So THAT’S How Long and Sharp the Dexcom G5 Insertion Needle is…

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Oh, I cringe just looking at that.

This is a rare photo of the Dexcom G5 insertion needle. Yikes! I only captured it because somehow, my last sensor change with the G5 went awry and I wound up being unable to use this particular sensor. Before I threw it away, though, I played with it a bit to see if I could get a closer look at the needle that helps secure the sensor to my skin.

Obviously, the mission was accomplished. Even though I was slightly horrified by the needle’s pointy length, I was also relieved to know that it would be the last time it would puncture my skin. That’s because I knew my G6 was on its way and that one of the major improvements to it was making the whole process painless. Little did I know how true that would be until I put my first G6 sensor on…

In a couple days, I’ll *finally* publish a post that reveals my initial thoughts on my brand-new Dexcom G6. I’ll compare it to my experience with the G5 and share whether I think the G6 is worthy of all the hype it’s received.

 

What It’s Like to Wear a Medical Device 24/7

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A question I’m often asked is: “Can you feel your CGM or insulin pump on your body?”

The simple answer to that is: usually, no. It’s something that you just get used to. You grow accustomed to seeing a lump underneath your clothing. You adjust to putting clothes on (and taking them off) carefully to avoid accidentally ripping a site out. You acclimate to showering without being completely naked.

And, of course, you get used to the questions from strangers asking about that device stuck to you.

But the more honest answer to that question would be that there are times that I feel it more than others. For example, sometimes I forget where I’m wearing my pump until I hit it against something (I’m a major klutz who constantly runs into doorways and trip over things, almost always managing to catch my pod on whatever it is), resulting in pain at the site and a curse word or two to fly out of my mouth.

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My OmniPod (on my arm) and my Dexcom (on my stomach) are stuck on me 24/7.

I feel it the most, though, when people stare. Whether unconsciously or purposely, people do ogle at it in very not subtle manners. Which makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. It’s worse when they don’t even ask me what it is – I’d rather have a chance to use it as a teaching moment than to have someone walk away not knowing what the device does. This tends to make swimsuit season a little less welcome for me. Nothing will stop me from donning a bathing suit at the beach or by the pool, and I do so as much as possible in the summertime. But it’s just not as fun when I’ve got to cope with lingering looks, especially when I’m an admittedly insecure person in the first place.

So it’s a more complex question to answer than you might realize. Wearing a medical device 24/7 is humbling. It keeps me alive. I’m privileged to have access to it. I’m grateful for the ways it’s improved my life. I’m always wearing it, but it’s not at the forefront of my mind – unless it chooses to make its presence known by alarming, or I’ve got people blatantly checking it out. It’s kind of like diabetes itself. It can make you feel a gamut of emotions, but no matter what, it’s always there. It’s just a part of me, and I can deal with that.

A Good Diabetes Day

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I’ve blogged plenty of times about my “bad” diabetes days – you know, those posts that I talk about stubborn blood sugar that won’t come down/up, or how technology refuses to cooperate, or how I’m feeling intense diabetes burnout.

This made me wonder about the “good” days. Besides my blood sugars looking so perfect that I question whether my pancreas has magically started to produce insulin again, what sets those days apart from the “bad” (and plain, old, ordinary days)?

 

The answer likely varies among people with diabetes, but let me describe my version of a darn good diabetes day:

  • Going to an endocrinologist appointment first thing in the morning and discovering that your A1c has dropped nearly half a point, down to 6.7. YAAAAAAS!
  • Being told by said endocrinologist that you’re doing an amazing job, and passed all other blood work tests with flying colors – I was most thrilled with my HDL cholesterol (the good kind) levels, which have gone up due to my current exercise regimen. And she said I lost a couple pounds, to boot!
  • Coming home from work to a package from Dexcom containing the brand new G6 receiver, transmitter, and sensors. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a delivery!
  • Topping it all off, my blood sugars throughout the day weren’t too shabby.
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Dancing excitedly with my new Dexcom G6! My puppy couldn’t understand what the hullabaloo was all about.

It’s days like that that make me feel validated – like all my hard work is worth it. It isn’t easy to manage diabetes every moment of every day, so when the diabetes stars align like this, it feels…wonderful.

Banana, No Bolus

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I ate a banana the other day without needing to correct for it. My blood sugar prior to eating it was 96 mg/dL. I sensed and oncoming low, and trusting this instinct, I decided to skip bolusing (taking insulin) for it. Two hours later, I was 108 mg/dL.

How did I do it?

Did my pancreas suddenly start working again?

Was it a low-carb banana?

Was sorcery involved?

