The CGM Saga continues. When we last met, our heroine was trying to objectively compare the two continuous glucose monitors at her disposal...
Today she wishes she'd never heard of either of them.
I went through three sensors and five needle pokes today to get one of those damn things inserted. It brought me to tears.- not because it hurt but because it was so frustrating. The hurt comes later. Have I shown you what happened last time it took me more than one merciful needle sticking to get one of these things working?
My tummy, ladies and gentlemen. I've seen UFC fighters in better shape.
Even if I had the body for it, I would never wear a bikini, that's for sure. The bruising and tissue damage is unreal considering I've been poking myself with a needle to insert my pump settings for eight years with no freaking problems. Same company, completely different technology.
Now, as my husband sweetly pointed out while he was consoling me this morning, CGM is kinda new. I'm on the cutting edge here, and they haven't worked out the issues that are sure to arise when technology is new. I mean, when cell phones were new there wasn't great coverage, calls were dropped all the time, and it was easy to break a phone if you dropped it- but that was over twenty years ago. Things are much improved today.
So what you're saying is I'm screwed.
I can't very well wait for the technology to get better, so I have to make do with what I've got to work with, but I am not sure how much longer I can emotionally take this. Since the new insurance kicked in we're thinking maybe now they'll cover the Dex company, though so far the only differences I've found in the coverage are that more things are not covered. Still, it can't hurt to call and find out, right? Maybe they'll not only cover it, but they'll cover the new Dex meter, which has a color screen. Ooooh. It's also smaller...which means I'd just lose it more but as long as it takes less sharp jabs to my tummy, I'll manage. We'll see how that goes. I've already dealt with one incredibly frustrating thing this morning, so maybe calling the insurance company should wait until later.
In the meantime, I will do my best to keep it together. My husband making amusing puns as he installs the new toilet helps ("I knew this project was going to tank" is my current favorite). And of course, I've got music. New Kids on the Block, Maroon 5, Bing and Frank....songs from my favorite musicals. Oh, and of course there's the classics.
Arrrr, me mateys. 'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate day, and also me little mutt Rosabel's birthday. Truth be told, a mutt she is not, but a purebred Cairn terror, who sets herself upon the ankles of the unsuspecting and trips those usually sure of foot.
She be a well read pup, too, though a wee bit more scraggy bearded these days.
(Also, the book she be readin' be available from Amazon.com, if'n ye be interested.)
Okay, I could go on but I won't (at least with the shameless self promotion.)
I've been using the Medtronic/ Minimed Paradigm Revel (aka, my tricked out insulin pump with CGM) for about three months now, and I think that I have given it a long enough run to be able to adequately, and even objectively, compare it to the Dexcom CGM that it replaced....yeah, they both kind of have issues.
Let's back up to this morning. I have been on the verge of a breakdown for a couple weeks now. First my car goes engine up, then the insurance is changed on us in a very bold and seemingly underhanded way, then my husband's truck pulls the same engine trick my car did, and then our toilet cracks like it was made out of very cheap porcelain. Add this to the various odds and ends that have been piling up, and I was due. So this morning when I was changing my sensor and started to bleed I had a total meltdown.
Who's crazy now?
I know what you're thinking. "You have been sticking yourself with needles for decades. You check your blood sugar at least two or three times a day. You have two doohickeys in your abdomen at all times. What's a little blood? A little blood is nothing!" And you're right, but I'm not talking about a little blood. I was gushing. Maybe I haven't mentioned this, but I freak out at the sight of more than a little drop of blood and we are not taking about a little drop here. Anyway, I started to cry, which freaked out my husband, and then I said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my Dex meter," which may have freaked him out even more because I really hated that thing.
However, it's been a couple months since I switched devices, and I think it's a good time to lay out the pros and cons of each one, even though I don't think that either has shown an overall clear superiority.
Let's start with the Dex. As a refresher, here's what it looks like:
Not one of my better days, this.
Pros (and yes there are some): 1) it was overall more accurate, 2) the software was easy to use and understand, which made making adjustments to my insulin settings easy, 3) one sensor lasted for 7-10 days, and 4) I never had problems inserting the sensor.
Cons: 1) I lost it all the damn time because it just clipped onto a pocket (or fell out of them more often than not), 2) Dexcom's customer service left much to be desired (I think taking $1600 out of someone's checking account without contacting them first and then taking three weeks to put it back counts as some of the worst customer service ever, and I've had waitresses spill beer on me.), 3) My insurance didn't cover the sensors, hence the $1600 co-pay they didn't clear with me first, 4) the sensors were kinda big and 5) each sensor came with its own plastic inserter, so I was throwing out a lot of medical waste.
And now let's look at the Revel:
Imagine a little sensor icon next to the clock, and this is it.
