Welcome @Carol. Happy to have provided some information that you found helpful. I am sure there are a number of members that could learn about your supply chain issues, as I have frequently heard how people are loathe to travel with all the requirements, but you appear to be as Unlimited as anyone! Not letting your diabetes get in the way.
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Welcome @FatCatAnna, love the name and sailing in the Bahamas for 6 months sounds dreamy. Sarcasm is appreciated (I use it freqently) one trick I have learned is to end my sarcastic statements wtih a /s or /sarc, otherwise I am always explaining that yes, I was being sarcastic! I guess it doesnāt translate so much into a forum.
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Thanks for the warm welcome and encouraging words. 
@Sam: That sounds like some story! I look forward to hearing itā¦
@Nickyghaleb: Hi Nicky! Nice to meet someone else who has moved from pump to MDI, at least temporarily. Iām watching the posts about Omnipods - they sound interesting.
@Beacher: You mean you donāt have to introduce yourself? 
Just kidding - but the rule-following side of me prefers to do things in order.
@TiaG: PNG is a beautiful country - you heard correctly! I especially love the coastal areas, probably because I love the ocean. However, we live up in the mountains, in the Eastern Highlands. Itās beautiful here, as well, but here we enjoy the mountains rather than the ocean. Travel isnāt easy here, as there are few roads, so our travels are limited.
@Chris: Thanks. Iām glad to share experiences. My fear(?) is that I have so much on my heart and in my head about these sorts of issues, that I could put people to sleep.
@gorf: Glad you are here.
@FatCatAnna: Welcome! Sounds like you have managed to combine your love of travel with a great cause. Way to go!
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Well, gone for two days and look what I missed! Welcome @Carol, @gorf, @FatCatAnna!
@carol, such a pleasure to read from you again! I canāt wait to read more from your experiences, your thread was fabulous!
@gorf, we are podders too, as are many here: plenty of help on the forum!
@FatCatAnna, love your forum name and your plans! I paid for many years of college by sailing for money, and also met my wife on a sailboat. We have taken our boys sailing to the Bahamas before and would love to go back
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Thanks for that tip Chris ā¦ no wonder Kerri Sparling always backs away when I start to meow (saw her this past weekend at FFL Canada .). Many Americans were present at this event in Niagara Falls (2nd time Iāve been there - last was when I was diagnosed in the 60ās ā¦ I only realised that when I was enroute going through the lovely traffic tie ups through GTA and west ward hoe. @Lisa - missed seeing you and your family there!!
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@FatCatAnna missed seeing you too! Welcome to FUD - canāt wait to see your input to the forum 
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Hello there - Kevin here. Just found this forum when doing some internet searches for user feedback about the Dexcom G6. (I still canāt figure out if I want to upgrade from the G4 ).
Iām 53 and have been T1 since I was 15. Itās been a long road, the same as for most of you with a lot of ups and downs, but I am fortunate that Iāve been able to maintain good control for a long time. After some missteps the first year under the care of our family GP (testing urine, and taking a big shot of medium term insulin in the morning was not a good program, especially since I played sports in high school!), my mother took me to an endocrinologist for specialized treatment.
Around that time the One Touch (I think) was introduced, and the combination of checking blood sugars and taking short acting insulin before meals put me on the right track. I was able to keep playing sports in college and beyond, and transition into the stresses of work and family (wife and three boys, none of whom have D).
Fast forward to today, I have settled on a regimen that works for me. Short acting insulin (Fiasp) before meals, Lantus or similar at night. I am still using a G4 Dex that I got in 2013 (I started with the Seven back in 2008). I tried and didnāt like the G5, but now I am thinking of finally upgrading. Iāve never used a pump. I am fortunate that I have no complications so far - Iāll just credit good fortune and constant vigilance enabled by continuing innovations in diabetes technology. My a1cās were too low for many years back in the 1980ās and 90ās as I constantly checked BGās and tried to keep things in range. CGMās have relieved me of a lot of stress in that regard, and allowed me to keep a1cās in a āsaferā (higher) range.
Thanks.
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Welcome @Kevinmr, glad you started posting and can add much of the wisdom your almost 40 years of living with diabetes has taught you.
As you mention, if we were forced to choose pump vs CGM, the CGM would win everytime for us.
