If Pumping or Looping Backup!

Perhaps I go overboard with backups, but that what I do. If the unexpected happens I have a way of making a recovery having learnt this lesson the hard way.  I once lost an entire holidays worth of photos because I simply hadn't backed up my files!

My laptop on which I build my diabetes apks is now backed up not only to the cloud, but to not just one but two hard drives which are security protected & kept in different places.  Bit over the top, maybe but things do go wrong & if it can go wrong it will.

I do a similar thing with my 2 phones.  I back up to the cloud & to my laptop which as I said is also backed up.  You get the picture.

Two phones?  Yes, my normal day to day phone & my 'Diabetes APS' phone which runs all my apps to keep my diabetes running as smoothly as possible. So, if the phone breaks, I lose it or I delete something accidentally it can recovered quickly. Both phones can run my diabetes systems.

I use a Dana RS pump, together with a Libre 2 sensor.  The important diabetes apps that I use to run my loop are AndroidAPS, a DIY build which acts as an artificial pancreas (APS),  LibreLink apk plus Xdrip+.  It all ties together to make the magic happen & hopefully keeps my blood sugars within a healthy range whilst looping!

My 'Diabetes ASP' phone goes with me everywhere I am.  Without it I would be lost & have to revert to my insulin pen  using multi dose (MDI) insulin injections.  Which I know definitely wouldn't give me the control that I am able to maintain with my setup.

What to backup?

Backup your diabetes apps & .apks (android) to a file where you can easily retrieve them on your phone. With apps like AndroidAPS & XDrip+ back up the apps settings (& if new the Objectives) regularly as well. Especially if you have recently made changes & importantly know where your backups are stored.

I backup my apps even if I think I will never need them again, such as the original app the came with my insulin pump. It sits waiting quietly in my downloads file.

Backup copies of apps that can help out to transfer a bluetooth signal from a sensor.  There are a few around but as you are trying to 'steal' a BT signal using a 3rd party app.  Remember it could break your sensor or not work at all. So use with care.  

Oh, finally also backup your backups to another device or to the cloud where you can transfer them if needed quickly. 

Don't put it off do it today. You won't regret it.

My thanks to Evo SF for directing me to a website by David Burren, the Bionic Wookiee about backing up data to a USB stick. It worth a look. Just press button below.