Hey Alex. Welcome!
2 Likes
Welcome to FUD @sanfran !
Thatās awesome! How long would you keep an STS3 sensor going? On some of the early boards that dealt with Dexcom some people were getting two to three weeks with them, but I was never able to get more than ten days.
I was fortunate to be living in the East Bay at that time and my endo (Dr. Roy Kaplan at Concord Medical Group) was running Dexcom trials and I got in on the last trial before they got FDA approval. It was truly a Game Changer.
4 Likes
@docslotnick My CGM past has been one of early adoption until I got on the Dexcom. I first had something called the Cygnus GlucoWatch Biographer in 2001 which was a very clunky watch (about the size of a Medtronic Pump) that heated up the surface of your skin under the watch using painful electric shocks to then read the sweat created from the heat about 6 times an hour. I probably used this 6 or 7 times until I decided that it was too uncomfortable and unreliable.
In 2009 I tried Medtronic Guardian CGM and after 6 months decided that it was too unreliable to use, at which point Dexcom were out with their Seven Plus system which I jumped on very quickly after a rude awakening by paramedics on a morning I didnāt wake up. I have been on a Dexcom since then and can count the amount of times I have not used one for sleep on one hand.
Iām now still on my G5 and using it with xDrip+ in conjunction with AndroidAPS in Open Loop mode.
I have more stories of other obscure devices I used over the years which Iām sure Iāll tell at some point.
5 Likes
Iām eager to learn of your device history. There have been an awful lot (double entedre implied) of crazy devices weāve been subject to in the past 40-50 years. @Richard157 has shown us some real antiquities and seems like everyone enjoys seeing them.
3 Likes
Hi all, it was suggested I come here and introduce myself!
My name is Allison, I have had T1 for 22+ years (diagnosed at age 8). I started on a Minimed pump when I was 10 and got my Dexcom CGM when I was 26 - it is the best device I ever could have asked for! My A1cs have never been great, but over the last few years I have finally been able to get them below 7.
Currently Iām on a pump break but will go back to my ancient MM Paradigm pump eventually. Iām waiting for something better than whatās currently available before I upgrade. (I tried Omnipod and it was a no go for several reasons.) Iād like to try looping but I think it makes my husband too anxious 
Looking forward to reading about othersā experiences!
12 Likes
Gosh, our stories are similar. I was also diagnosed at age 8 in 1995! The Dexcom has been a wonderful asset for me too.
Welcome to the site! I look forward to reading your input/experiences 
1 Like
I saw your intro post too! That is crazy!! 1995 was a crappy time for us 8-year-olds! I was dx right before Halloween, which was traumaticā¦ I remember sitting on the couch, crying, realizing I couldnāt eat any of my candy. That was back in the day of following a strict nutrition plan via the food pyramid, lolā¦
3 Likes
Yes, Iām so glad those days are over! I avoid meal plans like the plague now
3 Likes
Allison, welcome, itās great to see you join us!
Same here. The dexcom changed our lives.
Congratulations, thatās excellent!
This forum has an incredible number of people who are technically superb at managing BGs. It is a mine of information. Starting from nowhere, we have learned and improved so much here.
We have wanted to for a long time but we are now getting ready for it.
We have a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed 2 years ago. His is on Dexcom and Omnipod, but was on MDI until last summer, so we are very familiar with both.
I really look forward to your posts!
2 Likes
Great to hear about your success! Iāve seen your posts all over the place it is awesome he gets to have such good tech at his young age. I canāt imagine what my control was really like from my elementary through college years. It was rough, but now I work with what I have. Getting older seems to help me care more!
4 Likes
Welcome, @allison! Very nice to make your acquaintance and I look forward to learning much from you in the years to come!
2 Likes
That pump is the key ingredient for looping. Congratulations on having it.
But why? If the loop gives you too much insulin the CGM will see the BG fall and alert you to take glucose, so no problem. If the loop doesnāt give you enough insulin the CGM will see the rise and if necessary youāll correct with insulin, so again no problem. I donāt see how the loop would get you into a jam that you canāt get yourself out of, given all your experience managing your BG.
1 Like
Yes, I agree! Iām not sure why he is anxious about it. He thinks that since I do enough micro-managing, it would not make a big difference, but heās not in the weeds with it. (He looks at my CGM line once a day or so and knows how I manage it.) Iāll probably give it a shot once I am back on my pump, but loving being untethered right nowā¦ Iād asked him if he would set it up because he has his degree in computerology 
1 Like
Having been married since your diagnosis, I would say this never changes. 
2 Likes
Take my word from someone who just tried MDI for 4 months after 11 years of pumping, youāll be back! I love the ancient Paradigm pumps, so easy to bolus/change settings without a million FDA-mandated confirmation screens and button pushes!
1 Like
I would like to try looping too, I have a Paradigm 722 in working condition except for a small crack that didnāt affect it last time I tried it. How does one go about it? I have read the Intel Edison boards to control the pump were discontinued.
1 Like
Oh yeah! I have taken a few pump breaks over the past year and always go back. It is just really nice to be free once in awhile 
This is the link I found - Loop Docs. Once I go back on my pump I am going to give this a go. I just canāt break myself from the convenience of the Paradigm!
2 Likes
Ah, Iām sure that is true. My parents have been worrying for the past 22 years, and heās only had to worry for the last 3! Ha!
2 Likes
In addition to the https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs link, thereās also a local thread about it here on Fu. Loop: Getting Started
4 Likes