As Sue continues this trek toward better health, hopefully, this venture can be an inspiration to others. We continue to update how Sue is doing from time to time so others can see a view of what the TP-IAT can be like. She is a remarkable person and continues to do well. Lately, her sugar levels have been fluctuating. The doctors told her ideal is between 90 and 165. Keeping it below 200 and above 70 is very important. The high end is not life-threatening but below 60 can be if not corrected quickly. Sue has found out that stress can greatly influence the sugar levels for her, and diet is also important. Skipping meals or getting too lenient as things are going well can also influence the sugar levels. The major effort is to keep the sugars between 90 and 165 because this is the ideal environment for the transplanted Islet cell to function. It makes it just right so that they are not over or under-taxed to produce insulin and risk failure. Sue has a FreeStyle Libre system to monitor her sugar. There is a button type of attachment that she places on the back of her arm and it stays there for 14 days. It constantly sends information to a small pocket device that monitors her sugar levels. If it goes too high or too low, it alerts her. She can take the necessary steps to get the sugars back in range. The device can also test her blood from a finger prick to verify a reading if necessary. This has caused her not to have to make so many finger pricks every day and she can enjoy her life better not having to worry about what her sugar levels are, and she can check it any time. As time goes by technology improves and the procedure is refined to give the person all the best chances, but the key is to follow the doctor’s instructions and recommendations and Sue does that to a T’.
