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.
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