#dexcom

[needlepokes]

how to write a diabetic character: CGM edition

is your diabetic character wearing a CGM? do they have to? CGMs these are Continous Glucose Monitors that can detect how much sugar is in your bloodstream.

How are they different than tradtional fingerprick (blood) tests? they take blood sugar readings 24/7, and provide you with how your sugars are doing at all times, rather than just at that moment. This leads to tremendously better control over blood sugar.

The way they work is that they can "sample" your blood sugar by testing your subcutaneous tissue for sugar levels then adjusting that value.

However, they're less accurate than a fingerprick (blood) reading and will often "lag" behind by about 15 minutes.

SO if you have a character who is expereincing low or high blood sugar - they'd get an alarm on their CGM, and then they might take a fingerprick reading to make sure. CGM false alarms DO exist and it can cause some very annoying situations.

A less careful/depressed/struggling/burnt out character might A. not care or "sleep through" alarms B. not double check with a finger prick C. not care that they're wearing a CGM - pump into stuff or just rip it off (although they are very expensive!).

can you mute them? yes, and a character might choose to do this while they're sleeping, having an exam, or if they know they're about to fuck up their blood sugar.

how long do they last? the libre ones last 14 days. the dexcom ones last up to 10 days.

can you shower with them? yes

can you swim with them? yes

can you have sex with them on? yes, and i've read very funny anecdotes from diabetics having to pause during sex because their cgm was beeping

are they expensive? yes! sometimes, they're covered by insurance, but not completely. If a character is in poverty, or do not have insurance, they likely would have to rely solely on fingerpricks.

Who usually uses CGMs? they are very widespread between T1Ds and are increasingly being used by T2Ds as well.

can you share the readings on multiple devices? yes! your character might share their info with their SO, parents, roommates, close friends...etc. It is genuienly one of the most telling signs of a close relationship between people - because those people will see your "mistakes" and decisions.

where do you stick them? the libre ones (circular ones) officially just go on the back of your arm. The dexcom ones can go on just about anywhere that's "soft" - stomach, thighs, back of arm, chest...etc.

does putting them on hurt? sometimes! the way they are installed involves a needle going into the skin then sitting in the subcutaneous tissue. This can sometimes cause some bleeding, and soreness for a few hours.

Often times the process is completely painless, but this is not the case for everyone. A thinner character might struggle to find a place "cushy" enough for a cgm.

can you put them on your own? yes the process is made for one person to stick it on, but i've seen some couples on instagram act all romantic and sappy about applying it together, so that should give you some ideas for your diabetic characters' budding romances ;)

Some CGMs are just naturally faulty, i'd say about 4 sensors is a busted one, and in that case you'll have to replace them - which most companies just do without any hassle.

do they work with insulin pumps? some insulin pumps can work in tangent with CGMs and provide feedback for the user to automatically generate the correct doses of insulin, depending on their current blood sugar.

do they come off easily? depends on who you're asking. some people swear up and down that they never last and have to put on patches, which are admittedly very cute. Weather, clothing, and how clumsy a character is all factor in this. For me personally i just put them on raw and keep them together by sheer willpower.

CGMs can cause anxiety in diabetics. The constant flow of information can easily burnout people, and this can possibly be the case for any diabetic character you might write. Seeing arrows going down or up can be very distressing, especially knowing how painful some of the consequences are. I personally take breaks for both myself and my wallet from using CGMs to avoid burn out.

nonetheless, CGMs are WONDERFUL pieces of technology that have personally made me much happier as a diabetic, freer and a lot more independent.

does your character want their CGM to show? lots of people, including myself don't like revealing their CGMs - but your character might like showing them off!

and lastly - my favorite thing about CGMs - taking them off and having a "naked" shower once a month where i dont have to worry about it coming off. - They look like this:

#actually diabetic #diabetes #writing tips #diabetic #CGMs #dexcom #freestyle libre #T1D #T2D

[thatbitchwhohyperfixates]

Hello all diabetics out there I wanted to bring to attention these beautiful websites curated for people with diabetes who are struggling to afford their supplies and or lost insurance recently

This first one is a program dexcom offers to t1d's who need help or can't afford their cgms

https://assistance.dexcom.com/pap_selfservice/

This second one is a $35/m for insulin coupon for people who have no insurance or their insurance is shit

For Lily⏬

Www.insulinaffordability.com

For sanofi⏬

https://www.admelog.com/savings

Please spread this so all diabetics are aware it exists and is available

#t1d #type 1 diabetes #diabetesawareness #insulin #dexcom g7 #dexcom #dexcom g6 #free supplies #cheap insulin

[walterfartzroy]

beautiful women named "dexcom g6 app" keep texting me on my phone

#is this funny #actually diabetic #actually disabled #t1d #t1diabetic #diabetic #diabetes #spoonie #dexcom

[the-vegan-muser]

Just found out that the CEO of Dexcom (the company that makes my constant glucose monitor) made $15 million last year. I’m glad my incurable disease is funding his yacht.

