Monthly Archives: July 2012

Thank You.

Advocacy, Community, Events, Traveling

I got home tonight from my first ever Roche Social Media Summit in Indianapolis.  It was a fantastic time and I have a lot to process and sleep to catch up on so some feedback will follow in a few days.

But I wanted to start (or end the day) by saying a sincere thank you to Roche, especially Rob Muller and Todd Siesky.  I knew it was going to be a rewarding event but to be in the presence of such down to earth, dedicated and funny people that have taken the time the past 4 years to meet with people from the diabetes community to get their honest opinions, feedback and ideas on what Roche can do for people living with diabetes is very commendable.  It is something that I feel every pharma company for every health community should do.  I was extremely honored to be part of it this year and is something that will stay with me forever.

THANK YOU.

(photo credit: Roche)

First Time.

Advocacy, Community, Education, Events

The past few years, I’ve only heard about events like the Roche Diabetes Social Media Summit or Medtronic Diabetes Advocate Forum or more recently the Lilly Diabetes Blogger Summit.  These are events that are by “invite only” and are usually an expense paid type of thing.  I’ve heard nothing but good things from the people who have attended.  I always thought the attendees were lucky to experience such great opportunities to interact with companies like those and each other in extensive advocacy efforts.  Was I a wee bit jealous?  Sure.  Who wouldn’t want the chance for a paid trip to learn about the works and plans of big diabetes companies and to hang out with diabetes friends??  Was I bitter?  Nope.  The diabetes community has grown and continues to grow dramatically.  The bottom line is that it is impossible to give everyone a chance to attend these events.  And I feel that the people chosen to represent the community are chosen for a reason.

However, fast forward to this year.  I was invited.  I have no idea how but I am one of the fortunate diabetes advocates attending the Roche Diabetes Social Media Summit in Indianapolis in just 2 days.  I cannot express how honored and privileged I feel to have been asked.  I know this is going to be the opportunity of a lifetime.  I am excited to see and(or) meet the other advocates attending.  I am thrilled to get a taste of what Roche is like.  I am eager to see what the discussions will entail.  My intention when blogging and advocating about diabetes, is to support all of those who live with diabetes.  In that effort, I am really going to strive to represent people with diabetes as best I can.  If you have anything at all you would like me to ask or mention to Roche during the summit, please let me know.  If you’d rather not leave a comment on this here blog post, feel free to email me as well: staceydblog@gmail.com.

I love the fact that Roche, Medtronic and Lilly are taking the initiative to work with people from the diabetes community to hopefully come up with a plan on how they can better serve our needs.  I don’t know that other communities interact with pharma companies like this.  But they should.  There is no better way to understand the needs of patients then getting together a whole bunch of them at the same time for an elaborate dialogue.  Most of us will be tweeting about the event so please follow #dsummit12.  Of course I will share my experience once I’m back.  But most likely not for a few days after I return since the schedule is pretty packed and I have to go to work the rest of that week.  That thing called sleep I love to do?  Not on the agenda until next weekend 😉

Have a great weekend everyone!

Secret Motivation.

Fitness

Finding motivation to exercise has always been a struggle for me.  However, I have improved on that greatly over the past few months.  If I only get some kind of workout in twice a week, that is my new standard for minimal exercise, compared to the nothing I used to do.  I’m not going to lie.  I love to exercise.  I love pushing myself.  I love how I feel afterwards.  I love working up a good sweat.  But I’m also lazy.  And work a lot of hours.  So that makes finding time and energy difficult at times.

Last night when I got home from work, the weather was nice.  And I knew I had about an hour or so before the sun went down.  I wanted to go for a bike ride.  But I didn’t feel like I had the energy.  I debated for a couple of minutes.  Literally standing in the living room trying to decide.  But I went for it.  And as I figured, I was so glad I did.  I used the Map my Ride app for the first time and clocked in a 7.25 mile ride.  Not bad for someone who didn’t have energy huh? 😉

The place I love to ride is a bike path along one of the parkways in my neighborhood.  There are two near each other and I usually opt for one.  However last night I did some of both and was so glad I got to enjoy beautiful sun setting scenery along the way.  I have to say that I love and appreciate the backgrounds nature provides.  After seeing that last night, it may just be some secret motivation for me to ride some more.

Hey, whatever gets you going right?  🙂

New OmniPod Cases – Update.

OmniPod

Not too long ago, I posted about new meter bags coming out specifically for the OmniPod PDM’s from Sugar Medical Supply.  Well I received mine in the mail on Friday so wanted to share with you.

Overall the size is very comparable to the original bags from Sugar.  They are a tad bit wider and a tad bit shorter.  Here is a picture to compare (the new OmniPod bag is on the left)

The inside is very similar as well, this time with a bit more room to fit both the PDM and a pod.  The clear strap that holds a meter is sized specifically for the larger PDM.  It is still adjusted by velcro which allows for more flexibility.  I use a skin for my PDM and had to try a little harder to get the strap to fit with the skin on.  But it does fit.

The material of the outside is the same as the original bags, which to me was a great attribute to keep.  It is a very pleasant fabric – not too stiff, not too slippery, easily wiped off for cleaning if necessary,

In addition to holding the PDM, it also is a great fit to hold just my extra supplies!  No need for a giant bag to hold it all.

Right now there are two patterns to choose from – the one shown here and pink hearts.  But hopefully down the road we will see more 🙂  I would recommend this case for OmniPod users for sure and they are available for purchase now on Sugar Medical Supply’s website!

Thank you Carolyn!