The Corner Booth

 Nick Jonas is no longer the teenage boy band star with a squeaky clean image. Enter the new Nick, now in his early 20s with a grittier edge , and a lot is changing for him and his fans. In the past year or so, Nick's branched out on his own as an artist, added more adult-oriented TV and movie appearances to his acting resume, and just recently announced he's partnering with singer friend Demi Lovato to start a new record label called Safehouse Recordings . Not to mention that the twenty something is of course one of us PWDs (people with diabetes), who's been living with type 1 for almost a decade now since age 13. Amy Tenderich at DiabetesMine first chatted with Nick back in 2007 and then again in 2010, delving into his then budding music career and how he hoped to use his voice to advocate and serve as a role model for the diabetes community. Fast forward to 2015 when the celeb marked his 10 year anniversary of life with T1D: Nick announced that he's beco...

A friend posted a question online the other day that got me thinking. Certainly not a new question, as it's been going around online for years. My answer: Well, it depends... Mostly, on the rules. Just how exactly am I going to be trapped in TV? Will this be like the movie Pleasantville , where I'm basically tossed into an existing story line but am really myself (except everyone seems to think I'm a particular character)? Maybe Quantum Leap , where I basically "leap" into other people's bodies and am confined to that reality and whatever limitations they may have (if they are a minority, or in a wheelchair, or a man or woman -- that's me for the time I'm in there)? Or is it like Back to the Future , where I'm just plopped into some point and am just living my life as myself, except in the context of whatever show and time period we happen to be in. These are important considerations in deciding on the show, I think. Because reall...

So, the big diabetes conference of the year with all kinds of science and tech talk and just "diabetes research" as a mantra has now come and gone. I'm in Detroit following the ADA's Scientific Sessions, and have to admit my time in Boston was quite a bit of fun on top of all the interesting diabetes stuff being covered in an official ccapacity. Here are some of the photos (I don't take many pictures in the moment, sadly), and captured some of what I experienced in Boston. There Was Coffee (s ee also: Duh ) Lots of Walking (and Low Blood Sugars, Consequently) Actually, that was a photo of the Walking Challenge app on the 2nd full day. I walked the equivalent of something like 36,000 steps or miles upon miles, and so my feet and legs are still recovering. Yes, I wore my Dexcom G4 and had it hooked up to Nightscout for CGM in the Cloud. But of course, my G4 sensor died and the only backup in my case got ripped off thanks to a fast-m...

It's been seven months since I started using CGM in the Cloud, and had my Dexcom G4 connected to the Nightscout setup. Much has changed since then, with some important D-tech upgrades that have helped the system evolve and get easier to use. It's been great seeing all of this ground-level #WeAreNotWaiting work rapidly transforming our landscape of choices.  Of course, adults using these CGM in the Cloud tools can run into some interesting issues as they get weaved into our personal lives. This brings a whole new spin to the periodic "Partner Follies" series at the 'Mine, where we feature guest posts by spouses and loved ones. And today we're excited to share a story from none other my own wife, Suzi, about her perspective on the CGM in the Cloud experience so far. As she says, it's not always about the data... (And since wives are never wrong, I insist my editing has been kept to a minimum here.) A Guest Post by Suzi Hoskins It a...

A couple of weeks ago, I laid off my endo because he wasn't willing to work with me on trying out the new inhaled insulin Afrezza . How it all played out was unexpected and not how I would typically handle something like this, as it was a spur of the moment decision over the phone. I had called his office first thing that day with two specific goals: to get a regular-check appointment on the calendar, and to have him consider my interest in using the new inhaled insulin product Afrezza. In the first few months since Afrezza hit the market, I've been curious about trying it myself after hearing how it's a double thumbs-up for many patients in their D-management. I'm still skeptical and have lingering concerns about the long-term risks to the lungs, but nevertheless I want to give it a puff (ha!) for myself just to see. Going in, I really don't plan to use it as my go-to meal-time bolus insulin. Rather, I simply want to see how it works for those stubborn sky-...

These past several months have seen a lot more travel up to Michigan as we have been planning our move back to the state. Since we both have older cars, I've turned to renting some cars to save mileage. Rental cars influence my D-travel world in small ways: making sure I have the insulin pump site and CGM sensor connected in places that don't get nudged by the stranger seatbelts making sure the devices themselves are accessible ensuring there's a spot on the door or console to put my G4 receiver for easy-viewing-and-access; or even an extra cupholder allowing for both my coffee and D-device. ID'ing an additional easy-access spot for glucose tabs and a granola bar/cracker-pack in case of Lows while driving. My meter case is usually within reach on the passenger seat or in my nearby briefcase or bag, so there's no need to do anything different as far as my meter's concerned. Of course, any of these drives pretty much involve some key "need to ...