FDA Approves DexCom G4 Platinum CGM

Arden has been using the DexCom 7+ for over two years and I don't remember how we did all of this without it. That's why I'm so excited to say that DexCom just announced that their newest version, the "G4 Platinum" has been APPROVED by the FDA. A review of the press release tells me that the company has made improvements in accuracy exactly where they were needed most. The release says in part:

Clinical trials report up to approximately 19 percent improvement in overall accuracy for the Dexcom G4 PLATINUM compared to the Seven Plus, and approximately a 30 percent improvement in accuracy in the hypoglycemia range (i.e., when blood glucose is less than 70mg/dl). The overall accuracy and ease of use for the Dexcom G4 PLATINUM sets a new standard for commercially available CGMs, making the Dexcom G4 PLATINUM the most-advanced CGM system available.

"Improved accuracy in the critical hypoglycemic range is most important from a life-saving point of view," said Terrance H. Gregg, DexcomCEO. "The Dexcom G4 PLATINUM fulfills the promise of CGM for people with diabetes by providing accurate and reliable real-time performance."

In addition to accuracy improvements the release also highlights these new capabilities:

• Longest transmission range, enabling improved patient flexibility and convenience
• A smaller, discrete profile that fits busy lifestyles
• A first-of-its-kind color LCD display for easy viewing
• Customizable alerts with specific tones
• "Hypo alert" setting at 55 mg/dl that provides an increased level of safety — a feature that no other device has.

You can read the entire press release here.

Crossing my fingers that they thought about remote monitoring... 

* I was able to find images from a site used to register for a recent DexCom symposium in Berlin, but they are low res. I'm working on finding better ones and will let you know when I do.

Update on Monday, October 8, 2012 at 10:35AM by Scott Benner

There are better images and a video in my new post here.

Emojis for texting DexCom data: A New School Plan Update

We are three weeks into the 2012 school year and I am back to report some amazing news. I'm not even sure I believe this, but Arden has yet to visit the school nurse for anything diabetes related. Not once, nada, zero times!

Our New Plan is working even better then I imagined due in large part to how smooth technology has made the transition. Apple's latest upgrade to the iPhone software included the addition of an emoji keyboard and we are making good use of it in our conversations about type I.

We try to keep our interactions as short as possible to minimize the time Arden is distracted from her school work. I estimate that our plan saves Arden from missing between forty-five minutes and an hour each day of class time, but there is always room for improvement. So when I noticed that our texting conversations were taking more time then I thought they should, I wondered why. Arden and I spoke and it turned out that she was struggling to spell some of the words that we use to discuss her DexCom CGM data. Words like, diagonal and horizontal. Other issues were less to do about spelling and more about word count. For example, "189 diagonal up" or "143 straight across". That's when I thought, "if there is an emoji of a heart, dress, shoe and dog pooh there must be arrows".

and there was...

So now we are speaking to each other with even more economy of time and our texting conversations have been trimmed in half, which makes more time for learning.

Emoji can be activated on Apple devices running iOS 6 like so. Settings>General>Keyboard>Keyboards>Add New Keyboard>Emoji. If you talk to your child about their DexCom data via text message this is more then worth your time to set up.

Another nice feature to check out is 'Send Read Receipts'. This one is great not just for diabetes, but for every parent/child texting conversation. Send Read Receipts allows you to see when the person on the other end of your conversation has read your message. It looks like this...

This setting is accessible by taking these steps. Settings>Messages>Send Read Receipts. Changing the setting to on "Allows others to be notified when you have read their messages". No more wondering if the person you are texting with has seen your message. Turning this feature on is a no-brainer for parents, but if you are trying to avoid someone, well, that's a whole other consideration.

Exercise and type I diabetes blood glucose control

Arden followed in her brother's footsteps last week when she tried out and was selected to play on our town's all star softball team. Yea Arden! The girls have been practicing each night since and I am learning more about blood glucose control before, after and during exercise then could have imagined.

Her second at bat.

