Diabetes 1 scale product/project easy carbohydrate calculator

[matsv201]

My son is 8 years old and have diabetes 1 (and autism as well). One issue with diabetes 1 is that there is a lot of Math involved in handling it, and its very common with children that is to young to handle the math. So most children with diabetes 1 under the age of 12-14 need constant adult supervision handling the diabetes. And even at that, some of the math is to hard for adults with low math skill.

Here is the formula to calculate the amount of insulin (European style)

Insulin = Round (0.5; (BG-5)/CV + (FoodA*FACV+FoodB*FBCV+FoodC*FCBCV...... FoodX*FXCV)/FoodCV))

BG = blod glucose level (mmol/L)
CV = Correction value (varies over time)
FoodX = A set type of food
FXCV = corection value for food X, every type of food have a value.
FoodCV = Individual correction value for food
(those shorts are different for different regions)


This is how it calculated with a normal insulin pen. Worth noting that some parrents with low math skill need to stay at the hospital for weeks just to learn the math.

There is a device called a insulin pump. It generally calculate the (BG-5)/CV part as well as the general total sum of food/foodCV.

But that still leves the:
FoodA*FACV+FoodB*FBCV+FoodC*FCBCV...... FoodX*FXCV
And this is kind of the hardest part, because it also needs a reference checkup table.

This is done by weighting the food and multiplying it with value of each food, then adding it to the next one. Worse of, this is a decimal value, so for people that is low math skill, generally really have a problem with this part.

Example dinner
Boiled potatoes: 100g*0,25=25g
Meet balls: 50g*0,08=4g
ligonberry jam: 20g*0,4=8g
Skimmed milk: 200g*0,05=10g
Cocco poweder: 10g *0,8=8g
55g

So what is needed for pretty much all people with diabetes 1 is a scale that does this calculation for them. Anyone how think this math is easy.. try to get a 8 year old to learn it. And it have to be correct every single time.

So i was thinking of a solution to this problem. A special scale for people with diabetes.

The scale will ned the following parts.
2 or 3 row digital digit read out
A analog nob that goes from 0 to 100% (or from 0 to 1) in increments of 1% (or 0.01)
A Tar button (that also clears the buffert)
A Add button, that ad to previews value and also tars the scale (but not clearing the buffert)

Possible adon, a register for food

First question... is anyone aware of a product that already exist that does this.

Second... if it not exist. Is there any resonable easy way to modify a existing scale to do this

Thirdly... is there anyone here with diabetes or a child with diabetes that is interesting of the project.... I would do i my self... but well i have two children with autism and one with diabetes.

[doktor pyta]

Welcome.

Sounds like good place to use / write an app for a smartphone.
Will the child accept this method... there's no better way than try.
First result from google: https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/top-iphone-android-apps
Seems to be a lot of free stuff.
Designing such a device from scratch would be expensive.

Best Regards

[matsv201]

Using a phone ap is really not a great solution. There is quite a bit of number juggling and searching. In short. the phone aps really don´t work well.

Worth noting, the insulin pump already do some of the heavy lifting. But there is already a lot of number moving around

There is one additional reason why i want it built into a scale. A scale is needed anyway. So building it into a scale would just remove this step.

Specially for children (And also to some extent older adults), its really hard to find the right food in a app. So really a app is not a good alternative.

Worth noting that there are some other reasons to have a special scale. Most scales that is available to buy is not made for diabetes. They are made for cocking. This make them include other features that in manycases is pretty buggy. Also a lot of scales nowdays dont have hardware swich between lb and g. This does happen that a scale move over to lb with out it being obvious, that is rather dangerus

[SparkyFX]

There is also time of day, the type and grade of insulin used (slow baseline or bolus), the actual carbohydrate content of the ingredient (e.g. not all potatoes/apples/pasta are similar, as water content might vary drastically with storage), the physical fitness (excercise, other coincidental illnesses: like a cold, diarreah) that heavily influence the amount needed.

Too hot to handle. Really.

