We have been promised a cure for decades. It's always just around the corner. There was the seaweed and islet cell transplant success that I remember quite vividly. There were pancreas transplants. The stem cell rejuvenation talk. And recently, there has been a large movement towards the artificial pancreas.

And now, JDRF, Animas, and Dexcom have teamed up to do just that. Build me an artificial pancreas. Okay, not me personally. But maybe, someday.

But what does an artificial pancreas actually mean for me? Well first, this first-generation AP (yep, I'm shortening it) utilizes an insulin pump and CGM sensor to continually monitor blood sugar levels then either give or stop insulin as needed. We'd still be bolusing for meals, but the daily hassle of tracking every change would be lessened.

I ask...how can this be SAFE?!?! For one, I've used CGM sensors. They are not always accurate. I'm told that the Dexcom tends to be more accurate than the Minimed that I've used, but still...there are times when a sensor goes bad. Then what? If you aren't calibrated correctly, you're automatically being given insulin when your blood sugar may not be anywhere near there.

My second question goes along with safety...what about the infusion sets? I've encountered very few bad infusion sets personally, but I've heard horror stories of blood in the tubing and 580s popping up out of nowhere. So what happens when that infusion set goes bad and we're too comfortable with depending on our AP?

Have I burst your bubble yet? My apologies...really.

For me, this first-generation artificial pancreas doesn't feel like a cure. It feels like an advanced pump. Granted, no one is saying directly that it is a cure. Just that it might lead to one...and sure, I'll give them that. But right now, this thing sounds like so much hassle.

I had enough trouble getting the pump to work for me, now I'm adding in something that has a mind of its own. I'm still checking my blood sugar often, I'm changing infusion sets and sensors, I still have something attached to me 24/7 reminding me that my life is dependent on this tiny machine. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't seem as great as I wish it was.

I wish that it was what we'd talked about for years, what we'd been promised for all this time. An implant that works with your body to calculate insulin and glucagon needs. Something that is inside me, undetected by the human eye. Like a pacemaker...thumping along to keep my body working.

I understand that no matter the "cure," there is always risk or malfunction or rejection. I understand that I will probably always need an endocrinologist on my list of doctor's visits...just to make sure that nothing is changed. I'm not expecting to randomly wake up one day without ever worrying about diabetes again.

Even if I do wish for that every day of my life.