For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

The big news this week, for Rebekah and our ongoing story as a family, is her transition to an insulin pump. The Omnipod-5 is designed to interface with her blood glucose monitoring device. This creates the closest thing to a closed-loop system we have seen in our forty-plus year dance with Type-1 Diabetes.

Here in the U.S., 93-95% of diabetes is Type-2, a disease characterized by insulin resistance and typically manageable by a combination of diet, exercise and medication.

Type-1, formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes, is more rare and acute. In Type-1 the body does not produce any insulin, so Rebekah has to do the job herself via injections.

When she was first diagnosed, the latest cutting edge treatment involved multiple shots (a functioning pancreas releases insulin all the time). Six-eight shots a day, in combination with more needles for blood sugar test strips, was essentially state of the art for decades. New insulins, more efficient monitoring, and insulin pumps made for continual improvements over time, but pumps were bulky so Rebekah continued with multiple shots.

She was holding out for something smaller, less invasive, and able to interact with her blood sugar monitoring device.

The stars aligned:

Finally, the stars aligned and a pharmaceutical company invented a very small insulin delivery system – the Omnipod 5 – that happily chats with her glucose monitor – Dexcom G-7. It makes intelligent decisions – moment by moment – regarding how much insulin to release subcutaneously.

All the information is now on a handy App that is constantly monitoring, measuring, calculating, delivering insulin and learning from day to day.

And we are learning, too. Because it all relies on the information we key in regarding carbs consumed, exercise and more.

The obvious lesson from this, for me, comes from the difference between the introduction of medication at fixed intervals and the constant presence of the Omnipod, topical delivery versus constant and – essentially – systemic.

Devotional tie-in:

It’s like going to church once in a while (topical) versus inviting God to literally fill us with the Spirit as we actively follow Jesus every day (systemic).

It is exciting to be able to apply the latest technology to a disease that has been an insidious and persistent killer for generations.

This makes me optimistic. Likewise, humankind’s inability to connect with God’s love and providence has been insidious and persistent since time immemorial. The solution for that condition is more elegant and effective than any medical device. It is all about accepting the invitation Jesus offers, the invitation home.

– DEREK