The Curse of too Much Information
Having the internet at our fingertips means most of us are used to having almost unlimited information at our disposal.
One of our son’s biggest complaints about diabetes is the constant finger pricks. So at one of his education classes, when his doctors talked to us about a CGM, we quickly got the paperwork started.
What is a CGM?
CGM stands for Continuous Glucose Monitor. It is a small device that attaches to his skin and sends glucose readings to a smart phone every 5 minutes. There is about a 15 minute delay from a Dexcom reading compared to using a finger stick and glucose meter.
Why did you choose Dexcom?
We chose to go with a Dexcom G6 because we heard from numerous doctors and nurses and this was the only CGM that they mentioned.
As the leader in this area they are on the cutting edge of technology. They are working with other diabetes technology companies to make things seamless and more automated.
The readings automatically sync with all devices, which is basically everyone in our house. Every 5 minutes we see an updated number and which way his numbers are trending.
We can customize the alarms which is great when we are traveling or hiking.
We can see reports of his overall trends, best days, and his time in range.
It took about a 1 - 2 weeks to get all the insurance paperwork handled and the boxes delivered to our home. After a training session with one of the nurses, we were ready to go. Or so we thought….
We could see his glucose numbers on any of our phones and make sure things were good. It was great! So much information. We can now see almost real-time (15 minute delay) numbers.
Too Much Information
But, that very first night we got woke up at 4am with all the alarms going off because his number was too low. It was a false alarm. He had rolled onto his sensor, and it thought he was crashing.
The next night 45 minutes after supper, all the alarms went off again. He had been playing with his siblings and crashed his blood sugar. A few days later the alarms went off because his number was going too high.
Maybe ignorance is bliss, at least a lot quieter.
Too much information can be a curse. We stress when his number starts climbing too high and we try to figure out if we miscalculated his last meal. We all jump up when an alarm goes off to see why it is going off and if he needs help.
While all this information can help keep him healthy, it also adds stress. Compared to 5+ daily finger sticks, we really appreciate the technology and the information it gives us. It really helps us keep his overall glucose numbers good and in range as much as possible. Staying in range for the largest amount of time is the best thing for his long-term health, and there is no way we could manage that without technology.
We just have to figure out the right balance of information and peace.