Is there such a thing as...

[Gwynn]

Just pondering the life of T1's and T2's (and the NHS) and having to finger prick and inject regularly depending on intended foods (T1's) and present BG readings AND the cost to the NHS of providing BG meters, test strips, pumps et al AND the inconvenience and pain to the users.... ie diabetes is an expensive pain that is getting ever worse it seems.

Could a device be made that is small, self powered, able to be inserted permanently into the body (like a pace maker idea), that could monitor 24/7 someones blood sugar, where the readings could be read off by a phone app or some cheap external device.

There would be a cost of the device and the minor operation to insert the device but other than that the cost to the NHS would be minimal and the benefits to all possibly huge.

Obviously this will have been considered by others so there must be some drawbacks that I have not thought of.

An extension of this thought might be a device to replace pumps for T1's by an internal, permanent pump (no idea how one might get it the insulin it would need right now though).

Just a thought. Mind you better food and health education might be a better option so as to possibly avoid the diabetes problem in the first place, but right now we are stuck with an ever increasing diabetes epidemic it seems.

 

[Inka]

They were talking about an implantable insulin pump years ago @Gwynn I don’t fancy one at all. If I have a pump issue now, I can hold it in my hand and sort it. I’m not keen on having something inside me that I can’t get to full of insulin that might kill me if it malfunctioned or leaked or broke.

In a way, we already have ‘implantable’ glucose monitors - the CGMs and the Libre. Again, better on the outside as far as I’m concerned.

 

[Gwynn]

Fair point.

Maybe a device just for monitoring then.

 

[Docb]

The problem is that currently blood glucose is measured by invoking a chemical reaction between blood glucose and a reagent, measuring something about that reaction(I assume a potential) and then converting that to a blood glucose reading by appropriate application of fiddle factors.

The operating time of the device depends on the amount of reagent available and if you use the same principle in your device then it will have limited life. If the libre is anything to go by, you would be opened up every couple of weeks (if it did not fail prematurely)

What is needed is something other than a chemical reaction to measure blood glucose. Thats the holy grail of all those trying to make a watch measure blood glucose. Come up with that and you might get somewhere.

PS... I have an idea.....

 

[helli]

The Eversense is an implanted CGM.
I believe it has to be replaced every 3 months ... and it is not cheap.

 

[Gwynn]

I think were'e back down to a finger pricking device. Oh no, there's still the better education route too...

(At least the research on my original thought was remarkably inexpensive.) 🙂

 

[Kaylz]

Mind you better food and health education might be a better option so as to possibly avoid the diabetes problem in the first place,

But that would only work in certain cases, not at all for Type 1's and not every Type 2's is caused by lifestyle etc so it wouldn't eradicate diabetes

 

[Nayshiftin]

Gwynn, I have no idea about your original question, I think I'd rather not, because I fear insulin as metformin is horrid enough the thought of an injection I needed or die is really not where I want to be. So keep that to myself but I would love to ask you about the diets reading your signature. I would be pleased if you can give me signposts as to diets you used thanks Anne

 

[Gwynn]

Anne, you pose an interesting question...'the diets I use'

I think there may have been a general thread on this very topic. I will have a dig around.

I may start a new thread to cover this. Trouble is that every diet strategy is very individual so anything I may write may not be useful or helpful at all.

Anyway I will ponder this after my eye operation today.

 

[Nayshiftin]

Anne, you pose an interesting question...'the diets I use'

I think there may have been a general thread on this very topic. I will have a dig around.

I may start a new thread to cover this. Trouble is that every diet strategy is very individual so anything I may write may not be useful or helpful at all.

Anyway I will ponder this after my eye operation today.

No hurry, take care and I wish all well with your eye operation. I’ve a long journey so any tips at any pit stop will help. Im awkward so I’ll take what suits me and well I can’t cope with the rest but someone else might. Focus on getting better with your eye op and wishing you well as we speak.

 

[helli]

Anyway I will ponder this after my eye operation today.

All the best with your op. I hope it goes well and recover is quick.

 

[Leadinglights]

These new things cost millions to develop and there is no guarantee that they will ever come to market. My OH worked for a company who were paid £800,000 a month by a medical company to develop an insulin delivery device. Then there was all the regulatory systems and legal stuff before it could be approved.