Spent the night with blood glucose levels ranging between 70 and 125. I did not wake up to treat when I was low, did not wake up to bolus when I was heading up. I just slept.

The nursing staff didn’t come in to bolus for me either. They just came in to take blood from the IV to check the system. My IV is in the same place and they never woke me, so it appears the system/algorithm was working correctly and managing my T1D while I lay carefree in bed.

This is unreal. I still really can’t believe that I just experienced this type of sleep. Ok, so I am hooked up to machines with an IV, but that’s what it FEELS like to not be T1D, right? It has to be, because it felt great!

We have come along way, and we still have a ways to go.  I had the bar set pretty high coming into this weekend, thinking I wouldn’t be at risk for highs and lows.  However, I am encouraged that this device is closer than I thought.  I am encouraged by the research team and their drive to understand the hurdles and resolve them for the next phase of the study.

Anything.  I repeat, anything that gets us closer to being able to:

1. Have mom sleep through the night.

2. Give me a greater chance at no complications later in life.

3. Giving T1D the ‘old Tony Papola tag line

4. Providing my children, in the event they’re ever diagnosed, a chance for easier life.

I am all for.  100%  And I believe all of my friends who work, and volunteer for the JDRF are with me.

In the face of adversity, we must not quit.  We must define our challenges to overcome them and fight harder than we have before.  We are getting closer, and we will win.

So, my blood sugar dropped to 36.  I’m back up now, wasn’t down there for too long.  I was asking for ice cream with nothing less than a polite New Jersey demanding manner….

There was a failure in the Glucagon pump at the wrong time, keeping my from getting glucagon at the time a needed it.

That’s the Bad News-

The Good News is that the pump failures that resulted during this study have everything to do with using the off the shelf insulin pumps in a way they weren’t meant to.  They are administering boluses every 5 minutes, rather than basal.  This is good news because the next generation (shown in early post), has already dealt with these design issues.

Not to mention, its a research study, meant to work out all of the kinks before it goes to market.  We have run into some hurdles, but they are already resolving them for the next phase of their research: outpatient studies.

That’s a good think, but they didn’t give me any ice cream in here, and I don’t think the cord’s gonna reach too far.

It’s good to know that an approximate $5 million study doesn’t get you a sponge bath from the nurse.  It gets you a pile of wash clothes and a “Call me when your done” from my nurse, Rick.