“What’s that thing on your arm?” That’s probably the most asked question when I’m out in public.  I’ve had the opportunity to educate MANY people on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and type 1 diabetes because I choose to wear my diabetic devices in plain sight.

Growing up, I usually wanted to hide it.  I didn’t want to be different from my friends but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that I can use my illness as a gift.  I can be the educator to people in the diabetic community and the general public, the encourager to other t1’s to come out of the closet and stop hiding their t1 and the advocate for this amazing technology that has improved my life SO much!

In my early 20’s I tried out another company’s CGM and let’s say between the size of the harpoon, I mean needle I had to use to inject the thing and the HORRIBLE time delay and inaccuracy, I basically flushed money down the toilet because I refused to wear it.  So when the Dexcom came on to the scene, I was less than interested.  I figured I’d just continue to hack it on my own.

I’m not sure what finally changed my mind to give the dexcom a try but I am BEYOND happy that I did.  3 years ago I started using the Dexcom Platinum G4 and was excited when my cute pink receiver showed up on my front porch.  After a quick training with a nurse, I was up and running and haven’t looked back since.  

What has the Dexcom done for me (and my family) and why does it rock so much?

1. It has allowed me to fine tune my blood sugars and keep them in a tight range. Hello to my gorgeous a1c in the 5%s.
2. It alerts me to changes happening rapidly within my body so I can take care of things before they get too out of hand or I need help from another person.
3. It allows me to sleep securely through the night. Many of us T1s have a fear of sleep because of the rapid changing blood sugars and we are afraid we will not wake up to treat lows.  Many T1s have passed away in bed from this situation.
4. It gives my husband peace of mind.  He can simply look at my receiver while I sleep to make sure I’m OK.
5. It helps me see what certain foods impact my blood sugar the most so I’ve been able to fine tune my nutrition even more.
6. It allows me to detect patterns and trends which I’m able to share with my doctor so together we can make changes to my insulin needs.
7. It makes exercise easier to deal with!  Depending on the type of exercise I can either skyrocket or go low!  This way I was able to establish my insulin needs prior, during and post workout!
8. It’s pretty accurate.  Not 100%.  There are still tech issues occasionally but for the most part it’s pretty close to my finger stick blood sugar checks.
9. It’s reduced my number of finger sticks a day! YAY
10. It makes me look like the bionic woman 🙂

And for your viewing pleasure, here’s how I love to wear my dex and how I manage arm placement!

Hope this was both educational and fun! Happy blood sugars to my diatribe!

XOXO,

Dorothy