We knew it was coming, in all honesty.  When Animas Corp announced in October that their US operations were to close up shop and exit the insulin pump market, the elephant in the room no-one wanted to look directly in the eye was that the UK market operations would most likely follow. There were rumours, there were assumptions, and there was a shed load of speculation. Although insulin pump sales have been strong in the UK a global company like Johnson and Johnson has to look at the bigger picture.  And globally the Vibe pump market wasn't holding up.  As of this week, Animas ha ..read more

I have not blogged since January this year.  In all honesty, I hadn't known whether my blogging would continue given that juggling household shift patterns around childcare, an abandoned allotment and a forgotten sewing hobby had all left me feeling as though I simply no longer had the words.  When I did log on to social media the arguments, snarky comments and age-old conversations seemed to be coming up.  It felt as though there was precious little 'new' to even deal with, and the 'old' left me feeling as though I'd already spoken about that and simply didn't want to keep ..read more

I've been out of the loop in the last year when it comes to new projects on the diabetes horizon - mainly because there is a socially acceptable level of housework which has to be met in order for your home to be considered habitable; a level which has long been the stuff of legend in our home since the whirlwind arrived.  But last week I had the opportunity to take part in a focus group about a new way or working with Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) when it comes to verbalising what is important to us in managing our diabetes at any given time, whe ..read more

When I first started this blog, almost seven years ago I wrote, "My name is Anna and I am many things. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a fiance, a full time worker, a wannabe surfer, an animal lover and a girl. I am also a Type 1 diabetic (insulin dependant, juvenile onset, the beast has many names)... I have been through every stage of adjustment with the condition. I was the child who didn't quite understand it, the teenager who resented and fought it, the adult who started taking it seriously and now I am the girl determined to make it my own." Thirty years ago on Christmas Eve,  ..read more

I've posted over and over about the value of knowledge and peer support the Animas Sports Weekend brings and this year was no exception.  As I drove home from the meet in October, the sky blackening as the early autumn nights I so love creeping in, I wondered if the other drivers on the M whateveritwas had enjoyed a weekend as wonderful as mine.   Just take a look for yourselves...   And don't forget to check out what Sir Steven Redgrave shared when I asked him about the value of Dr Ian Gallen's work.     ..read more

I love to travel.  And although I find aeroplanes claustrophobic on account of my control-freak tendencies and there being 300 people on board, I find air travel exciting, terrifying and amazing in equal measure.  What I find less enjoyable is the veritable lottery of what kind of  frisk, detention, terror-threat suspect, 'experience' I will have at the passenger security check thanks to the diabetes paraphernalia I cart around in hand luggage.  Bizarrely enough when travelling with a pump six years ago, I rarely encountered problems.  I made it to Thailand a ..read more

Recently the lovely folk at Cara Collection contacted me with the offer of three beautiful cases for a Freestyle Libre Case Giveaway (UK only)! Cara Collection make absolutely beautiful bracelets and accessories, but better still they come from a place of knowing about type 1 and wanting to make a difference using their skills and reach.   I have THREE of their beautiful cases for a flash (geddit) giveaway on your favourite all-things-diabetes blog!  Check out the full video for details, but if you want to get your hands on one of these gorgeous cases ABSOLUTELY FREE, all you ..read more

It was just like any other sensor removal - something which had become second nature over my 3-year Dexcom use.  Frustratingly on only day 6 of wear, the edges of the sensor tape had lifted off so much that when I rolled the dog-eared tape edges back and peered underneath, I could see the puncture site where the sensor pierced my skin.  Time to take it off.   I was a little annoyed because I hate removing a functioning sensor early, but since my daughter arrived I haven't had the time to continuously check that my CGM tape is still taught on the skin, and quite often I ..read more

It's hard to pinpoint when or where it began but it's been creeping in for some time, and the feeling is all too familiar.  There is so much in my life to be grateful for; a wonderful family, a beautiful, healthy daughter, a good job and cosy home. I go on holidays and have had a rare, precious opportunity to spend more than a year at home with my kiddo before returning to work, something people all over the world would give their left arm for.   But when the early days of depression begin, it is rarely because of dwelling on what you lack. It is a complicated issue made murkier by t ..read more

This May just gone I had a little too much going on to manage to make it to the Animas Sports Weekend.  So this October, when the new-format weekend takes place on 8th and 9th October at Loughborough University, I will be there with bells on.   The weekend has been going around five years now and continues to draw people in time and again. Those who are there for the first time build friendships that last a lifetime. Those who have been before, want to go again.   Sports Advice   Exercising with type 1, particularly for those unfamiliar with exercise or those doing exe ..read more