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Latest Syringes Articles
Syringes for Diabetes Article Archives
September 2012
To a casual observer, Dr. Nat Strand might look like an over-achiever. After all, she and her partner won Season 17 of her favorite television show, "The Amazing Race." Winning the race opened her world up to the diabetes community, which, interestingly enough, inspired her to take better care of herself. Her mission now is to encourage everyone with diabetes to connect with the diabetes community and benefit from knowing others who understand the daily challenges of managing type 1 diabetes. When I caught up with Dr. Strand, we began by talking about what drove her to enter the Amazing Race.
0 comments - Posted Sep 5, 2012
August 2012
As CEO of a company that manufactures insulin syringes and pen needles for the US and Canadian markets, I have been closely monitoring the regulations and trends pertaining to the safe disposal of the products we produce. Surveys indicate that less than five percent of the over three billion sharps devices sold in the US annually are disposed of in some type of closed container. Most of the remaining 95 percent are deposited, unprotected, in the household trash. Significant changes may be pending with regard to the disposal of used sharps devices, and it's likely that pharmacists will be affected by these changes.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2012
April 2012
As I listen to the news of the recent Mega Millions jackpot of over $600 million, my dreams aren't about fast cars, vast mansions, or plush vacations. My thoughts revolve around my diabetes. How awesome would it be to have the best care that money can buy?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2012
March 2012
It's spring break again, when thousands of people head to the beach. A lot of wonderful things come with being out and about on spring break, but if you have diabetes, there are also several things you should consider. There's going to be more traffic, fewer parking places, lots of people, an abundance of uncalculated carbohydrate sources, and longer waits for everything, to name just a few.
0 comments - Posted Mar 26, 2012
January 2012
The first time I worried about traveling with diabetes was after the 9/11 tragedy. I had been offered a trip to New York to attend a writer's conference. I jumped at the chance, looking forward to the conference, sightseeing, shopping, and seeing the musical The Producers on Broadway.
0 comments - Posted Jan 30, 2012
November 2011
There's nothing quite like wondering how you're going to pay for prescriptions. I find it odd that we usually don't know what our out-of-pocket cost will be until we're standing in front of the pharmacy staff and praying that we have enough in our wallet to cover it. I often feel like a reality show contestant waiting for the grand total. My pharmacy-based reality show would probably be called "The Biggest Payer," or perhaps "The Amazing Guess," or, aptly, "Survivor." If you've ever walked away from the pharmacy counter embarrassed, panicked, or depressed, you know the feeling I'm referring to. It's a pain no prescription can cure.
0 comments - Posted Nov 26, 2011
In one of Devon Inglee's artworks, a teddy bear, the symbol of childhood innocence, lies flat on its back with three menacing syringes piercing its furry tummy. In the background, the bear's owner, a small girl, stands above the teddy eating an apple. Inglee writes, "In ‘Tit for Tat,' a sweet girl contently eats an apple while hiding a large syringe behind her back, oblivious to her beloved, yet murdered toy. This piece deals with the process of anger, mourning, and denial associated with my personal diagnosis of a chronic disease." For the 33-year-old art student, this work is about mourning and letting go of preconceived notions and ideas of what the future will be.
0 comments - Posted Nov 22, 2011
September 2011
My son just turned twenty. For the first time, we didn't have a cake, ice cream, friends, balloons, or presents. He spent the day in jail. With vivid memories of his heroin-addicted evening in the ICU several months ago, we had nursed high hopes that his life would be on the mend. But healing takes time, and life doesn't always deliver the happy ending we long for.
0 comments - Posted Sep 14, 2011
When you live with diabetes, there's a lot to do. Checking blood sugars. Counting carbs. Exercising. Not to mention all those fun-filled doctors' appointments. So the last time your physician or diabetes educator suggested ketone testing, it's completely understandable that your head was nodding but your mind was thinking "No way, Jack." But before abandoning the idea completely, there are a few things you should know.
0 comments - Posted Sep 8, 2011
When diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I was eighteen years old, scared, and confused. Although bone thin, I was older than the usual juvenile diabetic, so the doctor didn't know if I had type 1 or type 2 diabetes. At first, the doctor gave me pills to lower my blood sugar. I avoided carbohydrates and threw myself into exercise, then watched helplessly as the numbers on my blood sugar meter continued to rise.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2011
August 2011
Utah-based Essential Preparedness Products (EPP) offers an emergency storage case for people with diabetes, called Diabetic med-EcaseTM. The yellow cases, made of high-impact material, are waterproof, airtight, and can float. Buyers of the $69.99 product receive foam inserts for both type 1 and type 2 needs and can outfit the case accordingly.
0 comments - Posted Aug 30, 2011
July 2011
"Good news," my diabetes nurse educator says to me. "Your new insurance covers continuous glucose monitoring supplies!" I give her a half-smile as my brain screams at me, "CGM? Really? Something else to deal with on top of this damn disease, an insulin pump, exercise, and nutrition?" But I comply, and a CGM is added to the rest of my paraphernalia.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2011
June 2011
"My pump, my pump, my lovely little pump!" My sister invented her own version of the Black Eyed Peas' song, "My Humps" to poke friendly fun at my insulin pump.
0 comments - Posted Jun 24, 2011
Whenever I tell someone that I have type 1 diabetes, the first words that I typically hear are "I'm terrified of needles! I could NEVER give myself a shot!" But needles are the least of my fears when it comes to my disease. I have bigger fish to fry. Concerns about daily management, combined with fears of heart problems, blindness, and kidney failure, equal one very stressful disease.
0 comments - Posted Jun 10, 2011
April 2011
Phil Southerland's autobiography is an inspirational coming-of-age memoir about a type 1 baby who wasn't supposed to live. But his doctor's dismal prediction didn't take into consideration his mother's indefatigable determination that her baby would thrive no matter what, and Phil's own fierce drive to conquer every single challenge he encountered, including his diabetes. It's an engrossing book, a sports adventure story with a medical subplot and a roster of dynamic characters, the most dynamic of whom is Phil himself. If we could harness his energy, our dependence on foreign oil would be a thing of the past.
0 comments - Posted Apr 20, 2011
March 2011
October 2009
October 27, 2009 - Huntsville AL-Qualitest Pharmaceuticals today issued a voluntary nationwide recall of all Accusure® Insulin Syringes. The distributed syringes are of the following descriptions and NDC numbers: 28G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-6995-21;28G 1cc, NDC 0603-6996-21; 29G 1/2cc NDC 0603-6997-21, 29G 1cc, NDC 0603-6998-21, 30G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-999-21, 30G 1cc, NDC 0603-7000-21, 31G 1/2cc, NDC 0603-7001-21; and 31G 1cc, NDC 0603-7002-21. All Accusure® Insulin Syringes regardless of lot number are subject to this recall. These syringes were distributed between January 2002 and October 2009 to wholesale and retail pharmacies nationwide (including Puerto Rico). The syringes in these lots may have needles which detach from the syringe.
0 comments - Posted Oct 29, 2009
September 2009
It's not on the market yet, but a patch composed of tiny needles, each the width of a few human hairs, could eventually replace hypodermic needles for most drug injections. Preliminary experiments with people with diabetes have shown that the patch can deliver insulin successfully and with less pain than a hypodermic.
0 comments - Posted Sep 9, 2009
August 2009
The American Diabetes Association estimates that about 18 million Americans have diabetes. Given that millions of people have lost their jobs during the current recession, the law of averages would suggest that at least a few hundred thousand folks with diabetes are now unemployed. Loss of a job, unfortunately, usually means a concurrent loss of health insurance. For those hundreds of thousands of people with diabetes, no health insurance means big trouble.
