For Want of a CGM

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. (CGM/blood sugar)
For want of a shoe the horse was lost. (blood sugar/class)
For want of a horse the rider was lost. (class/student)
For want of a rider the message was lost. (student/paperwork)
For want of a message the battle was lost. (paperwork/course)
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. (course/nursing school program)
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. (CGM)

This is my Dexcom CGM. It is my security blanket, my ray of sunshine in the dark night of diabetes, my cool kids toy, my partner,till death (or cure) do us part. It's sole job in life is to keep me safe.

(of course,it's not a cure so it can't always do that. But it can help. Because right now, I sure as heck don't feel safe. I feel like a certain low/certain legal crappola waiting to happen. And that scares me, because lows can't always be prevented...least of all in a 12 hour shift (crazyness)in the ICU or something.

But the thing about any piece of technology, it has it's limits. And certainly, if you're going to leave your CGM behind one day because you've got a ton to do before you're even at school by 8 am, well,the CGM isn't going to help you there. You should probably put it in your backpack/what have you so you DON'T FORGET IT. And then,later on,when you are wondering "Am I or aren't I?" your CGM will tell you. And knowledge is power...knowledge will help give you the confidence that you so desperately need,that diabetes doesn't have to mean a dropping blood sugar, a freaked out clinical instructor,a trip to the ER,a ton of paperwork,a dropped course.

I'm realizing,once again, that as a student with diabetes, I need this if I ever hope to succeed. It lessens the playing field between myself and the rest of the non-pancreotically impaired class. (who don't have to think about D,on top of everything else)I'm not sure that nursing school will ever be an opportunity to be a gung-ho,let's educate all the staff/students/patients experience that I thought it might be but that's ok, you do what you can. 50 years from now, I hope this is such a NON-issue for a student with D...(assuming D isn't cured by then). Being on the front lines of all this drama wasn't something I'd have ever wanted to get involved in.( I am not a very good pioneer. I prefer for that road to already be paved for me.)

Moral of Story: Don't leave home without your D-Stuff.

(p.s. The Blogsy app ROCKS. New favorite!)

 

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