What’s the best way to do this? What about weather resistance?
Now that I have my Dexcom I was wondering if I should fashion my own holster for it… or order the sport case and attach it to my bars via velcro… would that protect it from light rain? Or should I just use the one it came with and attach that with velcro, and make a sort of “shower cap” to put over it to protect it from rain (I already have some vinyl material, so that would be no biggie really).
Any other ideas? I would just keep it in a jersey pocket (that’s what I did with the demo I had), but I’d like the ability to be able to hit a button and see the display, rather than having to fumble around with it… but I want it protected to. It’s been really rainy lately, and the weather isn’t bad enough at all to stop me from riding, but I would worry about that receiver since it isn’t waterproof.
I hear ya. Been thinking the same thing. I thought the skins might protect it from a light rain but not sure about a downpour. Just not sure how to attach it securely to the handlebar so all I had to do would be to push the button. Now I carry it in my jersey pocket and every so often I pull it out to check my BS level.
Yes, but it’s not the first alarm… the first one only vibrates. I am not so much interested in knowing if I hit my alarm targets (which isn’t terribly useful with the delay in interstitial readings), but just seeing if I am heading up or down or holding steady. My BG does stupid crazy things when I am on the bike, so knowing where it’s going (before it gets there) can be really helpful. The low alarm on the Dexcom can’t be set any higher than 90… but by the time it would alarm at 90, I am sure I could easily be 50 or lower.
I had the dexcom in my stem bad on today’s ride and that worked okay… but I was quite worried that I’d drop it every time I checked it!
Not when you have zero hypo awareness… and I have, quite literally, none. Any hypo awareness I did have seems to be completely gone with switching to Apidra (I don’t really have another option there - Novolog and Humalog cause extreme skin irritation, so if I want the benefits of pumping, I use Apidra). I can be very low and feel completely fine… very low as in upper 30’s and I’ll have no idea. I had a 41 last night… didn’t feel “off” at all… and I had no hypo symptoms. If it weren’t for the Dexcom alarming I probably would never have known, or tested… and there are multiple instances like that for me every day. I can test before/after meals and my #'s look great, but there’s a lot going on in-between that is a little scary.
If it’s different for you as a T2, as I expect it is, and you can feel your hypos, that’s great, but please don’t be judgemental about someone’s choice to use a piece of technology if it may help them to manage their diabetes better. I am managing a different disease than you are, in a completely different way (because I have no other choice, I have to take insulin as a T1), and I already test regularly when I’m out on my bike (I’d probably have passed out on the road if I were only testing before/after… I average about every 20 minutes or 5-7 miles), but there’s a LOT going on in-between fingersticks that I would be oblivious to without a CGM… do I expect to be fully reliant on it, absolutely not, but you can’t suggest that it’s “worse” to have that information easily available. The CGM can also be useful in seeing just how much I can reduce my insulin usage by while on the bike… as well as how well I am balancing my need for carbs.
Hi Sarah, Tony here. While I was at DTC in Eugene they hooked me up to the Medtronic pump but I used it as a CGM. About three weeks ago I got my Medtronic Guardian CGM. As you may know they come with a clip so you can clip it to your belt like a pager or cell phone. I use a velcro strap through that clip to mount it to my bars. I don’t know if the dexcom comes with a clip or not. I have not yet worked out the rain protection issue.
I do like having the Guardian on my bar to see what is happening as I ride. I like seeing the trends. I like having that extra information that might tell me I had better take on some fuel before I start that climb.
I’ll keep my eyes and ears open to what others are doing and let you know what I find out. Hope your riding is going well. I have been off the bike for a few weeks because I got hit by a car and have been recovering. Nothing was broken just bad road rash on my left side. Still going to the gym everyday for light workouts. Hope to see you at the next camp!
YES YES YES! I just started riding to work and back (24 miles each way, it’s a haul) and I would LOVE to have a way to mount my dexcom on the bars - right now I keep it in my shorts pocket, but fumbling with gloves on, I’m worried I’m going to drop it in the street and have it get run over by a car.
Love having it, though - really makes me less nervous about the ride, knowing I can see a bad trend before I start to feel it. Today my BG stayed between 105 and 90 the whole ride - I was thrilled.