0 comments - Posted Aug 18, 2009
March 2009
In a study funded by Novo Nordisk, researchers at Ohio State University have found that type 2s who move from oral meds to insulin would be wise to start with an insulin pen rather than a syringe.
0 comments - Posted Mar 21, 2009
Physicians who treat people with type 2 diabetes face difficult choices when selecting the best medical therapy for each patient. The decision process is further complicated by the fact that because type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, therapeutic agents that were initially successful may fail five or ten years later.
0 comments - Posted Mar 20, 2009
December 2008
Sandy was giving her son his evening dose of NPH insulin - something she had done many times. But as she finished pushing in the plunger, she said to herself, "That shot took too long." She immediately realized that she had given Joey the wrong dose. In other words, by mistake, she had given him a potentially lethal dose of insulin.
0 comments - Posted Dec 25, 2008
For 2,000 years diabetes has been recognized as a devastating and deadly disease. In the first century A.D. a Greek, Aretaeus, described the destructive nature of the affliction which he named "diabetes" from the Greek word for "siphon." Eugene J. Leopold in his text Aretaeus the Cappodacian describes Aretaeus' diagnosis: "...For fluids do not remain in the body, but use the body only as a channel through which they may flow out. Life lasts only for a time, but not very long. For they urinate with pain and painful is the emaciation. For no essential part of the drink is absorbed by the body while great masses of the flesh are liquefied into urine."
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
Take this test on insulin and see if you can get a higher score than hospital doctors and nurses.
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
When the sun rose that morning, I was in the kitchen as usual with my daughter, preparing to take my insulin. I usually don't take it in front of her, but we were engaged in one of those frustrating conversations that were so common now that she was a teenager.
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
Bob Cleveland wondered if he’d live when he went to the hospital as a 5-year-old. In 1925, hospital visits were made for dire reasons.
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
Need gift ideas? Holiday gift-giving can be a challenge. Some people like surprise gifts, some make “must have” or “wish” lists. I don’t always know what is on someone’s list, or if they would enjoy a surprise.
0 comments - Posted Dec 10, 2008
November 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Covidien) is recalling one lot of ReliOn sterile, single-use, disposable, hypodermic syringes with permanently affixed hypodermic needles due to possible mislabeling. The use of these syringes may lead to patients receiving an overdose of as much as 2.5 times the intended dose, which may lead to hypoglycemia, serious health consequences, and even death.
0 comments - Posted Nov 10, 2008
August 2008
Results from a Harris survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) show that people with diabetes who must take insulin often struggle with dread and negative impacts on their lives because of it. But more than half of them—52 percent—are reluctant to share their concerns with their healthcare providers.
0 comments - Posted Aug 14, 2008
May 2008
I was diagnosed with type I insulin-dependent diabetes 54 years ago at the age of 22 months. A dear family friend suggested my parents take me to our family doctor and have me checked for diabetes after I showed some of the more common symptoms. I was unusually cranky and always hungry, but had a stomach that was hard to the touch as though food was not digesting properly. I was also always thirsty, drinking a lot and urinating frequently. Our doctor tested my blood sugar, and the result was high enough to indicate diabetes. He put me on 60 units of insulin per day and told my parents to take me to the hospital 30 miles from the little Western Kansas town where we lived to get a shot of insulin once a day.
0 comments - Posted May 8, 2008
April 2008
It is estimated that nearly 3 million African-Americans have diabetes – 17 percent of all diabetes patients in the United States. That figure is growing as the proportion of African-American patients diagnosed with diabetes consistently increases year to year, according to research from GfK Market Measures’ Roper Global Diabetes Group.
0 comments - Posted Apr 16, 2008
When Dee Brehm was diagnosed in 1949 with type 1 diabetes, her prospects were not bright: a permanent chronic condition, a reduced life span, potentially devastating complications and perhaps no children. She married Bill Brehm in 1952, and they began a partnership knowing that together they would have to manage her disease. Dee subsequently defied the dim outlook for her life: She has two children and six grandchildren, and she has surpassed the half-century mark with this disease having been spared the ordeal of complications.
0 comments - Posted Apr 2, 2008
February 2008
Eli Lilly and Company has introduced KwikPen, a pre-filled insulin pen containing its Humalog insulin brand of insulins. The pen is the third that Lilly has introduced over the past 12 months, following in the wake of the HumaPen MEMOIR, a digital insulin pen with memory, and the HumaPen® LUXURA HD, a reusable pen for people who need insulin dosing in smaller increments.
0 comments - Posted Feb 28, 2008
January 2008
Editor: I am an enthusiastic reader of your magazine. I appreciate the number of times you have tackled some of the bigger questions of diabetes management that others have ignored.
0 comments - Posted Jan 23, 2008
December 2007
"Delight" is a word rarely found in company mission statements, but it's part of Owen Mumford's rather sweet and very British declaration - the company aims to "delight its customers" with its products, keeping in mind that they just might "change the life of our nearest and dearest."
0 comments - Posted Dec 19, 2007
I have lived with type 2 diabetes for thirteen years, and I know very well how to take care of myself. In fact, I have it down to a routine. The flaw of a routine activity, however, is that it is so very routine: you go through the motions without thinking. And that, as I learned to my deep chagrin, can be dangerous.
0 comments - Posted Dec 6, 2007
November 2007
For my contribution this month, I wanted to share an important lesson I learned about twenty years ago from Peggy Wong at the UCSF Diabetes Teaching Center. It concerns how long insulin lasts after you push down that plunger and create a "depot" of insulin under your skin.
0 comments - Posted Nov 28, 2007
Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and fires strike fast, creating challenges that can be especially difficult for people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 9, 2007
September 2007
Swaying in rhythm like drunk fans singing their team fight song, we campers bellowed our camp theme, clapping and banging on dining tables: "Shock, shock for Camp Firefly! We take the insulin - try not to cry!"
0 comments - Posted Sep 18, 2007
I've been doing a lot of flying lately, and it's given me time for reflection. While aloft a few days ago in JetBlue's comfy seat, as I took out my syringe and Humalog to dose for my snack, I realized how many things I no longer do that I was once taught to do.
0 comments - Posted Sep 16, 2007
August 2007
I've generally been a "good" person. I try to do those ten things on Dalai Lama's list. You know, be kind, not hurt others, let people know you love them, hear a tree when it's falling even if you're not there...
0 comments - Posted Aug 30, 2007
It's about time that we Americans catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to using insulin pens. Maybe we will, now that SoloSTAR, sanofi-aventis's disposable insulin pen, is available in the United States.
0 comments - Posted Aug 15, 2007
July 2007
This issue, we lay out the many devices with which diabetic people must poke themselves: syringes, pen needles, and lancing devices. And we top them off with a sprinkling of sugar: a chart outlining all the sources of fast-acting glucose.
0 comments - Posted Jul 26, 2007
A life-time resident of the Syracuse, New York, area, Gerald Cleveland has had a history of not quite coming out on top - at least until now.
0 comments - Posted Jul 19, 2007
You know how the pump works: it has an infusion set with a soft cannula that's inserted only once every few days, and your insulin infuses into your body by way of the cannula. You certainly don't get poked with a needle every time the pump sends you some insulin.
0 comments - Posted Jul 13, 2007
Born on the family dairy farm in New York, the second of five children, Carolyn Gridley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after her grandmother noticed sugar crystals on her diaper that attracted the bees and flies around the farm.
