No more shots and best control in 50 years

At 87 years of age, Bob Thoms feels like he is in better control of his diabetes than ever before. He’s had diabetes for more than 50 years, managing it by taking frequent insulin injections. After fighting extreme blood glucose lows and highs, Bob decided pump therapy was the right choice for him.

After consulting with his nurse practitioner, Kelly, and evaluating all the available options, Bob decided to go with the CozMore® Insulin Technology System. After 10 weeks on insulin pump therapy, he is thrilled with the results: no more blood sugar extremes, no painful daily injections, and no more visits to the hospital as a result of low blood sugars in the middle of the night. “Giving shots was very easy to give up,” Bob claims.

With a little practice and the help of his trusted Certified Diabetes Educator, Cheryl Snyder, learning how to program and operate his Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump was easy. After just a day or two on the pump, Bob realized how much easier his diabetes management was going to be by having custom alerts like the Missed Meal Bolus, Site Change Reminder, and Blood Glucose Check alerts. Bob likes to stay on schedule to make sure his diabetes in under control. Because the pump is easy to program and has understandable reminders, the Deltec Cozmo® pump makes it easy for him to be in control.

Having a continuous insulin basal delivery has also been a blessing for Bob. When he was on insulin shots, Bob used to have daily low blood glucose levels late in the afternoons. Those extremely low BG readings were a real concern since he retired three years ago and is alone while his wife works in the afternoons. Now that Bob uses the Deltec Cozmo® pump, they have piece of mind. Bob enjoys late afternoon walks with his dog and relaxing evenings at home.

Bob is also thrilled that his Deltec Cozmo® pump can do the math for him. No more manual calculations, which means less chance of dosing mistakes. He is confident that he is receiving the insulin dose needed to stay on target.

Bob rates his experience with the CozMore® insulin technology system an 11 on a scale from one to 10. He is now enjoying life with confidence and piece of mind.

Sarah Yourman...Living life to its fullest.

Whether it is to create awareness of the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes in America through a cameo appearance in the Academy Award® nominated movie, “Super Size Me,” or showing off her athletic skills and tricks on the ski slopes in both skiing and snowboarding, nothing stops Sarah Yourman from living life to its fullest.

Sarah Yourman, 15, is an energetic high school student. Diagnosed with diabetes at age 8 and cystic fibrosis at 19 months her typical day starts at 5 AM with an hour and a half of aerosol treatments for her lungs. She then takes more than 60 pills a day that include pancreatic enzymes, additional vitamins, reflux and asthma medications, maintenance antibiotics and a growth hormone shot. Sarah checks her blood sugar 5-6 times per day and uses a Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump that continuously delivers insulin to control her blood sugar. Sarah says “I have never been in better control of my diabetes as I am now since using my Deltec Cozmo® pump.”

Sarah sets very high goals for herself; one of the most important being teaching others that life is a joy despite having two chronic diseases. Upon entering high school this year, she created a club called the Juvenile Diabetes Awareness Club (JDAC) to educate others about diabetes and to raise money for diabetes organizations. This year, JDAC raised enough money to send four children who may not have been otherwise able to afford it to diabetes camp for 2 weeks of valuable education. She hopes to share the success of this club with students around the country. Additionally, through her personal web site (www.sarahyourman.com), Sarah motivates others to stay active and healthy while managing their diabetes.

Sarah was recognized in 2004 by “The Volvo for Life Awards,” finishing as one of the top 100 heroes in the nation. Also in 2004, Eli Lilly & Co., awarded her the LillyforLife "Young Champions" Achievement Award, which was presented to Sarah in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the diabetes community.

Sarah is an example of what miracles modern science can provide. She is a dramatic example of how smart medical devices like the CozMore® insulin technology system help people with diabetes live a meaningful life and prolong the joy of living. In a recent e-mail message Sarah wrote, “Thanks to Smiths Medical for your great products and for allowing me to live a normal, enjoyable life.”

Better A1Cs and improved quality of life

Despite having 15 years of diabetes “practice”, my A1Cs were always too high. Said Jennifer Alexander of Nova Scotia, Canada. Taking eight needles a day, my best-ever A1C was 8.3.

My nurse, Diana, told me she thought I’d do well on a pump, but I thought she was crazy, and I told her I didn’t want to be attached to anything. She brought up pumping again a couple months later, and I became somewhat curious. I found a book in the library about pumping insulin, and made the decision to be on a pump before I finished reading it.

