Finally!  After moving to Canada in Jan 2013, I have recently been able to get back on one of the most important devices in managing my diabetes.  I was able to bring a three month supply with me when I moved to Canada, but quickly ran out and the last few months have been really tough without it.   For me, this is the best device in managing my diabetes.  It really helps the mental fatigue and anxiety of always guessing where my blood sugar is or is going to be!  Just to bring fact to what might be "my opinion", my most recent A1C was at its highest level (7.2) since I was diagnosed over 12 years ago.  Damn, that means I am 30 years old now, yeeouch!  However, I am confident that I will be able to get my sugars below 7.0 with the help of my Dexcom G4 by the end of summer. This is actually one of my personal 1 year health goals at work.  We do vision and goal setting at work, which is helpful in setting tangible/measurable results by putting them on paper so you are accountable to yourself.

Now that I have my Dexcom back, I have found the best new spot to put it!  As you can see in the picture above, the side hip/upper butt has been unnoticeable in all my daily activities, sometimes I even forget that it's there.  I was heading to Cabo with a group of friends and wanted to find a discrete spot to put it.  I spent a weekend at the beach and at the pool and it sat underneath my board-shorts unnoticeable, even without my shirt on, it was perfect!  I'm really stoked that the accuracy was spot on the entire time and it didn't get in the way at all!  I was even able to get 12 days out of that sensor too.  Yes, there was a lot of food and drink consumed, but was able to keep everything in control and without any complications what so ever! 

I usually put the sensor on my abdomen, but there is a lot of flexion there and causes the adhesive to peel too quickly.  Another thing with putting the sensor on my abdomen was that I felt weird taking my shirt off at the beach or pool, so I felt like it was tough wearing it in the summer.  It also wasn't conducive to hot yoga or doing burpees at crossfit.  I have tried the back of my upper arm (tricep), but there really isn't much fatty tissue there, so it wasn't as accurate in that spot and when I put it on my lowerback/love handle area it ends up being really painful whenever I would get into my truck or laid on my back (sit ups, yoga, etc).

Below are a couple other pictures and you can see the remnants of my first sensor on my abdomen (on the left pic).  My skin was usually really irritated when I took the sensor off my stomach area.  The pic to the below right shows how it looked when I took the sensor off the and it was actually wayyy better too (the skin & irritation).  It wasn't very itchy and my skin recovered really quickly, just a tip, tea tree (or melaleuca) essential oil always seems to help my skin when I take the sensor off. 

THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.

Well hello there, I know it's been awhile and you probably don't recognize me (I hardly recognize myself sometimes).  It's still me, I just have a small animal growing on my face now, and haven't decided exactly how long I will keep it.  If you ask my family, they will tell you I should've shaved it months ago, which is probably why I still have it.  I guess you can say I am a little stubborn.  

The last time you heard from me, was back in November or should I say the start of Novem(beard).  I work (at Lululemon) with a rad group of guys that threw a little twist on the Mo'Vember (mustache contest) and went all in with full beards instead.  December 1st, most guys shaved, but mine somehow stuck around.  A lot has happened since the last time we've chatted, but one thing hasn't changed, my diabetes is still trying to run a muck in my life.  Just to be clear, my beard may look like it has some secret powers like Gandalf, Santa Claus, or even Jesus (no disrespect, just #beardinspiration, below), but no, it hasn't cure my diabetes, but it has kept my face warm up here in Canada.