Wilford Brimley apparently already has one, but has already lost it in the netherworld of his moustache...

It's the right thing to do... If you have the die-ah-bee-tus.

DrGonzho

My dad's a diabetic. This would probably help him out a lot. He's always had a portable tester + strip dispenser, but this one is a heck of a lot smaller.

Jon B.

Not a bad idea, as long as the display is large enough. I'm not sure how easily that will be used by people with neuropathy, either. Numb fingers would tend to make it a little harder to use, no?

Diabetes is huge nowadays, and anything that helps people manage it is going to improve their quality of life.

grendyll

Pfft. What the heck happened to those no-stick testers that are supposed to be coming out? Who cares about a smaller one if I still have to bleed myself for it!

To use the tester I'd still need to carry at least one lancet (which I'm not putting in my pocket!) and some test strips (which have to be kept cool and dry, so I couldn't put them in my pocket); a slightly smaller device seems like a fairly inconsequential advance as far as 'quality of life' goes.

Lodril

Lodril has a point. I'd pay big bucks for an implanted device that messaged my phone every time my BG went below 80 (immediately) or over 140 (for more than an hour). The numbers, timing, and repeatability of the messages would have to be user programmable so each user could customize their own control regimen. If I had something like that, I would be much healthier in the long term. I think the same would be true of any diabetic. For those on insulin pumps, if the device and the pump communicated there could be *really* tight control of the BG numbers. Is anybody working on something like that? I can only hope.

benenglish

Sponsored by Coca~Cola!

strider_mt2k

sorry meant to write "Its quite new, and not quite perfect, but its the best technology for awareness and control."

Also - this doens't completely eliminate finger pricks. The sensor takes your reading from some fluid under the skin - so it requires calibrations, double checks, and there is definetely a learning curve to using CGMs (constant glucose sensors)

jamesdenver

I don't think that a small size is the biggest concern. I'd much rather have something that's ACCURATE than something that tucks in my pocket.

Amalas

@benenglish:

I wear an insulin pump and a constant glucose sensor relays my blood sugar number to my pump every 5 minutes - and I can set alerts to certain levels and see if its rising or falling rapidly.

Its quite new, and not quite perfect, but

It doesn't automatically give me insulin based on my BG # - BUT for now type 1 diabetics really don't want that. Your pump doesn't know whether you're about to go for a 10 mile bike ride, in which you'd want less insulin, or sit around the house eating pizza - in which you'd dial in some more.

All in all its pretty cool, and seeing how this is the first version it will be amazing to see this gadget in 10 years.

Here are a couple articles I wrote about it when I started on it last fall.

[www.futuregringo.com]

[www.futuregringo.com]

jamesdenver

I don't see how this "just" got FDA approval. My mom got one that size a week or so ago. Not the same brand I don't think but the same size, it sits on the top of a bottle of test strips.

razorblade

If you're a diabetic, you can get a LifeScan UltraMini meter for free here. You do have to fill out their questionnaire to get it. It's the new downloadable model and it comes with 10 test strips. Consumer Reports just gave that model their top rating.

What the companies really ought to do is work on getting the cost of test strips down. They're basically a buck a strip and if you don't have insurance that's a killer.

infmom

@benenglish: Actually there is such a device. Visit the Minimed webpage. They have an awesome list of devices to help people with diabetes. My wife has diabetes type 1, and she currently is under insulin pump therapy, and she also has a Glucose monitor that lets her know (real time measurement) whenever her BG is dropping or rising. She can also program alerts so she can know whenever she is under 70 or over 120. You can also send all this information to your computer so you have graphs and data for you to check out how you've been doing and also to send to your doctor. It's an amazing device. The other good thing is that she doesn't have to be sticking a needle 7 times a day to get BG levels. She only has to do this once when she is inserting the glucose monitor. Such thing exists, I think what would be awesome is a device that didn't have to stick some pointy shiny thing into the patient's body to get a reading. But in the meantime, you can get real time measurement 24/7, such a device exists!

jonahtaxt

Actually there is such a device. Check out the Minimed webpage. There is an insulin pump that communicates (real time) with a glucose monitor. You can program it to send you alarms when you've reached high or low BG levels. It also lets you know if your BG is going up or down. So you have the best there is so far, an insulin pump (which makes you insulin therapy much better) and a real time Glucose monitor. My wife has diabetes type 1 and she is currently using the pump and the glucose monitor, and let me tell you, it's a great deal to use them both.

ElbertaAmbustus