I heavily researched all the pumps on the market, but the choice was easy to make: only the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump offered the combination of software flexibility and pump waterproofing that I need. I downloaded the user manual from the CozMore™ website (www.CozMore.com) as part of my research, and was delighted to discover that the Deltec Cozmo® Insulin pump will withstand “unlimited swimming activities”. I told the Smiths Medical sales representative in my area that I’d put that to the test: I intend to swim the English Channel!

I’m thrilled with the many ways my health has improved since I’ve been on my Deltec Cozmo® pump. Just three and a half weeks after I started pumping, my A1C had fallen to 6.6! Diana predicted that my cholesterol levels would come down with my improved control, and they sure did! Without any medication, my total cholesterol fell by 22% and my LDL cholesterol fell by 30% over 11 months.

I don’t know how I would train for swimming the English Channel without my pump. I attended a lecture on diabetes and athletics, and the doctor told us that sugars must be kept between 5 and 8 mmol/L (90-144 mg/dL) for peak athletic performance. With my Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump’s features, I’ve figured out how to keep my sugars in range while swimming, biking and lifting weights for two to three hours a day. That’s amazing!

I love my pump, and I can’t believe the difference it’s made in my diabetes and my general health.  I don’t know how I would live (or swim the English Channel) without it!

Pushing his Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump to the limit

To say that Joe Phillips is an avid kayaker would be an extreme understatement. He likes to kayak so much that he doesn’t always wait for the ice to break up on the Blanchard River, near his home in Findlay, Ohio, before setting out on a trip.

Such was the case on February 21, 2004. “Once I began the trip, I realized there was more ice than I had originally thought,” he explained. “I spent much of the day scooting my boat across frozen stretches of the river.”

Phillips was within a half mile of the bridge where he planned to get out when he came upon one last stretch of ice. “I must have been too impatient, because I tried to run the kayak up onto the ice at full bore,” he said. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it and the current turned his kayak sideways, flipping him over.

“I was wearing a spray skirt with my Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump tucked safely inside its pouch,” Phillips said. “I managed to climb up onto the ice, but the current pulled my spray skirt off, taking my pump with it.” Phillips also lost his paddle during all the commotion, so he had to beach his kayak and hike about a mile to the nearest farmhouse for help.

It wasn’t until he was home warming up that Phillips realized his pump was missing. “I contacted my Smiths Medical representative, and he had a loaner pump to me within a day,” he said. A week later, the ice had cleared on the river, and curiosity forced Phillips to go looking for his lost gear.

He put in his kayak near the site where he had flipped a week earlier and began paddling. About a mile downriver, he spotted his missing spray skirt, which had gotten caught in a tangle of debris. His Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump was in the pouch with the infusion set still dangling from it.

Phillips brought his pump home, cleaned it up and put in a new battery. “Sure enough, it fired right up like nothing had happened,” Phillips mused. “It had survived a week in the water in sub-zero temperatures, bouncing along in the current. I couldn’t believe it!”

This experience has made a true believer out of Phillips, who told us, “If I ever had any doubts as to the durability of the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump, I sure don’t have them anymore.”

“While Joe’s river experience is outside of the pump’s normal specifications*, his story is an example of the durability and reliability of the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump,” said Holly Borgen, Manager of Smiths Medical Customer Support.

Diabetes no longer controls my life!

Heidi Rosati says: "With the help of the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump I'm controlling my diabetes. Diabetes isn't controlling me!"

As most people with diabetes know, life is lived by so much routine and regimen that shots and food have to be taken "by the clock". According to Heidi,"the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump has allowed me to still live responsibly with my diabetic needs, but without having to be a slave to my diabetes." Life can be lived and celebrated.

To say that Heidi is an active person is a true understatement. She is married, has two sons (ages 10 and 13), she does a lot of volunteer activities, runs everyday, and she works outside the home.With this very active lifestyle, Heidi values the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump for the ease in changing insulin delivery to accommodate the wide variability of her life.

"I remember one Saturday I was on a business trip. I ran in the morning then attended a food show for the duration of the day from 10 am to 6 pm.We were expected to sample the food all day. It was constant nibbling! So, I used the extended bolus feature on my Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump. By raising the amount of insulin I was getting over that period of time, I could keep my blood glucose within range. I monitored my pump every hour just to see how it was working. It did a great job, and I was impressed with how flawlessly the extended bolus feature worked for me. My Smiths Medical rep made sure that I was familiar and comfortable with all the pump features. He's been very accommodating and helpful."

"Diabetes is such a family affair. Naming my pump was a fun way to personalize it for everyone. My son's names are Dominic and Stefano. My blue pump is named,‘Domano'. My kids think it's so ‘cool'."

