As you know from this
Good Friday post, our Dexcom seven+ Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGM) arrived in the mail while Bean was at camp.
That was a good thing because it gave Ubergeek and me a chance to 'check it out' before we went and stuck it on Bean!
We headed straight for our multifamily camp out as soon as we picked up Bean from D-Camp, so we waited until the next morning to hook her up. She said it hurt
way less than a pod change, so I felt good about that since I was the one inserting the sensor and I was a bit concerned with the manual insertion!
Wilma,
(pronounced Vilmah) as we are calling her because it means 'protector' in German, was spot on all weekend. There was only one time I remember that she wasn't within 10 points or less of the BG reading on the PDM
(Personal Diabetes Manager ~ omnipod controller). That was amazing! It was really nice to have a window into Bean's BG while she was riding her bike non stop and running around with friends and partaking in traditional camp activities:
you absolutely have to roast a marshmallow
if there is a campfire!!
Now that we are home and back into a somewhat normal routine (as normal as it gets during the summer!!) I am noticing Wilma helping a lot with some needed adjustments and the way Bean's BG reacts to certain foods. (Darn you French toast that had Bean holding steady in the high 200s and low 300s all day yesterday!) I will be doing some basal changes and possibly some ratio adjustments soon based on the data Wilma is collecting. Knowing that I can 'see' how those changes are doing will be fabulous!!
It's nice to have that graph and the arrows, oh the lovely, lovely arrows that show where that BG is headed is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!
Today has been a bit frustrating with the accuracy of BG readings...not just Wilma, but the PDM is feeling 'off', too. I've pulled out our 'gold standard' OneTouch that we used when Bean was first dx'ed to do a double check a few times.
Wilma is splitting the difference, so at least that's good, right?
I know that it's unrealistic to expect exact matches and I'm dealing with that...plus the fact that when Wilma hasn't been spot on, she's at least been closer than the 'margin of error' you get between meters!
This morning Wilma 78, PDM 167?!?!. that's when I pulled out Gold Standard and got 93. Thus, the other comparisons though out the day just to be one the safe side!
We did another comparison a bit later and it was Wilma 319, PDM 339, and Gold Standard 325.
Bean is loving being able to test less! Of course we do a 'real' BG test with the whole finger prick, blood on a strip thing when she's eating or when a correction needs to be done..like in the above picture! Man, I wish those numbers weren't that high, but that's reality!!
It's also nice for her to 'confirm' what she's feeling with a quick look at Wilma. She's getting better at detecting her swings, but to have the additional assistance is such a valuable tool for her!
We know that having Wilma, our wonderful Dexcom seven+, will help us help Bean stay more in range and as we all know, that is a very good thing! Not only does it cut down on the potential for complications, it helps her to feel better, act better, and just be more like herself. (No, I haven't been asked to say nice things about this product, this is my own opinion...though I wouldn't mind a little love from Dexcom! Just sayin')
(notice pod-bulge on her leg...might be part of her high issue
as she tends to run higher when the pod is on her leg)
sensor peeking out of her sleeve...arm was her choice
So, overall, being about 5 days into our life with Wilma, we are L.O.V.I.N.G I.T!!
Sure, I know this euphoric state might not last forever, but we are sure enjoying it while it's here!!
Promises of a better D-life for Bean...I'll take it!
rainbow at our camp out...at 11:30PM