Busted. DexCom Style.
I’m not generally shy about having diabetes, and when I’m amongst new people I rarely hesitate to answer questions. I look at those inquiries, whether they’re from left field or not, as an opportunity to educate about Type 1 diabetes. It also helps break the ice about any fiddling (read: injecting or poking) I might have to do in front of said new people - if I let them know I have the ‘betes up front and what my gadgets are for, we get the questions outta the way.
Except when you have a DexCom. The little Dex, with its brightly-lit screen, screeching warnings for highs, lows, rapid descents, or crashing falls ALWAYS makes itself known, especially when you’re finagleing gratuitous amounts of carbs/insulin over holiday meals with a bunch of people you just met. Because of the frequent attention-grabbing maneuvers Le Dex has, as well as the fact that you’re often clicking in to check your numbers anyways, there’s a lot of focus on the Dex and what it has to say about your current state of D-Management - whether you want it to or not.
Over the holidays, I found myself repeating phrases over and over again:
“Well yeah, I’m 180 now, which is why the DexCom beeped, because that’s too high, so I’m going to take more insulin to get it down.”
“Normal is basically between 80 and 120.”
“Well no, I’m not normally running this high.”
“No I actuall have really good control, it’s just there’s a lot of new food to figure out.”
“Yeah 220 is too high, but nothing scary is going to happen, I just have to bring it down with some more insulin.”
“Uhm. Yeah. Good call. I don’t think I need any cake right now.”
My ability to have constant vigilance on my diabetes meant that others, in a way, did too. It’s hard to hide your blood sugar when you’re sitting around a family dinner table, inches away from your neighbor, and the DexCom starts hollering that you’re over 250mg/dL and that yes, indeed, Lexie, you should not have had any of that home-made lemon mousse, damnit!
I’m rarely with people who are judgey about diabetes, but often with people who just don’t know about it and have a lot of questions - which I’m generally prepared to answer, but then be done with. Having a CGM means there’s ample opportunity for people to ask questions about your ‘betes. And for someone like me, who takes pride in managing her diabetes well, I found myself feeling defensive about my irregular, holiday-induced numbers. For shame Dex, for shame!
Having a CGM sometimes presents the same issues as having too much technology - there’s too many beeps, alarms, dings, screens, and things to check that feel like they’re keeping you away from human interaction at times. And although I wouldn’t want to go back to living sans Dex, there are times where I wish it could be more discreet…like a watch display or a text message through my cell….we need that mad scientist from James Bond to start building diabetic gear! It would be so cool - although we’d probably end up with jet-pack-glucose meters that can fly you to the moon and check your sugar. Not that it wouldn’t be kinda fun…..
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Comments
People always ask what my BG is whenever it’s out of range, never when it’s right on the money. I’m now making it a point to let everyone know when I have a good reading. I think I’m going to start shouting out things like “Boo-yah! 83!!!” just to make sure people know my numbers are doing ok. I also had a co-worker ask me if my blood sugar was always high. He said my Omnipod was always beeping. I had to explain that it beeps everytime I check my BG (good or bad)and everytime it delivers a bolus. He must have thought I was going to die any day before I explained it to him. 
Oh lord the beeping issues!! I totally understand that one - people think the beeps mean you’re about to blow up or something!!
I have been known to leave the receiver in the other room when I just don’t want to share. Isn’t going to kill me to live without it for one meal.
I’ve also realized that most people really don’t know and/or don’t care. Not sure which is worse … to be surrounded by people who don’t care or to be surrounded by people who care a little too much!
DiabetesCommunity
I’M NEW TO WEARING A CGM, I WAS NOT SURE ABOUT HAVING SOMETHING ELSE ATTACHED TO ME AT FIRST. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR A WHILE AND DECIDED THAT IT’S MUCH BETTER THAN A DIALYSIS MACHINE!