First thing I learned is that all of Arden's activities from the past don't put nearly the strain on her system that an intensive two hour practice/game brings to her. Arden experienced a latent low in the early hours of the morning that followed her first practice. It was nearly eight hours since that practice began when her BG suddenly dropped. I couldn't cut off the fall by suspending her basal so I woke her up to drink a juice box. Normally I can fend off lows at night with a temp basal, this was different, a more powerful drop. I was awake and ready for it because I expected it but if I hadn't been, there is no telling how low she may have gotten.

So the next night I was ready! I kept her BG a little high before bed and didn't cover a small snack after practice. This turned out to be a winning combination. Night two went well.

On the third night I tried to mimic the success from the evening before but it turned out that a new site on her leg wasn't working the way I expected. When I combined keeping her BG a little high with a small snack and a site that wasn't up to snuff, I got a high BG that wouldn't come down easily. Hindsight has me wondering if the leg site was perhaps less effective because of the large amounts of running that she has been doing, as they normally work very well.

After I moved the OmniPod to her abdomen the next few nights went as planned, however I had to put quite a lot of effort into keeping things balanced. These last few weeks haven't just proved to me that strenuous activity can cause a low but that high BGs effect athletic performance. I noticed that if Arden's BG gets too high that her speed seems to diminish (I hope that you can share your experiences with me in the comments about this). Normally a very fast runner, Arden couldn't perform as she usually does if her BG began to rise above 220. I think that I also saw a decrease in her hand-eye coordination during this elevated period.

Last night before her first game I tried very hard to keep her BG around 100 before game time. I added carbs as the game was about to begin, a few slow acting and about 15 grams of juice. I was hoping to keep her steady without going too high during the game. I was able to do this with a lot of help from her DexCom CGM and she never went above 190 but wow was it a lot of work... though totally worth it to see her have such a good time.

This first game didn't just teach us more about type I diabetes, it also gave us our first look at Arden's competitive nature in a sporting moment that she regards as very important. Arden took this game seriously, she had fun but playing well was definitely high on her list of priorities. It goes without saying but we are very proud of Arden and the extra effort that is required for her to participate makes that pride shine just a little brighter.

Your child can definitely play sports at a competitive level with type I diabetes, that fact was never in question. All you have to do is give the moment the forethought and preparation that it requires, it'll be tough at first and you may spend a night or two battling lows but once you have a system in place it's not unlike the rest of your days with diabetes. You can do this.

Have fun out there!

One of the two outs Arden recorded in her first game.

Inserting a DexCom 7+ Sensor

I thought that your children may benifit from seeing how quick and simple it is to insert a DexCom 7+ sensor. Arden and I made this short video to help a friend feel less anxious about using a Continuous Glucose Monitor for the first time and we decided to share it with everyone.

Once you see how quick the process is, all of your concerns about being able to handle the insertion will melt away. When it was finally time for me to insert Arden's first sensor, I had read and heard so much that I felt like I was preparing to launch the space shuttle. As you are about to see... this isn't quite that difficult. I even slowed down a little bit so you could follow along and still the entire process took less then 20 seconds. Don't blink!

The images below are of Arden's SpiBelt, the belt/case she uses to keep her DexCom receiver around her waist.. Clicking on any of the photos will take you to SpiBelt's page for kid's sizes. 

Update on Friday, February 10, 2012 at 7:07PM by Scott Benner

SpiBelt is not a sponsor of Arden's Day. We purchased Arden's belts at full price. Arden's Day does not accept any ads or do reviews in exchange for payment or products.

Update on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at 9:50AM by Scott Benner

Arden is now using the DexCom G4 but the steps show here are identical to that of the 7+.

DexCom and Tandem Diabetes Care Announce CGM Development and Commercialization Agreement

Breaking diabetes tech news!

DexCom and Tandem Diabetes to develop a "CGM-enabled insulin pump"

Read the blurb and then continue to the link for the rest... New diabetes tech innovations are always good news, I can't wait to hear more about this and other collaborations. 

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), a leader in continuous glucose monitoring systems, announced today that it has entered into a Development and Commercialization Agreement with Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. to integrate a future generation of DexCom’s continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology with Tandem’s t:slim™ Insulin Delivery System, the first ever touch-screen insulin pump.

You can read the rest of the announcement at this link

Current Tandem Pump

Current DexCom Receiver