I’ll explain how it happened; no, my pancreas didn’t suddenly decide to start secreting insulin; no, because low-carb bananas aren’t even a thing; and sadly, no, though I do wish I was well-versed in real-life wizardry and/or witchcraft.

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It happened because I was running around like a maniac that entire morning. High activity levels can do a number – that is, lower the numbers – on a diabetic’s blood sugar. Between walking my dog, playing with him some more outside, and running errands, I scarcely had a chance to catch my breath from the time I woke up until noon. It was still mildly surprising, though, since bananas are a notoriously high-carb and fast-acting food. I’d expected to be at least 50 points higher from the initial blood sugar.

I was pleased with this outcome, but I still think that the voodoo magic – ahem, science – behind diabetes is just plain weird sometimes.

 

Money Talks, Low Blood Sugar Slurs

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Somewhere between Class A, B, and C share mutual funds, I got lost. That familiar fog clouded my brain and I had trouble focusing my gaze on anything, let alone absorbing any of the information being shared with me. I felt like I must’ve nodded my head so many times over the course of the conversations that I probably resembled a bobble-head. Words tumbled slowly, awkwardly, out of my mouth: I babbled “yup” and “right” over and over again to show that I was still engaged, even though I absolutely wasn’t.

What was wrong with me? I was having a low blood sugar in the middle of my (first-ever) meeting with a financial advisor. Stellar!!!

Obviously, I made it through the meeting fine. I got back to my car, tested my blood sugar, discovered that I was 66, and corrected it with three glucose tablets. I wiped my hands together, watching glucose dust puff up into the air like a cloud, and chided myself for not taking action sooner than that moment. I suppose I didn’t want to alarm the advisor by sticking a needle into my finger in the the middle of our meeting, but that hasn’t stopped me from doing what I must do, medically speaking, in other situations. Ordinarily, I would have calmly explained, “I have type one diabetes. I think I’m experiencing a low blood sugar right now. Do you mind if I check my blood sugar here, or could you please direct me to a place where I can do that?” I would also let the person know that I’d be fine either way, I just wanted to be sure so I could focus my energy back onto them and not my diabetes.
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I’m not really sure what was different about this particular low blood sugar event, but I didn’t do the “right” thing because I didn’t want to be rude and interrupt the advisor’s train of thought. But waiting nearly thirty minutes into experiencing these symptoms could have caused things to turn out much differently. My blood sugar could have gone even lower, and it could have become an embarrassing or scary situation for both of us.

I guess this’ll serve as a reminder to myself to speak up. It’s okay to interrupt, because my health and safety (and potentially the health and safety of another person) is at risk. It’s not rude, it’s good common sense.

Peanut Butter Paradise

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Family members, friends, coworkers, and really any one person who is the least bit acquainted with me all know one thing: that I, Molly Johannes, have an addiction to peanut butter.

Creamy, chunky, even the powdered stuff that you mix with water – it’s all positively delicious to me. I’d like to blame it on the fact that peanut butter is a lower-carb food item; when I was little, it was the first thing I’d reach for when simultaneously experiencing high blood sugar and hunger. Okay, okay, it still is my go-to snack even now.

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Living my best life in peanut butter paradise.

What’s not to love about peanut butter? It’s rich and thick, somehow sweet and savory at the same time. It pairs excellently with a number of foods, from apples and bananas to toast and crackers. It also comes in a wide array of flavors; beyond traditional, I’ve seen peanut butter fusions containing white chocolate, dark chocolate, honey, strawberry, and pumpkin. I can honestly say I’ve yet to come across peanut butter in any iteration that I truly disliked.

It’s a problem. A peanut butter problem. But an oh-so-tasty (if highly caloric) one to have, and one I’m happy to live with because it coexists so blissfully with my diabetes.

My Involuntary Hiatus from the CGM

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Currently, I’m on a break from my CGM for an unknown length of time.

This temporary split wasn’t mutual; rather, it was due to a series of coincidences that occurred much to my chagrin. The short version of the story is that my CGM transmitter died a week earlier than I had anticipated. I thought it would be pointless to order a replacement since I was expecting the new Dexcom G6 to arrive at my house before the transmitter expired. When I learned there was a delay that would cause me to wait a little while longer, I realized I didn’t have much of a choice to go ahead and order a replacement G5 transmitter. After all, it was fly blind without my CGM for just a few days versus the possibility of missing out on that data for weeks.

fullsizeoutput_75dThe choice was obvious, and as I write this, my G5 replacement transmitter is on its way to me.

