Featured

How do you measure the impact of an event? How do you quantify something that is difficult to explain to someone who has not experienced it? Studies about diabetes camps have shown how much peer support benefits children with diabetes. One study showed that many adolescents with diabetes learn about safety related to high-risk behaviors and type 1 diabetes at diabetes camps or Friends for Life (FFL) conferences. But these are just tiny glimpses into the vast expanse of what Friends for Life is. What is Friends for Life? As mentioned above, it isn’t easy to fully describe FFL. Children […]

Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs people experience. You want to be kind but not too passive, supportive but not an enabler. You want to give your children the world, but not spoil them. When you add a chronic disease, that means their life will be different than most of their peers, making it challenging to enforce all the added rules. As a person with diabetes, a nurse, and a diabetes care and education specialist, I’d like to discuss what I’ve been seeing more lately with families. My experience First, a big acknowledgment that I am NOT a […]

Many people know that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, but what you may not know is that autoimmune conditions sometimes come in multiples. Some are more commonly associated with type 1 diabetes than others, but most can affect blood glucose levels – especially if undiagnosed. Here are some of the most common conditions that coexist with T1D. Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid gland, found in your neck and responsible for metabolism, among other things, does not make enough thyroid hormones.1 Symptoms: Weight gain, fatigue, cold intolerance, body aches, thinning hair, dry skin, depression, and even slowed heart […]

In general, people with diabetes feel like diabetes should not stop them from living an everyday life (whatever that is). Since diabetes is ever-changing, it keeps you on your toes, which means that you may need accommodations to care for yourself appropriately and work or study as you desire. Definition of a Disability The legal definition of disability, according to the U.S. federal government is “an individual is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, […]

The CWD Team traveled to Florence, Italy, to attend the annual Advances in Treatments and Therapeutics in Diabetes conference and learn about the latest updates on diabetes care. Here are some updates that may be pertinent for PWD, their loved ones, and any healthcare professionals who work in diabetes. Artificial Intelligence for AID Algorithms Throughout the last couple of years, more research has been focused on using artificial intelligence to enhance the algorithms for AID systems. Multiple groups are pursuing this path, including Dr. Boris Kovatchev and Marc Breton at UVA and Dr. Roman Hovorka at Cambridge. Both groups presented […]