Peter van Rijt

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This blog series

The idea of the diabetic patient as a crisis manager is outdated. By using an open source Do It Yourself Artificial Pancreas System (DIY APS) you have less to worry about and you can achieve a higher quality of life for yourself as well for all others. When configured properly, it is quite possible that the diabetic person has a healthy HBA1C value. You can start today!

This article is part of my type 1 diabetes (T1D) series ‘our journey: from pen therapy to AndroidAPS, a DIY APS (Do It Yourself Artificial Pancreas System)’. A similar project for Apple smartphones is called Loop project.

The goal of this article is to inform you on all articles. The goal of the blog series is to inspire you on new technology to bring down the effort on (daily) diabetes management activities and be healthier long term. All DIY APS possibilities are developed by the diabetes community since 2013.

Do-it-yourself #WeAreNotWaiting

Dana Lewis authored the book “Automated Insulin Delivery: How artificial pancreas “closed loop” systems can aid you in living with diabetes“. You can read or download the 162 pages for free. Among other things this book describes her personal journey, the development of soft- and hardware over time, security considerations and tips-and-trick in using a Do-It-Yourself Pancreas System (DIYPS).

Most of the component’s in the DIYPS solution are developed piece by piece. After development they are somehow linked together. Because it’s easy to replace components with alternatives (for example a switch from the Accu Chek Insight pump to a DanaRS pump or the hosting from Heroku to Microsoft Azure) the technical term for this is ‘loosely coupled’. Because of this there’s a need to manage the solution as a whole.

All the DIYPS components

In my IT Service Delivery Management profession I am responsible to deliver a contractually agreed service. An important ingredient is to gain overview of all what is necessary to deliver the service and to create a roadmap for the future. Also there always is a need to update and/or replace (technical) components for which I create a maintenance calendar.

In this blogpost I share a raw overview for the setup my girlfriend is using. Also at the bottom of this blogpost I share a roadmap to get from the basics to a DIYPS solution (in our case AndroidAPS). There will even arise a possibility to show your current glucose level on your smartwatch for a fast check during the day!

Shortly after the T1D diagnose I started with this overview. I know the feeling of this being quite overwhelming and probably seem almost too much to start. Mind you, at high level there are only five steps. And I’m sure you have already taken the most difficult ones: accepting your diagnose and living with diabetes. This journey will be worth your time and effort!

Need some help?

Most effort in the online DIY APS community is done by volunteers through a pay-it-forward mechanism. Each participant/volunteer has severe perseverance and the will to contribute to the community in their own field of knowledge. Please feel free to contact me on whatever question you may have and request a membership in Facebook groups AndroidAPSUsers / TheLoopedGroup. Happy to help!

About the author

I am Peter, a millennial born in 1984, living in The Netherlands and hope someone will find a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Since my girlfriend was diagnosed as T1D both of our lives rapidly have changed. I became involved as a volunteer on the AndroidAPS project. In this blog series I commit my IT Service Delivery Management passion to a more comfortable and healthier diabetes-life because of all automation possible since 2013. As a professional I feel comfortable to deliver value, overseeing all components while managing staff and costs.

Disclaimer

I am not a healthcare professional. Always consult your doctor before making changes to your diabetes treatment plan. For this blog series I do not have and do not want any sponsorship deals or whatsoever. I pay for all equipment just like anybody else. I publish the articles out of enthusiasm to inform the world on current technical possibilities.