Here it is: your weekly reminder about entering the Holiday Survival Sweepstakes.  This week’s query has to do with exercise tips, as in how do you stay fit and active over the winter months?  (see below) Allow me to remind you that we’re encouraging fitness as best we can by offering two GRAND PRIZES from Fit4D.com: [...]

Now this is interesting: I just learned that a new campaign has been launched today called “Cure CVS” — critiquing the nation’s largest retail pharmacy chain for these offenses: “CVS has repeatedly kept expired drugs on its shelves, failed to protect sensitive patient data, overcharged customers in a number of cities, and stands by corporate policy that puts [...]

Who’s familiar with the ICE (In Case of Emergency) program that encourages people to enter emergency contacts in their cell phone address book under the name “ICE” — like “ICE - Dad” or “ICE - Janie“?  Then you add some brief notes about your medical condition in the address book entry.  Funny to think that there [...]

That’s what it feels like, anyway. A millennium of skin malfunctions over here that are making my diabetes and gluten intolerance genuinely intolerable of late! (A TMI post? Read at your own risk) The latest bout of troubles kicked off this summer when I took the new Abbott Navigator CGM sensor for a test drive.  The [...]

OK, so it took me over an hour to read through this week’s 60-some-odd responses to the diabetes police. This was, in part, due to the head cold I picked up over Thanksgiving weekend.  Blah.  But the real reason was because the answers to this week’s Holiday Survival Sweepstakes query were so darn entertaining!  I [...]

Diabetes Awareness Month has drawn to a close. Of course, we can only hope that all the press releases and outreach programs have made a difference. Before it’s all over I wanted to share with you this month’s JDRF Blogger Rountable, which features a set of us very vocal D-Bloggers answering topical questions each month.  You [...]

So how did you hold up during Thanksgiving dinner?  Darn it, I’m a bit late posting this, but in case you’re still up against some very large meals this weekend, have look at John Crowley’s useful Tips for Getting Through Thanksgiving with Diabetes. I especially like the notes on What to Do If You Blow [...]

I woke up with a sore throat today, but still, I have MUCH to be thankful for. - 3 healthy children and a partner I adore - extended family - good friends - a pretty comfortable life - a job that I love (!) - relative good health, even with a chronic illness - and a whole lot of wonderful people online [...]

In honor of THANKSGIVING this year, a special message about life and death from Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team.  This initiative was born from the story of a young woman, a mom just 32 years old, who was dying of glioblastoma and desperately wanted to do so at home, with grace, rather [...]

What a fruitful week we have had strategizing in advance over how not to “lose it” with your diabetes control during holiday parties this season.  DiabetesMine received nearly 100 entries for the first week’s question!!  Thanks to everyone for your insights (and your sarcasm in spots ). Now, I’d like to announce our first round [...]

I can’t quite remember who asked me, but in front of San Francisco City Hall last Friday evening, during our World Diabetes Day celebrations, somebody pointed to my pin and asked, “Why the blue circle, anyway? What does that mean?” They also wanted to know why the logo didn’t have the world “diabetes” stamped across it: [...]

Listen up, everybody, because there’s lots of booty involved! Today, I’m just giddy to be able to announce a contest in which everybody wins: The DiabetesMine™ Holiday Survival Sweepstakes. The whole idea is to share some of our best tips about surviving the holiday season with diabetes, have some fun, and share the freebie love! (I’m fortunate to [...]

Been workin’ hard on this all week.  Tune in tomorrow for the launch — we have nearly 50 great prizes to give away! (Special thanks to Gina Capone for designing this killer-pie logo!) See you in the AM.

This is one of those creations from my quirky 9-year-old that I just had to post.  This was meant to be the “rules for upstairs” in our house: Kind of makes a great credo for certain circumstances in life, ay?  Except that the eating and drinking parts are often prerequisites for No. 4 But what [...]

It was an absolutely perfect evening — warm breeze, no real wind. We came, we saw, we lit up San Francisco City Hall. * Photos by Mark Yarchoan Happy WDD, World! (Special thanks to Alisa Bekins of Close Concerns for making all the arrangements)

A very happy and BLUE World Diabetes Day to everyone today! Feeling Blue Myself…  But for all the right reasons. Read on for an EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEAK at the Young Voices video competition winners! First, a note for SF Bay Area locals:  Myself and a group of local advocates including Kelly Close and Manny from TuDiabetes be [...]

I just got the official heads-up about the launch of something the JDRF has been cooking up behind the scenes for some time: a new social networking site for young adults with Type 1 diabetes called Juvenation.org. Check it out, and join the beta! The site leader and moderator is our very own Gina Capone of [...]

