Buying yourself Christmas presents is SO not overrated!

This year I am proud to announce that I bought myself a Christmas present: the new Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Glucose Monitor.

Ta Da!

This newer model of the Dexcom system I am currently using has a lot of really great upgrades and technology that I cannot wait to start using. Just like the current Dexcom meter I use, this one is made up of two components: (1) the wireless sensor that is attached to my abdomen and (2) the hand-held device seen in the picture above.

As far as I can tell the sensor attached to my abdomen hasn't changed much. I change it once per week and then it wirelessly transmits blood sugar readings every 5 minutes to the hand-held device. The hand-held device, however is definitely different, in a lot of great ways! Below you can already tell the difference between the the one I have been using (top) and the new one (bottom).

The new one is a lot smaller, almost looks like an iPod, and it came in this cool pink color, which makes me feel so much more comfortable to carry around. The screen, I am told, is also in color and comes with upgraded features such as customizable high and low blood sugar alerts and a range of 30 feet from the sensor on my stomach. (The old one had a 5 foot range). Now I can roam a little more freely without taking the hand-held device with me everywhere I go.

I can't say enough about the technology of continuous glucose monitors and the benefits for blood sugar control. Since starting to use the original Dexcom in March of 2011, my overall blood sugar control has never been better and I am even more confident in managing diabetes. Despite still having days when this disease is a real downer, I can't help but be thankful for the resources I do have to make living with diabetes a whole lot easier.