When we started the LOOP blog two years ago, it was our first significant step forward into the world of social media. Since then, we have started our Twitter and Facebook communities and we are so pleased with how engaged and united each of you has been. Today marks the two year blogaversary for The LOOP and so we wanted to take a moment to celebrate and recognize this special occasion! To do this we’ve rounded up some of our all-time favorite blogs from the past two years. Read More >
With diabetes, it’s extremely important to know where your blood glucose is, where it’s going, and how fast it’s getting there. Today, Kristin Baker, a CGM Product Specialist here at Medtronic joins us to talk about three types of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) alerts to help with that information – Threshold, Predictive, and Rate of Change alerts. Read More >
Regardless of age, the decision to use an insulin pump to help manage diabetes is a huge decision for both the person of diabetes and their loved ones. We recently sat down with 13-year-old Jack to talk about his decision to go on the pump and how it’s affected his day-to-day diabetes management. To hear even more from Jack, be sure to check out his video on WebMD. Read More >
Today, we’re excited to share with you another guest blog from Katie Janowiak, who works for the Medtronic Foundation, our company’s philanthropic arm. When she first told me her story about food poisoning and Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), I knew others could benefit from hearing it as well. Thanks Katie for your openness and allowing us to share your scary story so that the LOOP community can learn from it. Read More >
It’s one thing to be open with family and friends about diabetes and the impact it has on your life, but what happens when you start dating someone? Many people wonder when is the right time to share with a significant (or potentially significant) other about life with diabetes. In honor of Valentine’s Day we reached out to a few friends to hear what they had to say. Check out their answers below and share your opinion in the comments. Read More >
At Medtronic, we love seeing when the diabetes community gets involved with a campaign that can help people with diabetes and “Spare a Rose, Save a Child” is no exception to this. This community initiative was created by Kelly Close, Manny Hernandez, Bennet Dunlap, Kerri Sparling, and Jeff Hitchcock, with the following premise: “Spare a Rose, Save a Child” is simple: buy one less rose this Valentine’s Day and share the value of that flower with a child with diabetes in the developing world. Read More >
Hey LOOP readers, you heard from my friend Cheryl back in November with her guest blog, Superhero, or Something Like It and today she is back for more. As a reminder, she’s not only a person with diabetes and Medtronic employee, she’s also a busy mom with two kids. Today she shares her insight on the impact a diagnosis can have on a family, specifically how her diabetes has changed the way she has raised her children. Read More >
From time to time, we get the question “Does anyone working at Medtronic live with diabetes or have family members who do?” The answer is a very big yes! We have many people here for whom the Medtronic mission hits especially close to home. One of those people is Lane Desborough and, in addition to his job as a diabetes dad, he has a very exciting role here at Medtronic. Read More >
Every now and then, I meet a person with diabetes who stands out so much that this encounter is added to my list of those meetings I will never forget. Steve Renouf is a world famous Rugby player from Australia who during his successful sports career became one of the greatest players to have ever played in the Brisbane Broncos Club. Steve and his wife Elissa have been married for 22 years and they have five children. Read More >
A new year often brings change, and one of these might include changing the type of infusion set you wear. Infusion sets come in different kinds, each with different tubing and cannula length options. Based on lifestyle changes, your body type, and fluctuations in individual needs, your healthcare team might recommend looking into other infusion sets. Since there are many options, this is a popular topic. Read More >
Can you believe it? It’s the LOOP’s first blogaversary already! And, of course, we couldn’t have done it without you, our readers. Thank you! It seems like just yesterday we were nervously hovering over the “publish” button for the first time, asking ourselves things like: “Is this first post okay?” “Will anyone read it?” “Can we really do this – do we have something to say that the DOC will care about?” Read More >
I am so excited to introduce you to our newest guest blogger, Meri Schuhmacher from Our Diabetic Life. With four wonderful boys (three with diabetes), she’s an incredibly busy D-Mom who still always manages to find the time and warmth to support and encourage others in the diabetes community. She was one of the first to try out the mySentry Remote Glucose Monitor and we’re thrilled to have her blogging for us here. Read More >
Have you met Karen Graffeo? You may know her from her blog Bitter~Sweet or her work with her local chapter of JDRF (if you live in New England) or from the very successful Diabetes Blog Week, which Karen created and now organizes each May. We love Karen’s positive attitude about life and diabetes (even when times are hard) and, with more than 30 years with Type 1 Diabetes, she has a lot of valuable experience to share. So, we thought we’d ask her to do a series of guest posts here at The LOOP. Read More >
As I am sure you already know, there are long-term complications associated with diabetes and the goal of effective diabetes management is to prevent these complications from developing. The most common long-term complication is heart disease, also called coronary artery disease and abbreviated as CAD. Read More >
It’s that time again…the three-month check-in/check-up at the doctor’s office. Time to get everything together: logbook, refills needed, questions or concerns jotted down. The part I used to dread was the most was the logbook part. Making sure I had the right cables for the right devices, uploading three devices (meter, pump and CGM) and praying my printer would work to print off the needed reports. Read More >
Valentine’s Day is today – a day that’s typically all about love and romance. Now, when you think of diabetes and Medtronic, romance might not be the first word to come to your mind. But when I think of diabetes, Medtronic and romance, two names immediately came to mind: Amanda and Brett Griswold. Amanda works here in Marketing with Lenny the Lion and a few other fun projects. When I first started at Medtronic someone told me a brief version of their story and all I could say was “Wow!” Read More >
Last month, Dr. Kauffman shared how when patients upload to CareLink it helps provide her with valuable information that helps make the most of their visit together. Today, we’re very excited to share the news that CareLink Personal is available for use with even more computer systems and software. The much anticipated support for MAC OS 10.7 (Lion) is now available with CareLink Personal 5.7! This version also supports Internet Explorer 9 and FireFox 5.0. Read More >
When I first met Blair Ryan more than a year ago, she and her Insulindependence colleague Peter Nerothin were introducing Amanda and me to a fantastic burrito place in Solano Beach, CA. With the waves of the Pacific crashing behind us, I knew right away I liked this classic SoCal woman with the big smile and contagious enthusiasm for staying fit and helping people with diabetes. Read More >
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet people who are doing amazing work in the diabetes community, whether one of our customers, an advocate or a diabetes researcher. Last week I had the opportunity to meet Quinn Nystrom, who has been an inspirational leader, youth advocate, and speaker since she was diagnosed at the age of 13. Read More >
I looked down the other day and saw that the edge of my infusion set site was no longer sticky and beginning to peel. To be cautious, I put a piece of tape over my site and was back to business. At times I am often overly cautious because of the whole saying “I’d rather be safe than sorry,” and because I have also learned what can happen when I don’t take that extra special care. Read More >
Today marks our first official blog entry in The LOOP! We have started this as a way of “Closing the Loop” with our loyal customers and the diabetes online community (DOC). We have heard feedback from many of you that you want us to engage and participate in the DOC. The LOOP is just one small step, but we think a very important first step. Read More >
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