'Artificial pancreas helps me live without limits'

From bbc.co.uk

A woman with type 1 diabetes has said an artificial pancreas that helps her manage her condition is "brilliant".

Chloe Hammond, 25, from Northampton, was diagnosed with diabetes as a toddler and said the technology monitored her blood sugar levels automatically, delivering insulin when needed.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system attacking cells in the pancreas that control blood sugar levels and affects about 400,000 people in the UK.

Hammond, who enjoys an active lifestyle and plays ice hockey for Milton Keynes Bolts, said the technology meant she could live "without limitations".

She has had an insulin pump since the age of 10, but benefited from an artificial pancreas when the technology was adopted by the NHS two years ago.

"I have a sensor on my arm; the pump around my waist on a belt," Hammond explained.

"It has a tube that is on a cannula on my stomach. The sensor can track my blood sugar and the pump can relay that information and give a little bit of insulin or stop it.

"The technology has come a long way from constantly carrying around needles. I just wear the device on me – it's brilliant."

Chloe Hammond said playing ice hockey was a way of showing what people with type 1 diabetes were capable of

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Hammond said she enjoyed playing ice hockey and used it as a way to show what people with the condition were capable of.

"If something happens on the ice, people are aware of what it could be. Again, my teammates are thoroughly supportive – they're always checking on me," she said.

"Everyone is supportive of me being in a rough sport with the diabetes."

Hammond added: "It [diabetes] is always on your mind; you're never going to let it slip. It's permanently there for the rest of your life, but you learn to adapt with it.

"Don't let it stop you from doing anything."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8px9753zko

How the Pancreas Affects Blood Glucose Levels With Diabetes

From chicagocrusader.com 

Learn about the organ’s role in producing insulin and managing blood sugar.

Nearly 16% of US adults over age 20 have diabetes, making it one of the most common chronic conditions in the country. If you fall into that category (or are at risk for entering it soon), you’re likely familiar with the importance of blood sugar and insulin in managing this disease. But what about the pancreas, and the role it plays in diabetes?

The functioning of this organ affects your ability to stabilize your blood sugar, digest your meals, and absorb key nutrients from your food. The health of your pancreas impacts not just your risk of developing diabetes or your ability to manage it, but the well-being of your entire body, too.

So how does pancreatic function become impaired to the point that it leads to diabetes, and is there anything you can do to keep your pancreas healthy? Our experts explain.

What Is the Pancreas?

The pancreas is a fatty organ that sits behind the stomach, explains Disha Narang, M.D., an endocrinologist and the director of obesity medicine at Endeavor Health in Skokie, IL. It’s about six inches long and pear-like in shape, with the “head” at the wide end typically pointing to the right side of the body and the thinner “tail” pointing left.

“The pancreas’s main function is hormone secretion. It releases a combination of insulin and glucagon [to regulate blood sugar] and digestive hormones [to break down food],” explains Dr. Narang.

Though a single organ, the pancreas is often referred to as having two distinct parts with separate functions. The exocrine pancreas makes up roughly 85% of the organ’s tissue and produces enzymes that are released into the small intestine, where they break down protein, carbohydrates, and fat; the endocrine pancreas is made up of a cluster of cells known as islets of Langerhans and produces hormones that raise and lower blood sugar, explains Caroline Messer, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of endocrinology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and the founder of the metabolic health and wellness practice Well By Messer.

How the Pancreas Regulates Blood Sugar

The pancreas’s ability to regulate blood sugar (glucose) relies on the production of two hormones: glucagon and insulin. “There are receptors on the cells in the pancreas that sense the glucose levels [in the blood],” Dr. Messer explains. “When everything’s working well, rising glucose levels trigger pancreatic beta cells to release insulin.” Insulin is a hormone that allows the body’s cells to absorb glucose, thereby lowering levels in the blood.

https://chicagocrusader.com/how-the-pancreas-affects-blood-glucose-levels-with-diabetes-2/