0 comments - Posted Jul 11, 2007
Each year, one hundred thousand peregrinos, or pilgrims, set out for Santiago De Compostela in northwestern Spain to visit the bones of St. James buried beneath the cathedral. Called El Camino de Santiago, it's one of the world's largest Christian pilgrimages.
0 comments - Posted Jul 6, 2007
I was diagnosed with diabetes in September 1953. During that summer, I was in my second year of graduate school at UCLA when I noticed that I was losing weight and had severe polyuria (frequent urination).
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2007
June 2007
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three, and I have lived with it for 62 years. I can still remember my mother learning to inject insulin into an orange at Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas.
0 comments - Posted Jun 24, 2007
The insulin pump is a wonderful device, a marvel of engineering that allows diabetics to screw up at the push of a button. With the pump in use, however, instead of staring at a syringe and racking your brain to remember what you injected into where and how much, a few button clicks will remind you of your mistake, allowing you to correct it with unprecedented accuracy.
0 comments - Posted Jun 11, 2007
May 2007
Recently, while preparing to give a speech, I found myself reminiscing about my life with diabetes. It was 33 years ago that I was diagnosed with type 1, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
0 comments - Posted May 22, 2007
Because of recent changes in airline regulations concerning the transportation of medication, diabetics have more to lose than just their lotion or soda. Now more than ever, it is important to know how to notify security and flight personnel of your medical needs, what documentation to bring, and where to find supplies if yours are damaged.
0 comments - Posted May 21, 2007
When it comes to administering insulin, many people prefer an insulin pen over the standard syringe and vial because they find pens more convenient and more accurate. And pre-filled disposable pens are easiest of all, because you don’t have to install a new cartridge when the pen is empty–you just toss it out.
0 comments - Posted May 5, 2007
Last summer our family changed forever when Lauren, our nine-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. A whirlwind of shock, anger, and worry engulfed me as I watched an incurable chronic illness move into our home.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2007
April 2007
At 63 years old, I've coped successfully with insulin-dependent diabetes for 46 years. Education and acceptance are the keys, but it took me years (and the support of loving family and friends) to achieve them.
0 comments - Posted Apr 27, 2007
Dismal Predictions - In 1949, at the age of 13, I was diagnosed with diabetes. I was told that I would have to take shots for life and that my life would probably last only 25 years longer. Furthermore, I could eat no candy, and all my children would be diabetic.
0 comments - Posted Apr 23, 2007
To the general public, the mood swings of a teenager are the wildest personal roller coaster around. But there’s another roller coaster out there that puts that kiddie ride to shame: the mood swings of a diabetic person like me. In an average teenager, hormones cause mood swings.
0 comments - Posted Apr 11, 2007
March 2007
The day after my eleventh Easter, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I got a shot that very night, and at least two shots every day for the next fifteen years, until I went on the pump. It seems appropriate that on the day the disease took over my body, a fire took over the chimney of our house.
0 comments - Posted Mar 29, 2007
September 2006
What are your expectations when it comes to pump training? Are they realistic? Do you want improved blood glucose control, improved health and flexibility in choosing when and what to eat? Or, do you just want to avoid frequent intensive insulin injections? Are you a “set it and forget it” type?
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2006
August 2006
I am always willing to discuss diabetes with anyone who is interested. And since I openly perform my blood glucose tests and administer insulin shots in public, it is fair to say that many people around me do become interested.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2006
July 2006
Summer is synonymous with travel; family vacations, reunions, weddings, you name it. It seems like we all find some reason to hit the road during the summer months.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2006
June 2006
In recent history, can you think of a more popular television show than “American Idol”?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
Problems with blood glucose control need to be prevented and solved when using an insulin pump. When something goes wrong, do you blame it on the pump or suspect you made an error? Do you assume there is a pump problem with each alarm?
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
May 2006
Choosing the right insulin pump and infusion set can be a daunting task for prospective users, and the number of options available may be overwhelming.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2006
April 2006
Why are today’s insulin syringes and pen needles better than ever?
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
For diabetes patients who inject insulin through a syringe, the people at Becton-Dickinson (BD) say that they should always know exactly which brand, dose capacity and needle size to use and why.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Several months ago, I met Sophia, a woman in her mid-40s who had been struggling to manage her type 2 diabetes for years. Her blood glucose levels were typically well above 300 mg/dl, and she had an equally high A1C of 12.5%. She made it clear that the last thing she wanted was insulin.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Although they are equally effective when it comes to delivering insulin, more insulin-using patients expressed a preference to continue using an insulin pen after trying one.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Some things I remember very clearly. Like the moment the doctor told me that I had to take injections for the rest of my life. This news bothered me horribly. But what if he had told me I could inhale the insulin instead? I would have been on cloud nine.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
Pramlintide (Symlin) is a synthetic amylin analogue. First described in 1987, amylin is a neuroendocrine hormone produced by beta cells, which also produce insulin. This hormone is absent in type 1 diabetes and decreased in type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
If you have ever dreamed of taking your insulin without needles, your dream came true on January 27, 2006. That was when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Exubera (insulin of human [rDNA origin]) Inhalation Powder for treatment of adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2006
March 2006
Are you an expectant mother with diabetes? If so, are you wondering about the disappearance of infusion sites as your baby grows and your abdomen expands? Do you anticipate that “pinching an inch” will become more of a challenge? Are you concerned about the angle and depth of insertion, and how often you should rotate insertion sites? Here are a few suggestions for you:
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2006
February 2006
Many concerns arise when patients consider the costs of insulin pump therapy. The following are a few of the most frequently asked questions:
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
Christine Olinghouse, RD, RN, CDE, BC-ADM, says, “If your patients take insulin, a glucagon emergency kit is the best treatment system you can have for severe hypoglycemia.”
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2006
January 2006
Many pump manufacturers have online stores where you can order and pay for your infusion supplies. In addition to manufacturer Web sites, services are offered by Advantage Rx, CCS Medical, Fifty 50 Pharmacy, Focus Pharmacy, Logimedix and National Diabetic Pharmacy. In Canada, supplies can be obtained from AutoControl Medical.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2006
November 2005
It is estimated that that between eight and nine million people use syringes at home, generating two to three billion used needles each year in the United States. About two-thirds of the needle users are injecting for medicinal purposes like diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
I often wonder why insulin pens are so popular in Europe, yet usage in the United States continues to hover around 12 percent. I think the main reason is that many healthcare providers are not familiar with insulin pens or how to train people to use them, so they don’t recommend pens to their patients.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
Five thousand feet above a city besieged by water, you feel very small. A devastated New Orleans smoked from chemical explosions and other rolling disasters. To say it seemed like a war zone is not quite complete. Our small jet banked slowly, and I realized that as far as I could see, I could not see the end of it.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
Dear Ann Landers,
With all due respect—you blew it!
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2005
October 2005
If you’ve never been able to go to New York to see endocrinologist Richard Bernstein, MD, FACE, FACN, CWS, now Richard Bernstein can come to you.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2005
September 2005
On June 17, 2005, Novo Nordisk received word from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that their long-acting insulin analog, Levemir (insulin detemir), had received approval. Levemir will join Lantus (insulin glargine) as a basal insulin option for people with diabetes who take insulin.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
Guidelines for Injecting Insulin Comfortably and Safely
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
July 2005
This is another letter in response to Scott King’s column that ran in the February 2005 issue (“Random Shots”).