It’s almost World Diabetes Day, so let’s talk food for a moment. First, I eat a ton of salad. In fact, being allergic to wheat, salad is often the ONLY THING on a restaurant menu that I can order safely.  At Red Brick Pizza with my kids yesterday, I found myself shelling out upwards of $6 [...]

** NEWSFLASH: COMMENTS ARE FINALLY RE-ENABLED ** Sincere apologies for the interruption in service for the last few days.  I was getting ready to fire-bomb Dreamhost, which for some inexplicable reason decided to disable my comments database.  But it seems we are now back in the business of interactive publishing, so feel free to comment away! Regards, The [...]

While we’re on the topic of diabetes technologies and advancements this week, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about two more companies working on some alluring diabetes innovations. DiaSome Pharmaceuticals, located in Conshohoken, PA, is developing a “proprietary nanotechnology cell-receptor targeting system” designed to deliver insulin to the hepatocyte cells in the liver via both [...]

Are you on board with the notion of paying people to do the right things in life? I’m asking because I’m about to announce beta testing of a new diabetes education website that will offer incentives for engagement and progress (that means prizes to you and me). First, a bit about the whole notion of rewards: A [...]

On Wednesday of this week, the eighth annual Diabetes Technology Meeting convenes in Bethesda, MD, for a three-day event (spanning this year’s World Diabetes Day on Thursday) that will survey the latest technological advances for people with diabetes.  How I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that conference! Nevermind that I’ve been trying [...]

The diabetes online community has come a darn long way in just a few short years.  Today, Nov. 9, was dubbed the official “Annual Diabetes Blog Day” by Gina Capone of the Talkfest back in the “early days” of 2005. I can’t believe it’s been three whole years since I asked readers to “Talk to [...]

I read other PWD’s blogs, and they always seem like they have it so together.  But then again, when fellow diabetics meet me in person, they seem to think I have it all figured out, too.  Closer to the truth is probably that we’re all just taking it day by day.  And man, do I [...]

Are diabetes headlines in the mainstream media mostly a bunch of hype, or do they bring us real hope for the future?  The panel I moderated on this topic at the Diabetes Research Institute’s annual conference in New York City last week produced quite a lively discussion. I referenced all of your comments as well, [...]

* Special for Diabetes Awareness Month * My friend and co-author Dr. Richard Jackson of Joslin Diabetes Center often expresses frustration at the things his patients were never told about their diabetes.  Believe it or not, the reasons for checking your blood glucose are high on that list.  He has some great insights to share.  NOTE: [...]

Now this is interesting.  Yesterday I received an update from the folks at Manhattan Research on the “Top Pharma Product Site 2008 list” from their latest ePharma Physician® study. To be clear, this study looks at the top product sites visited by doctors, not patients or consumers: Top 10 Product Sites Visited by Physicians in 2008 Ranked [...]

“Mom, what’s the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?” (my 9-year-old on Saturday) “Umm, getting diagnosed with diabetes, I guess… Yes, definitely the diabetes.” “But you knew about them before, right?” “Knew about who, honey?” “The diabetes! And what they do and stuff…” School started today. I sure hope they don’t change her too much.

I may be the last would-be weight watcher in the country to discover the South Beach Diet. The cover of the book by Dr. Arthur Agatston, MD, brags that it’s a New York Times bestseller, and it even sports a pop-out button stating “lose belly fat first.”  Definitely not my usual thing. But my hubby read [...]

We never really get a vacation from diabetes. Never.  But this last month is about the closest I’ve come since diagnosis.  What a treat! Despite a few D-blips here and there, my BG management went smoothly enough to recede to the background while I enjoyed sun, surf, friends, family, museums, walks in the woods, and a [...]

I met Hope Warshaw a couple of years ago at the annual ADA conference, when I interviewed her on eating with diabetes.  She’s smart, down-to-earth, and witty.  Just the kind of expert you wish you could take home with you! A Guest Post by Hope Warshaw, registered dietitian, CDE, and famous food author As you put carbohydrate [...]

Birdie is one of my favorite fellow D-bloggers. Her colorful images and sincere words are always worth a double-take. She recently compiled a coffee table book that will evoke the same reaction from your party guests — or anyone you know living with illness. A Guest Post by Birdie B, creator of Aiming for Grace I’m feeling [...]

