Chapter 13 - Perceived Futures

I had expected a cure for diabetes within my lifetime. Now I pray it happens within my daughter's lifetime.

Newly diagnosed diabetics can't comprehend the advantages in diabetic research and management compared to fifty years ago. Few current diabetics have ever used a Clinitestˆ kit. Instead, self- blood-glucoseˆ monitorsˆ are the norm. Insulinˆ has changed dramatically from my old U40 NPH to today's Humulin Humalog.

When I was a youngster at camp (1957), I was chosen with five other campers to go to the Joslin Clinic in Boston to be a guinea pig for a new oral insulinˆ , "orinase". None of the Type 1 diabeticsˆ would be able to use this tablet, although it made a remarkable inroad for Type 2 diabetesˆ . There have been numerous advances in the range of oral insulins which now have reached the market.

The agent we used to use to combat hypoglycemiaˆ was raw coke syrup. When it got hot during the summer months it was the most horrid tasting sickeningly sweet viscous liquid you ever tasted. Today, there are all sorts of choices according to preference. There are gels and syrups in single wrapped foil sleeves, but my favorite is glucoseˆ tablets. Purchased in ten(10) tablet water-resistant tubes, each tablet is eight(8) gramsˆ of carbohydrateˆ , in all sorts of different flavors. I like these because they are solid, can be easily extracted from their dispensers and, regardless of the temperature, always taste the same.

Syringes are now mainly used once and then thrown away. They can be obtained in numerous sizes from full CC to pre-drawn 1/4 CC. The actual needle gauge is minuscule compared to original needles.

Insulin pumps started out nearly the size of a business envelope and weighed over a pound. The newer pumps can fit into the palm of your hand and weigh less than six ounces. The newest MedTronic MiniMed® pump, the "Paradigm", although not yet available for purchase, is even waterproof for thirty(30) minutes in water up to ten(10) feet deep.

Self- blood-glucoseˆ monitorsˆ no longer take thirty(30) seconds to get a result. Newer models use less of a blood sample and take less time, yet have still become more accurate. There are models now available that use alternate test sites than the fingers, although these are not recommended for pump users. My new LifeScan® "Ultra" meter replaces its big brother, the "FastTake" meter. It uses less of a blood sample, is not as sensitive to heat or cold and reports the result in five seconds.

Years ago, there was no way to stop or even slow down proliferating blood vessels in the retina. Once they burst into the eye's vitreous fluid, a patient is literally blind. Today, laser therapy is making astronomical strides in treating diabetic retinopathy. I had laser treatments two decades ago. Frequent eye examinations show no subsequent problems with my retinas.

DNA testing, DCCTˆ Trials and islet cell transplant articles are appearing more and more often. Pancreasˆ transplants combined with kidney transplants have proven to be much more effective for a diabetic than having one or the other transplanted by itself. Transplants are becoming more common. Rather than having to have multiple insulin injections a transplant patient is only required to take an oral immunosuppressant, which is necessary for all who receive a transplant of any kind.

Giant steps are being taken each year towards a cure for diabetes mellitus. Without being a soothsayer or prophet, I'm going to step out on a limb and make a prediction. I do not believe Type 2 diabetesˆ will ever be cured. Instead, I believe that Type 1 diabetesˆ will be cured and that Type 2 diabetesˆ will simply disappear. I offer no time frame, however.

Within the next decade I can envision an implanted blood-glucoseˆ monitor that will be readable by the patient whenever he or she wishes. There even may be a pump without the need of an infusion set. I have been taking notes for this book for quite some time and they refer to the possibility of taking fingertip blood samples without the necessity of using a lancette.

I recently sent my diabetes educator a reference to just such a device that uses a hand held laser device.

Many years ago I went to an Oral Roberts Crusade to ask for the "faith healing" of my diabetes. You've read this book so you know it didn't happen. I believe in a faith that could have done just that. However, there were different plans for my life. I am convinced that God wanted me to live with an infirmity to ease others who are having difficulty living with that same infirmity. Being there for my daughter is a prime example. Also, I’m hoping this book will help you or someone you know to deal with diabetes. Hopefully you’ll learn from my mistakes and come to realize even to a greater degree than I have, how full and rich life can be with diabetes.

God bless!

Romans 8:38,39-KJV For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.