In my diabetes circles, conversations around the #WeAreNotWaiting movement, CGM in the Cloud, Nightscout, #DIYPS, Pebble watches, and all that jazz have been increasing at a rapid pace. Even the Quantified Self community is aware of the growing movement to access our diabetes data. I’m all for the prospect of data access and liberation. If device manufacturers have a plan to join the fun, that’s great. But as the hashtag would suggest, we are not waiting for the day to come when a Dexcom sanctioned application is available. Our data is there, we want it now.
I’ve been particularly curious about the prospects of taking my CGM to the cloud as an adult with diabetes. For parents, being able to remotely monitor your child’s diabetes must lift an incredible burden off your shoulders. The worry will always be there, but having more information will always help. For me? It’s going to take a little more convincing to get on board. Right now I work from home. I don’t travel. And Dayle is here at night. As fancy as remote Dexcom monitoring is, I don’t see why it would benefit me.
I have no problem using my Dexcom receiver as the primary means of CGM data gathering. Especially as a guy, all of my pants have pockets, so it’s not a big deal to have it with me all the time. I am in no way discounting the adults with diabetes that have found benefits in setting up their CGM among the digital cumulonumbi, but I need a little extra convincing that I will find some practical use for this effort besides pointing at it and saying “cool, huh?”. I expressed these thoughts as concisely as possible on Twitter this afternoon and engaged in quite the discussion about what I would want out of Nightscout if I were to embark on the installation process.
The conversation was quite productive.
Which brings me to the result of all this back and forth…
Click to enlarge. If you wanna.
And my reaction…
I’m genuinely surprised at how 5 minutes of browsing my Dexcom data has changed my perspective on all of this. So we’re clear: this isn’t full-on Nightscout integration, yet. I’ve spoken with Brian (@bosh) about feeding my Dexcom data, through his Uploader into Nightscout. I’ve engaged the CGM in the Cloud community to see if it’s possible for a single Pebble watch could monitor two unique Nightscout feeds simultaneously – for people with fiancés with diabetes. I’ve even checked to see how many Amazon Rewards points I have that could contribute to the purchase of a Pebble Watch. If I became inclined to go down this rabbit hole. I suppose I serve as a rather unique use case for this technology since I’m not specifically looking for remote monitoring, but it’s a welcome byproduct of data access. We’ll see where this goes.
Here’s the kicker to all of this fancy technology talk – I don’t think I really deserve any of this. I feel like this technology is for the people actively looking to improve or maintain their diabetes management. I’ve been on cruise control for the past few months and am struggling to find the proper motivation to take all of this stuff seriously. I don’t think it’s burnout, but it’s definitely a funk. And pie charts aren’t going to be the thing to get my act together. I’ll figure something out.
A Consequence of Hypoglycemia. 
You can ask Scott J and Kerri. I was a PAIN before I joined the “digital cumulonimbi” because I didn’t think it was for me either. There are a few reasons why it works for me. I run the site on my iPad at night and obviously those alarms are way louder than my receiver alone. It surprised me a bit, but seeing the numbers on my watch is a larger improvement over the receiver than it really should be. I can pre bolus my insulin at breakfast and finish getting ready. Once I notice the first drop on my watch, I know I can eat. Knowing the amount of + or – over the previous CGM record is another great advantage over just seeing arrows and not having the ability to scroll back.
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I feel very much the same as you, Chris. If I had a child with diabetes I would jump right in but for me, I’m not so convinced. I would love to have my CGM data on my watch to be able to look at it with a flick of my wrist. However, I cannot justify the expense of the equipment, including the pebble watch for something that doesn’t seem will really make much more of a difference to me personally than having the CGM in the first place. I’m thrilled to know about the Chrome app though – thanks for that info!!
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I definitely understand feeling like you don’t need the technology because you’re cruising through diabetes care. I have felt that way for quite some time, but mostly because I pay attention so much more, I blog & therefore remember my patterns & actions and once my A1C reached an acceptable (to me) goal, I find it much easier to stay there. (Sorry for the run on sentence!) I do love this technology and I am so happy there are people out there who imagine, design and use it until the rest of us decide we want it too. Also, as with all things, YDMV.
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