ABC News SA has published a feature story on DIY Looping this morning!
I am a little annoyed that the title refers to us as diabetes “sufferers”, but overall it seems like a nicely balanced article. Just ignore details like the caption “building software” on pictures that are showing people in fact replacing the batteries in their CGM transmitters.
It dovetails quite well with the ABC Science Show radio segment on looping earlier this year.
The journalist apparently attended one of the Adelaide “build parties” where people get together to share information and show each other how they’ve solved issues, as an adjunct to the wealth of information online and in the online “looping” communities on places like Facebook. Over the last few years these gatherings have been happening in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane at least.
Apparently this will also be a TV segment on South Australian ABC news at 7PM tonight, which will be accessible via iView until Tuesday.
PostScript
This is what happens when things are played on free-to-air TV by the national broadcaster. People make recordings!
Need some gatherings in Perth… it’s lonely over here
What needs to be remembered is that looping along with carb counting etc is not an excuse to just eat what you like and insulin will take care of it.
Studies such as one in US recently showed that TIDs are gaining weight as a group faster than the general population which increases the risk of insulin resistance a phenomenon called double diabetes. The HBAIC levels on average for TIDs are not decreasing, but increasing over the fours years of this study despite use of CGM and insulin pump increasing.
Hi Tony
Do you have a link to that study?
Dr Bernstein writes about insulin resistance in his book.
I tend to agree, Tony. Looping is obviously a fantastic tool for keeping BG levels stable but eating low carb & avoiding processed food certainly helps with this too.
Ultimately we want to be healthy, as well as having good BG levels, and there’s heaps of resources out there to help do this. There’s a huge movement for treating all diabetics with a low carb, higher fat diet, even though it goes against the current food guidelines. The Government is lagging well behind so, like looping, many people are taking their health into their own hands and eating this way….. with fantastic results.
Hi Tony – As a T1D I did gain weight while pregnant, and have not succeeded with shifting it. I have dismissed information from Dietitians who would have me eating cereal for breakfast each morning, I do eat far less carbs than their recommended amounts. I am looking at looping as a way to decrease my insulin and decrease my numbers, I have yet to meet a looper or prospective looper whom I thought to be reckless with their consumption. Lets hope we can fair better than the US study you have referred to – please post a link to it?
The other thing that was ignored in talking about the risk, is the risk that already exists with the “approved” system (which I use): the inevitability of dramatic low blood glucose anyway! How many “unapproved” serious hypos & hypers have you had without “ The Loop”?
And then there’s the insistence on the use of “patient” when the whole story is about people with diabetes who aren’t relying on HCPs and who clearly aren’t “patients”.
Oh & the use of “diabetic” as a noun – inevitable, but at least it’s being talked about preferably beyond Mt Gambier!
Thanks for posting this
With the tag line of “We Are Not Waiting”, loopers should probably be called IMpatients :)_