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2005
June 2005
On March 16, 2005, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of San Diego, California, announced it had received FDA approval for Symlin (pramlintide acetate) injections to be used in conjunction with insulin to treat diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2005
May 2005
Back in February, I wrote about what I keep in my diabetes kit. Well, just last month, the contents of that kit, along with my waist pack, disappeared during a trip out of town. I found myself without a meter and no insulin. Anyone whose life depends on these things will be able to identify with me—I felt quite naked.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
The following is excerpted and adapted from the book “Taking Control of Your Diabetes,” by Steven Edelman, MD, and friends, 2001.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
Q: I change my lancet once a month. How often do you recommend changing lancets?
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2005
April 2005
I appreciate the many letters we received about my February 2005 column. It’s great to have a good debate every now and then.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
Recent correspondence and commentary in “My Own Injection” in this publication reinforce what most of us who inject insulin daily know all too well about diabetes: so-called “professional” advice is either contradictory or just plain wrong. The common, well meaning, but just plain wrong admonition: "Don't inject through clothing” is a fine example. Another is “Don’t reuse needles because you may develop an infection.”
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2005
March 2005
The U.S. Congress is back in session and hopes are high for diabetes victories.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
February 2005
A friend recently asked me what I have in the diabetes pack that I carry everywhere.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2005
January 2005
I have always hoped for a cure for diabetes—who hasn’t?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2005
It seemed that every time we gave something a try and it didn’t quite work out, Mom and Dad always had a cliché at the ready to cushion the blow.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2005
December 2004
Since the early 1980s, people with diabetes have needed accessory cases to carry their testing and insulin supplies with them. As the goal of better blood glucose control led to more frequent glucose testing, multiple daily injections and insulin pumps, keeping supplies and life support systems handy has become ever more important.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2004
November 2004
Though I didn’t get a cake, I just celebrated my biggest birthday. I have now lived for 30 years with diabetes—that’s 30 years of effort and worry, 30 years of information-gathering, testing, dieting, hypos, injections and doctor visits. Somehow, luckily, I have thrived.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
Before the mid-1950s, people with diabetes injected insulin using glass syringes with detachable steel needles. Between injections, the glass syringes were boiled and the needles were soaked in alcohol to keep them as germ-free as possible. To reduce the pain of the injection, people would sharpen their needles on a sharpening stone.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
Susan B. Sloane, BS, Rph,CDE, has been a registered pharmacist for more than 20 years and a certified diabetes educator for 15 years.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2004
September 2004
Did you know that more than one billion syringes, pen needles and lancets are disposed of each year, posing possible safety risks?
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2004
July 2004
This month’s column is for anybody interested in understanding the terms used with insulin pump therapy. Clip and save this for your reference.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2004
June 2004
Since Lantus first appeared on the market in 2001, it has been praised as the best basal insulin for good blood glucose control, primarily because it has a flat, peakless action. It fills a need for people who desire consistent insulin action around the clock, but like other basal insulins, it has to be set, tested and adjusted to match the user’s need.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2004
May 2004
Mindy Mendenhall plays basketball the way a bull browses a china shop. She’s all muscle and emotion under the hoop, and she’s manic enough to launch her body across the court after loose balls.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
Does your child have diabetes? Do you communicate well with him or her?
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
The number of people opting for insulin pump therapy grows. Worldwide, the number is approximately 300,000.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
A Novo Nordisk-sponsored study demonstrated that eight out of 10 elderly people with diabetes who have visual and motor difficulties preferred the Novolin Innolet doser to vials and syringes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2004
April 2004
By far, the most important medical legislation passed in 2003 was the Medicare Reform Act
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2004
March 2004
Do your diabetes supplies take up so much room in your purse or handbag that you have little room for non-diabetes paraphernalia?
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
Today’s finger-piercing lancets draw much less blood than their predecessors did. But they still hurt, say some. Today’s insulin needles are models of precision engineering. But they’re still not comfortable for everyone—especially if they hit a nerve.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
February 2004
You’ve gone through all the diabetes education classes. The insurance company pays for them.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
January 2004
If you have diabetes and use an insulin pen, odds are you don’t live in the United States.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2004
May 2003
Insulin pump users can get sick, just like everyone else.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
It's the instrument we all love to hate: the lancing device.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2003
April 2003
Walk into any pharmacy and pay close attention to the diabetes display. More than likely, you will find the display fairly close to the pharmacist's counter.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
We hear the statistics so often that we take them for granted.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
Linda McNeely, a retired registered nurse, remembers her first insulin pump.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
Becton, Dickinson and Company, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, best known for its insulin syringes, has entered the blood-glucose meter market with two products: the BD Logic blood-glucose monitor and the BD Latitude Diabetes Management System.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2003
March 2003
Not so long ago, there were two insulin pump companies—MiniMed and Disetronic. In the past couple of years, however, new companies seem to come along every few months. Now we have Medtronic MiniMed, Disetronic, Animas, Dana, Deltec and soon Nipro.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2003
Select a new insulin syringe from the bottom and dispose of a used one in the top of a new all-in-one syringe dispenser and disposal unit called the UltiGuard, made by Ulti Med, Inc., of St. Paul, Minnesota.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2003
December 2002
If you're still putting your used lancets, pen needles and syringes in a coffee can or empty detergent bottle and surreptitiously burying it under the empty cans and boxes in the trash because your community doesn't have a sharps disposal program, Becton Dickinson (BD) of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, has a solution.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2002
November 2002
Shorter needles for both insulin syringes and pens mean no more pinching and less bleeding and bruising, says Becton Dickinson and Company of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, in introducing its BD Mini pen needles and insulin syringe needles.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
Testing. Testing when you get up… before meals… after meals… before and after (and sometimes during) exercise. Testing when you feel "funny."
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
As an insulin pumper, are you prepared for unexpected (or expected) events? For instance, there might be a time when you are not using your insulin pump—either by choice or by necessity. Is this a time for panic?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
It's fortunate that Gillian Larner was at her 11-year-old son's bedside in the hospital after his surgery in May 2002.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
This year, 17 million people in the United States lived with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2002
September 2002
Using a simple push of a button, people with diabetes can dispose of their syringes using a new portable needle-destruction device.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2002
August 2002
Over the Fourth of July weekend, my family and I went to the county fair. It was a great day, but the noise really started to bug me, and I began to get cranky. How dare the barkers at the carnival shout so loudly! Why did the rides have to play music incessantly? My children wanted money for this ride and that toy, and I wanted to yell at them and tell them they couldn't have one more nickel!
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2002
June 2002
People who inject insulin can confuse Lantus (insulin glargine) with short-acting Regular insulin or rapid-acting Humalog (insulin lispro) or NovoLog (insulin aspart) because they are all clear in color, warn doctors from the Yale University School of Medicine.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
I Developed Type 2 Diabetes From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
May 2002
What do the school nurse and the education staff of your child's school know about insulin pump therapy? What should you tell the school system?
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
This past December, Jason Johnson, 28, a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles baseball club, was the co-winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award. The award is presented annually to a major league player who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
Are you planning to start your child on an insulin pump during summer vacation? While this may be a great time to get comfortable with a pump, the next challenge will come when the child returns to school.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2002
April 2002
Insulin delivery devices come in many shapes and sizes. The most familiar and widely used in the United States is the traditional insulin syringe.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2002
March 2002
A little boy wanted ice cream after dinner one night. Because his parents had already counted his carbohydrates and given him a carefully calculated dose of insulin, his mother tried to dissuade him.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2002
February 2002
The Diabetes Technology Meeting also highlighted research into new methods of insulin delivery, including a "pumpless" insulin infusion device and the use of controlled-release microchips.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2002
January 2002
When Will Medicare Cover the Cost of Insulin Pumps for Type 2s?
