Original post at This is Caleb…
We’ve been using CGM in the cloud in the form of Nightscout since September. Last week we started using the new Dexcom Share receiver.
What Dexcom Share is:
- It’s easy. There is really no need to read instructions. If you know how to pair any bluetooth device on your phone, you know how to connect Dexcom Share. I downloaded the proper apps on Caleb’s phone and my phone. I already had the account set up. I waited for the two hour start up period and we were live with Share. (Note: Share is currently only compatible with an iPhone or iPod).
It’s light! One receiver and one phone that Caleb carries anyway. No extra things to carry or charge or connect.
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It’s basic. Dexcom Share is very simple: you can see the receiver’s information on your iPhone. It doesn’t matter where the receiver is. If the receiver is in range to the user’s iPhone, the cgm data is pushed to the cloud and anyone who has been invited to see the data, can, no matter where they are. A user can Share data with up to five people.
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The alarms are helpful. Just like a Dexcom receiver, you can tailor the alerts you get: low, urgent low, high and a new one: no data. I have low set to “Baby Cry.” If I still had babies in the house, I probably wouldn’t find it as cute as I do.
What Nightscout is, that Dexcom Share is not:
- An active communication tool. The Nightscout Care Portal allows a user to post blood sugars, treatments, meals and any other notes within the graph. It maintains a log of all that activity. This is a good means to communicate with the school nurse while simultaneously building a database of actions. At any time a peek at the Nightscout graph shows calibration dots and dots of actions so everyone is easily fully informed.
Clock view- A blood sugar status a glance away. Nightscout allows access to cgm data from almost anywhere - a Pebble watch, any computer screen or web browser regardless of what mobile device you use, an old iPhone dedicated to the “clock” version. Access to the graph is unlimited.
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Predictive. Nightscout has a cone of confidence - the cgm graph extends beyond current data showing a possible rage of future blood sugars based upon the recent trend.
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A view behind the ??? and hour glass and start up pie. With the addition of raw data access, Nightscout brought a whole new pool of information to users. No more black out periods, although this information should be used with great caution. Read more about it here.
The Nightscout Project is an ever-evolving development of improved access and use of CGM data. Because we are already iPhone users, using Share is simple and the relief of the rig makes sense for us right now. We will continue to incorporate Nightscout into Caleb’s diabetes management as it makes sense and we will continue to watch for developments as The Nightscout Project Team continues to push the envelope making access to these improvements possible for so many. Their work is revolutionary.