My first few hours on the Dexcom Seven
First impressions:
1) Dear god, this thing is addictive. I can't stop looking at it. I really really REALLY wish there was an option to just keep the LCD screen on all the time, even if it means I need to be diligent about recharging it daily (which I'll be doing anyway, just like I do my phone). Another UI comment: an option to have the reading itself in very large font superimposed on only the graph would be nice, for those times when I want to catch the number and general trend at a quick glance without being distracted (such as when driving).
2) The trend graph is even more important and useful than the actual readings. I can react so much sooner to sudden changes. Interesting point is that the receiver will indicate a gap in readings if there has been a change more rapid than around 15-20 mg/dl between any two 5-minute readings; just that in itself is a powerful trend indicator!
3) How I LOVE being able to download the data and play with it in a spreadsheet. And this is just after a few hours. I can't imagine how much fun I'll have with several days' worth.
4) Accuracy DOES improve over the first few hours. The first couple of readings were Dex 154 meter 185. An hour after I got the sensor in I had one reading where the Dex said 136 and my meter said 207. An hour afterwards it was Dex 187 meter 221, an hour after that 161 to 180, just now 98 to 103.
5) Another UI nitpick: the graph should START on the left and advance towards the right, as opposed to starting on the right and PUSHING to the left. I was terribly confused for the first 10 readings when it seemed like the graph was advancing right-to-left with newer readings on the left. It's not. But it seems that way.
6) Keep between the lines: you got it, Dexcom. That's the game now. Keep between the lines. It's a simple and obvious goal. And it's a heck of a lot easier.
7) Interesting observation: I eat lunch, graph trends lower during he first 20 minutes during lunch. Thus I know to eat my bread first, salad after. THAT kind of distinction I NEVER could have had before. And directly because of that I caught a hypo before it happened. This was followed up with the typical post-prandial rise, but because of the trend graph, I was able to quickly get a sense of how QUICKLY I was rising and inject a correction bolus that was ACCURATE rather than over-reacting. Again, I could never, ever do this with a meter. And it has nothing to do with the readings themselves and everything to do with the velocity of change in readings, or in other words, how steep the trend graph was. It's like the first time you get exposed to level-2 information when you trade stocks. A new dimension. Wowza.
8) Is there a way to look at the most recent "available" reading in cases where the Dex has some problem? (like when the "???" is displayed). Would seem an obvious option but I can't find it.
I love it.
I can summarize it this way: I've had one major, significant event in my life as diabetic over the last 23 years, and that was 11 years into the disease when the doctor I had just hired privately spent two meetings over three weeks with me and fixed the most terrible problem I was suffering from: hypo unawareness and frequent night comas due to low blood sugars. Apparently I was allergic to the specific insulin that I had been given previously, to the point where my liver would not respond to hypos normally (by releasing stored glycogen) because its reaction was suppressed by my particular allergy. He changed it from Human Regular to Lispro, and the problem disappeared practically overnight (even if it took me 3 years to believe it). The most amusing part in retrospect was how he thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. For me, it was a life-changing event. Suddenly I could live alone, and not worry about the 3-4 times a year where I would end up in a hospital with temporary or permanent damage to various body parts due to massive night-time hypos. I had taken EEG's that show conclusively that I have some major scars in my brain because of some of those events. It was nice not to have to gain any more, nor broken limbs, nor further damage to my teeth and jaw, nor a tongue so bruised from being bitten down on so hard that it was raw and in constant pain for weeks at a time.
This feels on the same order.
1) Dear god, this thing is addictive. I can't stop looking at it. I really really REALLY wish there was an option to just keep the LCD screen on all the time, even if it means I need to be diligent about recharging it daily (which I'll be doing anyway, just like I do my phone). Another UI comment: an option to have the reading itself in very large font superimposed on only the graph would be nice, for those times when I want to catch the number and general trend at a quick glance without being distracted (such as when driving).