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 2002
December 2001
After 40 years on insulin, Bob Teskey, 56, could no longer keep his blood-glucose levels under control. As his condition worsened, his hypoglycemic (low blood-glucose) episodes became more and more intrusive on his life. Teskey talked to his doctors, but there was nothing they could do except tweak his insulin regimen, which did not solve the problem. He continued to collapse unexpectedly, as his blood-glucose levels dropped without warning.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
Correction: In the Letters to the Editor of the November issue (p. 61), we made an incorrect statement about the use of Lantus. The sentence should read "..those who take three meal-time shots of short-acting insulin plus basal Lantus will take four shots of insulin a day." We apologize for this error.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2001
November 2001
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has implemented stepped-up security measures at the nation's airports in response to the tragic events of September 11. Some new security measures may affect airline passengers with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recognizes the added inconvenience this may pose for individuals with diabetes, but understands the necessity to secure airline passenger safety.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
John Hughes of Woodburn, Oregon, had never bothered to get a letter from his doctor stating that he has diabetes and is required to carry sharp-pointed insulin-pump infusion sets, lancets and emergency syringes with him into airplane cabins.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
Roche Diagnostics of Indianapolis, Indiana, is now offering a new lancet with unique functions for making blood sugar testing as painless as possible. Called the Accu-Chek Softclix, the lancet features 11 different depth settings, which can be set to match your skin type. In addition, the lancet does not use a spring-loaded system, which can cause skin tissue to dilate or tear. Instead, it uses a linear sliding motion to avoid pain caused by side movement, according to company's press release.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2001
September 2001
Retailers should not switch the brand of diabetes supplies without first informing patients or their healthcare providers, according a recent survey sponsored by Becton Dickinson (BD) of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. The vast majority (90 percent) of doctors and nurses surveyed said that they don't approve if a retailer changes a syringe from a prescribed brand to a store brand without telling them or the user.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2001
July 2001
I am in my 32nd week of pregnancy with my second child and I wonder if I have developed gestational diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
In July 1999, John Buse, MD, PhD, CDE, director of the University of North Carolina's Diabetes Center told Diabetes Health that patients enrolled in clinical trials for insulin glargine (Lantus) absolutely "loved" the 24-hour-a-day long-acting (basal) insulin. Most of the people who participated in the clinical trials were not doing well on just NPH or Ultralente, and Lantus improved their control. However, Buse added, "[The clinical-trial participants are] upset that they cannot continue on it." That was because, at the time, the clinical trials had ended and the participants were told they would have to wait at least one year for FDA approval of Lantus and longer until they could get their hands on it.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
Not much strikes fear into the hearts of the parents of a type 1 child than one who is sick and cannot hold his or her food down or who refuses to eat. But researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, have found a solution.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
I am in my 32nd week of pregnancy with my second child and I wonder if I have developed gestational diabetes. Diabetes does not run in our family, and I am not overweight. Furthermore, I did not develop gestational diabetes with my first child.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2001
June 2001
On March 16, Futura Medical Company announced the release of a new blood-testing lancet specifically designed to reduce needle-stick injuries.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2001
May 2001
In the aftermath of the severe damage caused by the series of earthquakes in El Salvador in January, international relief efforts were made to treat people with diabetes in need of medical supplies.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2001
February 2001
Many people with diabetes must have daily insulin injections to live. However, what happens to the billions of insulin syringes generated each year in the United States alone? Often, they are thrown in the trash, exposing family members, sanitation workers and landfill operators to accidental needle-stick injuries.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2001
December 2000
Do family, friends and co-workers treat you "special" because of your diabetes?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2000
On August 31, Wal-Mart announced that people with diabetes will have a new, low-cost option for insulin.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2000
September 2000
You made the decision to use an insulin pump. You overcame your anxiety about inserting that infusion set, and you found some basic techniques to wear or hide the pump. But still, some questions may remain. Maybe you're wondering about getting your set to stay in place. Maybe you're concerned about finding an appropriate site to begin with. Either way, the following tips and tricks should help you choose and maintain an infusion site that gives you as little trouble as possible.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
Mixtures of Insulin:
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
In a letter to the June 21 issue of Journal of American Medicine, several physicians at the Medical University of South Carolina detailed their observations of six patients with diabetes who were suffering from needle fragments buried in the skin.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
August 2000
Recently, Dr. James Shapiro and a team of transplant surgeons at the University of Alberta in Edmonton transplanted islets into 10 people with type 1 diabetes. In previous studies, only eight percent of islet-transplant recipients have remained off insulin for one year. The Edmonton Protocol is the first study in which 100 percent of islet-transplant recipients have been insulin-independent for one year.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2000
May 2000
Let me start off with a big thank you to all of you. As a person with diabetes, I feel I have the best job in the world! An important goal for me is giving consumers of diabetes products and treatments a voice. That is why you will find your voices included in these pages.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
Q: Are there any studies of dietary changes to help with problems of gastroparesis? My daughter has had type 1 diabetes for 32 years and is now suffering complications, gastroparesis being one of particular concern.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 2000
April 2000
Although syringe makers and medical professionals alike caution against needle re-use, the practice is widespread, judging from the response to an informal survey we conducted for this article. Forty-three out of the 57 readers we surveyed re-use their needles, from two to as many as 150 times.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
1999 did not produce any dramatic breakthroughs where syringes, insulin pens and injection aids were concerned. New products were minor variations or improvements on the same themes. As always, the focus of new injection devices is on less pain and more comfort. The cost-conscious consumer, however, wants durable products that deliver the least pain at the lowest cost. Often, it is hard for manufacturers to meet all these conditions.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
Dr. Sharad Pendsey is a physician based in Nagpur, India. Pendsey recalls the story of a girl named Sudha who came to him when she was eight-years old. Sudha had just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. When she was discharged from the hospital, Pendsey explained to Sudha's impoverished parents that she would have to take insulin to stay alive. Pendsey recalls Sudha's parents asking, "Doctor, if I understand you correctly, Sudha has to take insulin every day for the rest of her life?" Pendsey nodded yes, and said that Sudha would die if she didn't. The parents understood the predicament, but could not afford the cost of her insulin. One month later, Pendsey learned that Sudha had died.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
Manufacturers of disposable syringes recommend that they be used only once because the sterility of a reused syringe cannot be guaranteed. However, some individuals prefer to reuse a syringe until its needle becomes dull. Most insulin preparations have bacteriostatic additives that inhibit growth of bacteria commonly found on the skin. For many patients, it appears both safe and practical for the syringe to be reused if the patient so desires. The syringe should be discarded when the needle becomes dull, has been bent, or has come into contact with any surface other than the skin; if reuse is planned, the needle must be recapped after each use.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 2000
December 1999
How Will My Blood Sugars React To Being Pregnant
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
One year ago, I was standing in line at a local pharmacy to purchase a prescription drug for my wife. The woman in front of me had given the pharmacist a prescription for a mild agent to help her son sleep. This drug is neither essential nor even clearly effective. As the pharmacist gave the woman the bottle of 30 pills, he asked her for $204.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1999
November 1999
After years of lobbying and letter writing by endocrinologists and thousands of people with diabetes, Medicare will finally cover insulin pumps for its beneficiaries with type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
