All the gadgets many of us love, like smart phones and watches, can now help save lives and deliver crucial medical information to users.
The new Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring system (CGM) tracks levels and delivers information every 5-minutes to the electronics of people with Type 1 Diabetes. Keeping up, takes just a quick glance at your smart device and receiver.
“You’re looking at your phone as if it was a text but really looking at your glucose and being able to make those important diabetes treatment decisions on the fly,” explains Keri Leone, MS, RD, CDE for Dexcom.
It also provides alerts if levels are dipping low or rising and will share the information with up to five followers.
“The world of technology is hitting medical device and that is an exciting part,” says Leone.
Laura Strong says the medical device has been a game changer for her 13-year-old daughter, Ragan, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a year and a half ago. She was diagnosed after a medical scare that landed her in the doctor’s office and ultimately the ICU.
“They pricked her finger, which now I realize what they were doing, and they start yelling ‘she’s in DKA, she’s in DKA!’ And I said, ‘what’s that mean?’ They said, ‘she’s diabetic,’ I said ‘what do you mean she’s diabetic?'”
Strong says she and her daughter had to learn a lot very quickly about the condition.
“I have to watch what I eat and, like, watch my blood sugar,” explains Ragan Strong.
She does that with the help of Dexcom G6. It’s worn on her stomach for up to 10 days, with a small insulin pump attached to her arm.
“It shows her blood sugar at all times. I have the Dexcom follow app on my phone,” says her mother Laura.
Both are able to keep up with Ragan’s levels and stay ahead of any spikes or dips in glucose. Laura Strong says, especially as a mom, it gives her piece of mind. Ragan says tracking her levels with an app, not only allows her to keep up with her competitive cheerleading and class schedule, but helps her feel like a regular teenager.
“I feel like I’m normal,” she explains.
