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Talking CGM

P

Platinum

Well-Known Member
Messages
71
Location
Cornwall
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi.

I currently self-fund my Dexcom G4. Due to diabetic problems my sight is failing and I would like a talking CGM. I can get my phone to speak what is on the screen but would need to use the G5 transmitter to do this which (According to reviews) seems to be a bit unreliable with signal being lost plus a lot more expensive in transmitters.

It seems to me that a G4 with the share option would solve the problem, but the G4 with share is only available in the US and has a mg/dl readout.

Does anyone know how to get a G4 with share and a readout in mmol/l? Or, at least a G4 with share?

I don’t think I can see well enough to make an xdrip solution.

Any other thoughts on how to get a speaking CGM would really be appreciated.
 
@Platinum Amazon Echo can speak your CGM reading, through nightscout. You need to set up your cgm to work with nightscout, then follow a guide to make an app (its step by step) and then if all is correct, you can ask Alexa. There are loads of guides, and at first it can be a bit overwhelming, but once set up you just leave it be.

You can download a Alexa substitute on a PC/ Mac called Reverb which will give you Alexa without an echo.

https://www.reddit.com/r/amazonecho/comments/5kk9hb/alexa_custom_skill_nightscout_type_1/?

I posted this in reddit when I first set up Nightscout with echo to help other users.

EDIT, depending on your eyesight, you may have to ask a friend/ fam to help set it up and there are a lot of strings and characters that have to be 100 percent correct.
 
Last edited:
Platinum said:
I can get my phone to speak what is on the screen but would need to use the G5 transmitter to do this which (According to reviews) seems to be a bit unreliable with signal being lost plus a lot more expensive in transmitters.
Click to expand...

I've never had a signal loss issue that was caused by my G5.

99.9% of the issues you read about are related to either user error or the phone hardware (iphone).

If you can afford the G5 transmitter cost, I'd strongly suggest that route.
 
I use the xDrip+ Android app which connects with my G4 sensor via a DIY xDrip box. I understand that this might be difficult to make but you can buy an xDrip kit which needs only a small amount of soldering - perhaps a friend or a local TV repair shop would do this for you?
https://xdripkit.co.uk/

xDrip+ has an option to read out bg readings as they happen, which I find very useful.
https://github.com/jamorham/xDrip-plus
 
The latest software version on the G5 is much more reliable than earlier versions have been, and I've seen around about 99% connection rate, so if you want something that is easily set-up and used, I'd go with the G5.

Otherwise you are into a much more involved set-up, which may be more of an issue with poor eyesight.
 
Thanks for all the advice and comments. It seems the G5 communication unreliability was exaggerated which is good news. I also didn’t know that the Amazon Echo could speak my blood sugar via Nightscout. Better news for me is that there is an XDrip kit out there – thanks for the link DunePlodder!

I think the way forward for me is to try the xDrip kit and see how it goes. If I can’t get on with it then I will try a G5 transmitter.
 

Hi. I have now got an Android phone & have xDrip working with it - It's really accurate and the larger screen is much easier to read.

However, I can't find the setting to enable it to read out BG readings and would appreciate some guidance.
Thanks.
 
On the xDrip+ home screen press the top right menu (3 vertical dots) & tick "Speak Readings".

It is excellent software, I agree. I record all my insulin doses & carbohydrate intake on it. The history & statistics options are very useful.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I got mine to speak but found it does so every five minutes – This would drive me mad going 24H a day.
What a shame – Maybe a future version of xDrip will have a ‘speak on demand button’, plus even the trend?
Imagine, say, press & hold the home button and it says “6.7 rising”. How good would that be?
 
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