Scott Benner 6/28/14 Scott Benner 6/28/14

FDA Approves Inhalable Diabetes Drug Afrezza

I want to be 100% clear that my next statement is based on absolutely nothing but my gut instinct. I may very well be completely wrong but...

I would never let Arden inhale insulin, it just doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

That said, I hope that I'm wrong and that this helps countless people...

From ABC News/AP News

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a long-delayed inhalable diabetes medication to help patients control their blood sugar levels during meals.

The FDA cleared MannKind Corp.'s drug Afrezza, a fast-acting form of insulin, for adults with the most common form of diabetes that affects more than 25 million Americans. The approval decision comes more than three years after the agency first asked MannKind to run additional clinical studies on the drug.

The rest of this news story can be found here.

The FDA News release is here.

Social Media is Amazing (and so are you!)

Follow the Butterfly...

One June evening Arden walked into our living room and commandeered our TiVo remote. As she settled into our sofa she announced, "The softball World Series is on TV"... we all sat together and watched Alabama take on Florida.

Follow the Butterfly...

The next day I received a Facebook message from an Arden's Day reader telling me that Alabama's catcher, Molly FIchtner, has type I diabetes.

That message prompted me to reached out to Molly on Twitter the next day, I asked her if she would be interested in doing an interview with me for Arden's Day and Huffington Post Sports.

A few days later Molly and I spoke on the phone where, for over an hour, I found Molly to be inspirational, clear-minded and in possession of a drive that one doesn't often come across. I immediately sat down to write her story and posted it on Arden's Day the very next morning, Huffington Post Sports followed a few days later.

Molly's story received thousands of Facebook shares and likes and hundreds of tweets were sent from people who wanted to spread the word about Molly. In the diabetes community, the JDRF tweeted, as did The Joslin Diabetes Center and countless people who live with diabetes. In kind, the softball community got the word out too. Players, colleges and travel teams alike all spread the word about Molly. The NCAA even sent a tweet that included a photo of Molly, complete with a quote that she gave me during our interview. - "Be determined to take your ability as far as it can go."

Then yesterday I received a new message on Facebook, one that delighted me and showed the power of community, positive influences and the power of sharing online. The message was from a mother who's child does not have diabetes, she told me that her daughter's softball coach recently emailed his entire team a link to an interview that he wanted them to read... My interview with Molly.

I'm proud to be a diabetes blogger, and I'm touched that you all take the time to read and share. I wanted you to know that your participation in our community does more than just help you and your family. You are part of something that is much larger, an interconnected process that is bringing hope, relief and guidance to families just like yours and mine - and beyond.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My best,

A1c Countdown: It's Endo Time

Endo time...

Only 24 hours before the American Diabetes Association announced their new A1c guidelines for children 19 years old and under, Arden was in her Endocrinologist office for her quarterly appointment. We missed her previously scheduled appointment in April because of an illness. At that time the Doc told us, "Arden's A1cs have been good for the last year and a half... let's just get back together in June".

Skipping a quarterly appointment made me feel strange but the three months seemed to fly by and before I could wonder what happened to the time, it was June and I was signing Arden out of school just like we have every three months for the past 8 years. It was Endo time. I found myself thinking about those numbers as I drove to the office.

"Diagnosed in August of 2006... first Endo appointment was in early September..."

Then I counted off the months. "October, November, December... December of 2006 was her second visit. Then four in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 - we just skipped April of 2014, so this is maybe, Arden's 32nd visit to her Endocrinologist.

This thought made my heart heavy until I remembered my recent trip to the Dominican Republic, and I was quickly reminded that there is an entire planet full of people living with diabetes and most of them can only wish that they were able to visit a doctor. I adjusted my thinking and instead of the number 32 feeling like an albatross, it started to feel like a life preserver.

