Fabio's Corner :)

Back again. We didn't get to sleep last night right away - dishes, tuna sandwiches, a trip to McD's & Walmart. Up from a dead sleep 10 minutes before the retiring crew arrived left us scrambling to find our belongings with half-closed eyes. After one and a quarter hours we are back in the groove, following Adam for his second night-time pull. He just offered to extend this segment an hour to give Patt an extra hour of sleep, yet another selfless gesture that these friends continue to offer one another. Another ingredient to a successful venture.

Adam didn't get a chance to put another insulin pod into service so he continues to check his sugar level manually while on his bike. I'm far from an expert on dealing with Diabetes, but I have learned a little over the past year plus. Raising awareness is part of the AFC mission, so at least locally they're reaching that goal. (We're approaching the town of Kechi.)

Adam has a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) which checks his sugar level and sounds an audible alarm if it goes out of range. This helps him decide whether to make corrections via additional insulin or consumption of sugar. He also has a Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) which allows him to set his basal insulin rate and deliver a bolus of insulin if his sugar level spikes. His basal insulin level is the amount of insulin delivered on a continuous basis, which varies based on his level of activity (generally the more he exercises, the less insulin he needs continuously). Anyway, every so often Adam puts on a new pod, which contains insulin and is synced to the PDM. This process requires a few hours for calibration, so he couldn't do this during the day (less than 1 hour of rest between shifts). Unfortunately, since he didn't do this yet I think he may have to go all day tomorrow manually checking his sugar level (by testing a blood sample). He'll manage, but this represents another challenge weaved into this adventure. But that's what this adventure is about - to show that diabetics can deal with their condition and lead active lives.

I have to run for now (we're on highway for a bit), but I'll be back. I'm tired and probably misrepresented some of this information, so please comment and augment/correct my facts.

Ah, the importance of technology to improve the lives of many people. If you can't create such technology yourself, you can help by contributing to our cause at www.adventuresforthecure.com. We can hit our goal, but we need your help. Thanks.