The topic for July's DSMA blog carnival is "diabetes technology", springing from a discussion in which we dissed the downsides of our Borgified selves and collated a wishlist of things we'd like the diabetes device industry to provide us with. Topping the list were more accurate glucometers, more reliable CGMs, sensors, and infusion sets, more accurate (smart?) insulins, and affordable (read: under ten cents each) glucose test strips. Somewhat further in dreamland were noninvasive testing methods (tattoos, retina scanners, "mood" watches, and so on).

The more interesting question is that of disillusioning those who think some of this technology wishlist is already here.

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My sister got a call from the hospital at which Mom has been recovering after valve replacement surgery. After a couple of days of perfect sinus rhythm, her care team suddenly wanted consent to insert a permanent "on demand" pacemaker. The issue was a single episode of about eight seconds of no heartbeat. While the idea of a pacemaker had been broached before, it was earlier in Mom's recovery. Since then, as far as we all could tell, things had quieted back down to "normal".

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I don't like to post "downers" on Blogabetes unless I can turn them into cautionary morals, or calls to action (either on our own behalf, or on the behalf of all people with diabetes) -- most of us have too much negativity in our lives already. That said, life has been throwing me the sorts of curve balls that force me to think more of survival, mortality, and quality of life than I am comfortable dealing with.

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Being a dad has lots of challenges. Heck, being a parent is the best but scariest job you can have! But having diabetes and being a parent has its own unique challenges.

I find that when my kids witness a low or any complication with my disease I end up feeling guilty. Why should they have to worry about their father at such a young age? They have enough to worry about. I hate it.

One evening my kids started asking lots of questions about diabetes and of course, I am always willing to talk to them about anything they are questioning. My son asked, "Are we going to get diabetes?" (READ MORE)