There are many discussions around the DOC about data interoperability and ownership of data. There are also survey results that indicate how rarely most people with diabetes download their devices.

Last week I had an endocrinologist appointment. I know that I am guilty-as-charged about not downloading my devices very often. But I always do it prior to endo appointments. I consider data extraction a tedious process and it seems to take forever. To figure out if the download time is a legitimate excuse or whether I am just a slacker, I decided to chart my experience.

10:38  I gather up the necessary cords and my two Freestyle meters. My pump and CGM are of course close by in my pockets.

10:40  I prepare my Animas Ping pump for the download. I change the Display Timeout from 15 seconds to 1 minute. If I don’t do this, the pump will sometimes turn off before the Diasend Uploader can start reading its data. Then I suspend the pump and unhook it from the infusion set. I open the Diasend Uploader and attach the wireless upload device to my computer.  I start the download which is always a slow process. After the pump is downloaded, the Diasend uploader asks for my login info and I type it in.

10:47  I have finished the download of my pump and I download Freestyle Lite Meter #1 to Diasend. Quick and and easy.

10:48  I download Freestyle Lite Meter #2 to Diasend. Once again, quick and easy.

10:49  I plug in my Dexcom G4 receiver. The download to Diasend is simple and finished within a minute.

10:50  I follow the Uploader prompt to go to the Diasend website and sign in.

10:51  While the Dexcom receiver is attached to the computer, I open Dexcom Studio and download the CGM data to the Dexcom program.

10:53  All of my devices are downloaded and I cram the cords back into my “Diabetes Download” handy-dandy storage box.

I have invested 15 minutes in my diabetes download project. If I didn’t have an endo appointment and just wanted to view the reports on the computer, the bulk of the work would be done. Both Diasend and Dexcom Studio do a good job of displaying reports clearly and quickly.

But I want to save some of the reports to my “Medical Reports” folder and print them out for my doctor to review.

10:54  In Dexcom Studio I open the Summary Report in Microsoft Word using the last 14 days of data and save it to my computer. Then I print it for my endo. I have felt that I have really been struggling lately with my diabetes, but the reports look quite good. When you’re stuck in the trees, life can look bad although the forest view is quite respectable.

10:57  I go to the Diasend website to print reports. The Compilation Report is the most useful summary because it merges data from my pump, meters, and CGM. I also like one of the CGM reports. I save both to PDF.

I am going to digress here and talk about how some endocrinologists hate Diasend reports. They look fabulous on the computer and many doctors view them that way. But when they are printed, the charts are so small that they are almost unreadable. HEY DIASEND! NOW THAT YOU FINALLY DOWNLOAD ALL OF MY DEVICES, PLEASE PRINT THE REPORTS SO THAT MY DOCTOR CAN READ THEM!  

We own a full version of Adobe Acrobat (a different program than the free Adobe Reader) and I am able to crop the Diasend reports and enlarge them. They are still small but better than the standard reports. My endo will be able to read them. I print the reports and save them to my computer.

11:08  My pump and CGM are back in my pocket. Freestyle Meter #1 is in my purse and Freestyle Meter #2 is on the floor by the stairs to be returned to the master bathroom on my next trip upstairs. (I never put anything on the stairs because my first frozen shoulder developed after a fall from stepping on shoes left on the stairs.)

So here’s a summary:

15 Minutes: That’s what it takes to download my diabetes devices to Diasend and Dexcom Studio. If I didn’t want to print anything, various reports are immediately available.

30 Minutes: That was the total time to download my devices, print several reports for my doctor, and save those same reports to my computer. Obviously I spent more time than other people might.

15 minutes. 30 minutes. That is why I don’t download all of my diabetes devices very often.

Okay, now it is time to stop making excuses. The data from my Dexcom G4 is by far the most useful information I have when it comes to evaluating blood sugars. I can download the receiver to Dexcom Studio in one minute. It takes another minute to download to Diasend. And maybe another minute to find the download cord and open the computer programs. So from start to finish it’s two or three minutes. I can even save a minute by downloading to only one program instead of two.

So what have I learned from my time study? I have learned that it would make sense to start downloading my Dex G4 on a more regular basis. It’s super quick unlike the time and effort that it takes to download four devices. I can download my G4 to Diasend (unfortunately not yet to Dexcom Studio) on my MacBook and that is even faster and more convenient than with my Windows desktop.

Will I change? I actually think I might. (Just for my Dexcom, not the other devices)

One last question: If I download my data, am I supposed to look at it?