The brain is a very powerful thing. This morning while working I had some time to myself. Once I got past al of the thoughts for the new house, my brain was thinking about a new diabetes technology. This technology is not yet available, it may never be available but I love the idea that I came up with over the past few months.
As diabetics we know how each food we eat will affect our blood sugar. Most of us have very precise carbohydrate ratios and we know what foods are good or bad for us. What we do not know is how certain exercise will affect our blood sugar. For example, when I go for a bike ride I have to set my pump to a 9% basal rate and wait two hours before I get on the bike. What if you had a way to see the future?? What if you had a computer program or an app on your smart phone that could tell you how your body would respond to a five mile run.
This program would know everything about us as diabetics, our weight, how our body reacts to exercise, and how any food will affect our blood sugar. Once this program learns how you act as a diabetic you can predict the future. Say I want to go for a 50 mile bike ride at 2pm on a Saturday, I had my lunch at 11:30, what is the best temp basal rate and how much insulin should I take with my lunch. You would be able to go to this program and enter the exact food you eat, the time you eat, and at what pace you will ride your bike at. The program will then take this information and show you a graph of what your blood sugar will do. I will then be able to tweak my temp basal and see what the program says. If I try a 15% basal will my blood sugar be low? The hope is that this program will give you a good idea of where you will be blood sugar wise while riding.
I have spoken to a few people about this idea and I have gotten some negative feedback, which I expected. One comment being, the program can't be precise, what if you are trying to pass someone on the bike and sprint. How will the program know that? It will not, technology is not perfect. My CGM is often off by 10 points but gives me a very good idea of where my blood sugar is. The hope is to make the program perfect. It will take time.
The other great feature is that the program could be used as a way to teach newly diagnosed children how to control their diabetes. Take a 16 year old that was just diagnosed, he would be able to play with the program. He can see what happens if he goes and has pizza with his friends. He can then tweak the amount of insulin to see how the dosage will affect his or her blood sugar.
This "program" has a patent. I feel good about it and wanted to protect my work just in case. I welcome any feedback and criticism.
As diabetics we know how each food we eat will affect our blood sugar. Most of us have very precise carbohydrate ratios and we know what foods are good or bad for us. What we do not know is how certain exercise will affect our blood sugar. For example, when I go for a bike ride I have to set my pump to a 9% basal rate and wait two hours before I get on the bike. What if you had a way to see the future?? What if you had a computer program or an app on your smart phone that could tell you how your body would respond to a five mile run.
This program would know everything about us as diabetics, our weight, how our body reacts to exercise, and how any food will affect our blood sugar. Once this program learns how you act as a diabetic you can predict the future. Say I want to go for a 50 mile bike ride at 2pm on a Saturday, I had my lunch at 11:30, what is the best temp basal rate and how much insulin should I take with my lunch. You would be able to go to this program and enter the exact food you eat, the time you eat, and at what pace you will ride your bike at. The program will then take this information and show you a graph of what your blood sugar will do. I will then be able to tweak my temp basal and see what the program says. If I try a 15% basal will my blood sugar be low? The hope is that this program will give you a good idea of where you will be blood sugar wise while riding.
I have spoken to a few people about this idea and I have gotten some negative feedback, which I expected. One comment being, the program can't be precise, what if you are trying to pass someone on the bike and sprint. How will the program know that? It will not, technology is not perfect. My CGM is often off by 10 points but gives me a very good idea of where my blood sugar is. The hope is to make the program perfect. It will take time.
The other great feature is that the program could be used as a way to teach newly diagnosed children how to control their diabetes. Take a 16 year old that was just diagnosed, he would be able to play with the program. He can see what happens if he goes and has pizza with his friends. He can then tweak the amount of insulin to see how the dosage will affect his or her blood sugar.
This "program" has a patent. I feel good about it and wanted to protect my work just in case. I welcome any feedback and criticism.
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