#WaitingToNotWait

If you have been part of the DOC for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen the hashtag #WeAreNotWaiting moving around Facebook, Twitter, and numerous blog sites. While I have not been able to participate, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the Nightscout / CGM in the Cloud project grow at an astronomical rate and touch thousands of lives.

So what is Nightscout and why are people not waiting?

(Photo of the full rig setup screenshotted from the CGM in the Cloud Facebook page)

From the Nightscout website:  Nightscout (CGM in the Cloud) is an open source, DIY project that allows real time access to a Dexcom G4 CGM from web browsers via smartphones, computers, tablets, and the Pebble smartwatch. The goal of the project is to allow remote monitoring of the T1D’s glucose level using existing monitoring devices.

The long and short of it is: Using the existing Dexcom receiver, a dedicated Android phone to act as an “uploader,” a website, and internet access, it is possible to view CGM data in real-time on devices other than the receiver.

Such a simple concept, to be able to view your own data on your phone, or a smartwatch – I mean, this is 2014, (where is my hoverboard!?). Yet, this is cutting edge. Nightscout was developed by parents of type 1 diabetics who saw a need and figured out how to meet it, dedicating their time and energy and knowledge completely voluntarily. It’s ahead of the curve, and very rapidly revolutionizing diabetes care as we know it. CGM companies have taken notice of the grassroots movement and are scrambling to either adapt or get out of the way.

But why is this such a big deal?

Because of this:
(all photos from Nightscout’s twitter page)

Parents of T1 kids are going on date nights for the first time in YEARS. Kids are able to spend the night with friends for the first time ever. Some adult T1’s are even using Nightscout to monitor their BG on their Pebble watches while in board meetings or other situations where it isn’t convenient to pull out the Dexcom receiver.

This is the future of wearable tech. 

While #WeAreNotWaiting is growing and expanding every day, I am currently waiting. Not because I want to, but because I do not use the Dexcom CGM system. I am on the Medtronic Enlite CGM system. Currently, members of the CGM in the Cloud group are working on accessing the information from the Enlite and creating a Nightscout system similar to the Dexcom setup. But until then, I am #WaitingToNotWait.