Joe Eldridge has one clear need: to level the playing field. As a professional competitive cyclist, he must regularly outperform people without diabetes—and as he points out, during a race his competitors aren’t going to wait for him to test. He relies on two critical tools that enable him to make adjustments on the fly, fine-tuning his control. The FreeStyle Navigator continuous glucose monitor tells Eldridge whether his blood glucose is rising or falling. He can then easily set a temp basal or deliver a bolus with the OmniPod’s PDM. Together, OmniPod and Navigator make it very simple for Eldridge to keep his blood glucose even—so he can always compete at his top level.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 10 years old. I knew that I would have to grow up fast and take care of myself. It made me a better manager of my life. I checked my blood sugar frequently and carried snacks. Still, managing my diabetes was a challenge.
I played soccer all through high school and had my diabetes management dialed in for soccer practice and matches—relatively short periods of intense exercise. But with cycling sometimes I have to train five or six hours at a time; I was giving myself seven or eight shots of insulin a day.
During races, I was doing upwards of 13 injections a day, and knew how much easier it was for people on conventional pumps—but I still wasn’t ready to deal with the tubing. A conventional pump just didn’t fit into my lifestyle.
Of course, even with all those shots it was tough to keep my glucose levels steady—which became clearer in 2006 when a doctor in Atlanta asked Team Type 1 to be in a three-week long clinical study of glucose levels during heavy exercise. We wore the FreeStyle Navigator continuous glucose monitor during the Race Across America. We won the race, and a few months later attended the American Association of Diabetes Educators conference to talk about our experience with the Navigator. OmniPod was in the next booth.
The second I saw the OmniPod, I said, “This is the pump I have to have.” With OmniPod I can get the therapy my doctor had been telling me I needed, without having to be tethered to a device. I can put it somewhere inconspicuous or wear it on my arm.
And OmniPod makes it so much easier to fine-tune my diabetes management. When I train (or compete) I set a temp basal rate to reduce the amount of insulin I’m getting, then resume my regular basal rate as soon as I finish exercising; I keep my blood sugars where I want them to be the whole time. Plus I don’t have to eat as much food while I am exercising.
I can be spontaneous. If I want to ride, I just adjust my insulin and can be on the bike 15 minutes later. The other great thing about the Pod is that I can continually get my insulin. I swim to cross-train and might be in a pool for an hour or more, but because the Pod is watertight I never have to disconnect.
Of course, the Navigator is great, too. I used it again in a longer clinical trial in 2007, and as soon as it was approved, I got one.
The Navigator works perfectly with OmniPod—they are both wireless—and together they make it very easy for me to fine-tune my sugars and prevent diabetes from affecting my racing results.
I need to level the playing field as much as I can. The guys without diabetes don’t have to worry about their sugars, and they aren’t going to wait for me to test. The Navigator gives me the knowledge I need to make an adjustment on the fly. The OmniPod’s PDM is easy to navigate, so I can set a temp basal if I see my blood sugars going one way, or deliver a bolus if I see them going the other. Using both, it is very easy for me keep my sugars where they need to be so I can compete at my top level.
The trending information the Navigator provides is also important in daily life. For example, I test before I go to bed. With a regular monitor, if I test 100, unless I wait awhile and retest, I don’t know if it is 100 going to 80 or 100 going to 200. With Navigator, I know, and I can program a temp basal or bolus accordingly. With Navigator, I already know where my BGs are heading, so I just confirm with a fingerstick and then program a temp basal or bolus accordingly.
Combining OmniPod and Navigator, I am not living my life around my diabetes; I make the diabetes work around my life. OmniPod and Navigator are both great alone, but much better together!
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