Grace Jones is bad ass.
Model, muse to many fashion designers, Andy Warhol’s Studio 54 buddy, actress (Although I will readily admit, I use that term loosely with her.), and singer. Her 1985 song, Slave To The Rhythm, has been pounding in my head for the last few weeks, the lyrics nagging me.
Work to the rhythm,
Live to the rhythm,
Love to the rhythm,
Slave to the rhythm.
I’ve come to realize, the rhythm in my life is The Beep. My meter beeps. My pump beeps. My Dexcom beeps. (Yes, my iPhone beeps, too. Sigh.) I’m a slave to The Beep. It’s what keeps me in check, keeps me alive, and keeps me going. And in doing so, keeps me chained.
I’m looking for some emancipation from being a pack camel of equipment and their appropriate adapters, but I know it’s not happening anytime soon. How about some integration then? I know I’m not alone in saying this: “Why can’t I have a single piece of technology to manage my diabetes?’ One thing that beeps instead of a cacophonous choir of electronic whips, urging me to do something.
My Minimed Pump/Paradigm combination tried to quiet the noise in my head. It really did. A good ol’ college try and I tried to like it. For a year, the pump gave that graph and beeped accordingly. But it hurt. The Paradigm’s sensors…. Ow. Ow. Ow. Did I say Ow? I cringed at the thought of inserting one more Paradigm sensor and realized that as much as I didn’t want to carry another piece of technology, it was inevitable.
I’m happy with the Dexcom G4. Even happier than when I was using the Dexcom Seven +. (And those sensors? Don’t hurt nearly as much. What’s up with the transmitter size though? Oh, I digress…) But it’s still another electronic device.
I want a system that integrates my pump with my CGM and my meter and my smartphone and….wait for it….the ability to download all this information wirelessly to the cloud for viewing on the Internet.
The technology options are close. Oh so close. I’m liking where the OneTouch Verio Sync is going. (DiaTribe has a fabulous first look here.) I’m also into the Dexcom G4/Animas Vibe idea, but I’m not switching pumps due to insurance.
We’re not all there yet. So close and yet so many things to carry around.
With my current configuration, I can’t upload my pump settings/bolus/BG readings in the same place as my Dexcom G4 readings (Actually, I can’t upload my readings at all. Dexcom, meet my Mac.) Diasend looks promising, but according to the website, it doesn’t work with my pump. And proprietary cords? Do not get me started. USB, people. What’s wrong with a simple USB cord?
Any solutions? Help. Otherwise I’ll be stuck with Grace Jones and her androgynous haircut and razor sharp shoulder pads haunting me forever.
Beep.
Damn.
My friends have all started calling me 7 of 9. I much prefer “Toaster.” But yeah… I just got put on the Minimed CGM on Tuesday and the needles freak me out. Minimed lady said they are exploring “closing the loop” for a device that you describe, but they could be as close to that as the bio hub progress.
I have so many thoughts, ideas, and wants but no clue how to make them happen. I am just a dreamer I guess. But I am with you 100% on this.
I love that this is filed under “rants.” Aren’t all diabetes posts filed under “rants?” 😉
Nah. Some can be filed under “whines”. (You’ve now made me think that maybe this is more of a whine than a rant.)
Those damn beeps… Or in my case, it’s a combo of beeps and vibrations annoying me all the time. I’m excited about the new MM pump that has the new sensor that hurts less. And so I’m happy about that on the integration, plus the meters they have to link and the web-based software. Best of a start I’ve seen. Hope rest of device market follows suit, especially with Bluetooth and Apple-esque tech out there now!
Thank you for this post – it made me laugh. You’ve said what I’ve been thinking for months! I have wondered if the people who design these devices have ever experienced a full day of being constantly beeped at, and nagged electronically. My friend has suggested that the technology be used for ordinary dieters too – maybe with a small camera inserted, the DexCom could be modified to beep at a dieter who’s about to eat a donut, for instance, or a heart-healthy eater who’s just consumed too many fats. Maybe with more customers, including ordinary eaters as well as us poor Type 1 diabetics, the companies will work harder and faster at integrating the technology. But I digress …. Thanks for the post!
[…] theme is “Delivering on the Promise of Diabetes Technology” and you know how I feel about technology and diabetes. Twelve of us will be the patient advocates in […]