I walked into Arden's 32nd Endo appointment with a fresh set of eyes. Arden however, was not in the same mindset - she was preoccupied, unusually nervous and she seemed just a bit unsettled. When I asked her why she said, "I think I get a blood draw today... I really don't want to do that". A few minutes after we got into the waiting room a nurse called our name and we were off. These visits have their own pattern. Height, weight, blood pressure and other vitals happen in a room thats no bigger than a walk in closet, then we head down the hall for a hemoglobin A1c test and blood draw when necessary. The nurse started with Arden's A1c, loaded the sample into the machine and then ushered us to an exam room, "No orders for a blood draw in the computer", she said. Arden was relieved but confused, "I always get a blood test in the summer", she told me as the nurse left the exam room. Then she smiled as if she had gotten away with something big. About a month ago Arden experienced serious and sudden needle anxiety while at a dentist appointment, this was new for her, and I never imagined that it would translate to her Endo appointments because while she doesn't enjoy the blood draws, she has never resisted them or been afraid.

After the nurse left the exam room we chatted about softball for a minute (Arden's 9 year old All Star team had just won their tournament the day before) and then I snuck back to the phlebotomists room to get an early peek at her A1c result.

Arden's A1c has been steadily improving for the past two years but this was our first experience with skipping a quarterly appointment and I was irrationally concerned that would mean an increase from Arden's last result of 6.7. When I arrived in the room, it was empty and there was about one minute left in the process... just enough time to get my phone out of my pocket.

Watch the ten second video before you read on - trust me.

My heart did a backflip when "6.2" appeared on the screen, a back flip. In July of 2009 Arden's A1c went from 8.5 to 8 when we switched from shots to the OmniPod insulin pump. In October of 2012 I blogged about the factors that I believed helped get us to her new best of 7.5. I remember just hoping for 7.4 in June of 2013 when Arden's A1c made a serious leap to 6.5. We stayed steady for some time around 6.7, and to be honest, staying steady felt like a bigger accomplishment than achieving a decrease. The decreases come as you make adjustments but who knows if they are anomalous... steady is, well, steady... it's balance, it's relief. I love steady!

That said, I'd be lying if I told you that 6.2 didn't make me wonder what a number that began with five would feel like...

Oh, and we did need to get blood drawn on this day, but that's a whole other story...

Arden does not experience significant or frequent lows. Achieving a desirable A1c under those conditions is not healthy nor an indication of health. Steady is much better than fluctuations that "trick" you into feeling good at A1c time. Please remember to read my discloser, it will remind you that I have no medical training and this site is not meant to replace your doctor because my words are not meant to be advice. Arden's Day is just a blog.

NEW A1c guidelines from the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association just announced their new position on A1c targets, for children under the age of 19, who live with type I diabetes. What follows are snippets from the ADA story.

The Association now recommends that children under the age of 19 diagnosed with type 1 diabetes strive to maintain an A1C level lower than 7.5 percent. Previously, target blood glucose levels – as measured by the A1C, a test that reflects average blood glucose levels over several months – could be as high as 8.5 percent for children under 6 years of age, 8.0 percent for children 6-12 years of age and 7.5 for adolescents under the Association’s guidelines. These targets were set because of concerns over complications caused by low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia.

“The evidence shows that there is a greater risk of harm from prolonged hyperglycemia that would occur if children maintained an A1C of 8.5 percent over time. This is not to say we are no longer concerned about hypoglycemia, but we now have better tools to monitor for hypoglycemia,” said Jane Chiang, MD, Senior Vice President, Medical and Community Affairs, American Diabetes Association and one of the lead authors on the Association’s Position Statement. “The 7.5 percent target is evidence-based; however, we want to emphasize that blood glucose and A1C targets must be individualized to safely achieve the best outcomes.”

I want to urge you to click over to the ADA now and find out more about the changes and the reasons behind them.

Video of the announcement from 74th ADA Scientific Sessioons.

We've been aggressive with Arden's BGs for the past two years and the results have been nothing but fantastic. Arden received her latest A1c test yesterday and I'll be posting a blog tomorrow about her result and how we've been able to achieved it.

Scott Benner 6/16/14 Scott Benner 6/16/14

NPR: Father Devises A 'Bionic Pancreas' To Help Son With Diabetes

So many times I tell people, "You'd have to live with us for a few days to really understand type I diabetes".

NPR posted a wonderful audio interview with Ed Damiano, the man who is working on the 'Bionic Pancreas' at Boston University. I've embedded Rob Stein's report here for you to listen to... after you're finished I encourage you to head over to NPR's site to read the entire interview.

Full story on NPR

Image by Ellen Webber for NPR