CWD News

Growing up with type 1 diabetes, I heard a lot from my healthcare team about the risks of getting pregnant. I was told that if I did not have an A1C less than 6%, there were many risks to the fetus and that I was more likely to have a miscarriage. When I talk to my diabetes peers who can get pregnant, they say they heard similar messaging. What was and remains unclear, however, was whether living with diabetes decreased your ability to conceive. While this topic hasn’t been widely addressed, many women I know have shared a common feeling—that […]

In December 2024, I took my first completely solo trip. I have always been weary of traveling alone. First, I’m a whopping 5-foot-1-inch-tall woman, which causes me to feel vulnerable. Secondly, I worry about having a low where I need someone else’s help. These have held me back from certain things and I decided I am in a place in my life where I needed to overcome this fear. Fear of hypoglycemia I have always been lucky (knock on wood) when it comes to challenging lows and had someone close by to assist or just sit with me to quell […]

The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) recommends using automated insulin delivery (AID) systems as the standard of care. These systems have consistently been shown to help people with diabetes achieve their glucose goals. However, no system is perfect, and each has its own challenges. Here are some common issues that arise with diabetes technologies. The weakest link: the infusion set Getting insulin into the body adequately is still the crux of any AID system or insulin pump. Many things can go wrong, from scar tissue to adhesive issues, kinked cannulas to unidentifiable absorption issues. In the DERMIS […]

Now that many commercially available automated insulin delivery (AID) systems are available worldwide, is there still a desire for open-source AID (OS-AID) systems? The short answer is yes, but what does that entail? I interviewed Dr. Rayhan Lal, a dual-trained adult and pediatric endocrinologist at Stanford University and a PWD, to understand what is available. Some background A couple of months ago, Dr. Lal suggested I start a GLP1 agonist to help reduce my lifetime renal and cardiovascular risks and slow down carb absorption. However, he was worried about starting one while using the iLet due to the inability to […]

When I was growing up with diabetes, the available insulins made it very difficult to incorporate sweets into the typical “diabetes diet.” I took two shots a day of NPH and Regular insulins—NPH is considered an intermediate-acting insulin, and Regular is short-acting. NPH comes in a vial, is cloudy, and requires mixing to try and make it more consistent. The Regular would cover breakfast and dinner, while the NPH would act as the basal. What is nice about this system is that you only have to take two shots a day. It’s simple and affordable. However, due to the peak […]

GLP-1 agonists are often called “the miracle drug” for diabetes and weight management. These medications have many benefits, including cardiovascular and renal protection, blood pressure reduction, and improvements in glucose levels. I’ve been taking the GLP-1 + GIP combination medication, tirzepatide, for the last six weeks and have learned a lot. Here are some key takeaways that may help you navigate using this medication with type 1 diabetes. Benefits for T1D There are both long and short-term benefits to using this class of medications for PWD, which often outweigh the challenges. Here are some of them, but the use of […]