Pros: 1) It's one device instead of two, so I don't lose it, 2) It's covered by my insurance, 3.) If I need to make an out-of-the-ordinary $5 co-pay Medtronic calls my house and my cell phone, leaves me a message, and doesn't ship until I call back and confirm it is okay. In other words, they have excellent customer service, 4) Because it's all in one, the CGM actually works with my pump which makes it faster and easier to take care of highs and lows, and 5) Each sensor can be inserted using a reusable device, so there's less waste.
Cons: 1)I have no idea how the software works because it doesn't work with Windows 8, and that's what I've got on my laptop, 2) each sensor only lasts 3-4 days, so I'm sticking myself more often, 3) I sometimes have to stick myself 2-3 times and use more than one sensor to actually get one working, which means I'm sticking myself way more often and 4) It's not as accurate as the Dexcom. And 5) it beeps ALL THE BLEEPING TIME...but I set it to do that, so it's not really a con.
When it comes to my health I know I should be looking more at how these devices affect my health. And I think, honestly, I was in better health with the Dexcom. However, the bottom line is actually the bottom line, and there's no way that I, or anyone I know, can afford a $1600 co-payment for sensors every three months. And as irritating as the constant sensor replacement is, it was far more frustrating to lose a device that cost four thousand dollars because it wouldn't stay in my pocket a couple times a week
To be blunt, the Medtronic Revel is better than nothing, and overall less irritating than the Dexcom, but if I could afford to use the Dexcom, I probably still would. I guess.
So there ye have it, me hearties. No true consensus to be found amongst the crew, and we're still floatin' upon the Seas at Her whim, with nawt e'en a breeze to lead us to our fates. It's as if we be cursed to sail on to the horizon without a map and compass...
SO...yeah. I've not been happy the last couple weeks. My car having engine problems to the tune of $6700 dollars ended up in me getting a new car, our insurance changes are likely leading to more money out of my pocket (or a new Doctor, which would be a complete other thing I don't want to deal with since I just got used to the current one) and the diet we were trying ended up not doing what we were hoping for, though we are eating better and it is costing us less than our prior noshing habits. Okay, fine. Trials in life and all that. I get it. We dealt with it. We took life's lemons and sucked on them and now we're fine. It happens.
But the truck now having engine trouble that is likely either going to cost us $7K or force us to get another new or new-to-us vehicle is ridiculous.
I'm not seeing it.
To say that life is stressing me out right now would be an understatement, and that of course means I will be feeling the repercussions in my blood sugar. Everyone keeps telling me to "take care of myself" but honestly, if I could lessen my stress don't you all think I'd have done that by now? I don't exactly like staring at my budget spreadsheet on Sunday morning but sometimes you need to do that (unless you're rich and pay someone to do that. So much the better for you.)
So life may be "abounding" in comedy, but right now, with the exception of my husband making some particularly goofy jokes this afternoon, I'm not laughing.
Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying, Mel.
Tragedy + Time = Comedy, apparently, and right now I feel like I'm in the middle of tragedy, so I can only assume in a couple months I'll look back on this and laugh. Money is one of those things that no one ever has enough of and I am no exception. Even if I had more I'd still want more on top of that. I want to pay off my debt (who wants to spend the rest of their life paying off cars and houses?), but I can't do that if I keep accumulating it.
I spend all this time planning things out- we'll eat this food, I'll lose this weight, we'll pay this off, I'll read this book, whatever- and life never goes according to my plans. I know I'm not bad at making plans. I do it for work and often that comes out okay. I've planned trips, I've planned afternoon excursions, I've even planned massively big events that have gone off splendidly. But I try to plan my financial future or health...um, healthful...health...plans? Anyway, I try to plan either of those two things, and I get a giant cosmic "Oh no you di'in't!" from the Universe.
Sure, now he tells me.
And to say that I'm okay with this would be a bold faced lie. If I had all the money in the world, if I had all the time and energy and every resource at my disposal, I still would not be able to control and plan for some things, and frankly, I take issue with that. This is why I like to write. I control everything when I write. A character stubs his toe? All me. A character wins the lottery, buys an island in the Caribbean and spends weeks at a time there with her friends celebrating boy band music? Totally doable. Wings bust out of my back and I can fly from here to NYC to see a Broadway show and still be home in time to catch the morning news? Hell yes. And if a character in a story I am writing comes up with a great way of paying off her house, her car, her credit card and her student loan it's gonna freakin' happen for her.
Actually, now that I think about it.... if I had all the time and energy and every resource at my disposal...I'd be a Time Lord. And I'd be okay with that.
Oh, fine. If you don't get it watch this, and if you do you likely are still chuckling over the Whovian reference at the beginning of this rant. Sing along!:
And as an aside...happy diabetes anniversary to me.
