PWDs make me jealous

Sleek, sexy, identifiable Dexcom
(image credit: Bernard Farrell | Flickr)

In general, when we hear of PWDs we think it stands for People With Diabetes. But within that community is a privileged subset, whom I also refer to as PWDs. But in this case, the D doesn’t stand for diabetes. No, the PWDs I’m referring to are People With Dexcoms.  And I envy them.

That’s right, Dexcoms. The Continuous Glucose Monitor whose name mysteriously connotes a form of sugar known as dextrose, not glucose. The CGM which doesn’t talk to any insulin pump currently on the market. That Dexcom.

Many people love their  Dexcom. Others don’t. Regardless of their stance, I’m jealous.

At 12:51, my blood sugar was 133. At some unknown time before that, I was some unknown amount higher.

I’m not jealous because of the simple, pain-free insertion. I’m not jealous because of the transmitter which snaps neatly where it belongs and doesn’t flop all over the place. I’m not even jealous because of the easy-to-read display, with actual numbers on the graph to explain what you’re looking at.

No, I’m jealous because of the name. It’s a Dexcom. Some people personify it and drop the article, calling it Dexcom, as if it were a member of the family. It’s even got a cute nickname, Dex.  PWDs casually drop the name in conversation or in blogs without much effort.

My CGM is made by Medtronic … or is it Minimed? It’s called the Guardian… or perhaps the Paradigm RT, which I think became the Revel. But the thing I bough to make it work is a MiniLink. Yet I need to keep buying boxes of Sof-Sensors (I’m not sure if “Sof” is supposed to suggest “Soft”, because it’s anything but).

The thing is, I have no idea what it’s called. No one does. That’s why people who use the Medtronic Minimed don’t talk about it much. Search Google or Flickr for “Dexcom” and you’ll see lots of images of by PWDs (People With Dexcoms, remember?) showing off their their sleek egg-shaped CGMs with beautiful displays and colorful pink and  blue cases. Search for “Medtronic minimed paradigm minilink sof-sensor” and the results will be as confusing as the search term itself.

My CGM could technically be better, and I’m sure that when the Enlite makes its intro into the US, it will be. But for now, I can only dream of simplicity. A CGM that’s simple to use, and simple to name.