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of Theresa Garnero: diabetes educator extraordinaire and talented artist with a funny bone for diabetes. Read all about her in my recent interview. A Guest Post by Theresa Garnero, accomplished diabetes nurse educator, author and cartoonist What does your diabetes educator really think about your diabetes? Is it all about [...]

I met Brandy and Laura in person for the first time this June.  They both have adorable southern accents and a fire in their eyes when they talk about their new initiative for supporting women with diabetes. A Guest Post by patient advocates Brandy Barnes and Laura Ely This is a critical time in the world of [...]

Alan Rubin is author of “Diabetes for Dummies,” the very first book I ever read on the topic.  That kind of makes him my hero and mentor, at least in my mind.  He’s not only well-informed; he also sports a healthy dose of cynicism, just like me A Guest Post by Alan L. Rubin, [...]

As a little girl, I always wanted to be Lois Lane. Now that I’m grown up, Susannah Fox is my heroine of sorts.  She’s the former editor of the U.S. News & World Report website, who’s now become a national authority on Americans’ use of the Internet, in particular when it comes to “participatory medicine.” [...]

Nope, it’s not Hawaii.  This was my long weekend in Mexico… With the girls… Diabetes?  What diabetes? That was ca. 10 days ago. Since then I’ve been on the Dutch coast (where the men don’t leer quite so much, but rather “enjoy the view” from behind dark glasses, my hubby tells me). We’re currently back in Germany, dressed in [...]

Rich has a very impressive new title at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston; he’s Director of Medical Affairs, Healthcare Services, and Strategic Initiatives, which would be totally intimidating if he weren’t such an easygoing and approachable person. We became friends writing a book together last year, and I am delighted to be able to [...]

Ooh, I made a rhyme!  So clever.  And just about the kind of cutsey headline you’d expect for such an unlikely “news” announcement. I usually systematically ignore all the fuss about herbs and supplements that supposedly help control diabetes, even cinnamon, because it just seems awfully far-fetched to me.  But if scientific results were presented [...]

I connected with Amparo right after she took office early this year.  I found her warm and open and realistic about the mine field that many patients face — which is extremely refreshing for someone on “the inside.” A Guest Post by Amparo Gonzalez, current president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) When Amy [...]

I was chatting with a dietitian friend not long ago and found myself explaining my feelings about low-carb eating.  I’ve been given some grief in the past by the Atkins devotees that I’m not gung-ho enough about the low-carb lifestyle.  Well, now that I’ve formulated my thoughts on the subject, l can tell you why: Low-carb [...]

The 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) kicks off today in Washington, DC.  I had to sit this one out because I’m currently in Europe with my family (boo hoo - NOT). But I did attend this conference last year, and it’s a fascinating event.  This is where around 3,500 - [...]

Believe it or not, Norae used to teach my kids tennis.  She’s all grown up now with her own nutritional clinic and is fast becoming a recognized authority on dietary issues in the Bay Area and beyond. A Guest Post by registered dietitian Norae Ferrara In response to David Spero’s post and reader comments [...]

or those of you who haven’t discovered this yet: the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation launched a so-called Blogger Round Table back in January.  It’s organized by Allison Blass with two members of the JDRF communications team. Participants are: me, Kerri, Bernard Farrell, Scott Johnson, Allie Beatty, Manny Hernandez, Scott Strumello, Sandra Miller, and Gina Capone. Each [...]

Sheri is a veteran Type 1 diabetic herself and a mother, besides being a professor and author and frequent speaker.  Besides all that, she’s famously fit.  This lady knows how to juggle, I tell you. A Guest Post by expert and author Sheri R. Colberg, PhD Even though I have been living with diabetes since I was [...]

I’m no diet expert, but I still get lots of emails about Glucerna and other “diabetic” food products: How or what good are they really for people with diabetes?  In a new twist, I got this email from a non-diabetic reader not long ago: Dear Diabetes Mine: I am a 42 yr old male, in good [...]

Today I am kicking off our new series of Guest Opinions with a little something from Hollywood funnyman Jim Turner. whom I consider a friend ever since he showed me a good time at my first-ever national diabetes conference.  He never fails to coax a smile, even in the worst of D-times. A Guest Post by [...]

When my second daughter was three, she used hide her eyes when I tested my glucose. Then one day when she turned four, she stared right at my finger and demanded: “Let me see that boo-boo! I don’t like that boo-boo.” And she let out a cackle.  We’ve been laughing ever since. Having kids [...]

From prepping for my vacation… I need a vacation! Courtesy of Theresa Garnero, CDE.