[matsv201]

I think you might missed the point. I´m not trying to do anything with insulin. Only calculating the food in a easier way. For the insulin, that stuff is already handled by the insulin pump. That really don´t need to be improved (at least not this way)

I´m only looking to improve the way the carbohydrate value for food is calculated.

That the amount of Carbohydrates varies from one pasta to a other, is a problem regardless how its calculated. The variation can actually be mitigated with this way of calculating it, allowing for a sweetspot and range.

Note, i´m not trying to calculate the insulin level. That is done by the medical certified equipment already in use. I´m trying to calculate the value for the food that is eaten. And yes, there is apps that does that to day, but they hardly help because all the values need to be transferred anyway, pretty much making all apps hardly any better than hand calculating.

[SparkyFX]

Ah, ok. Sure, the carbohydrate content for the foods involved is a lot to remember, usually done by a lookup table or by information on the packaging. Summing it up takes time.

In extreme cases there might be fast metabolized carbohydrates (sugar) mixed with slow ones (starch). That´s why it might be a problem to come up with one number alone. Better than nothing for sure, but also a huge risk, as the speed of metabolization and the conversion of the insulin need to match to not over- or undershoot a couple of hours in the future or for the daily average.

[matsv201]

I don´t get the premise of your criticism. This is how its done today. There might be a better way,but this is about simplyfing how its done today, not make a better method

[BrianHG]

@matsv201, this is a fluke, I saw this a month ago, this may help, watch:

[matsv201]

That is very intresting. But the automatic pump is combating a very different problem of diabetes. Bolus levels.

This is not at all what i´m talking about. You still need to measure the food to get a somewhat resonable value.

If you listen to the video at 6:35
"I still need to give my self insulin for the meals"

This is what i´m trying to make easier. And also, make it easier and carry less stuff.

[SparkyFX]

Sorry, this was not intended as criticism, thought it might help listing some factors that contribute to the result your (product) idea is about. As an illness of metabolism this is a complex undertaking - maybe some of those factors are reason why there is no product known to me on the market that tries similar. The standard is to use the actual measurements as a feedback on how close the initial approximation actually was. In doubt it also might be in the gray zone of being a medical device?!

Of course it could help with carbohydrate counting ( https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity/carbohydrate-counting or http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/apr/45-top-carb-counting-tips.html https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/carb-counting-tips), but if you estimate the carbohydrate content before processing the food, the process itself changes contents quite a lot, making such an estimate probably counterproductive.

Most people work around these problems by limiting the amount of different meals and have the numbers for those and the aquired feedback of the last couple of readings halfway memorized. This is one way to have a more constant input and fewer variables.

[babysitter]

Yeah, the FDA will consider this a medical device. They will definitively wake up if you start selling it, but iirc also claiming that someday you gonna start selling something that does medical-device-things might catch their interest already. If your personal project is somewhat successful and you consider selling it, the FDA provides great guidance documents and standards - much better than in "CE land"

Greetings from outside FDA land

[matsv201]

I maybe should make a  picture making more obvious what i´m trying to make. Pretty much a scale replacement. Like any other kitchen scales, just specialty made to calculate carbohydrates.

I don´t know much about FDA because i live in Europe. For CE marking it would just be a kitchen scale. The device probably could be used by people on a diet as well. I have ended up on a lot of Atkinson diet forums when i try to google devices like this.

When saying when it would potentially be sold, i was thinking more of a china postorder kit. Its really not about making money as much as filling a demand.

When the glucose sensor and insulin pump does all the other math, its kind of strange that the carbohydrate math still need to be done by hand (sure there are aps, but they really never work well)

While i personalty rather se that adults learn the math... For young children, its often really not a alternative. They might already have it hard in school. And diabetes makes it harder... they don´t need to have it any harder.

The basic idéa is simple a potentiometer from 0-100 and pictures with suggestion how much common food is (like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread and so on). And possible making it transparent and lett people have there own say A5 size inserts in a pocket under the scale.