Tuesday, July 28, 2015

We started the Dexcom this week

    William has had a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system before. It was integrated with his pump and was a great idea. The idea failed however because the CGM was very inaccurate and the transmitter was very painful to place. We had to replace his site every three days. The transmitter had to be recharged every time before placement.  It was very disappointing for us to spend all the money on the transmitter and sites only to have it be such an epic fail.

    We started using the Dexcom G4 Platinum this week. The transmitter is much smaller and far less painful to insert. That is a huge bonus for a seven year old. The site has a larger sticky surface to help keep it attached better and can be worn for seven days. The transmitter can be used until the battery runs out. According to the manual that is about six months. The system is also very accurate compared to the old system that we used to use. The receiver is not part of the pump so I can place it next to my bed so I can actually hear the alarms when he is low. When we get William's new pump in a few weeks the CGM will be integrated into that too. That way I can leave the separate receiver next to my bed all of the time. 

    It has been nice to be able to see William's blood glucose numbers no matter where I am at. There have been a few times now where the system has told me that William is low before he even realizes that he is low. It is awesome to be able to head off a really low blood glucose number before it happens. I also love being able to place the receiver next to my bed when I go to sleep. When he is low it alarms and wakes me up so I can go check him. It has been right most of the time when it is alarming that he is low. Anything that can keep him safer is a plus.

We are still waiting on the cure but this makes things a little easier for a while,

Your Loving Dad


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