Alarm After Alarm
Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 8:25AM This is going to be a rant type post so I apologize beforehand.
I had the worst nights sleep last night or should I say, I hardly had a chance to sleep thanks for my Continuous Glucose Monitor system that I wear.
At about midnight after only 30 minutes of sleep I get a High BG alarm. Like the "bad" diabetic I am, I simply corrected according to the CGM's number it was giving me. You are instructed to never bolus using the number the CGM comes up with since it can be off but we had Chinese for dinner and I was expecting a high.
Just before 1am I get another High BG alarm. Again, I look at my number and correct accordingly.
Somewhere after 2am I get another alarm. This one said Weak Signal. Ugh. Weak Sauce was more like it! Cleared that one, moved my pump so that the signal would not be "weaksauce" and went back to sleep.
In about a half an hour I got another Weak Signal alarm. DAMMIT! Cleared it and went back to sleep.
The next Weak Signal alarm came and when I cleared it I got a Lost Sensor alarm. I cleared it and restarted the sensor using the Start Lost Sensor selection. I then turned on my side and went back to sleep.
Beep Boop Beep Boop Beep Boop!
I almost grabbed the sensor on my gut and yanked it off but chose not to. AgainWeak Signal and when cleared, Lost Sensor showed. I restarted the sensor, grabbed my pump held it in my hand up against the sensor and said, "Kiss the freaking sensor goodnight and work dammit!"
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
You have got to be f**ing kidding me! CHECK BG was on my screen. I needed to calibrate my sensor. I cleared it and decided that I would do it later.
BEEEEHAAHHAHYOUSTUPIDIDIOTYOUWILLNEVERLEEEP! (I know that is not what it sounded like but that was what I heard)
CHECK BG. So I got up not even looking at the clock. Grabbed my machine which was out of strips. I went to the D-cupboard and grabbed a vial. Checked my blood. 128. I sat back down on the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, no joke, my alarm went off.
The amount of force I used to hit the snooze button almost broke the damn thing. I turned away from the clock and was determined to get a few minutes of sleep in when my wife's alarm went off.
SCREW THIS!
I got up and went to the bathroom to shave. I set my pump on the counter, turned on the water, wet my face, filled my hands with shaving cream, and guess what happened?
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Sensor End.
Damn.
Reader Comments (11)
I'm laughing, but I'm about to cry as well, because the frustration of a multiple beeping devices is just too much sometimes.
oh my...that is a horendous night!...hope things settle down for you tonight! sometimes technology can really irritate :l
You win. And I'm very sorry about that. Thought I had a tough nite w/three hours of sleep thanks to rollercoastering sugars... But can't beat your experience. For that, I bequeth you: BACON WISHES! And, a hint of something more to come..... You are in for a "surprise." Not the Stupid-Alarm-Waking-Me-Up-At-All-Hours Kind of Surprise, either. The good and fun kind. Within the next week or so. Oh, the suspense. Can you feel it building????
Damn, that had to have been frustrating! Hope there's enough coffee and/or Diet Coke to get you through the day...
Oh, George, I'm so sorry you had a bad night! Mine was like that earlier this week. Not a bit of sleep.
Hope you can get more rest tonight!
There really should be a "You have got to be f**ing kidding me" setting on these things. I've started talking to mine like it's a cat--"OK, Dex, I know, I know, calm down". Sheesh.
One of the things about a cure that would be nice? A full night's SLEEP!
i had a similar problem except I never heard the alarms until 8:30 this morning, and my pump was beepidy boppity booping all over the place. took a finger stick and i was 355! seems my pump ran out of insulin right after my head hit the pillow and it was like that all night. and my BS was climbing like a someone rushing to get up and over Half Dome.
little machines that control our world. <sigh>
That was my post yesterday! Doesn't it suck?? I mean I don't mind when the Dexcom wakes me when I am low (well I mind but I can live with it) but I HATE when it wakes me for a false alarm. Very frustrating. Here's to a better night sleep!!
Kathy: You make a good point. Think it really does need to be called the STF function, with those letters on a little button. I'm on Day 2 of a weeklong trial-run of the Dexcom, and I'm already threatening to drop it in the toilet or smother it with a pillow if it doesn't behave.
George: Here's to more sleep, brother. Rest up!
From praising your loving spouse to cursing your equipment. My only question - did your wife get a good night's sleep? Better be good to her today.
Bob
I've been there too. It is so frustrating. We pay a pretty high price for some of this stuff don't we? And no, I'm not talking money.