Chill Out Sugar, It’s Just Diabetes

We’re a big fan of all the pictures we see from MiniMed Ambassador, Justina McConnell, that feature her new MiniMed 630G system. Especially because she makes it all look so easy (which we know it’s not)! Enjoy these and also check our Instagram page in November where Justina will be taking over.
I’m a wife, mother, and an athlete. I don’t have time for diabetes. Unfortunately my pancreas doesn’t seem to care that there are only 24 hours in a day. Just like my blood sugars, my life is always changing. Lucky for me, technology is also always changing. But if you can’t figure out how to use this new cutting edge technology…what’s the point? That’s why I’m so thankful for the new MiniMed 630G system.
This system bends to my needs. It’s my personal diabetes assistant. It’s so easy to use. One touch, on ANY button wakes the home screen and lights up all my insulin pump information. So insanely helpful at night! It shows me everything I need to know. My active insulin, my current blood sugar, past blood sugars, the amount of insulin in my reservoir, my battery life, and the time.
With that one button, she (yes I named my insulin pump Olive), whispers to me, “chill Justina. I got you.”
Now I can go cook dinner for my family… while also doing laundry, and helping my kids with homework.
Dishes, cooking, phone call, pump check!
Safety check while driving…at a stop sign 😉
Giving the dog a bath while checking my insulin pump.
Piano practice pump check 🙂
Editor’s Note: If you liked the pictures of Justina’s MiniMed 630G system and would like to purchase this system, it will put you first in line for the MiniMed 670G system, the world’s first hybrid closed loop system. Through our Priority Access program, you will have the opportunity to get used to the new MiniMed pump platform. The upgrade could also be as little as $0 for those who qualify (restrictions may apply). To learn more, please visit: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/priority-access
Important Safety Information
The MiniMed 530G and 630G systems with SmartGuard technology are intended for the delivery of insulin and continuous glucose (CGM) monitoring for the management of diabetes mellitus in persons 16 years of age or older who require insulin. Insulin infusion pumps and associated components of insulin infusion systems are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks of insulin pump therapy. The systems are not intended to be used directly for preventing or treating hypoglycemia but to suspend insulin delivery when the user is unable to respond to the Threshold suspend (530G) or Suspend on low (630G) alarm and take measures to prevent or treat hypoglycemia themselves. The information provided by CGM systems is intended to supplement, not replace, blood glucose information obtained using a blood glucose meter. A confirmatory fingerstick via a CONTOUR®NEXT LINK portfolio meter*, is required prior to making adjustments to diabetes therapy. Always check the pump display when using a CONTOUR®NEXT LINK portfolio meter*, to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the meter. Additional, warnings, precautions and contraindications apply. See www.medtronicdiabetes.com/support/download-library/user-guides and www.medtronicdiabetes.com/importantsafetyinformation for details.
MiniMed® 670G System
The Medtronic MiniMed 670G system requires a prescription and is intended for continuous delivery of basal insulin (at user selectable rates) and administration of insulin boluses (in user selectable amounts) for the management of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons, fourteen years of age and older, requiring insulin as well as for the continuous monitoring and trending of glucose levels in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed 670G System includes SmartGuard technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust delivery of basal insulin based on Continuous Glucose Monitor sensor glucose values, and can suspend delivery of insulin when the sensor glucose value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values.
The Guardian Sensor (3) is not intended to be used directly for making therapy adjustments, but rather to provide an indication of when a finger stick may be required. All therapy adjustments should be based on measurements obtained using a home glucose monitor and not on values provided by the Guardian Sensor (3).
WARNING: Medtronic performed an evaluation of the MiniMed 670G system and determined that it may not be safe for use in children under the age of 7 because of the way that the system is designed and the daily insulin requirements. Therefore this device should not be used in anyone under the age of 7 years old. This device should also not be used in patients who require less than a total daily insulin dose of 8 units per day because the device requires a minimum of 8 units per day to operate safely.
Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow recognition of pump signals and alarms. Do not use the serter on products other than the Enlite sensor or Guardian Sensor (3). Medtronic cannot guarantee the safety or efficacy of this product if used with other products. The reservoir is contraindicated for the infusion of blood or blood products. Infusion sets are indicated for subcutaneous use only and not for intravenous (IV) infusion or the infusion of blood or blood products. Insulin pump therapy is not recommended for those who are unwilling to perform at least four blood glucose tests per day. As insulin pumps use rapid acting insulin only, BG testing is required to help identify rapid glycemic deterioration due to insulin infusion occlusion, infusion site problems, insulin stability issues, user error, or a combination of these. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to maintain contact with their healthcare professional.
The safety of the 670G system has not been studied in people with impaired kidney function. Please let your healthcare professional know if you have kidney disease so you and your healthcare professional can determine if the potential benefits of using the system outweigh the risks. The safety of the 670G system has not been studied in pregnant women, people with type 2 diabetes, or in people using other anti-hyperglycemic therapies apart from insulin. Please let your healthcare professional know if any of these conditions apply to you so you and your healthcare professional can determine if the potential benefits of using the system outweigh the risks.
For complete safety information, please consult the appropriate User Guide.
*The CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 Meter is used with the MiniMed 630G system. The CONTOUR®NEXT LINK Meter is used with the MiniMed 530G system.
Or… chillax, betus, I got dis!
I wholly concur with this blog post. I really do. But years ago, if I had read a story like this, I would have thought the author was a diabetic from Mars. Or, more likely, not a diabetic at all.
I am a super-skeptical person. When my new endo prescribed a pump a few short years ago, I freaked out. I also didn’t think a pump would make any difference. Boy, was I wrong. Dead wrong.
Every doctor I ever had always asked the same questions of me, and I always had the same answers. Those questions were, “How much exercise are you getting?” and “What are you eating?” My answers were, of course, “None” and “Junk,” respectively. Or sometimes just “mumble” and “mumble,” followed by the hot flush of embarrassment.
My new endo noted that I was weak and unsteady on my feet. Possible neuropathy. Glucose totally out of control. My worst A1C on file was 12. Twelve! He characterized my diabetes as “brittle,” as it was difficult to control even when I was super-careful. That was about three years ago.
Then I got my first insulin pump with a CGM, an unheard-of technology as far as I was concerned. I admit I was intrigued.
Today, I am still unable to fully comprehend the total transformation the Medtronic pump has allowed me, but let me just say this: I am 50 years old. I am not an athlete by any measure. But for the first time in my entire life, I’ve run three 10Ks. And to underscore that accomplishment, that was “couch to 10K” in four months. I’ve lost weight, feel awesome, and eat much better. My last A1C numbers were 5.6 and 6.0.
When I’m out there running, I can react ahead of time when I see the downward glucose trend by carbing up. I can turn down my basal rate, then bolus after I finish to control the glucose surge released by cortisol–which I can see actually see happening on my pump display. And so I can actually RUN now. Farther each time. I have strength and stamina and muscles, which is a little weird to me still. Intense, endurance exercise is no longer an obstacle.
The pump and the CGM together made this possible, but knowledge is power and the Minimed is just a tool. Like using any fine instrument, I put a lot of work into understanding the device itself as well as my metabolism. My doctor recently gave me cart-blanche to make my own adjustments when he saw that I “got it.” He cheers when I present my CareLink reports, and for the first time I feel like I am now in control of this once unfathomable condition.
Thanks so much for sharing Jonathan!