This Week on the Dexcom

At my work we all take this test called Your Unique Design. It basically helps to describe who you are as a person and helps you and others understand how you function. I am 100% Achiever (your logical side), 81% Energizer (your playful side), 79% Persister (someone who sees black and white), 62% Harmonizer (your affectionate side), 43% Catalyzer (your directive side), and 3% Dreamer (your focuses inward). My achiever is definitely my strongest, I am overly organized and task driven. The sucky thing is my diabetes usually puts my achiever to shame. You can’t always be perfect and if you are I secretly hate you.

With that said, the achiever in me has wanted to focus on getting my diabetes to the well-oiled machine I want it to be. Don’t get me wrong my A1c is great, my nerves all seem to still have feeling, and my eyes are still in good condition (just a little aged). To achieve better control over my diabetes I decided I would try the Dexcom. Luckily, my doctor’s office rents them out and my insurance covers it. The Dexcom is a continuous glucose monitor that checks my blood sugars several times an hour without my needing to do more than two finger sticks a day. I am able to see my blood sugar trends, pay attention to how meals, exercise, and life affect my blood sugars, you can’t go wrong!

Now here is the downside of my achiever, I strive for perfection or at least to be close to it. The problem with this new device is that I can see where my blood sugars are every few minutes and if they are continuing to go up or down, or if they are staying at a steady pace. Why is this a problem? Because my achiever is in total and complete distress when the line on the Dexcom takes a nosedive or begins to peak. The perfection part of me wants to go into total and complete panic in these moments because I just want to have total control over my diabetes.

It has not even been a full day, and I am absolutely in love with the Dexcom. The sensor is small and was nearly pain free, I love that I can see where my blood sugars are at a click of a button, and I didn’t have to wait for the sensor to connect to anything, it automatically synced and made my life super easy without a sensor fail message running across my pump. I am going to try my hardest not to completely obsess over this device during the week that I have it, but I can’t promise you anything.