Losing My T1D Technology Virginity

If you’ve followed the DDG since it’s inception, you know I’m not one for change, so when I finally took a leap of faith – it was much needed and WAY overdue. I’ve feared tapping into the T1D technology for a number or reasons, and want to come clean as to what led to this fear and my jaw-dropping, eye-opening discoveries once I took the leap.

Previous Fears:

• Freaked out about having something attached to me
• Would it hurt going in
  
• Not wanting something visible that could draw attention to my diabetes (ego)
• Hands down, cost was a MAJOR factor

Those days are over. Hello Dexcom G5! I’ve been hooked up for about a month and man has this small device changed my diabetes management. This incredible transformation came about after I announced on Facebook my insurance termed me… and I wasn’t sure how I would be able to pay for test strips. My dear friend and mother of two T1D kiddos came to the rescue. She hooked me up with Novolog, test strips and everything I needed to tap into the Dexcom G5. I’ll never be able to repay her or express how impactful this gift has been on my life.

What I’ve Learned:

• The “you don’t know what you don’t know” bubble has been popped. I’ve written about ignorance is not bliss – knowledge is power, so I’m here to admit denial. My daily routine has always included testing, counting carbs/carb guessing and shooting up with what I believed was the correct number. Now that I can see the wave or trend during different times of the day and/or stress levels, working out, hormones, etc. – it’s clear I only knew about 40% of what my body was up to each day. The minute-to-minute data has forced me to rethink my diabetes management.
• Numbers are tools for improvement. After seeing an early morning trend of high BGs, I increased my Lantus and have found my BGs are damn near perfect for the most part. I’ve also witnessed the impact of stress and shared this Dexcom image with my family and colleagues. I’m well aware stress is a part of everyone’s lives, but I’m working on taking it down a notch so that I don’t shoot up to the 300s.

So far, I’ve enjoyed the power of this incredible advancement in technology and how it’s impacted my life with diabetes. Can’t wait to see where it leads!