The folks at Consumers Union and Consumer Reports Health were mad as hell about the sorry state of health care coverage in this country.  They wanted to make darn sure that politicians are listening to the voices of suffering citizens, and not just those of the “big money lobbyists representing the [...]

This morning I am boarding a plane for Mexico, and later to LA and then Germany and Holland.  Just over a whole month on the road this summer, wow!  Sounds glamorous, I know, but actually travel stresses me out.  I am of course looking forward to quality time with friends and family. And what will be [...]

You think the economy is bad?  Maybe, but the tsunami of new companies creating health/medical tools on the web continues unhampered.  A few to highlight today: * HealthyDirectorymoz.com — a comprehensive directory of health and medical websites. It currently lists 907 active websites that you can look up under a variety of categories. Note that diabetes [...]

The Jonas Brothers played San Francisco this week.  We did not attend (tickets started at $92).  But my three daughters have chatted up everyone at their school, everyone at summer camp, and everyone under age 14 within a 10-mile radius, I believe: they just cannot get over the fact that I actually interviewed Nick Jonas [...]

I’ve always been squeamish about trying alternate sites for my insulin pump.  When Tiffany wrote about using her breasts back in 2005, I kind of shut down on the whole notion. Eeeeww! Just give me the belly and arms, thank you very much. But now that I’m having issues with both skin irritation and lipodystrophy (overused [...]

One thing about the ADA Conference last month that I haven’t gotten around to reporting: You wouldn’t believe the jockeying for position by these Big Pharma companies around all the research announcements.  What from the outside looks like a bunch of meaningful academic pursuits is in truth pure gold data that fuels streams of business.  [...]

I knew Theresa Garnero was someone special before I even met her. She not only won the honor of AADE Diabetes Educator of the Year in 2004-2005, but she also recently won the Inspired by Diabetes contest — for a “Pin the Pancreas on the Piggy” game, no less.  She also contributed to this year’s [...]

Talk about adding insult to injury! It was bad enough when my Type 1 diabetes ushered in a new era of being allergic to wheat.  But now I’ve received some equally upsetting news: it seems I am also allergic to medical adhesives.  Would you believe…? “You’re the only one in the family who needs medical adhesives, [...]

I don’t want this post to sound negative, as I’m quite liking the modus operandi of the FreeStyle Navigator.  But as you can see, reader June S. hit the nail on the head when she said, “Yikes! How can you fit a large ‘Pod’ on your body PLUS the large Navigator transmitter/receiver?” Two lumps are [...]

A Canadian company called EnGene Inc. claims to have developed an innovative genetic approach to potentially overcoming diabetes. I’m using the term “overcoming” because what EnGene is working on is not a cure per se, but a pretty cool workaround. Here’s the deal: As you all know, insulin is produced in the human body by beta cells [...]

Question: How can you tell if the insulin in any given vial is still good before injecting it? Answer: You can’t! You have to “test” it on yourself by injecting and awaiting the blood sugar results. Isn’t that crazy?! A reader emailed me a week or so ago asking why there is no litmus test — like a [...]

As of Sunday evening at 9pm, I’m on the Navigator!  That would be the newest continuous glucose monitoring system from Abbott Diabetes, approved by the FDA this past March.  Approval took much longer than expected, while the company had been promising me a close look at the product for over a year, in part because [...]

I realize there are a lot of folks out there struggling to pay for the basic supplies and medications they need to care for their diabetes.  The high cost is one of the shittiest things about having this shitty disease, if you’ll excuse my candor. I’m amazed at how many people on the new community write [...]

Welcome to the latest edition of the Diabetic Partner Follies, where the partners of people with diabetes (PWDs) come to share their stories. Ginger and her husband Doug have had it tough; his health issues go beyond struggling with blood sugar. Understandably, she is scared. And worn out. And — well, let’s hear [...]

Clearly, many of you are not into detailed logging of your diabetes records.  Honestly, I’m not that diligent with the logging either.  But I do love to have a close look at all the newest tools on the market for managing diabetes. Anything that can help with carb-counting is of particular interest, because I’m [...]

Who caught yesterday’s New York Times article in which Dr. John Buse states that diabetes is the “Rodney Dangerfield of diseases,’’ meaning it don’t get no respect?  Yipes!
Apparently he has a point, as evidenced by results of focus groups run by the American Diabetes Association: “On a scale of 1 to 10, cancer and heart [...]

The online diabetes community, led by Gina Capone, has dubbed today a special day to lobby for insurance coverage of new continuous glucose monitoring systems. The idea is that we all raise our voices, by talking openly about how important CGMS is to our health, whether it’s simply for preventing lows at the gym or [...]

