed at newly diagnosed children and their families that is delivered prior to the patients release from hospital.

The program is designed to educate patients and their families about not only the importance the condition will play in their lives, but also how to manage with the complexities that the condition brings.

These include: How to treat hypoglycemia, how to deal with hyperglycemia and how to deal with everyday issues from exercising through to the diet not to mention testing blood sugars everyday and administering medication via multiple daily injections or via a pump.

Fingers crossed it will be a huge success!

So June was a busy month for Diabetes.  I’ve compiled some DiaSnippets from the month gone by:

• In the USA, Roche held their 3rd annual diabetes blogger summit in San Diego.  Lots of chatter, and judging by the pics great times were had.  So go a check out some of the chatter by looking up the hashtag #dsummit and read some of the awesome posts that have circulated.

• The American Diabetes Association were also hosting an annual event, also in San Diego which was the 71st Scientific Sessions.

• Meanwhile in the UK, it was Diabetes Week (A Diabetes UK project) and was held from the 12th to the 18th June.  The initiatives focused on “talking about Diabetes” and included both a live Twitter Q & A and a Facebook Q & A, so congrats to them for organising that.

• DiabetesMine.com reported about a new/next-gen Ultrafast Insulin from these guys Halozyme.  A bit techy but worth checking out none the less!

• Kerri over at SixUntilMe found some Extreme (yet brave) Marketing for a Medtronic Pump.

• New data show Victoza(R) helped reduce blood sugar when patients with type 2 diabetes switched from sitagliptin or eventide. -

  http://goo.gl/XLAfx

• Investigational ultra-long-acting insulin degludec reduces hypoglycaemia and improves long-term control in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. – http://goo.gl/4W9OG

• Whilst in Spain, we are yet to hear anything regards to Victoza!

• In a rare occurrence the Daily Mail in the UK actually posted a story about Diabetes which was pretty much factually correct.  Titled “It’s Not Just Fat People“. Hurrah!