One of the less serious but more annoying frustrations I deal with as a Type 1 is the amount of crap I need to carry in my pockets. Thankfully K likes her bags so I can unload my cache of diabetic paraphernalia to her from time to time but that leads to some serious angst when I have to test or if I forgot to take my testing supplies out of her bag when we return home from dinner. So I've been incredibly excited by both Dexcom's patent filing and Medtronic's announcement at Health 2.0.
I love my Dexcom, although I somewhat agree that a CGM is a luxury device, it gives me the confidence I need to get through the day. Seeing my glucose trends in real-time lets me make smarter decisions; like knowing if I need to exit a meeting to treat a low or run out of a movie to grab a coke. However, having to carry my cell phone, finger pricking stuff and CGM makes me sometimes feel like I need an extra large suitcase on wheels to bring everything around with me.
Having my CGM (or insulin pump controls for that matter) connect directly to my cell phone simply makes sense. Phones have become the control center for everything we do electronically. We can communicate with friends, book reservations, find a taxi or get directions all from our pockets. Yet I can't look at a number that is already communicated to a separate hand held device? Bluetooth is a pretty accurate technology and does not greatly impair battery life. Plus I've never blindly trusted my CGM so I do not buy the worry that bluetooth may be less accurate than the current radio technology the sensor and transmitter uses. The bluetooth direction will reduce one huge frustration I have in managing my disease and think it could open the door for some big improvements in managing the lifestyle side of Type 1.
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