Frigging rash. The issue first presented itself back in August 2012, leaving me scratching my head and itching my sensor sites for the next four years. At first, I tackled the problem by trying a pile of different barrier tapes, but the only one that brought about any semblance of relief was the Toughpad. For about a year, I used a…
As this pregnancy continues on, so does the rapid rounding-out of my abdomen (today’s issue = not being able to zip my jacket without over-taxing the zipper). Feeling quite like Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Pluses to this expansion are that a. the pregnancy is progressing on schedule and b. the real estate options for my pump…
Disclosure Up Front (where it should be): I have a relationship with Dexcom that includes receiving my continuous glucose supplies at no cost. More details are outlined here on my disclosures page, but please know that the bias I’m bringing to this is pretty significant, not simply because of the working relationship with Dexcom but also the fact that this…
“Rotating sites? Hell yeah, I rotate.” … sort of. I’m good about rotating my pump and CGM (continuous glucose monitor) sites, but I’m decent, at best, about exploring new real estate. Most of the time, I use my outer thigh or lower back/hips for my CGM, going back and forth between those four areas. This sounds like proper rotating, in…
In almost ten years of using a CGM, I’ve never, ever had this happen. This morning, when I went to insert a new Dexcom sensor, I followed all the usual protocol: Put a Toughpad down against clean skin, place the sensor adhesive against the Toughpad, and then insert the sensor right through into my skin, allowing the giant needle to…
Longest Dexcom Break in Six Years.
Dexcom, Diabetes and Emotions, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, Robot Life“Is it because of the skin thing?” he asked, watching me put the transmitter and receiver on the bedroom dresser. “Yeah,” I replied, only it wasn’t exactly the truth. Sure, my skin had some pretty irritated patches from the constant application/reapplication of my CGM sensors, but it was manageable, especially if I was more diligent about rotating my sites. But…
Guest Post: Does Diabetes Tech Assist or Insist?
Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Products, Guest Diabetes Blogger, Robot LifeSeveral years ago, I “met” DCScribe (who remains mostly anonymous) on Twitter and he and I did not see eye-to-eye on much, aside from sharing the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. For a while, the lack of common ground frustrated me because I identify with and bond over experiences, but then I realized the alternative viewpoints he provided were not…
Etiquette and the Continuous Glucose Monitor – Looking for Your Input.
Dexcom, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, UncategorizedEarlier this year, Dexcom released the new SHARE platform for their newest continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the G4. Thanks to SHARE, you can now choose to have as many as five “followers,” who will have your CGM data streamed to their iPhones in real-time. Uh oh. In the abstract, this sounds great. But in real life? Sharing your CGM data…
I can’t hear the name “Nick Jonas” without immediately hearing the then-teenaged cousins in my family clutching their invisible pearls and screaming, “OMGNICKJONAS” as if it was one word. In my mind, I think of Nick Jonas as a kind and smart … not because I have any personal experience to base that assumption off of, but because he’s also…
[You can read my Dexcom disclosures here.] The low alarm slammed into my ears from across the bed, coming from my Dexcom receiver on the bedside table. A half second later, it echoed from my cell phone, where the SHARE app threw out a loud warning of its own. LOW. I reached over and clicked on my phone, which was…
Am I a crumb because I want to rip my devices off sometimes and throw them into a great, blue hole? Like this one? My skin is so irritated by the adhesives and intrusions of my insulin pump and my CGM that the desire to heave them into this abyss is intense. the Great Blue Hole – I look at…
Pump Peelz Giveaway Winners!
Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Diabetes Products, Robot LifeTime for the Pump Peelz Giveaway winners! The original contest rules are from earlier this week are here, and the entries came in through blog post comments and Twitter. Some were poignant, some were silly, and all were written by people touched by diabetes. Poems don’t have to rhyme. But if you count syllables, You might win fun shit. http://t.co/aKNMHvxVVA — Kerri /…