Dexcom G6: No more finger sticks & pain-free, glucose monitoring

In event you weren’t aware, I’ve been going through Round 2 of chemotherapy for the last few months and have a few months left before I’m finished. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about five years ago, and in most part, was able to keep it stable by going mostly keto with my diet, on a daily basis. Mostly keto has become a lifestyle now, helping me to maintain better weight, gut health and blood sugar levels.

However, when I was diagnosed with cancer in December 2021, I began chemo shortly after and suddenly, my blood sugars went haywire. I had to get a finger-stick before every meal and ended up needing insulin about five times a day. My sugars were all over the place, even though I was maintaining a mostly keto diet.

And so, after a year of my sugar levels continuing to bounce around, both high and low, I asked my endocrinologist if I could try a wearable sensor kit, to monitor my blood sugars so I’d not have to keep up with the finger-sticks, which I’d come to dread enough to put it off as long as possible. The chemo had caused me to be consistently anemic and my fingers eventually began to bruise and have a lot of trouble healing from all the piercings.

She agreed and I was very thankful my insurance allowed me to get set up with the Dexcom G6 sensor/transmitter system. 

Sensor/transmitter in place on my abdomen.

Image via AS Phillips

Compact and simple

Life has been much better since I began using the Dexcom G6! I don’t wake up dreading finger-sticks throughout the day. If my sugars go high or low, it alerts me.

​The Dexcom kit came with a tiny monitor that gives me a constant readout, records, saves and alerts me to any high-low events. It’s as small as my computer mouse. I have a magnetic attachment for mine, that works with the same cable as my mobile phone and tablet. I only have to hold the cable near it and it clicks into place to charge. Easy-peasy!

About the same length and width as my pc mouse.

Easily charges with my magnetic cable attachment.

Images via AS Phillips

The app

Dexcom G6 also has a phone app. I used it for a while and it worked great, but, I didn’t like the high-low alerts going off if I was in a call so I uninstalled it and continued with the system device Dexcom included. It works great!

An additional plus is friends and family can install the app on their own phones to help monitor the Dexcom user. If someone’s sleeping, their sugar drops and they don’t wake up to the alert, anyone with the app on their phone, linked to the sensor/transmitter of their friend/relative, will get the alert as well and be able to respond if the user isn’t able to attend to it themselves. The app is free and every bit as accurate as the tiny monitor provided by Dexcom.

​The wearable aspects

a few ​There are two parts to the Dexcom 6 wearable device. The sensor lasts 10 days and the transmitter lasts three months. The transmitter is removed with the sensor and transferred to the new sensor once it’s in place. It’s a fast, pain-free and super-easy transition. If there’s any confusion, there’s an ample collection of how-to videos available on YouTube to users through the process.

I wear mine on my abdomen. I can bathe, shower and even swim with it. It has never come loose until I’m removing it myself.

I also wear a colostomy device and have had loads of trouble learning how to prevent my bags from causing skin breakdown, rashing and bleeding. Even though the bags I use are made specifically for folks with skin that’s hypersensitive to adhesives, I have to wear a non-sting, sticky barrier and apply a barrier powder over it to prevent the adhesives from traumatizing my skin.

Not once have I had an even minimal reaction to the Dexcom G6 sensor adhesive. No breakdown. No itching. No bleeding. Nada! 

Below is a small image collection to give you a few views of how compact the monitor is. 

Fits next to my mouse on my small mouse-pad.

Barely overlaps my coffee coaster.

Less than half the length of one of my insulin pens.

Images via AS Phillips

Final thoughts on Dexcom G6

​I’ve been using the Dexcom G6 system for a couple of months and have been VERY happy with it and encouraging nearly every diabetic I know, that has to do dosing multiple times a day, to try it out. 

Hope you’ve found this article interesting and helpful and also hope you’ll recommend it to anyone you know who’s diabetic and wants to eliminate the need for finger sticking in their glucose monitoring.

​If you’re familiar with it, or a similar device, or have questions about the Dexcom G6, I encourage you to leave the info in the comments. You can also find more information on the Dexcom website by clicking here.

For I will restore health to you,
and I will heal you of your wounds,” says the LORD
Jeremiah 30:17
​World Messianic Bible Translation

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Shalom!