2) The trend graph is even more important and useful than the actual readings. I can react so much sooner to sudden changes. Interesting point is that the receiver will indicate a gap in readings if there has been a change more rapid than around 15-20 mg/dl between any two 5-minute readings; just that in itself is a powerful trend indicator!
3) How I LOVE being able to download the data and play with it in a spreadsheet. And this is just after a few hours. I can't imagine how much fun I'll have with several days' worth.
4) Accuracy DOES improve over the first few hours. The first couple of readings were Dex 154 meter 185. An hour after I got the sensor in I had one reading where the Dex said 136 and my meter said 207. An hour afterwards it was Dex 187 meter 221, an hour after that 161 to 180, just now 98 to 103.
5) Another UI nitpick: the graph should START on the left and advance towards the right, as opposed to starting on the right and PUSHING to the left. I was terribly confused for the first 10 readings when it seemed like the graph was advancing right-to-left with newer readings on the left. It's not. But it seems that way.
6) Keep between the lines: you got it, Dexcom. That's the game now. Keep between the lines. It's a simple and obvious goal. And it's a heck of a lot easier.
7) Interesting observation: I eat lunch, graph trends lower during he first 20 minutes during lunch. Thus I know to eat my bread first, salad after. THAT kind of distinction I NEVER could have had before. And directly because of that I caught a hypo before it happened. This was followed up with the typical post-prandial rise, but because of the trend graph, I was able to quickly get a sense of how QUICKLY I was rising and inject a correction bolus that was ACCURATE rather than over-reacting. Again, I could never, ever do this with a meter. And it has nothing to do with the readings themselves and everything to do with the velocity of change in readings, or in other words, how steep the trend graph was. It's like the first time you get exposed to level-2 information when you trade stocks. A new dimension. Wowza.
8) Is there a way to look at the most recent "available" reading in cases where the Dex has some problem? (like when the "???" is displayed). Would seem an obvious option but I can't find it.
I love it.
I can summarize it this way: I've had one major, significant event in my life as diabetic over the last 23 years, and that was 11 years into the disease when the doctor I had just hired privately spent two meetings over three weeks with me and fixed the most terrible problem I was suffering from: hypo unawareness and frequent night comas due to low blood sugars. Apparently I was allergic to the specific insulin that I had been given previously, to the point where my liver would not respond to hypos normally (by releasing stored glycogen) because its reaction was suppressed by my particular allergy. He changed it from Human Regular to Lispro, and the problem disappeared practically overnight (even if it took me 3 years to believe it). The most amusing part in retrospect was how he thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. For me, it was a life-changing event. Suddenly I could live alone, and not worry about the 3-4 times a year where I would end up in a hospital with temporary or permanent damage to various body parts due to massive night-time hypos. I had taken EEG's that show conclusively that I have some major scars in my brain because of some of those events. It was nice not to have to gain any more, nor broken limbs, nor further damage to my teeth and jaw, nor a tongue so bruised from being bitten down on so hard that it was raw and in constant pain for weeks at a time.
This feels on the same order.
posted by Blinkered at 4:09 PM
4 Comments:
Sounds just great. Don't forget to feed your suggestions to them, because they do listen to input from you.
You might find the CGM Guide to be a useful read. It was produced with funding from Dexcom and it helps decide what to do under some circumstances.
I think you'll also be amazed what you find out when you're exercising. Best of luck.
FYI, I've added your blog to the diabetes search engine.
I just stumbled upon your blog and I love what you're writing here. I also love reading other people's impressions of CGM systems and the nuances involved in starting on one. I have used a Dexcom-3 in the past and you're right - the results are addicting!!
Bernard,
That's interesting; I have no clue as to how to tell Dexcom what I think. Any pointers?
I don't think Dexcom reads blogs, though I wish they would.
So the easiest way to give them feedback is to call the customer support 800 number and let them know if you've got concerns, questions, or suggestions.
I expect any suggestions would be fed to product management within Dexcom for possible incorporation into future models. That's how I'd do it if I were running the company!
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