Diabetes Base Camp

04/09/2026

My dear friend Mags sent me an IG reel yesterday, about a potentially more accurate way of determining prebolusing timing. We are told “15-20 mins”, but honestly, I rarely bother, as my glucose is usually fairly tidy before I eat.
If one uses mg/dl as a glucose measurement (hello to the US of A), then if one takes the first two integers, then that is a reasonable guide for the minutes it might be nice to prebolus. To convert mg/dl to mmol/L (our units), one simply divides by 18, so 180mg/dl =10mmol/L.
I have done some quick maths to this end, which people might find helpful. Or not. I am certainly going to test it out! Obviously this is basically “Sugar Surfing”, a technique of glucose management that I thoroughly endorse - one waits for the turnover of CGM before eating if one is rising - bolus, wait, wait, then eat when it trends down again.
For people not using CGM, the minutes waited might be a handy tip instead.

Prebolusing
Under 5.5mmol/L - no prebolus, just bolus and eat, or even eat then bolus if really low.
~6.1mmol/L - 11 mins prebolus (110mg/dl)
~6.6mmol/L - 12 mins prebolus (120mg/dl)
~7.2mmol/L - 13 mins prebolus (130mg/dl)
~7.8mmol/L - 14 mins prebolus (140mg/dl)
~8.3mmol/L - 15mins prebolus (150mg/dl)
~8.8mmol/L - 16mins prebolus (160mg/dl)
~9.4mmol/L - 17mins prebolus (170mg/dl)
~10mmol/L - 18mins prebolus (180mg/dl)
~10.5mmol/L - 19mins prebolus (190mg/dl)
~11.1mmol/L - 20mins prebolus (200mg/dl)
~11.6mmol/L - 21mins prebolus (210mg/dl)
~12.2mmol/L - 22mins prebolus (220mg/dl) etc etc.

If this works for you, please let me know in the comments.

17/08/2026

I did a risky thing yesterday. I braved Melbourne airport and its ridiculous security. I was flying from Burnie in Tasmania, which has no security, so to get on any other connecting domestic or international flight, one must pass through the dreaded Melbourne security. In theory, I had oodles of time to get my Adelaide connection, but in reality, once collected from the Dash 8 plane by a bus, then driven very slowly around Melbourne Airport, and dumped a goodly distance from the departures area, I was cutting it quite close.
I know that going through the scanning machines is not a good thing to do when wearing D tech, but trying to explain the situation to the notoriously argumentative Melbs security dudes and ladies, in my limited time, was not on my list of fun things to try during my weekend mini escape.
So I made a potentially dodgy call, and took my pump off, dumped it in my hand luggage, and sent that through the X-ray machines (I was not super concerned about that - one of my old pumps did this many, many times between 2017 and 2020 - it basically lived in my toiletries bag as a backup, and worked absolutely fine when I needed it). I also had some CGMs in there (Simpleras and G4s).
So I went through the body scanner, got turned back because my jacket was too thick. Said some choice words about that, tried again, it completely failed to identify my Simplera and cannula site, and I was allowed to run to my gate. Pump and CGM continued to work beautifully, AND, one of the irradiated Simpleras was applied when I got home, and worked first time! Maybe that is the key to getting the blessed things to work?
Anyway, I got through with no apparent harm coming to my pump and sensors. I will be curious as to whether my other irradiated sensors function properly as well.
Now is it time to physically recover from my weekend - I have not danced Nutbush City Limits so much in about 40 years! And “won” a limbo competition (there were two of us involved only, but never mind). I seriously danced so hard at my dear friend Abi’s 50th birthday that I broke my boots. A fabulous time was had!
Below is some Photo Booth silliness. I am a huge fan of this tiara!

03/08/2026

Limited availability Mondays and Tuesdays for the next couple of weeks - I have not had a holiday in over 4 years, so I am taking a couple of very short breaks mid August to spend some time with friends and family for some significant milestones.
Normal schedules will return the last week in August.

28/07/2026

48 years of T1 today for me. Diagnosed 28/7/1978. Yep, I feel old.
So many changes - from 5 drops of p*e in a test tube with a Clinitest tablet to very near fully closed loop pump setups (Liberty (CamAPS) and Vivere (Minimed) coming soon).
Functional cures for 10 people in the US (islet cell transplant with Tegoprubart - insulin independence and no side effects thus far).
I was told (in 1978) that there would be a cure in 5 years. I think we were all told that. I am still not convinced there will be a cure that is agreeable to me in my lifetime (no anti rejection drugs or complex surgeries or procedures), but we are closer than ever.

