Phone provides personal monitor

Perry Kitt, 70, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 12 years ago.

“God only knows how long I’ve had it,” Kitt said. “They brought me in one day because something just wasn’t right.”

A blood-sugar test showed his glucose was high – around 500 milligrams per deciliter. He immediately went on insulin injections.

“I started watching things a little bit. And when I got down where I was in the low 300s, I really thought I was doing good. And everybody else was concerned,” Kitt said.

After adjustments in his medicine and consultations with dietitians at the medical center, his numbers dropped to the low 200s. But what made the most difference in managing the disease, he said, is personal technology.

“My phone is what really got me going on this,” he said. “They came out with the iPhone 5, and you know you can do anything with these? So I got a food log going.”

He tapped an icon and brought up the program. “This is everything I’ve been doing the last two weeks. It says what I eat, what time I take my insulin, what my insulin is.”

Kitt charts his blood-sugar level, too. On this day, his seven-day average is 166 milligrams.

“For me that’s damn good,” he said.

Kitt also lists his many allergies and medications on his phone – handy information for any medical appointment.

“I’m an old man. I can’t remember it,” he said.

Scott Maben