Q: I am a type 2. Before now, I have always taken Glucotrol. Finding out I was pregnant, I switched to insulin. After taking it for about one month, I am starting to experience a reaction.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1999
September 1999
Not too long ago, I received a hero's medal from Joslin Diabetes Center for having diabetes for more than 50 years. Now approaching 52 years with diabetes, I'm still going strong. I've had a few complications from diabetes, but nothing that has kept me from leading an active life. The complications I've experienced have made me more determined to maintain my present quality of life.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
Doctors Say "Noncompliant" is an Irrelevant Term
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
August 1999
Q: I have been taking vitamin E for over 10 years. I started on 100 mg., then moved up to 200 mg. About six months ago, I switched to 400 mg. Recently, however, I started having swelling in my lower legs and feet. I also started having blisters that oozed on my legs.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1999
July 1999
Imagine if a free glucose meter showed up at your door. You'd be thrilled, right? Well, it happened to David Fogarty, but he wasn't thrilled. This Berkeley, California, father was fuming mad. Fogarty's HMO, Health Net, sent a free Precision Q.I.D. meter to his 11-year-old son, Lucas, and to all its other members with diabetes. The catch was, Health Net would soon stop covering strips for Lucas's One Touch Profile.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
A compound isolated from a fungus controlled blood glucose levels in mice bred to develop diabetes. Researchers are saying that if the fungus, collected from a plant in the Republic of Congo, demonstrates the same effects in humans with diabetes, then millions of people would be freed from taking insulin.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
The KenTek Home Diabetic Aide makes it easier to get insulin into a syringe. It is particularly useful for people with vision problems, as it magnifies the insulin dosage numbers.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1999
June 1999
NutraSweet Manufacturer: Beware Internet Rumors, Not Us
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
Hundreds of responses came back when DIABETES HEALTH ran its survey on the popular children's Web site, childrenwithdiabetes.com, asking parents for their favorite products and tips on diabetes care. Here are a few of the responses we received.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1999
May 1999
Each day thousands of people head to the airport to fly off on a journey. If you wear an insulin pump, making it through airport security gates may be a journey of its own.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1999
April 1999
While insulin pens have made blood glucose management easier and more flexible for many individuals with diabetes, they are also susceptible to technical malfunctions. Such malfunctions could result in extraordinarily high blood glucose (BG) levels, and impair the diabetes patient's health.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1999
Readers Desperate to Hang On to Animal Insulin
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1999
Eli Lilly prefilled insulin pens have arrived. Lilly now offers disposable, 300-unit pens for Humulin 70/30, Humulin N and Humalog.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1999
March 1999
Q: I just finished reading the November 1998 issue of DIABETES HEALTH regarding the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) islet transplantation $20 million advance. I didn't see anything about the cloning of islets, however, which I had read about in a previous issue of DIABETES HEALTH. I am curious to know how realistic the cloning process is, and when we might see it actually take place.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1999
Bodybuilders try many substances, both legal and illegal, to develop muscle mass. Lately, insulin has emerged as a popular muscle-enhancing agent, and, according to an article in the May 28, 1998 issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, it could come with dangerous side effects.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1999
February 1999
If you've ever hit muscle with a needle, you know the pain. If you've ever injected the right dose of insulin and still found your blood sugar sky high, you might have injected too shallowly and hit skin.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
Dear Scott King-From Ann Landers - Many thanks for your letter and the excerpts from emails sent by your readers in response to my column on diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1999
January 1999
On this issue's front page we begin the story of Ann Landers' comment that people with diabetes who test and inject at restaurant tables exhibit "gross insensitivity and very poor manners."
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
Ann Landers, the newspaper guru of American folk wisdom, has spoken on public glucose testing and insulin injections. Many people with diabetes do not like what she said.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1999
December 1998
My wife's mother, Carol, has been staying with us recently. She's had type 2 diabetes for 14 years, and this past year her vision deteriorated to the point where she is now legally blind. Then, she had a stroke six months ago.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
According to a survey conducted by Consumer Health Sciences (CHS), only 70% of people with type 1 and 2 diabetes who are insured have coverage for glucose meters. It was also revealed that 88% have coverage for test strips; 80% have pharmaceutical coverage; 55% have insurance coverage for syringes and only 12% have coverage for insulin pumps.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1998
November 1998
How do you know the differences between a new pump user, and a not-so-new pump user?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1998
Living with diabetes increases the likelihood of experiencing on-the-job discrimination. Since 1992 more than 2,000 people filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) specifically stating they were mistreated at work as a result of their having diabetes. Another 6,500 complaints cite visual ailments and problems with extremities-medical concerns frequently associated with diabetes-as underlying reasons for job discrimination.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1998
October 1998
Diabetes is a rich and growing industry. Last year alone, the diabetes medication market grew 23 percent. Furthermore, 2,186 more of us are diagnosed with diabetes in this country every day. Do the math and you'll see a growing market.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1998
How does the cost of increased blood glucose testing and more injections affect those with lower incomes? According to the third National Health and Nutrition Survey, "those without health insurance are twice as likely to suffer a lack of food as those who have health insurance."
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1998
The Food And Drug Administration has given marketing clearance for a special laser finger perforator for kids.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1998
August 1998
Before eating lunch at a restaurant, Jim loads his foil packs of insulin into a device about the size of a large flashlight. He then presses a button which releases a cloud of insulin into the clear chamber of the device. He takes a slow, deep draw of powdered insulin into his lungs.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1998
July 1998
Summer is when pump wearers need to plan ahead and take special precautions. Sun, sand, heat and water are just a few of the hazards that come with the job of summer fun that can impair your pump's performance. If you spend a significant amount of time outdoors, here are a few tips on how to make your pump time worry-free. Have a sensational summer!
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1998
June 1998
Q: I am a mother with type 1 diabetes and read with interest the "My Own Injection" column in March 1998 ("The Diary of a Diabetic Dad") describing Scott King's trials and tribulations as a dad with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1998
Sixty-seven-year-old Gerald Lundstrom thinks it's his hearty Swedish stock that has something to do with his good health after fifty years of diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1998
The following is a greatly abridged list of quotes from respected medical journals on the financial and medical impact of various diabetes practices and products. These can be used in letters to HMOs and purchasers of HMO plans to impress upon them the importance and financial good sense of providing good diabetes care. Again, this list is just a short list of the many facts gathered on the subject. The more you investigate and the more you learn the stronger the case you can present to get the coverage you need and deserve.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1998
May 1998
In March a U.S. District Court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Becton Dickinson, a major manufacturer of insulin pens and needles, in its false and misleading advertising suit against its Danish competitor, Novo Nordisk. The court prohibited Novo Nordisk from claiming that its NovoPen 1.5 and Novolin Pre-filled devices can only be used with NovoFine needles.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1998
April 1998
Selfcare Inc. of Waltham, Mass., recently acquired Can-Am Care Corporation, a leading supplier of diabetes care products, for $27 million.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
March 1998
This month Spencer turns five. He was born two years after we started Diabetes Health, and Miranda followed 19 months later. In many ways, we have all grown up together.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1998
February 1998
I was seventeen years old when the doctor told me I had diabetes. In the weeks that followed I heard many strange things about my new disease. Friends, neighbors and relatives had plenty to say about my diabetes and very little of it was positive.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
We all know there are all sorts of diabetes care supplies that we might want to carry: batteries, pump tubing, lancets, syringes, even log books and emergency information. And what about other treatment aids, such as glucose tablets, urine test strips, or glucagon?
