Dexcom offered unique insight into my sugar trends, showing arrows and providing notification when my sugar was rising or falling. It also provided up arrows when my sugar was actually dropping and said I was 89 when I was actually 268. It beeped and buzzed almost as often as I let out a breath. Most importantly it caused a lot of anxiety, anger, and a constant reminder of my disease.
I have now been without Dex for just over six months and I am happier and have better control. Believe it or not, I still LOVE Dex - the annoying little brother I never had; the smarty pants friend who is always by my side; the teacher that gave me an S- in 3rd grade for not being eloquent when I read out loud. Dex provided value, but also had its downsides. It provided love and support, but also made me very sad. It truly offered a love-hate relationship.
When I switched jobs and my health insurance covered declined, my Dex supplies became thousands of dollars a year - yet another stress to add to the list. Since the machine wasn't giving me the accurate readings I needed, and Dexcom planned on coming out with a newer device in 2018, I decided to see how life would be without my little rectangular pal. During the first few days, I actually felt naked. Some little thing I wore and followed for over 5 years wasn't there.
After a week, I started to feel like I was more in control of my sugars and my feelings. I did my blood sugar A LOT, like 15 times per day, but I also found that I knew my actual sugar better and I was treating more accurately rather than based on an arrow or buzz. I know we aren't supposed to use Dex as if it is a blood test, but how can you not??
I also began to take a little more time to myself, to better serve my own diabetes needs. No longer did I just look quickly at Dex before a meeting, but I started to say "I'll be there in a minute I have to check my sugar." Taking a minute or two to sit and check my sugar gave me a weird sense of control over my time, my disease, my comfort, my confidence, and my life. I can take a step away from other people's needs to check on myself! What an idea!
The elimination of something I had to pay attention to constantly made me a happier person. I think I will go back to Dex when the new one comes out, simply because I know its important to see trends and forsee if I'm going low before it gets harder to treat, but I've enjoyed my time to focus on me and not my annoying little beeping sidekick.