KITLIVING
Texan Rob Howe talks about using Auto Mode on the 670g,
pro-basketball and 'letting go'.
Man, sport, pump - jump!
Type I diabetic Rob Howe is based in
Dallas, Texas. The former professional
basketball player has had Type I diabetes
for 14 years, having been diagnosed at
the age of 16. He's spent 10 years on
an insulin pump and has now been on
Medtronic's 670g system for nearly a
year. Here he shares his thoughts and
experience about learning how to use the
system to maximum effect. He now plays
basketball with the 670g system attached
and in Auto Mode while he plays.
Speaking of the system he says,
"I think these days diabetics now get
asked quite a bit about their diabetes
technology. It is not dissimilar to fitbits and
other health technologies, so it's not that
big a deal. I have become more aware
of time in a range (TIR) as a parameter
and I now check it fairly often. Last time I
looked I could see that in the last 30 days
I had spent 78% TIR, which means that
I was, for the most of the time, in a very
safe range.
"Diabetes is a huge part of my daily life
but I don't want to think about it absolutely
all the time. If I can claim back 10 minutes
a day not having to think about it then that
is a reduced burden on me. Getting a few
breaks when you're living with a long-term
condition does make a difference.
"I get asked a lot if it took me a long
time to trust it, but the fact is that no one
knows your diabetes better than you do.
I did have to relearn how to count carbs
and I would say it took 4-6 weeks to
really get the hang of the system. Just
like anything, change is hard. It did feel
a bit foreign to give my control over to a
machine, but life is a confidence game
and I'm pleased I got over the bumps at
the start.
"Ironically, if you eliminate all your lows
your HbA1c could actually go up a little -
but then again it's great not to have the
lows. My local grocery store may have
noticed I wasn't buying as much orange
juice as I used to, and that's because
I'm not treating hypos as often. I sleep
through the night more often than I used
to, so I'm less tired, which is always a
good thing. Once I got used to the system
I brought down my high parameter for my
hyperglycemia, so that I'm notified earlier
and average my highs aren't quite so high.
"It really has helped with sport - it is
much more enjoyable now, though I do
need sportswear with pockets! I never
thought I'd be playing basketball with an
insulin pump on; now I never take it off.
"For anyone starting on the 670G
I can tell them that you might glance at
the pump's screen and it may not look
right, you are likely to be tempted to
get involved and put a bit of insulin in,
maybe, but you have to trust it. Adding
more insulin won't necessarily make the
correction work faster, but it could mean
that you will end up going low over time,
so be patient. Take a long-term view on
achieving improved overall control. Now I
feel really hopeful about the future."
To read more about Rob Howe see
www.diabeticsdoingthings.com