I’m simply drowning in interesting stuff I’d like to post about. But an in-depth look at everything in my inbox is not going to happen. So to brighten up your Monday, some juicy links:
* Insulin analogs are no better than the real deal?  A closer look reveals that this is a [...]

A note from the management today: Wanted to let you all know that the issue with the RSS feed for DiabetesMine — which went a little haywire following our recent site redesign — is now officially fixed.  There are two functioning feeds to choose from:
http://www.diabetesmine.com/wp-rdf.php (main feed)
and
www.diabetesmine.com/feed (alternate)

And if you’re looking for an easy [...]

At the ADA Conference in early June, I was lucky to get a sneak preview of some of the cool upgrades coming to Insulet’s “paradigm-shifting” wireless insulin pump system. I’ve waited to post this because I was hoping to get my hands on some images of the new (not-yet-released) stuff, which are not forthcoming.  Dern. [...]

Because you just haven’t gotten enough of this contest yet , please say hello to the Grand Prize winners today:

Ethan Mullis (left) is a professional designer and Type 1 diabetic.  His brother-in-law and best friend Alan Johnson helped him get hired at the innovative web startup company Gnoso Inc. in Taylors, South Carolina. Last [...]

Thanks again to everyone who entered and helped promote this year’s DiabetesMine Design Challenge. We had twenty-one great entries — each one a fresh idea for a product to help people live better with diabetes.
Congratulations again to grand prize winners Ethan Mullis and Max Wieder!
The panel of judges spent some serious time deliberating over [...]

The Swiss medical device specialists at Debiotech and STMicroelectronics have announced the first “evaluation prototypes” of the unique “highly miniaturized disposable insulin pump” they’ve been working on for several years.  As you can see, it’s literally the size of a credit card.  I wrote about it last spring, lamenting that these things always take ages [...]

If ever two things were once considered mutually exclusive, they were career and chronic illness. Add to that being a woman and the whole thing sounded like a joke. Well, we've come a long way, Baby. According to Rosalind Joffe...

I read so many articles and blog posts on health and diabetes and technology and business that sometimes my head just spins. But it usually doesn't take too long for some sort of theme to congeal for me -- some...

How safe are the medicines we're all taking? Who's to know? As good Americans, we tend to put our faith in the system and assume that the authorities have it covered. After all, they'd get sued or something if this...

It always kind of ticks me off when people say that managing your diabetes is "like brushing your teeth." It's a helluva lot more work than that. But the one similarity is that it is kind of habit-forming. I always...

When it comes to natural disasters and other potential crises, diabetes makes me feel frighteningly vulnerable. I mentioned before that the images of Katrina had me clacking my teeth, as I wondered how I might stay alive sans fresh insulin...

Big updates today to the ... 2nd Annual DiabetesMine™ Design Challenge * a competition designed to foster innovation in diabetes design and encourage creative new tools that will improve life with diabetes * In order to spread the word about...

We're all waiting for some truly bloodless glucose monitoring technology, of which there is much on the horizon. The wait, however, is long and tedious. Still, we love to hear about what's coming, don't we? I stamped this post "May...

Back in 2003, when I was diagnosed, nobody seemed to know anything much about the connection between Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Or at least it wasn't mainstream, certainly not for my doctors at the time. Celiac is of...

Harking back to the last contest hosted here, Seven Words of Wisdom for Living with Diabetes, today a nice photo montage of our wise and wonderful winners -- and their coveted prizes. -- Terry Keelan sporting attitude, and his new...

No, that's not my cat walking on the keyboard again, typing crazy things (although she does that often). It's me. My carpal tunnel syndrome is acting up again, and I'm hating it. Who would have thought a little cramping in...

At a briefing in Washington DC today, the American Diabetes Association announced a highly ambitious (or crazy?) new National Diabetes Goal: "By 2015, 45% of Americans who are at risk of getting diabetes will know their blood glucose level and...

A lot of people write to me explaining how they sometimes feel so blindingly angry about having diabetes. They're just pissed off, and I can't blame them. Living with this thing is inconvenient and aggravating, to say the very least....

Another diabetes media blitz you won't believe. Check out "FDA study: Insulin pumps linked to injuries, deaths in teens," an Associated Press headline that's appearing all over God's creation today. And I quote: "The federal review of use by young...

The winner of this year's Bayer Dream Fund contest certainly has something new and different in mind. Wendy Coleman, a theater and speech professor at Albany State University in Georgia, will use her award to "compose and perform a play...