Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

Here are a few reminders of things happening right now where you can make a difference:
 
 
Tweet your elected officials! Tell them to #Vote4DM!

Maybe you were getting ready for last week’s DSMA Twitter chat and you started noticing all of the tweets going out from the Diabetes Community to House members and Senators here in the USA. Do you know where that started? It started at Strip Safely, who started the campaign and even provided this nifty web page that made it super easy for people to Tweet their elected officials about coordinating the federal response to diabetes, covering CGMs for senior citizens on Medicare, and permitting Certified Diabetes Educators to provide already approved education benefits to their patients.

Guess what? There will be a brand new Tweet-In again tonight (October 29) beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. Once again the Diabetes Community will be showing strength in numbers by massively tweeting the lawmakers we elected and letting them know how important it is (less than a week before election day) to make diabetes an integral part of the legislative landscape. And soon.

It will take less than five minutes for you to be an advocate.

At 8:00 eastern time tonight (US)– You can help by going to this page, finding your congressperson and senators, and clicking on the specific links listed to either encourage the people (that we elected) to take up the cause, or to thank them for already doing so.

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Five days until #DOCAsksFDA

I’m very much looking forward to the conversation (via webcast) that will be taking place on Monday, November 3 beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern time (US). This is a chance for you to learn more about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, how and why they review devices and drugs, and how we, as a community, can work with the FDA toward better outcomes in all areas.

To RSVP for the webcast, go to this Diatribe link or this FDA link, get all the information, and register. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get a look at the agenda and a link to join the webcast on Monday. I hope you’ll be there!

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Don’t forget about the Big Blue Test

The Big Blue Test is going strong. As of this writing, there were over 1600 Big Blue Tests recorded so far. But that’s a far cry from the goal of 35,000 set for this year’s event.

Don’t forget… Now until November 19, every Big Blue Test that is logged will result in a $1.00 (US) donation to non-profit diabetes groups that are working tirelessly to provide education, support, and supplies to people who need them. My guess is maybe you’ve forgotten to log all of your activity. Well what are you waiting for?

Here’s how it works:

1. Test your blood glucose. If you do not have diabetes, you can skip this step.

2. Get active. For 14 to 20 minutes, get up and get moving. You can , walk, run, clean the house, swim, tap dance…whatever!

3. Test again. On average, Big Blue Testers seen their blood glucose level drop 20% after 14-20 minutes of exercise.

4. Share your results. Answer the questions in the right column of the page at bigbluetest.org. And don’t forget to talk about your experience on social media using the hashtag #bigbluetest.
 
 
 
So there you have it. Three great ways to learn, stay active, and hold congressional feet to the fire for People With Diabetes. It’s not always about big projects with huge budgets and lots of manpower. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, “Yeah, I can do that” and making a small effort.

And while I’m at it, let me say: Thank You for your advocacy. Your efforts continue to make a difference.