My 14 year old granddaughter has had type 1 diabetes since she was six years old, and I just recently heard about an insulin dosage calculator wheel that helps determine how much insulin to use. Can you give me any insight into this?

The one I know about comes from Fran Kaufman’s group at the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.

LD
Additional comments from Dr. David Schwartz:

You may be referring to the huge dose calculator card put out by MiniMed for insulin pump patients.

DS
Additional comments from Dr. Stuart Brink:

I think you are talking about the wheel that was designed by Dr Fran Kaufman at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. However, your granddaughter’s diabetes treatment team can make a similar scale since they know her the best.

We have a scale we call an algorithm, and we revise this every few months according to blood glucose readings and target goals. Your granddaughter’s medical team should be able to this as well. Maybe you can accompany your granddaughter to her next visit and inquire.

SB
Additional comments from David Mendosa, A Writer on the Web:

John Walsh has an on-line Insulin Wizard, and he also recommends Animas software for the Palm operating system (if your granddaughter has a Palm or Handspring device) called ezManager.

RM