As far as the G4 vs G6, I think the G6 is quite a bit better in our situation. We are using a pump, the G6 integrates with the pump and stops/starts insulin when needed and has really improved our control and the ability to be aggressive (Thank you Tandem!)
With that said, for us the G6 is more accurate than the G5, has fewer issues, and the lag appears somewhat better. Also the installation is a breeze with their new applicator. But you do have to apply a new one every 10 days, when we routinely got more than that from our G5. If we didnāt have the pump integration, I am not sure we would have upgraded.
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Welcome @Kevinmr. Sounds like you have a handle on your D better than most.
I can tell you that a pump is not necessary for good control. A CGM is (unless you like to stick yourself about 250 times per day!). Iām 47 years in, never used a pump, started with Dexcom at STS3 just before it was approved, and have no complications.
After a 41 year career as a dentist Iām retired. Just gives me more time to stress over my Bg!
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Thanks all. I forgot to also thank my endocrinologist - I still see the same doctor I visited 36 or 37 years ago. He had just opened his practice, so I am just about his longest-tenured patient. He is outstanding.
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My doctor and I just had this discussion. I argued with him because I DONāT WANT to take anymore meds (Iām also asthmatic) and pay for yet another script. Itās a statin drug he wanted me to take, but not for my cholesterol, because my numbers are GREAT! But because as a diabetic, your body is more prone to the plaque build-ups that cause heart disease. The statins help your body not produce so much plaque. Thatās the best way I can explain it after he talked to me. I agreed to get a scan - they can tell you how much build-up you have. But my Mom just recently got one and she has a LOT (we have a lot of heart disease in the family), and she isnāt a diabetic. I called my doctor and said Iām still interested in getting the scan, but please go ahead and send in a script for a statin drug.
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Good choiceā¦ I donāt really understand why some diabetics are so adamantly opposed to them just because they can cause side effects, of you experience any just consult with your doc to get the right med and dose adjusted to achieve the max benefit with minimal negativesā¦ seems like common sense to me
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@PerfectHorse Iām also on statins (for 15 years!) with normal cholesterol numbers. My doc told me the same as yours did back then.
Despite my Father having heart disease my numbers are normal.
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@kellykoenig512 - Welcome to the FUD family!!!
I had a great time this morning having coffee, talking about your daughter and her interesting journey and sharing Dexcom stories. I think youāll enjoy the plethora of personalities here and the amazing experiences.
Please introduce yourself to the community here if youāre so inclined.
Millz (Lisa)
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Because the leg/muscle pain side effects can be severe and long-lasting, so itās not as simple as just adjusting the dose/med with minimal negatives. For me, as someone who deals with pain problems already, thatās a non-starter risk-wise if I donāt clearly need the medicationāincreasing my pain is riskier for my wellbeing than maybe possibly benefiting my cardiovascular health which seems fine aside from diabetes. So your ācommon senseā assumes your own baseline level of health. That risk/benefit analysis will differ for everyone, and there is no one clear right choice.
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I have had leg cramps ever since starting simvistatin that continue, although a bit less severe, with rosuvastatin.
In my mind it is a small price to pay for the valuable protection these drugs afford.
Or maybe Iām just a masochist.
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Hi @kellykoenig512, great to read you are joining the community! I really look forward to reading some of your posts.
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@cardamom, this is a weird and kinda funny situation: @sam is alluding to a very old situation, about 2 years ago, where someone was making very strong statements against statins without very good reasons. I think your reasons are plenty good, and I am sure that there are many people for whom there are good reasons to take statins. I know I am speaking for him and I shouldnātā¦ I think @Samās focusing on that specific past situation, and on the many people who are so hard on statins for no good reason.
I am over 50, I do take statins because the balance of pros and cons works for me. I encourage people to take statins if they donāt meet any of their significant drawbacks of these drugs. But it is also clear to me that, for some people, they are not the right drugs!
The main point, I think, is that it should not be a religious war, against or for statins, but one analysis where the right balance of reasons leads you to a good choice 
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Full disclosure, have been on statins since my mid-30ās due to rampant and un-resolvable hypercholesterolemia.
In my opinion, no one should ever start a war for or against a technology or a drug. No one has identical risk factors, and that is why everyone should learn what they can, interact with their physicians and make an informed and correct choice for their personal situation.
Of course, that doesnāt mean people shouldnāt have opinions, but rather we canāt support personal crusades here.
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