Dexcom, My Buddy
The medical community has done a great job coming up with new, innovative ways to make life with type 1 diabetes more manageable. When the Dexcom came out people were thrilled! Finally there was a way to check your blood sugar without pricking! Now diabetics can always know what their blood sugar is and what direction it is going in just by looking at their phone! Wow! I hated it.
My parents practically had to force me to start wearing the Dexcom when I was 18. I was almost an adult, but I was acting so childish by refusing to cooperate. Why would anyone not want to take advantage of this cool new technology, you ask? Because it’s another shot to take. It’s another site to carry around on my body.
I didn’t want another lump in my clothes. My insulin pump and site already felt like a burden; the last thing I wanted was this ‘Dexcom’ thing. Why do I have to be so different? Fast forward a year and a half and I am all for my friend, the Dexcom! It is so helpful to know immediately what my blood sugars are doing, especially as a student and an active world traveler. I want other diabetics to know the advantages of the Dexcom because I know I needed encouragement when I first started wearing the device.
If you like to work out or stay active, the Dexcom can be super helpful. When I’m at school and want to go on a run around campus I go without my kit, using my phone instead (if I am staying close by the dorm, that is)
I like to run for exercise, but the best exercise is one that rewards you with a view! Recently I was in Iceland and had the opportunity to hike a volcano! It was such a cool, once in a lifetime opportunity! The Dexcom was such a great tool to have during that hike! The trek was strenuous to say the least, but having my numbers at the tip of my fingers...(only better), helped me to catch a low before it became a problem.
Speaking of lows, I have experienced three very scary lows in my 10+ years of having T1D. For two of those incidents I was wearing my Dexcom. Having an audible alert and an indication of how quickly you are dropping takes a lot of the guess work and "scary-factor" away.
As a college student I find a lot of use for my Dexcom in my day to day studies as well. When I'm feeling bad in class, instead of having to check my blood sugar under my desk or stepping out of the room, I can just glance at my phone. During syllabus week your professor will probably invite anyone with ‘disabilities’ to talk to him or her after class to go over any special arrangements necessary. I take this time to inform my professor of my disease and explain that if I ever step out it is more than likely diabetes related. It could be a good idea to also explain that your Dexcom device connects to your phone, especially if there is a no phone policy (and don’t use this as a free pass to check twitter!).
Now that I have gone over the advantages that come with having the Dexcom, time to get into the technical stuff.
Application can be painful. Nobody understands this because nobody else has to do it. I am here to validate your complaint. It stinks. Luckily I have found a “sweet spot” on my stomach that has so far been pretty painless. Make sure to pinch the fat on your stomach and don’t put the applicator too close to or too far away from your belly button.
It’s a pain to keep on. When I put it on for the first time I had to use all the band-aids in the house to secure it. Order Skin Tac Liquid Adhesive to rub on your skin before you put the site on. That sucker isn’t going anywhere.
When your phone or device tells you to change the site, tell it to shut up. Personally, I am normally able to get an extra cycle out of one site and still have accurate readings. It just saves money and time.
Extreme readings can make the Dexcom confused. If you go very low or very high take out your testing kit and rely on those readings instead. This device is super helpful, but not a perfect replacement for pricking.
I know not everybody has the Dexcom, but I hope this helps anyone who does. I understand that it can be difficult to accept this as a new part of your body. The way I see it, diabetes makes me different, but if this device can give me health in return, I’ll take it.