#dexcom #diabetes #type 1 diabetes #eat the rich

[zurko48]

#this is the most annoying thing ever actually like. why ru lying to me >:( #type one diabetes #actually diabetic #diabetic #diabetes #t1d #type one diabetic #dexcom #cgm #constant glucose monitor

[randomthoughtsnoorder]

Happy diabetes awareness month . Some of you may know I'm a type 1 diabetic and this month i plan on making several posts about living with diabetes. If you wish to show your support for diabetics this month wear blue and grey. And if you yourself is a diabetics reblog this post with your diagnoses story.

#diabetes #t1d #t1diabetes #diabetes awareness #t2d #health #support #dexcom #dexcom warrior #i am stuck on omnipod and my omnipod is stuck on me

[nepja]

Baby will come running into the room, and walk around/on top of me if she hears the Dexcom beep for a high or low.

ONLY if it's the two beeps for high, or three for low. She doesn't do that for the charge battery, sensor change, etc. alerts.

I say hi and pet her while taking care of the problem, she hangs around until it gets better. Never expects treats, only petting.

#cats #cats are weird #dexcom #t1d

[penelopepitstopp]

Just posted now on Ed's Instagram! Get involved too if you feel comfortable with sharing!

#ed gamble #diabetes #type 1 diabetes #world diabetes day 2023 #see diabetes #diabetes awareness #dexcom

[agambleaday]

#ed gamble #pig the cat #diabetes #type 1 diabetes #dexcom

[gtzgoblin]

Anyone in the diabetes community able to help with a dexcom issue? I'm running my alerts through x-drip ATM because they don't seem to be pinging properly. Sometimes are but it's only a one-off noise, most often it's only a single vibrate, sometimes they aren't showing at all (I was high for 4 hours the other night, didn't get an alert until two hours out of range, then obvs sugars were messed up for the entire day because of it after it took another 2 to drop down - and TBF highs aren't really that much of a worry, I don't want to miss hypos). I'm definitely not going to wake up for a weak vibrate, and I will probably (and probably have) just turn a single noise off and do nothing about it. I basically need the equivalent of an air raid siren to respond.

I've taken my phone off do not disturb and (the horror) put it on loud. Dexcom is set to always override so that shouldn't have mattered anyway but obvs now running the risk of being woken up 20x a night by alerts from other, usually silenced, apps. Tried turning all my other alerts off but it was painstaking and I still managed to miss a load (then fucked up my whatsapp in the process!)

I'm happy to continue running x-drip (though have some concerns about how well it's picking up the data/delays) but just wondering how everyone else manages? Is there a specific ring tone that keeps going? When you click okay on the alert does that make it go away forever? Should I be swiping to snooze? Like what the hell am I doing wrong?

Nothing I do seems to make the slightest bit of difference and it's very frustrating considering people have been raving about the system for years! Can't go back to libre because I need it for closed loop.

Also, on the subject, my x-drip gives me a numeric value in the top bar where dexcom is just a symbol and you have to expand to see the number. Any way dexcom does that? Should I just stop whinging and keep running x-drip because I know I like it? Lmao.

#type 1 diabetes #diabetes #type 1 diabetic #type 1 problems #type1lookslikeme #cgm #dexcom #dexcom support #this is driving me up the wall but im trying to be nice about it coz ive wanted one since they came out :( #even point me to the page in the manual that explains things because i am well aware that i have one #but my attention span is playing up and im struggling to read rn

[quietly-collecting-spoons]

Got a delivery of g7 stuff instead of my usuall g6. I don’t even have a prescription for g7.

I don’t want a g7 because it doesn’t do the closed loop with omnipod 5, and I DONT KNOW HOW TO USE IT

It’s been two days now since Ive been trying to call this bullshit supplier company and I’m on hold for fucking hours

#dexcom #dexcom g6 #dexcom g7 #chronically ill #chronic illness #spoonie #spoon theory #t1d #type 1 diabetes #type one diabetic #type 1 diabetic #diabetic #diabetes

[thewolfwaitsbelow]

Anyone else ever get weird bruising under their dexcom sensor?

#type 1 diabetes #actually diabetic #dexcom

[diabetic-aesthetic]

Nina | diabass_nina

#actually diabetic #diabetes #cgm #diabetic #t1d #t1dlookslikeme #type 1 diabetic #type 1 diabetes #insulin pump #dexcom #dexcom g6 #freestylelibre #type one diabetes #t1diabetic #type one diabetic #diabadass nina #follow her on instagram

[zurko48]

I love it when I’ve been high for so long that my dexcom just stops beeping. It’s like well clearly you’re just fucked and there’s no helping you.go die I guess

#actually chronically ill #diabetic #diabetes #t1d #actually diabetic #type one diabetic #type one diabetes #dexcom #cgm #chronically ill #dexcom said DIE

[immortalratking]

nothing like a nice self defense class and having so much fun throwing each other only to find out afterwards that you absolutely destroyed a life saving medical device on your first landing.

at least I saved my old pump (that got recalled because of the battery port not being great, and mine actually being affected)

#t1d #type 1 diabetic #type 1 diabetes #medtronic #t:slim #dexcom

[nepja]

FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU—

THE APPLICATOR GOT STUCK AGAIN.

this is after the first one kept losing connection and it told me to replace it!

on the third and last sensor of that box now, only a week after getting it.

#t1d #dexcom #already submitted a complaint thru dexcom's site #maybe they'll be nice and send me some replacements #was told it can happen.