Though there’s comfort in that fact, I feel weird not having my CGM data available to me. It’s kind of nice to be wearing one less medical device on my body, but that’s really the only benefit of being without my CGM. The information it provides to me is invaluable, and an involuntary break from it makes me feel uneasy. I’m constantly reminding myself that I managed diabetes just fine for the first 15 years I had it without a CGM’s aid, which does offer a small amount of comfort. But it also reminds me how important the CGM has become in my daily care choices. Twenty-four hour, real-time updates of my blood sugar help me live a life less interrupted by my diabetes, something that’s extremely difficult to give up after 20 relentless years of dealing with it.

You really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone – even if it is only for a short period of time.

I’ll make the most of this situation. It will at least help me get in tune with my body’s signals when my blood sugar is high or low, which is definitely not a bad thing. And it makes me appreciate something that not every person with diabetes is lucky enough to have access to: serving as a humbling reminder of my fortunate circumstances.

How Raising a Puppy is Like Dealing with Diabetes

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“Aw, she’s so cute! What’s her name? What kind of dog is she?” The woman stooped down to the ground to take a closer look at Clarence, my 12-week old Shetland Sheepdog – who is a boy.

I patiently answered her questions, knowing she wasn’t really paying attention. After all, she was totally distracted by my adorable little pup.

The man who accompanied her – undoubtedly her partner – was chattier. He looked at me, almost condescendingly, and said something about how this must be my first dog.

Nonplussed, I said, “Actually, this is my family’s third Sheltie. The last time we had a puppy like Clarence here, I was practically a baby myself.”

“Well, you know, I noticed that you’re buying puppy pads. You really shouldn’t do that if you want to get your dog housebroken, it’ll only encourage it to go indoors.” If I thought he was bordering on condescending before, he was definitely laying it on thick now.

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I hastily responded by telling him how the puppy chow that Clarence is eating is salty, and the high salt intake results in frequent puppy puddles in the kitchen. It’s virtually impossible to ensure that Clarence is outside every single time that he has to pee, so the puppy pads have been a huge help. I trailed off, wondering why I had felt the need to provide this stranger with an explanation that wouldn’t matter to him.

The man shrugged, clearly unimpressed by this answer, and walked away.

Upon reflection, this mildly irritating encounter turned into a bit of a metaphor for what life with diabetes is like. People you don’t know bombard you with questions about it. You answer as best as you can, hoping that your replies help these inquisitive folks understand diabetes better than they did before. But this ray of hope is quickly dimmed when the questioners run out of things to ask and begin to tell you how you should manage your diabetes. It’s baffling when it happens because you didn’t ask for advice, but you somehow get an earful of it every damn time.

So I guess in this way, diabetes is a little like raising a puppy. There will be highs and lows, good days and bad days. And unsolicited advice will be dished to you by strangers, even though nobody knows your diabetes – or your dog – the way that you do.

Instagram vs. Reality

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What does Instagram vs. reality mean?

It’s best explained using pictures. Take the following, for instance:

Beautiful, perfect Instagram
Cold, hard reality

The first image is basically the ideal Dexcom graph. It depicts steady, on-target blood sugars for hours.

It makes the image next to it look that much uglier. The second picture shows blood sugar that rose rapidly over a short amount of time and flattened out at a level so high that it exceeds the Dexcom maximum number.

Instagram: The social networking site that promotes flawlessness. You scroll through a feed and see images that convey society’s notions around perfection. And it’s annoying. The rational part of you knows that, surely, the stunning blonde swimsuit model on your feed probably has cellulite, only you never see it because it’s airbrushed and filtered away. That’s why it’s equally unrealistic to share nothing but the “perfect” blood sugars with the diabetes community. Diabetes is FAR from being sunshine-y and unicorn-y all the time.

The reality: Diabetes is up-and-down, mentally and physically. It’s not always going to behave the way you want it to, even if you’re doing all the right things and trying your best. That’s why I like sharing the good and the bad – it makes the victories that much sweeter, and the less-than-triumphant moments more educational.

So This Just Happened…

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Whoa! It’s incredibly surreal to see myself on Dexcom’s Instagram feed, but there I am! Shout out to my T1D buddies who messaged me the day this appeared and made me feel like a rock star!

Glamour shots aside, this quote really does capture how I feel about Dexcom. It’s truly one of the most powerful tools in my diabetes care kit. In addition to helping me improve my blood sugars by giving me crucial data, my CGM also provides me peace of mind because it does a lot of extra work for me – saving me a lot of time and energy.

This just makes me even more excited to get my hands on the Dexcom G6, which is bound to make life with diabetes even easier! I have the feeling that I’ll get one sooner rather than later…