In the last 10 days, my diabetes technology world has changed. On one hand I have reverted to an older tech platform. On the other hand I have zoomed into the future with a modern and cool-for-a-64-year-old-woman device.

Stepping Back:  After getting my free(!) upgrade to the Dexcom G5 last fall, I was lucky to be left with an unused G4 transmitter. I didn’t start using the G5 until March when my previous G4 transmitter passed its 1-year anniversary. It was still working fine, but I abandoned it to transition to the G5 platform. A bit wasteful, but gee whiz, that transmitter was never going to die! I used two G5 transmitters and for the most part was happy with G5.

That unused G4 transmitter did not disappear and kept sending “Use Me! Use Me!” messages to my brain inbox. If I were not moving to Medicare and no CGM coverage in 6 months, I probably would have used my “privileged diabetes patient” status to stay with G5 and give the unused G4 transmitter to a  needy DOC friend.

Last weekend my second G5 transmitter timed out and I bit the bullet to go back to G4. My CGM warranty expired in early September and I was able to order a new G4 Share receiver. Although it had only been 6+ months since I had last used Share, I panicked as it seemed totally foreign to me. Also because I am using the mySugr logbook, I needed to be sure that my CGM information would continue to sync to the app. Miraculously I figured everything out and it is working correctly.

Onward to the Future:  Earlier this fall I decided that I would use my #firstworldprivilege to order an Apple Watch so that I could see my current blood sugar just by raising my wrist. Please remember that I started my diabetes career in the days of urine testing and things like this are magical to me.

My Apple Watch 2 arrived last week. I have not worn a wristwatch in 12+ years since I got my first insulin pump, aka pocket watch. It wasn’t terribly difficult to add the Share app to the watch and it works okay. Unfortunately it cannot be used as a watch face “complication” like the G5 app. There is another app called “Watch Sugar” that allows me to add the Dexcom number to my watch face, but it is so time-delayed that I don’t find it helpful.

Basically I leave the Dexcom Share app open on the watch all of the time and it is usually what I see first when I raise my wrist. When Share is not the wake-up screen, it is easy to find the app in the dashboard and restore it. My difficulty with this whole set-up is that occasionally it just doesn’t work. If I am using other Bluetooth devices such as headphones or a speaker, I think the phone gets confused and occasionally loses the signal from the Dexcom receiver. There are also user-error problems such as leaving the receiver upstairs or closing out the Share app on my phone.

Clash of the Past and Future:  The bad part about these D-tech changes is that now I have two more devices to carry, coordinate, and charge than I did two weeks ago. The G4 requires a receiver and of course the watch is added. The blood glucose number that I see on my wrist starts with the transmitter beaming info to the receiver which communicates with the phone that sends it to the watch. There is definitely some mental fatigue and data overload with this set-up. At the same time I love not having to reach into my pocket to retrieve Dexcom data.

Life is good. It might would be nice if I didn’t diabetes but that horse left the barn a long time ago. So today I give thanks for access to technology that make my life with diabetes a little bit easier and a lot more interesting. 😀