LIVINGLIVING
ALTERNATIVE
ACTIONUsing carbohydrates eaten, insulin doses
given, insulin to carb ratios and correction
factors based on the individual needs, the
software makes calculations just like any
bolus wizard.
Carter's ManageBGL site can
accommodate the fact that most people
with diabetes on multiple daily injections
have at least two insulins in the body at
the same time. He says, "You can also
plug in fats and proteins as they can
affect blood glucose control. Up to 30-
to-50% of proteins can be converted
to carbohydrates within two hours - it's
another level of the glyceamic index
relating to foods. It means that to some
extent when you eat your food your carbs
haven't arrived in your blood stream
yet. Another complicating factor can be
the background sugar that is constantly
released by the liver. If you have alcohol,
that sugar release is reduced, which
means that any insulin you do give yourself
goes straight in and starts working.
Anyone who has used CGM can clearly
see the impact of foods on blood glucose
levels and ManageBGL's software can
also do this."
Virtual reality
Working as a 'virtual insulin pump',
managebgl.com predicts blood glucose
levels (BGLs) 2-3 hours in the future but
using no more blood tests than normal,
therefore Carter can claim that it delivers
For those who cannot
get access to pump
funding, or who are just
put off by the whole
idea, Simon Carter has
created an online service that mimics the
sophistication of pump technology but
without the need to actually wear one.
Carter has had Type 1 diabetes for
25 years and his daughter Lucy was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the
age of two, nearly eight years ago. For
12 months, Carter was on an insulin
pump, as was his daughter, but they both
decided they wanted to be 'pump free'.
He explains, "We simply didn't like being
attached to a pump, as we were always
reminded of the condition." However
Simon, who runs a data management
company, DataMystic, came away from
his pump wearing experience having
taken some ideas from it. Along with Lisa
Worsfold, who is the mother of a type 1
diabetic, Simon launched ManageBGL.
com, a diabetes self-management
software tool.
Diabetes data from meters, pumps
and CGM was easy for his company to
sort out, and as his company also does
data visualisation, easy to use screens
were created. Although his doctors
were sceptical about the software he
built, saying that it couldn't predict lows
or highs, as it uses insulin-pump like
technology it can make predictions.
the benefits of an insulin pump without
the pump, integrating data from multiple
diabetes devices in real time online.
managebgl.com also provides
intelligent coaching, with suggestions and
warnings based on BGL readings, linked
to online references and can import data
from any meter, pump or management
system. It is designed to run on Windows
and Mac PCs and any Smart Phone.
It can also export data back to any
management system, so it can be shared
with healthcare professionals (or schools,
if you have a child with diabetes).
Currently Carter is developing a
Smartphone app but in the meantime
you need to go the website to plug
in your results and to see
what predictions the
software can offer.
READER OFFER
You can explore the software with a 30-day free trial and
then it is $10 a month (about £6-7). Member Discount code
for Desang readers: 76d357