I have a 12 - year old son with T1D. We needed a way to see his BG numbers over the Internet under certain circumstances (for example, when he is on a sleep-over). Resulting from that, I have written some scripts which, which will, given that the CGM is plugged in to a computer using USB, continuously upload the BG numbers to the Internet, where they can be viewed in any device with a Web browser.
In case anyone else finds this useful, I have made the source code freely available at the following place:
From there, click on the wiki icon on the right-hand side of the page, for documentation.
Just to set expectations: 1 ) As explained in the documentation, the initial setup is quite involved. It's definitely a "geek parent" type of project. Nevertheless, I think it should be possible for others to use. There is a section on the github in which to post questions/issues. Hopefully others can contribute and improve things, as well.
2) This method only works when the CGM is connected to a computer (could be PC or Mac), so it is not a solution when the person with T1D is moving around.
Anyway hope this turns out to be helpful to some others. Again, this software is free and open-source.
That is fantastic. Great idea! And your documentation is really concise. I've no need for it, but I bet there are parents aplenty out there who, if capable of getting through the setup, will really be appreciative of your efforts. Well done.
I think the only drawback is that one must lug around a laptop, and then be within close distance to the CGM at all times when it is plugged into the computer. It feels a little like a tether, but for your use case in particular (sleep overs) this sounds really great.
It might be worth pointing out this tool you've developed to the Dexcom folks....
I often connect the G4 to a small USB-to-Wifi hub device, instead of directly to a computer. This gives more flexibility in certain situations. Another use case is simply monitoring the BG numbers downstairs, while the child is sleeping upstairs.
...and that's likely to be an even better use case for parents with smaller kids with T1, really. Otherwise folks are stuck with setting up a baby monitor in a kid's room (who is maybe way too old for a baby monitor, right?...), and hoping they can hear the alerts. This is just way, way better. Up to now, I think folks have been depending on the G4 Rx itself to stay connected to the Tx signal when they are downstairs, but the farther away you get with the Rx, the spottier the connection gets. This puts that to rest. Again, well done, Jim. Very cool of you to provide this.
I have two kids with T1D, my youngest being 5 years old. This is wonderful and I'm going to share it with my other friends that have kids with T1D. Thank you very much!
Wow! My husband and I are both geeks with a 4 year old T1D. We are going to try and hook this up soon. We’ve been trying to improve the signal to no avail. Thank you so much for providing! As my son Jack says - super cool!
Nice work Jim! - can you integrate it with ManageBGL.com ?
Then you can share it live outside your home without running a webserver or any additional infrastructure. Now if only we could get Carbs and Insulin off the Pump automatically, then we could get prediction too! Can you automate the pump software in the same way?
This tech solution seems like a great tool for parents and other family members, in at least providing some peace of mind! Thank you for sharing with other members of the community.
TuDiabetes and the DHF would just caution anyone who utilizes this type of technology to be sure to use a finger-stick glucose reading for verification purposes before making any sort of bolus/basal adjustments (coincides with the guidelines provided by the manufacturer, Dexcom).
Regardless of what Dexcom, or you, says, we each have to find our own way in this, right? I have been bolusing and basaling off my G4 (and before it off my 7+) solely. I do the dual calibrations daily, of course, and then use my Dexcom to administer doses. Works for me, just like NOT having the Dex on my belly -- it is on my bicep and works perfectly.
Fingersticks and meters can be off, too, y'know! Do a couple of tests in a row with whatever meter system you have and they are often off. I have had great personal success shooting insulin based on my Dex numbers. I have written in here on several threads about that experience. I also use individual syringes untill the numbers wear off (~20-30 days). Been doing that since the '80s.
To end my rant, I think the idea that you may only use your belly for the Dex and must do fingersticks before dosing, though put forward by the manufacturer, are just CYA maneuvers so that they can't be held liable. That's fine. We find our own way.
Yes, in general I'd agree. I don't necessarily like being told how to manage my diabetes. For example, I don't like someone telling me that "70 is low" and I should correct. If I'm 70 and holding solid, I'm fine with that.
That being said, I think that with a community this large (30k members), there is bound to be members at all stages of management...meaning some may be much more experienced and savvy, such as yourself, and some may be newbies (or parents/relatives of newbies) who may have great difficulty with some of the day-to-day management of the disease.
I think the above post is just meant to be a reminder that, although this technology that Jim has provided is awesome (b/c let's face it, it IS!), making medical decisions based solely on a single device that measures interstitial fluid, when other devices that measure intraarterial glucose are available and are preferred/recommended, is perhaps not the best methodolgy/action for everyone. It works for some, but not all, and we, as a community, want to make sure members are reminded of that. The YMMV adage is definitely applicable in this case.
I have just tried to access your code on GitHub, to give it a quick look, but I was not able to locate it, and a search on your GitHub username reported nothing too.
Can you please confirm the correct coordinates to access your code?
Sorry for the confusion - I meant to send out a note - I have removed the github link above. I need to think about about the best way the share this information, and the method above may not be the best. Will keep everyone posted.
Again, apologies.
You may want to include a legal liability disclaimer. There is not guarantee that the information being view over the web is the same information being displayed on the device and your code might have a bug etc.
It doesn't deal with the USB interface - it just automates the CGMS software to download it repeatedly, and exports the data to a file, and puts it in a web format.
I'm happy to help automate this with an approach like Jim's - my software company has a tool called File Watcher which can pickup the newly-exported file, just need to add a mechanism to upload the file. Please contact me if you'd like to do this!
This is awesome! One guy with some solid computer skills does what the FDA won’t allow the big players in the medical device field to do (or at least takes them years to pass)
I know the Dexcom Share is submitted so they are trying but it shows just how easy it can be to really innovate.
Hats off to you Jim.
