Earlier this week, I heard about the big Medtronic update at Tidepool. They’ve been working on making it possible for Medtronic users to manage their data through Tidepool, and that support went live yesterday. President and CEO of Tidepool, Howard Look, stopped by SixUntilMe to talk about this new option from Tidepool and how the diabetes community’s approach to data…
A Deep Dive into Tidepool Medtronic Support
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Tech, Robot LifeHappy weekend! Be silly. And slightly cyborgy, if that’s your jam. You might also like: Hypoglycemic Blues. Unexpected Advocacy. Whoa! Woe. Inset/Outset.
Some diabetes concerns feel normal – worrying about low blood sugars or diabetes related complications. But worrying graphically and incessantly about my insulin pump being catapulted through me in the event of airbags deploying feels like a bit much. … and then again, it seems kind of normal to worry about weird shit like this. You might also like: Not…
It’s a picnic. I’m wearing a maxi dress with pockets and my infusion set is on my arm, the tubing snaking discreetly into the body of the dress, disappearing. “Hi, nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you, too!” I don’t know everyone but that’s okay; kids are running everywhere, it’s a beautiful day, sunshine like whoa. “Do you mind…
Dexcom G6: A Few Weeks In
Blood Sugars, Dexcom, Diabetes Products, Diabetes Tech, Real Life Diabetes, Robot LifeIt’s been over a month (by a bit) of using the Dexcom G6, and I have second impressions. (First impressions are here.) REVISITING INSERTION. It doesn’t hurt to go in. I know I mentioned that the first time around but it’s a really big change from all of the other iterations of the Dexcom CGM product. The updated G6 insertion…
A few months ago, I stumbled upon StayPut Medical and tried one of these overlay tapes out over a Dexcom G5 sensor. And even with a history of wonky adhesive issues and easily irritated skin, this tape helped my sensor hold tight, without issue. Thankful for the free trial sample and eager to share this “simple solution” with you…
“I’m going to change my pump really quickly while you’re finishing up in the tub,” I said to Birdy after rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. “Is that cool?” “Yeah,” she replied, grabbing a toy whale, plastic dinosaur, and Han Solo figurine out of the bath toy bin. “That’s cool.” “Glad I have your approval, Birdzone.” I took a…
508 mg/dL. What? No way. 488 mg/dL. 501 mg/dL. Dexcom was just saying HIGH to me. I made some really dumb decisions. I should have pulled that site out and replaced it last night at 9 pm when it became obvious that my blood sugar was not responding to the insulin from my boluses. Instead, the thick and sticky pudding…
I grabbed the Dexcom receiver from my purse and gave the button a quick click while I was standing in line for coffee, checking the graph and noticing the single “What UP!” arrow pointing my blood sugar up from 146 mg/dL. A moment of mental math took place: I was rising, but I had some insulin on board, and how…
Beep, Beep, Beep!
Blood Sugars, Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Poetry, Diabetes Tech, Pumping Insulin, Robot LifeOne of my son’s favorite books is Little Blue Truck. We have that mess memorized and can bust it out even without the book pages in hand. And every time my pump beeps, I think of the little black pump on my hips at all times. These two thoughts ended up in my mental blender this morning, thus, Little Black…
“Do you mind ringing out this orange juice first?” I asked the lady who was working the cash register. “No problem,” and she went bip with the scanner against the bottle’s bar code while my Dexcom screamed BEEP BEEP BEEP! from my phone. I opened the bottle and downed the majority of it in one, open-throated gulp. My son, strapped into…
[Please read my Tandem disclosure. I was not asked to write this post. But I need to disclose anyway, because it felt weird not to.] Even though the update email came in a few days ago, I didn’t have a chance to update my Tandem X2 insulin pump until yesterday afternoon. My original intentions were to sit down (preferably with…
I’ve been wearing an insulin pump since 2004 and even though I take pump vacations or go untethered every now and again, I prefer pumping over injections because it’s just EASIER to avoid high blood sugars if I’m wearing a pump. Yep. That’s my jam. It’s not the basal rate programming that I can do (although that’s a nice plus)…
(to the tune of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Free Fallin’) He’s a good pump, does his job well Loves priming and bolusing too. He’s a good pump, crazy ‘bout islets Gives insulin when those islets don’t come through. It’s a long week being my Dex sensor There’s adhesive workin’ while I play And I’m a happy girl cause I…
Magic Kingdom, Magic Bathrooms.
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Pumping Insulin, Real Life Diabetes, Robot Life“Is that an insulin pump?” I was standing outside of the stall in a bathroom in Tomorrowland, waiting for my daughter to wash her hands. “Yes, on my arm here? Yes, it is.” I pointed to the infusion set on my right arm, the tubing snaking back up my sleeve into my dress. “Oh!” The lady smiled really big, relieved. …
The first flight out was jumbly, with the plane riding into some kind of air pocket right after takeoff, eliciting audible screams from some of us. (No, not from me. Turns out that, if things get scary, I resort to frantically saying the F word under my breath whilst clutching the arm rest.) Once the plane hit some smooth air,…