23/07/2026

Regarding the medical devices beat up story by 60 Minutes - it was one sided journalism and blatant fear mongering.
Yes, potentially, medical devices including insulin pumps and CGM have a risk of harm, should they malfunction. This is often overdramatised in crime or medical dramas, but then again, so is diabetes generally.
Some folks have been harmed, and in very rare circumstances, it can be proven that a device either went rogue, or had incorrect data input (dodgy CGM readings). Of course, these need prompt and detailed investigation.
But the vast majority of people can take full confidence in their devices working correctly. There are over 42 separate factors involved in glucose metabolism. Insulin delivery and carb intake are just two.
Personally, I have been using an insulin pump since 1999. I have had a couple of times where I have had a sudden and very rapid drop in glucose, followed by pain and a huge bruise. Did my needle/cannula migrate directly into a tiny blood vessel as I bolused - yep! This is not a pump or technology failing - I have done this injecting manually as well. It is also no big deal (for me), as I recognised the issue and treated appropriately.
If this sort of thing happened in the middle of the night, with no bolus occurring - that is a fault and must be dealt with accordingly. Reported to the TGA, and as much evidence documented/photographed as possible.
There is a lot of worry generated by diabetes, and some people have genuinely been affected by errant technology. But the vast majority of us have not, and will not be caused harm by our devices. I am very happy to keep using technology!
Our next step is advocating for access by all who are keen, including adult T1s with no health insurance, type 3cs (including adults with CF related diabetes), and T2s who are keen to monitor with CGMs (use of a CGM alone is shown to reduce HbA1c significantly, with no other treatment change).

04/07/2026

I had quite a successful glucose day today, with my usual 2 hours of ballet. The actual ballet was less than stellar, I have sore toes from CPR training last weekend, and am breaking in some new pointe shoes.
I started out tidily with a 5.4mmol/L, ate the protein bar with the nutritional info in the photo, plus another 7gm of carbs (vege straws), climbed steadily to just under 8mmol/L through the 2 classes, then had a very soft landing by the end of class. Classes ran from 1330hrs to 1530hrs. I did not bolus for the protein bar or the vege straws, nor did I set a temp target. I am pleased with this outcome. I am trending low now, have had a few small snacks and will wait and see if things smooth out.

25/06/2026

I have been invited to be a panelist at the (free) Breakthrough T1D Summit on 29/7/2026, in Adelaide. I am looking forward to it. If you are an Adelaide local, come and join us! Or virtually from elsewhere…

Type 1 Summit is Australia's #1 event for living with type 1 diabetes. It's a FREE day of helpful, interesting sessions on life with T1D.

13/06/2026

I discovered a fairly pleasing thing over the past week or so. I get low a lot in ballet classes, because I always forget to organise my pump well in advance to have a temp target of 8.7 or whatever. This really needs to be done 1-2 hours before class. I never, ever manage that!
But, just by chance, I scoffed a soft protein bar before my class on Tuesday night, and it worked brilliantly! Same again today. A Violet Crumble protein bar was consumed before class, with no bolus (about 4g carbs and 17g protein), while I was stretching and applying shoes and legwarmers. No hypos today!

20/05/2026

Just saw this stunning decoration for one’s CGM. I absolutely want one, but alas, my current CGM is not decoration worthy 😢. Just Dexcom and Libre options currently.
If you have a yearning for stunningly beautiful CGMs, rather than the standard white or grey plastic, have a look.

Break free with CAL JEWELLERY’s affordable wearable art. Skin-safe, avant-garde necklaces and rings with a bold, high-fashion edge. Shop modern, statement designs for everyday and standout looks.

13/05/2026

I am feeling quite proud of myself this morning. I purchased new barrel legged pants from Uniqlo on the weekend and was preparing them for wear this morning (already altered in store - love that).
These pants come with lots of labels, sewn on and looped on with plastic and also sturdy cord.
While snipping these extra labels off, I carefully avoided snipping my insulin pump tubing, as I wear my pump on my left waistband most of the time (where all the labels were congregated). I did not manage to remove the labels first of course 🙄.
Yay for me paying attention and not snipping the clear tubing!
Also, these pants have the perfect sized pocket for my pancreas phone (Z Flip 3).