Monday, April 28, 2008

Random Blogging Thoughts on the Smart Pix & Apidra

Several years ago,I participated in a research study..and the end result, was this. At that point, it definatly wasn't a plug-in device, it was a computer program on a PDA that you had to manually enter the info.(blood sugars, hypo treatment, how you felt symptom-wise on a 1-5 point scale) Took way too long,it was a pain in the butt. And it took an entire week to spit out a number.(up to 0-50?) Most of the time..I was on the "Extremely Variable" range, though by the end of the study I'd worked that down to a "Slightly variable" range. Seeing those numbers inspired me in a way that my a1c didn't, it was real, it was now, and there was a chance to make it better. Now I'm wondering...would getting such a device be worth it? of course I have five million meters (including Accucheck) so that's not a problem. The scientist in me likes trying out new toys..I may get one with part of the tax stimulus check.(based on my SS#, should be in my checking account by May 16) And I think I heard a rumor that Dexcom will soon be compatible with all the meters.
(someone correct me if I'm wrong) Not having to use a Ultra all the time will be more convenient.

Also..does anyone out there use Apidra,(or have tried it) and why did you switch/love/not love about it? No insulin is "fast" enough, if the effects can still be seen up to 4 hours post-bolus.(though Novolog has proved the best(out of Regular,Humalog,and Novolog) thus far. Novolog, has this lovely little tail that drops me in the final hour-half/hour and its annoying sometimes.(when one is high, it's ok but when you're normal and not expecting a drop it's not welcome)

And one final thought..don't the individuals in this article look kind of young to be practicing medicine? The doc,in particular,I'm not sure if he could even grow a beard.
(this is a not a commentary on how well they do their jobs,from the sounds of it, they are very caring and up-to-date on things) They just look, really,really young.

5 comments:

Christine said...

Love Apidra! I switched to it when it dropped from tier 3 to 2 on my insurance. With the coupons from the company added I get it for free. It's action seems slightly faster than Novolog to me, and I've had fewer problems with pump blockages since using it (though I switched to silhouettes around the same time).

Anonymous said...

Swtiched to Apidra from Humalog. Seems to drop highs faster (what pumpers don't get highs! :P) and be done after 3 hours. With Humalog I was having the random late lows.

Jenny said...

I recently started using Apidra when the endo gave me some samples.

I love it!

Humalog always gave me late lows. Novolog was better, but I'd be hungry a few hours after eating.

So far, Apidra injected when I eat mops up the food and I don't feel hungry afterwards. Gotta love that!

It's still Tier 3 on my plan, and the clunky Opti-clik pen is a negative. I'm hoping they come up with the Solostar pen soon (it's available already in Europe.)

HVS said...

thanks for the feedback,everyone, hope to snag a sample and see where it goes from there!

Bernard said...

I've been using the new Dexcom (as a trial) for the last week. It should be available as a free upgrade in June.

It's so nice to be free of the Ultra. Unfortunately (sniff) I have to send the better one back today.

I tried Apidra for a few weeks and didn't see any big difference. So I'm sticking with Humalog for now.