KK’s Point of View

I received an interesting call last week.  I had tried to avoid talking to the person three times and finally decided to get it over with.  I found out that I was due for a pump upgrade and they didn’t want to let me slide through the cracks.  The salesperson was extremely polite, but I finally told him that I was no longer using the pump and was wearing an i-port®.  He was surprised and asked, “what exactly is the i-port®?”  This is still amazing to me that so many people still don’t know.  So, I took the time to describe it to him.  He said, “That is really interesting, but can I ask why did you switch?”  I explained to him that I really didn’t like the idea of wearing a machine for the rest of my life not to mention it’s hard to hide when you’re wearing a bathing suit.  Then I finally decided to admit “I invented it.”  Next thing I know he is on our web site commenting on how cool it is.  I thanked him for taking the time to chase me down and encouraged him to pass the word on about the i-port®.

I still wonder when the day will come that I am not asked to describe the i-port®.  I think that there are so many commercials about different diabetes products that people get overwhelmed.  It is hard to continually stay on top of the changing medications, monitors and products and it tends to make things too complicated.  I personally like to keep things simple and easy.  I wanted my daily regimen to be quick, easy, and pain free, and I can finally say that I have found that for myself.  Now, I just look forward to the day that others will discover the same thing.

Yesterday I was interviewed by an AM radio host (to be posted at a later date) about my story and the development of the i-port®. It was an intense, revealing conversation because the reporter kept asking me questions about autoimmune diseases, my lifestyle, my diagnosis and the technicality of managing diabetes.

As most may or may not know, managing diabetes is a daily effort–one that takes constant thought and consideration. For example, when I wake up my first thought is to take my blood sugar and take my morning long acting insulin dose.  If I decide to eat breakfast before I take Will to school, I’ll need to count the carbs, take my blood sugar again and calculate my dose based on my levels and the carbs I’m about to consume. After I drop him off, I’ll go workout; but before I even step on a treadmill I have to take my blood sugar. I need to see if I am at a level where it’s safe to exercise or if I need a correction dose because I ate too much and didn’t dose correctly, or if I need a snack before starting. Even if I skip the gym and I’m just lounging and watching my shows I may feel a little off, so I’ll check my blood sugar. If it’s a high reading, that’s another injection to bring me back down – and that’s a just random high between meals. There is no exact formula for managing it – except for being constant and aware.  So, as you can see it’s intertwined in most activities (and even non-activities like lounging or even sleeping). Think about how many times a day you eat, that’s an injection for each meal. If you eat a couple of snacks you will need to tack on a few more injections.    Add an active 7 year old, riding horses and other daily activities in to the mix, and you can start to see the tangled web weaved into every single day and night.

After spilling the beans about my daily rituals, the reporter said, “Wow, if I had diabetes, I’d rather take a pill”.  Wouldn’t we all? If the formula for managing diabetes were that simple there wouldn’t be a huge need to make things that help make a persons life with diabetes “simple”.

There’s that word again. Simple.  Such a small descriptive, but when incorporated in to reality, it makes a big difference, and  with the complexity of managing diabetes simplifying just one part of the process, makes a huge difference. So if there is a device that makes part of the process less painful and less anxious, I would do it ten times over. And I have, that is why I invented the i-port®.  What it has done for my attitude towards injections and diabetes is priceless.

It is different for everyone, but for me taking a handful of injections every day was a struggle. I never got used to poking my skin over and over each day. So, I decided to put a stop to it. And now, I don’t have to jump through the emotional, physical and mental hoops to finally take the one thing that is keeping me alive.  The i-port® is the smallest, most simple fix that made a world of difference in my world of managing diabetes.

I guess you could say that it’s my pill.

Fran Carpentier from Parade Magazine

Last week I had the pleasure of talking to Fran Carpentier of Parade magazine.  I have to say it was one of my favorite interviews I have done so far.  Fran has had diabetes for almost 40 years.  I was not sure what to expect before the interview, because I had read that she wears an insulin pump.  I thought I might get the usual question about why wear the i-port® when you could wear a pump.  To my surprise she was overwhelmingly supportive and complimentary.  She immediately saw the benefits that the i-port® can offer.  To find such an advocate with someone who has personally dealt with the difficulties of diabetes management for so long was amazing.  I had so much fun talking to her and hearing her ideas and excitement.  It is people like her that gave me the courage to pursue the development of the i-port®.  Each time I talk to people like Fran I truly believe that everything happens for a reason!

I have been reluctant to start my blog, because I wasn’t sure what I would write about.  Although I have never been a person who is at loss for words, I find it hard to write about my personal life and experience with diabetes.

The first question most people have for me is about my medical background and they are often disappointed/surprised to find out that I don’t have one.  I was a economics major at the University of the South and after college I rode horses professionally and taught for five years.  It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my son that I was diagnosed with diabetes.  Unfortunately, what we thought was only gestational diabetes turned out to be type 1.  I was never a person who was scared of needles, however when I was faced with 4+ injections a day for the rest of my life it was a different story.  I began to dread meal times.  I started avoiding breakfast and doing things that I shouldn’t do.  I knew it wasn’t the best thing for my long term health, but sometimes I would skip injections anyway.  I found the daily burden of diabetes overwhelming.  I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I had to face this for the rest of my life.  I think I went through the whole realm of emotions from sadness to fear and anger.  It probably didn’t help that I had a newborn during this whole experience.  I wasn’t sure how to approach the hardships I faced, but after about a year of dealing with the disease I knew I wanted something easier.  I wanted to take control of my life and not let diabetes define or control me.  It was through this struggle that I came up with the idea for the i-port®.

After taking injections for several months and then wearing a pump for a while, I came up with a solution that for me that combined the best of both worlds.  With encouragement from my diabetes educator and my husband, I pursued the idea and filed for a patent in July 2002, a little over a year after my son was born.  I am not sure what made me think that I could invent a medical product, but I knew that it was something that could improve lives of so many.   It has been a long and exciting journey that I could not have made with out help and support of a lot of amazing people.  I know that without them my good idea would still today be just that – a good idea.  The fact that I have been lucky enough to go from idea to actual product has truly been a blessing.  My favorite part of this whole process has been hearing from patients who tell me that the i-port® has really made a difference in their lives.

I know personally how hard it can be to deal with the daily management of diabetes and that is what inspired me to pursue something to make it a little easier.  I no longer feel like diabetes is controlling my life; I know that I am the one in control.  I am no longer angry that I have diabetes, but grateful for the road it has allowed me to travel.  As I start down yet another untraveled road for me into the blogging world, I look forward to meeting more amazing people and hearing their personal stories.