"What helped me to choose the Deltec Cozmo® pump was the ease of use and my ability to adjust basal rates for my lifestyle. It IS cool!" "Smiths Medical has simplified something that is really very complex and put it in a format that is very easy to understand and operate. After being on shots for ten years and another pump for nearly four years, I am so grateful to have the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump!"

No more missed boluses!

Fourteen-year-old Nick Brown was on another pump before he switched to the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump. Before getting his Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump, missing meal boluses was one of Nick's biggest problems.

"At school one day I started feeling really sick. I checked my blood glucose and it was over 400.That's when I remembered that I'd forgotten to take a bolus at lunch. Now that I'm on the Deltec Cozmo® pump, forgetting is no longer a problem. I get a beep to remind me. I also get a reminder to monitor my blood glucose two hours after I do a bolus."

Nick has three basal patterns in his pump. One is his standard basal pattern. Another is for rollerblading. The third is for running. Nick likes this basal pattern flexibility and recently discovered that a temporary basal rate of 80% worked when he was on an all-day trip with his school that required a lot of walking. Each new experience teaches Nick another lesson that helps him to make future good decisions.The activities of a young man who describes himself as a "typical teenager" vary from video games to football, soccer, and "hanging out at the pool".The Deltec Cozmo® pump makes it possible for Nick to engage in all of these activities, from the not-so-active to the very active.

Another feature that Nick likes about his Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump is bolusing by grams of carbohydrate."It is the only bolus I use. I program into my pump the number of carbohydrates I'm about to eat and the Deltec Cozmo® pump does the math and recommends a bolus!"

Nick's mother, Kimberly, responds with an enthusiastic, "I love it!" when asked what she thinks of the Deltec Cozmo® pump."Within the first six weeks of Nick going on the Deltec Cozmo® pump, his A1C went from 8.3 to 7.3. At first I had to be talked into a pump for Nick. He was the one who wanted to be on a pump. Now, I tell everyone about this pump. I like the reminders that the pump gives Nick. He gets so distracted with so many different things going on in his life, that it's hard to remember all the monitoring, even giving himself a bolus.With the Deltec Cozmo® pump he gets reminders. He's doing so well!" Kimberly also appreciates the Smiths Medical rep. "She has been so helpful. She's become a friend! We called her when Nick needed a new belt clip. She happened to have one at her home, so she put it in the mail.We had it the next day."

"I was on a pump earlier," said Nick,"and I thought it made life easier, but it doesn't compare with the Deltec Cozmo® pump!"

Newborn Thrives on Deltec Cozmo® Insulin Pump

"It was a learning experience for me. I'm happy we did it." Those modest words came from Dr. Hussein Abdullatif, a pediatric endocrinologist in Birmingham,Alabama. He was describing the successful use of the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump with an infant.This was the first infant that Dr.Abdullatif has ever placed on a pump.

The baby, born without a pancreas, had high blood glucose from birth. According to Dr. Abdullatif, the biggest problem in using insulin was the titration difficulty because diluting insulin can be very tricky. Even with the diluted insulin, the baby's blood glucose was swinging from 400 mg/dl to 20 mg/dl.

When the decision was made to try an insulin pump, Dr.Abdullatif chose the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump because of its ease of use.The neonatal nurses had no experience with either diabetes or pumps.They found the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump to be easy to learn and easy to use. Another factor in its selection was the pump's ability to deliver the very small amount of .05 units of insulin per hour in a consistent manner. Highs could be more easily and safely brought down and lows could be prevented.

The neonatal nurses also had quite a challenge in learning how to use an insulin pump for the first time and the complexities of using one on an infant.The local Smiths Medical representative was extremely supportive throughout the training process, coming to the neonatal unit to teach the nurses how to use the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump, how to customize it to meet the baby's needs, and how to use many different sites for the infusion set.The nurses also learned how to count the carbs in formula and factor a bolus as small as a .05 unit.

The outcome of this heroic effort has been very gratifying.The baby has gained more weight, and she is now becoming even more alert and active. According to Dr. Abdullatif, she is making noises that are social in nature. "She seems socially advanced. Her eye-to-eye contact is great." In summarizing the experience, he said,"I would have hesitated much more without enthusiastic nurses who were willing to learn how to use an insulin pump and manage blood glucose levels. The whole system worked!"

That "system" included a courageous, committed pediatric endocrinologist, caring and capable nurses willing to try something brand new to them, technology in the form of an insulin infusion pump that could deliver on its promise to manage diabetes, and a pump company that supported (and continues to support) every step of the process.

That ongoing support will nurture this newborn as she blossoms into a little girl!