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
Cortecs International, an Anglo-Australian biotechnology group, recently announced a breakthrough in the search for an oral version of insulin. Cortecs has produced a capsule containing insulin that is able to get to the liver and reduce blood sugar levels. The capsule overcomes the long-standing problem of capsule destruction by the digestive system.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1998
January 1998
It can be difficult enough being a child, not to mention a child with diabetes. Luckily, there are educational toys, products and information that can help children with diabetes conquer some of the mountains that diabetes can create. DIABETES HEALTH looked into various products and logged onto a web site for children with diabetes - www.castleweb.com/diabetes/ - to ask parents of children with diabetes firsthand how they deal with the day-to-day challenges of diabetes. Here are a few products and parents' tips that you may want to look into.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1998
December 1997
Troubleshooting the pump system involves looking at your pump screen to make sure the appropriate basal is set, the appropriate bolus was given at the last meal and the time is correct. If all of this is working appropriately, make sure your syringe has insulin in it, and there is no leakage. Make sure the set is attached appropriately to your body, and the needle or infusion site area looks normal.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
So you've decided to go on the pump and everything is going well: BGs are under control and the Dawn Phenomenon is a thing of the past. Then, suddenly you have an unexplainable high blood sugar. What do you do?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1997
September 1997
I recently learned of a famous diabetologist, Dr. Lawrence in England, who made all the endocrinologists he trained take a shot of insulin to experience an insulin shock. He felt this was necessary for them to become good doctors.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1997
August 1997
The use of Humalog with Eli Lilly's Humulin has created some confusion - especially among the elderly - over the similarities in appearance between the two insulins.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1997
July 1997
After conducting a three-year audit of the effectiveness of Medicare, the United States General Accounting Office (USGAO) has found some disturbing facts about diabetes care.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1997
June 1997
May 1997
Differing opinions about how to best care for insulin are stirring up a whirlwind of confusion. Over the last few months readers have been sending their questions and concerns to DIABETES HEALTH. The questions are simple enough: What is the best temperature to keep my insulin? Is it okay to use insulin past the expiration date? How should I mix my insulin? But answers to these questions can vary, making it hard to be sure one is doing the right thing. Here the questions and comments of insulin users will be presented with the recommendations of the companies who produce insulin.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1997
April 1997
March 1997
Many doctors recommend intensified self-management to lengthen lives and reduce long-term costs of chronic health problems associated with diabetes. But a fiercely competitive health insurance market often produces health plans that contradict appropriate medical treatment.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
More than 30 percent of children on insulin may be accidentally receiving injections in their muscle tissue.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1997
February 1997
Your response to DIABETES HEALTH's subscription information raffle cards was overwhelming. Congratulations once again to the 20 winners of five-year subscriptions announced last month.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
The following is an informal, unscientific review of some of the leading injection aid products on the market. It is not the result of a comprehensive consumer satisfaction survey. While we are thankful for the responses from our readers included in the article, it should be noted that they are the opinions solely of the individuals and do not reflect the views of Diabetes Health.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
DiabetEase Products Inc., the manufacturer of Syringe Guard, has introduced two new portable diabetes packs. The packs, Samsonite World Sport Cool Packer and Samsonite World Sport Cool Packer Jr., are designed to conveniently hold and protect diabetes care products.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1997
January 1997
Knowledge Leads to Advancements
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1997
November 1996
1000 B.C.- An Indian physician, Susruta, discovers diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1996
October 1996
If you're looking for encouraging words and education, but the very words "support group" bring forth images of half-naked men pounding bongos in the forest, don't despair. With over 800 groups in the United States for people with diabetes and a whole host of computer-based discussion groups springing up on the internet every day, there's really something for everyone.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
Like many people with diabetes, Ted Wright doesn't always wait 30-40 minutes to eat after injecting his regular insulin.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk filed suit against major competitor Eli Lilly on Aug. 1, alleging that Lilly deliberately created false and misleading packaging information for its new Humulin cartridges.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1996
July 1996
Now that HMOs have become the most popular choice of health plan for employers, some employees-especially those with diabetes-have found themselves disappointed with the care they receive. Many HMOs do not provide lancets, blood test strips, alcohol swabs or syringes. Many do not cover the cost of specialists such as podiatrists or ophthalmologists.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1996
June 1996
The Ukrainian Diabetes Project is asking for help with supplies for diabetic children in the Ukraine.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1996
May 1996
I was recently invited down to Palm Springs by Jim Cook to participate in "A Day of Hope," a day of researchers speaking at the Eisenhower Medical Center Desert Diabetes Club. For two years, Jim, President Emeritus of the Desert Diabetes Club, has worked on this one day to invite all the people concerned about diabetes in the Palm Springs area to hear scientists talk about the latest research-the things Jim feels offer the most hope to people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
A major challenge in diabetes therapy is to match the insulin with food and exercise. Changes in the amount of time that it takes for insulin to be absorbed into the bloodstream can be a critical factor in obtaining diabetes control. Both the amount of insulin and its timing are critical, and both of these can be influenced by a wide range of variables. Here is a list of factors which every person taking insulin should be aware of.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1996
April 1996
Kids take first priority in Sherry Trunnel's life. As the only diabetes educator at Blank Specialties Clinic of Children's Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, Sherry skips vacations when the hospital admits a new child with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1996
March 1996
Jolted awake at 4 am with a low blood sugar, my heart racing, is not my first choice to begin a bright day. While it was still dark, I staggered out of bed to find my tube of Dex 4's. I should have tried to get right back in bed, but my hunger was overwhelming. Grabbing a bathrobe, I plodded out of the bedroom to plunder the fridge. I ate three oranges, a pear, and two pieces of toast before my hunger pangs subsided. I was wide awake with my heart still pounding from the hypoglycemia.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
Currently there are an estimated 16 million people with diabetes in the United States. Perhaps ten percent are insulin-dependent-the rest have type 2 diabetes, which they control with diet, exercise, oral medications, and insulin.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
Because children receive such small doses of insulin compared to adults, accurate measurement is crucial. But doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital reported in the January 1996 Diabetes Care that caregivers overdraw insulin by an average of 0.22 U.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
The Medi-Ject Corporation, makers of a needle-free insulin injector, recently announced a new alliance with Becton Dickinson. The collaboration grants Becton Dickinson (B-D) the rights to market a new needle-free jet injector product for insulin and selected other drugs under its brand name. Medi-Ject will manufacture injectors and B-D will manufacture the disposable drug chamber.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 1996
February 1996
November 1995
About a month ago I was driving to Santa Cruz and noticed a tingling in my fingers. It got worse when I put my hands up on the steering wheel and better when I rested them on the bottom. During this two-hour drive, it was a struggle to keep my fingers from falling asleep. Soon after, I began to wake up often during the night, having to reposition my hands so they would stop tingling.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
Teresa L. Zilka, RN, of Portland, Ore. recently conducted a study funded by Eli Lilly and Company and Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. Zilka determined that mixing NPH insulin and regular insulin and then reusing the syringe causes "statistically significant" contamination of the regular insulin.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
Researchers have found that natural latex rubber antigens found in insulin injection materials can cause allergic skin reactions
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1995
October 1995
Novo Nordisk recently introduced Novolin Prefilled, a self-contained insulin delivery system, in two additional human insulin forms-Regular (short acting) and NPH (intermediate acting).
