Temporary Reward.
"Oooh, you Dexcom is coming off, Mama."
She examined the sensor close up, touching the feathered edges.
"It is. But it'll hang on for a bit. Thankfully, I have these dinosaur tattoos to protect it," I said, gesturing towards the two garish temporary tattoos stuck to my thigh, my legs the victim of a first birthday party gift bag we scored earlier in the day.
"We put that there! Dinosaurs on you ... your Dexcom. Rawr!!!!!!!"
Later that night, I scrubbed at the dinosaurs but they didn't budge. ("Hey now," they seemed to say as I tried to slough them off with a facecloth.) I didn't exactly mind - they make me feel like I'm temporarily rewarded for making the sensor last as long as I can. And today, they're still hanging tough, keeping creepy watch over my Dexcom sensor as I do the diabetes daily duties.
This morning, when Birdy woke up, she popped her thumb out of her mouth and immediately asked me if the tattoos were still there.
"You still have the rawr dinosaurs on your leg by the Dexcom, Mama?"
I showed her the slightly-tattered-but-still-holding-on evidence.
"Nice job, Mama. They look tough."
Rawr, diabetes.
Comments
Soooo cute!! I love Birdy's comments about your Dexcom coming off. She's so adorable! And the tattoos make dHardware so much more pleasant! :-) dHugs!
Posted by: Aliza Chana | August 27, 2012 10:31 AM
Your little Bird sounds adorable. I didn't know you could put Dexcom's in your leg? That's really cool, I'll have to try so I can use my stomach for pump sites again.
Posted by: Alicia | August 27, 2012 10:36 AM
She's so cute! And when the time comes....baby oil on a cotton ball will help slide those tattoos right off!
Posted by: Lori | August 27, 2012 10:58 AM
Very cute
Posted by: anybody | August 27, 2012 01:21 PM
That DexCom doesn't look close to coming off! I think you've got a lot of good time left, unless the sensor itself craps out.
P.S. The thigh is my new favorite spot.
Posted by: Katie | August 27, 2012 01:23 PM
She would be a GREAT CDE some day...
Posted by: Jenni | August 27, 2012 01:28 PM
That is the cutest Dexcom story ever. :)
Posted by: Stacey D. | August 27, 2012 02:31 PM
Maybe that's the super secret trick...dinos to protect the dexcom!!
Love Bird stories!!! Makes me miss when my girls were younger.
Posted by: Denise aka Mom of Bean | August 27, 2012 03:20 PM
Hey, I was told that I must put my Dexcom going across it can never go up and down or it will not read correctly. Do you know something that I don't? I've been t1d since I was 17. Got the good news back in 1975. Wish I had the things now back then and parents that supported me. I pretty much learned trial and error and chugged along. On a pump now and just got a Dexcom. What a difference. I found your blog and for the first time in 37 years realized that it wasn't me being a bad person. Others have the same things happen. Thanks!
Posted by: Deb Echelmeyer | August 27, 2012 04:52 PM
An alcohol Prep'll remove those stubborn dinos!
Posted by: Lissa | August 27, 2012 08:57 PM
SoOoOoO cute!
Posted by: Clare | August 28, 2012 10:06 AM
Hi Deb,
You can pretty much wear your DexCom anywhere on your body that has a little fat. The company can't advertise it though because their sensors are only FDA approved for the stomach. Personally, I never use the stomach because you can never get the sensor to last more than a week. My favorite spots are the lower back (think where the kidneys are), upper thigh (like in Kerri's picture) and back of the upper arm. Also, my readings have been good...or maybe better to say accurate...no matter what position the sensor was in (side to side or up and down). Good luck!
Posted by: Katie | August 28, 2012 10:11 AM
A little baby oil will rub those dinos right off ;)
But sharing the RAWR with your sweet baby is better!
Posted by: Wendy | August 29, 2012 11:28 PM
Loved this story! Thanks for sharing :)
Posted by: Alison | August 30, 2012 01:17 PM
I bought some Angry Bird temporary tattoos for my nephews when I was visiting this summer. Those things lasted FOREVER.
I had to take some nail polish remover to the birds chasing the donut that I put on my lower leg once I got back to work.
My SIL posted some pictures of my nephews at the beach a few weeks later and he still had the tattoos on!!
I think we've found the one thing that lasts longer than the Dexcom sensors! :)
Posted by: Sara | August 31, 2012 09:24 PM