Jason’s Story

Approximately 30,000 children across Canada live with type 1 Diabetes, a chronic disease that requires many children as young as five or younger, and their families, to learn and carefully monitor lifestyle habits, and adopt new life-saving strategies to manage their health through medication, physical activity and diet. A diagnosis of diabetes is overwhelming and learning to cope and thrive can involve a steep learning curve.

Jason, now 8-years old, was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes at the age of 7. It was at SickKids Hospital Diabetes Clinic that the family was introduced to RxFood.

A solution for Jason - RxFood

As leaders in the healthcare industry, both of Jason’s parents are familiar with health care and know that to access the right information and support, along with accurate and evidence-based data, can ensure the best outcomes for patients. In their son’s case, accurate data was key to living with type-1 diabetes.

“When Jason was first diagnosed, we knew the antiquated way of tracking his diet and progress using pen and paper was not going to work. It was not only not efficient, but the information doesn’t provide timely and actionable insights. Digital health tools that fit seamlessly into our busy lives were necessary. Jason’s dietitian recommended RxFood, which had been tested and is backed by SickKids,” said Jason’s dad.

RxFood helps people like Jason live with and manage their chronic disease by taking guesswork out of the equation. Using AI, the technology translates photos of the food patients consume and data collected through other tools, like continuous glucose monitoring systems, into analytics, personalized nutrition plans insights and recommendations.

A team effort through RxFood and data integration to support high quality care

Contributing success factors of the RxFood platform is its ability to integrate continuous blood glucose data that is collected into the platform and securely sharing integrated nutritional data, analytics and reports with a patient’s care team through a clinician portal. In addition to viewing information to support matching of insulin to carbohydrate content within food, RxFood also highlights dietary gaps or needs that can be quickly actioned by making minor changes, like increasing proteins, fruits or vegetables.

“During periods of insulin resistance, for example when Jason is sick, or experiences a growth spurt, his insulin sensitivity differs compared to his typical day-to-day requirements. Having a history and patterns to reflect on helps us adapt quickly to avoid large swings in his glucose”. *

As for Jason and his family, RxFood helped them to quickly become confident in managing Jason’s type 1 Diabetes. In just a few months, they were on track and felt that they had all the information and tools they needed in place to support them.

“We use the RxFood app daily to help us manage Jason’s diabetes as it has helped us learn about insulin response based on what he is eating,” shares Jason’s dad. “The app helped us to identify how patterns in his diet impact his glucose levels, increasing our time in range as measured by his Dexcom. In the ideal caregiver world, we would be able to dose insulin just based on counting the carbs Jason consumes. Our reality however, and perhaps the experience of others, is that it’s not that simple. Higher fat foods mixed with carbs, for example pizza and ice cream become more difficult to navigate. For Jason, RxFood has helped us to understand that he will need insulin for the acute phase of consuming these foods, but once this short-acting insulin is past its peak, he will also need another dose to manage the delayed rise in blood glucose that happens with higher fat foods.” *

“During periods of insulin resistance, for example when Jason is sick, or experiences a growth spurt, his insulin sensitivity differs compared to his typical day-to-day requirements. Having a history and patterns to reflect on helps us adapt quickly to avoid large swings in his glucose”.,” adds Jason’s mom. “Our experience is just one example of how this app and technology can provide insights that enable patients and families to successfully navigate the dietary management of type 1 diabetes.” *

The results and what the future may look like for Jason with RxFood

Seamless Tracking of Diet and Historic Adjustment of Insulin to Carbohydrate Ratio *

When an individual is diagnosed with Diabetes, they learn the relationship between the carbohydrates they consume and the impact this has on their blood sugar (glucose) levels. This helps determine how much insulin should be used to keep their blood sugar within normal limits. This is called the insulin to carbohydrate ratio, or ICR. To do this, they must track their diet and their blood sugar (glucose) levels. RxFood helped Jason to track his diet easily and seamlessly through images, and guided us and Jason’s care team.

Empowering Precise Recalibration of Insulin Dosing *

In the early stages of diagnosis, an individual’s insulin levels may increase for a period of time and then gradually decrease. This doesn’t mean that they are cured or were misdiagnosed. Over time, they will start to produce less insulin which will require a change in their insulin dosing. For many, this may mean that the care team will need to review diet from the point of his diagnosis to present to see how they responded in general to certain foods, and how the diet could be adjusted to respond to changing needs in insulin. To aid an accurate recalibration, RxFood will be able to provide powerful and accurate data for Jason’s analysis, including historical diet, blood glucose levels and nutrition analyses.

Enhancing Care Team's Insights for Ongoing Management

Understanding that there will be ups and downs in Jason’s everyday living, and even more so when he is sick, RxFood will enable his family to view and compare his health history, see patterns in his diabetes management and make adjustments as needed to ensure he can effectively manage his diet, medication and diabetes both when he is feeling great, or under the weather.

Analytical Insights Enabling Personalized Dosage Adjustment *

When Jason transitions to an insulin pump to avoid daily injections of insulin, RxFood also be there to support care. Jason and his family will already understand how Jason responds to certain foods across different circumstances and experiences, including when he experiences stress, illness, is participating in physical activity, or at rest.

In just a few short months, RxFood has transformed Jason's life and empowered him to effectively manage his Type 1 Diabetes. Through seamless tracking of his diet, it helped Jason and his family make informed decisions about his diabetes management. With the support of RxFood, Jason and his family have gained confidence in managing his condition, knowing they have the right tools and information at their disposal. The future looks promising for Jason, as RxFood continues to empower him with personalized insights and support for ongoing management, including potential adjustments to his insulin dosage when transitioning to an insulin pump.

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Note:

(*) The RxFood platform is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical decision-making. This mobile application, nor any RxFood service, is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The data and information presented within the app should never be used to dose insulin or adjust medication dosages without consulting a qualified healthcare professional.