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1995
There are hundreds of fresh and exciting products out there. Innovative diabetes supplies are hitting the market all the time. Here's a sampling of some of the new stuff you can get.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1995
September 1995
Earlier this summer, MiniMed introduced their new Quick Release Soft Set (see July 1995 issue, page 13). Now a whole new family of sets will be introduced into the United States by Disetronic. This follows after an almost eight-year scarcity of truly innovative infusion sets.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1995
August 1995
July 1995
A new video entitled "The Basics of Diabetes" has been released by Pat Gallagher, medical correspondent and producer of the TV show "Living with Diabetes." The video is the first in a series of diabetes education tapes that will be compiled from the previously aired footage.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1995
June 1995
Today's pump user is afforded a high degree of ease and comfort in maintenance of this type of therapy. Gone are the days where the only options were messy antiseptic solutions and inappropriate bandage tapes. Over the years, a number of special products have been developed to make wearing an insulin pump a relatively problem-free experience.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1995
April 1995
Captain's Log, Stardate 43015.283.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1995
October 1994
Phyllis Furst, RN, MA, CDE is a diabetes nurse educator in Long Island, New York. She is the Diabetes Education Director at the Endocrinology and Diabetes Associates of Long Island in Rockville Center, a 3 physician diabetes and endocrinology practice, and has had type I diabetes for 22 years.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 1994
August 1994
Your pharmacist and his staff screen a new prescription for errors, then enter the data into the computer. If a problem is noted the pharmacist will contact your physician. The prescription is dispensed to you and a face-to-face counseling session informs you how to take the medicine correctly, what possible side effects or adverse effects to be aware of, and what to do about a missed dose. Some computer programs also print out an information sheet about your prescription.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1994
June 1994
The letters we received in response to Joan Hoover's article "The DCCT Offers Nothing to Diabetic Patients" were surprising in a number of ways. Firstly, they were primarily from health professionals: doctors, researchers, nurses. Secondly, almost all of them were opposing Ms. Hoover's viewpoint. We are printing the letters (some have been edited for length) because such a response deserves consideration, but also because the letters touch on many of the reasons behind the DCCT study. Also interesting is that each letter has a different view on the DCCT.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1994
May 1994
New developments in technology and manufacturing techniques have brought a new level of sophistication among lancets. The consumer now has more questions than ever about choosing the right lancet. In light of this, DIABETES HEALTH has compiled a comprehensive look at the lancets currently on the market, and their differences.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1994
April 1994
Margaret J. Wilkman, RN, CDE, is a clinical nurse specialist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. She is part of a consulting team, consisting of an endocrine specialist, a dietitian, and a clinical nurse specialist, that sees patients with diabetes who were admitted to the hospital for reasons other than diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1994
February 1994
This is the final installment of Dr. Ginsberg's three-part series called "Intensive Insulin Therapy," which was written in response to the DCCT results. Part one defined intensive therapy and gave an overview of the theories and techniques involved. The second part explained how to start an intensive therapy regimen and calculate your daily insulin doses. The last part deals with adjusting insulin doses when using intensive therapy. The goal of this series is to educate people with diabetes about intensive therapy and enable them to choose the therapy that is right for them.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1994
December 1993
This past week I was in bed for two days with a severe cold, probably stress induced. Forced to rest, I had time to reflect on this past year. What a year-what a lot of stress! I think it has been the most event-filled year in my life. Below are a few of the major changes that have filled 1993.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1993
This is the second part of a three-part series called "Intensive Insulin Therapy," written by Dr. Ginsberg in response to the DCCT results. Part one defined intensive therapy and gave an overview of the theories and techniques involved. The second part explains how to start an intensive therapy regimen and calculate your daily insulin doses. The third will deal with adjusting insulin doses when using intensive therapy. The goal of this series is to educate people with diabetes about intensive therapy and enable them to choose the therapy that is right for them.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1993
August 1993
It took years of refining my multiple injection techniques for me to get my blood sugars down to the levels achieved in the DCCT study. It was tough, but with monitoring 8-10 times/day I was able to lower my average blood sugars and my hemoglobin A1C tests. During this period I could not get health insurance and had to save money wherever I could. I would reuse my syringes until the markings rubbed off and I would cut my strips in half. (Don't try this now because today's meters don't work with cut strips.) Then for a brief period in 1989 I was part of a group health insurance plan that paid for durable medical equipment. This enabled me to afford purchasing an insulin pump.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993
In light of the results of the DCCT, Dr. Barry Ginsberg has written a three-part series on intensive insulin therapy. Look for the continuation of Dr. Ginsberg's "How to Understand and Use Insulin" in future issues.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993
July 1993
In an effort to report on all sides of the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial), we interviewed eleven of the participants about their experiences; four on conventional therapy, four on multiple injections, and three on the pump. Here are excerpts from our interviews with them. It is interesting to note that whenever someone from the conventional therapy group became pregnant, she was transferred to one of the intensive therapies for the duration of the pregnancy.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
For the last ten years the DCCT has been a big part of the participants' lives, affecting everything from what they eat to how they control their diabetes. The study is over now; the doctors have proven the effectiveness of intensive therapy, they have told us that tight control is the new standard in diabetes care. But they have not told us what the new therapies are like and how they affect our day to day life. For that we must talk to the participants themselves. We contacted eleven of the patients for their insights on the study and the therapies they used.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 1993
June 1993
Brett Michaels is the lead singer of the rock group, "Poison," which has sold over 15 million albums. As a rock star, he is on the road 9-10 months of the year, travelling throughout the United States and Europe. In this interview with Pat Gallagher on the live radio show, "Living with Diabetes," he shares his heartfelt ideas and philosophy about living with diabetes. Brett's unusual lifestyle and his willingness to be outspoken about his diabetes provide a sense of encouragement and inspiration to many young people with diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 1993
April 1993
This is the third and fourth parts of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type II diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second parts of the series dealt with the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. These parts focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1993
February 1993
Diabetes in cats, dogs, and even birds is not uncommon, and as in humans, it can be controlled once it is diagnosed. The basic rule is that any animal with a pancreas has the potential for contracting the disease, and that includes most household pets. Common symptoms to look for are very similar to those found in humans: increased thirst, urination, and weight loss.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1993
New developments in materials, bio-engineering techniques and other disciplines have recently taken the concept of artificial organs from fantasy to reality. EU 346 PANART-Artificial Pancreas, for example, aims to develop an implanted artificial insulin delivery system, which promises to give diabetes sufferers a more normal and healthy lifestyle.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1993
This is the second part of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type 2 diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second parts of the series discuss the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. Parts three and four will focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1993
January 1993
This is the first of a six part series on "How to Understand and Use Insulin." The goal of this series is to promote a better understanding of insulin for those readers who already take insulin, including the many people with Type 2 diabetes who have switched from pills to insulin to treat their diabetes. The first and second part of the series will discuss the technical factors involved in minimizing variations in insulin absorption. Parts three and four will focus on adjusting insulin, and parts five and six will focus on insulin research.
0 comments - Posted Jan 1, 1993
December 1992
To have my own mother come down with diabetes was quite of a shock. It is a big issue for me because my life is already dedicated to helping people with diabetes get a fair shake, and this is such a switch. I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 17, and it was my mom that cared for me and brought information into our home. Now I have the chance to impact her life in much the same way.
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 1992
November 1992
In a study published in The Diabetes Educator, May/June 1992, researchers conducted a survey to evaluate the opinions of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes concerning their use of jet injectors for insulin delivery. It was also the intent of the researchers to find out if the use of a jet injector affected the patient's commitment to their treatment program.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
To make the withdrawal of insulin easier, Diabetes Insulcap, Inc. has created the Insulcap, a device that allows for the use of both hands on the syringe when removing insulin from the bottle.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1992
September 1991
On July 1st,1991, San Francisco introduced a pilot program, initiated by Scott King, Editor in Chief of DIABETES HEALTH, to help reduce the risk of city garbage collectors getting stuck by syringe needles.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1991
