The Dex.

We've had a little over a week and a half now of solid Dexcom G4 use... the big shining billboard right now prominently says "This thing ROCKS", but I think the jury is still out for Sierra - but she doesn't complain. And our second 'set change' experience was so utterly flawless that I was baffled and almost convinced I must have done something wrong and it wasn't inserted properly, because she proudly proclaimed "THAT DIDN'T HURT AT ALL!!!" Awesome!

I have mixed feelings. Most of them are very positive. I think we've managed to catch all but a small handful of lows in the last week (which sadly there have been many - but we caught them before they were under 70!) thanks to the Dexcom alarming us in advance. It tends to fall behind more than usual if she is rising or falling quickly for whatever reason, so it's not always fully reliable, but it's more reliable than no data point at all, so I'm pretty happy.

I'm still having to fudge with settings - and sleep has been worse, not better, as a result of our learning curve and constant alarms or alerts for various things.

I think once I get it really dialed in it's going to be hard for me to imagine life pre-Dex.

Sierra, I think, doesn't really notice it too much. Which is great. Because truthfully if I had that transmitter thing sticking an inch off of my body (when my body is especially small, like hers at only almost 5 years old) it would bug the crap out of me. We have limited resources, or I guess - fat store options - to place the set on her body, so currently it's stomach. We're running out of real estate fast. Her pump is taking turns on either bottom cheek, and we try to move spots a bit, but she still has a tiny little 4 year old butt. It makes moving it a little difficult. I've read on some adult reviews that they prefer to wear the dexcom set on the back of their arm - which does sound better for the most part. I guess, if we still have to use technology like this in 10+ years, that will be a little less obtrusive.

Somehow, perhaps optimistically, I don't anticipate she'll be using a set like this at all in 10 years. I'm going to hold on to that for now. It helps my mom-brain day to day. I can't look at it ALL of the time as a lifetime deal, it's just too big, too overwhelming to consider. Day by day. Week by week. And we look up and forward for technology and advancements that are very likely to come about.

Frankly, diabetes is slowly raising to epidemic levels in our nation. As a result, more R&D, money, and hopefully major advancements may follow. It's sad it has to get to this, and the rise in T1D being diagnosed is concerning because 'they' really don't know WHY, but if you do a little research the numbers are a little alarming.

I think when you are on the outside of a diabetic lifestyle, it's easy to assume that this - while cumbersome - isn't too bad. It "could be worse". Or at least it's "not fatal". I don't know. It's interesting the things you read sometimes. Sadly, it is chronic, it is dangerous, and it can be fatal without the proper care or if some kind of malfunction were to occur. I think it may even be easy for me to forget in the day to day grind that this is absolutely a dangerous illness. I'm not just talking scary long-term negative effects of poor blood sugar control (like blindness, loss of sensation, kidney damage, limb numbness etc), but just how easy it could be for someone living with it day in and out to just get TIRED. The diabetic, I mean. I know in life that most of us simply do what needs to be done - I mean, that's how we all survive on some level, right? Still... it's a lot. I find myself hoping despite the crappy-ness of experiencing childhood with this 'grow up fast and deal with things no kid should have to think about even remotely' stuff, that Sierra will be stronger and more able for it. And not just burnt out sooner.

The other night, she ran high for hours. When we pulled her out of her carseat around 6:30pm after dinner her tube caught on the belt and yanked - she screamed bloody murder but it seemed in tact and it looked like her number was still coming down a little, so we (I) didn't think it needed to be changed.

My bad. She was still level at around 270 come 1am, after two major bolus' corrections and an increase on her basals by 30% for 2 hours. She hadn't budged!

Try waking a 4 year old at 1:30am and telling them you need to stick a needle with a tube into their butt cheek. Imagine how warmly you are welcomed here. Yeah. Needless to say, as it never does, it didn't go well. She did finally let me get the new set on, and was quick to forgive (love that girl...) and give me smiles before nodding back off to sleep. But I stayed awake for 3 more hours (before my next alarm went off to make sure she didn't go LOW after trying to correct with a new set on) in bed lamenting about what a crappy pancreas I would make.

It went something like this:
Well, I guess I should've known the set was wrong when she didn't budge for 3 hours on a nearly carb-less meal at dinner. That really doesn't make sense. And that scream! Duh! Of course it was yanked improperly if she was screaming like that, why wouldn't you change it before bed and make everyones life easier? Also, why did you give her pizza at the birthday party? Yes, she loves pizza even though we think it's the damn devil when it comes to diabetes and blood sugar levels for HOURS. The cake, no problem with the cake, but that DAMN pizza! ARGH. Every time!! Anyway. I should've known better. What can I do about pizza in the future? Do I change her combo-bolus ratios again? More hours or less? More up front or more insulin in the later part of the bolus? Am I ever going to get it right or am I going to hand her the short end of the stick every single time by either saying 'no way, pizza is the DEVIL' or 'ok sure, but in advance I apologize for crap high numbers about 6 hours from now that will refuse to go down no matter how many corrections I give you'? I can't win. And I'm tired. Why am I awake thinking about this. It's a number, I did my best, it wasn't enough, but that's the game. Get used to it. Suck it up. Go to sleep for crying out loud.

Cue alarm. Saved by the bell... she still needed another correction and managed to hover just around 200 for the rest of the night even with it (when just the night before she went low at 4am, go figure) but what else could I do at that point.

I can't stay awake forever, adjusting every hour to make sure everything is perfect. And frankly, as the diabetic, in the future, she can't realistically do it either. We all need to rest sometime.

This disease sucks you in with it's randomly reliable numbers and spits in your face with it's tragic shifts and turns to mess with your head. It is humbling (our pancreas' are amazing. thank you pancreas today, because I can tell you that thing is a down right WORK horse my friend!) and it is infuriating in it's attacks. Sometimes relentless, often following no rhyme or reason. I know I complain to this tune a lot, but it's as though I cannot say it enough.

Diabetes is in control, and you are the one playing the game trying to win. Only... it's not that kind of game. You may be able to advance levels, but odds are at some point you'll be knocked back two stages again before you advance again. That's just the way it is. Sometimes it's easy to accept and go with - sometimes it's the most impossible thing ever.