What are your best diabetes investments?

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helli

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I recently read a thread where @Pumper_Sue recommended a book, describing it as "your best investment".
This made me wonder what I would call my best diabetes investments.

I think it would be my HidIn patch belts when I had a tubed pump and my Miaomiao.

Obviously, the best investment is insulin research but, thankfully, I did not have to fund that myself.

I wondered what others think?
 
I love my Hid-In pump belt too. I wear one every day and night. So comfortable and I truly forget I have a pump.

I also like my Pumping Insulin book and Think Like A Pancreas 🙂 Oh, and my Frio pouch which I carry in a great med bag which has a special Frio pocket to facilitate its functionality, and also has space for all my insulin, etc, when I travel.
 
helli said:
I recently read a thread where @Pumper_Sue recommended a book, describing it as "your best investment".
This made me wonder what I would call my best diabetes investments.

I think it would be my HidIn patch belts when I had a tubed pump and my Miaomiao.

Obviously, the best investment is insulin research but, thankfully, I did not have to fund that myself.

I wondered what others think?
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Hi Helli,

This might sound a bit obvious, but I would say the best investment one can make is in their own daily diabetes management. Making every effort to monitor, carb count and taking insulin as and when required.
At my hospital appointment yesterday, the ophthalmologist was saying not everyone invests their time and effort in looking after themselves. She told me of the effects of not doing this.
 
Amity Island said:
Hi Helli,
This might sound a bit obvious, but I would say the best investment you can make is in daily management. Making every effort to monitor, carb count and taking insulin as an when required.
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Mine would be similar but I would certainly add in making the time to exercise.
 
Mine was buying Gretchen Becker's Type 2 book, and finding one small paragraph about half way through, that said, if x,y, and z, (all of which I ticked) apply, go back to your GP and ask if you’re really Type 1. I’d have muddled on trusting my doctor for even longer than I did if I hadn’t read that.
That, and self funding the Libre early on, (which I’m currently trying or get on prescription) That truly was a game changer.
 
I'm with Inka on Think Like A Pancreas, and Robin with the Libre. In addition, Libreview which I have allowed my diabetes team to view as well, so it makes consultations so much easier.
 
Things I've invested hard cash into - BDA (now DUK) membership, disposable syringes, then my very first glucometer. Later Frio pouches - now the filling is so desiccated they've been binned, haven't been used at all since we've had a motorhome. Then Think Like a Pancreas and Pumping Insulin.

Now this next - and main one - is going to make me sound full of myself at first - but think about it.

My time!!!! I couldn't have learned everything I now know (and I don't claim to be an expert and never would) without investing so much of it virtually with so very many other PWD and picking their brains, and thus enabling me to achieve decent control for longer myself.
 
I agree with @mikeyB on Think Like A Pancreas and the Libre. (Especially the Libre: after decades I can finally see what's happening when I'm not testing, and scanning is so easy I can look whenever I want. It's so liberating.) And @trophywench on the Frio pouches (I enjoyed going on holiday to warmer places, back when that was a thing, and even in the UK it can be warm for a little while a year).

(I'd also mention the book Sugar Surfing by Stephen W. Ponder. Though now I look it looks like I haven't read that much of it (and it's a bit US centric). But the general idea that a Libre or CGM lets you sensibly manage levels better by glancing at the graph quite frequently and adjusting as things go, and means it needn't be a disaster when you get a bolus wrong.)
 
For me it is my 'Carbs &Cals' book which is my continuing reference place for carb values, and also good pictorial reminders about portion sizes.
 
  • Like others for me it was self funding the Libre, which I only found out bout from others on here, and it had a massive impact on my management.
  • Also the book Think Like a Pancreas.

Successful management for me has also relied on
  • making time to make use of the knowledge gathered on here and elsewhere
  • realistic expectations of what is possible, eventually achieved through the support from so many on here.
 
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