The things I remember most about this morning's surgery: I seemed like a diabetes marvel with all my gadgets and I was a little shocked that the procedure was expected to take about an hour (thought it would be much shorter).
Seriously, I can't tell you how many times this morning I heard "Hey, come look at this!" after I had explained Dexcom to a medical professional. It was actually pretty cool to be able to explain Dex to a bunch of doctors and nurses.
The best part, though, was when the anesthesiologist came in and we were discussing my blood sugar and where it was (over 250 mg/dL) and where he wanted it (around 150 mg/dL). He told me his brother had just been diagnosed with diabetes and had just gotten a pump. He was pretty sure it was Minimed and was surprised that his brother had been diagnosed with type 1 as an adult. "I was 30," I told him.
He was beyond intrigued when I told him about Dexcom. Even wrote down the company name so he could look it up online for his brother. I was all prepared to give him a list of blogs but he said his brother isn't much of a blog reader.
He was a little disappointed, though, when I told him I "still had to think for them" when I was explaining that even the pumps that are integrated with a CGMS need a person to manipulate them.
And that's been pretty clear today: This afternoon when The Mr. came to check on me, he clicked Dex on and thought that the 395 mg/dL it was showing was a little too high. I double checked with a finger stick and was only 260 mg/dL. I bolused and steadily came down to 150 mg/dL before dinner, though Dex still showed me over 200 mg/dL.
I'm wondering if I have the sensor in a bad spot or if something else isn't wrong because after an incredibly low-carb dinner Dex thought I shot up over 350 mg/dL again but a finger stick showed me sitting nicely around 150 mg/dL.
Anyway. All in all today was a rather uneventuful blood sugar day (even though one of the surgical nurses asked if I could turn Dex off after I explained that it needed to be near me) and I'm happy that the nurses and The Mr. helped me stay on top of things.
SoGlad you are doing well Michelle. I use a CGMS, the MM real-time, and you always need to do a finger stick to confirm... But I Have found that MOST medical personnel, if they are not directly involved with type One diabetes care, have never actually seen a pump, even if they have heard of them..,And the grand majority of doctors and nurses, unless in a Type one or pediactric endo's office, have never HEARD of a CGMS... And they think that there is a way to make the technology "mindless" without as much fingersticking and pump fiddling, when there CAN be more with a CGMS.
Most people have NO IDEA, medical personnel included, what we have to do on a day to day basis to try stay in range ("control"?). .
I agree, Michelle. The 24 or so hours that I have my CBGM system charging is stressful for me and my BS's are crazy. It is alot of work, but is also a comfort. I know others who are spiraling out of control and have frequent ER visits because they don't feel their lows. Some have had to give up driving, working, etc. I thank god for this technology and hope that it can only get better. Never give up. Take care.