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Pitmaster Alton Matthews stays fired up about Dexcom and diabetes journey.
“I’ve never had better control than what I have now”
Barbecue is in Alton Matthews’ blood. The Pflugerville, Texas, resident and popular online pitmaster is adept at maintaining the temperature of smoldering post oak, even-handed with seasonings, armed with the best tools and hyper-aware of the importance of time management. Low and slow is the key to great barbecue, and he’s a natural on the pit.
But managing type 2 diabetes and glycemic control didn’t come as easily to the 52-year-old Dexcom Warrior. Just as a brisket takes patience and proper technique to get just right, Alton took his own time to master managing his health. He just needed the right tools and technique.
Wake-up call
After going into a four-day coma in 1991 due to soaring glucose levels, he literally woke up to a type 2 diagnosis. He then began to battle thoughts that his life “was pretty much over” and realized he needed to get educated about his condition. And while barbecue is in his blood, that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to stick a needle into his fingertips and see that blood several times a day.
“Let’s just say I didn’t like poking my fingers, so therefore I didn’t stay as regimented as I should have on checking my blood glucose numbers,” Alton said. “That was very challenging to helping me understand and maintain my glucose numbers.”
In the years that followed, he sometimes neglected to take care of himself the way he knew he should. Then, he happened to see Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” a few years ago talking about the company. Interest piqued, Alton investigated the real-time Dexcom G6 CGM, asked his endocrinologist about it and decided to give it a try.
It ignited a fire in him to better manage his type 2 diabetes that still burns brightly today, now with the Dexcom G7.
“The first time I tried Dexcom G7, it was mind-blowing,” Alton said. “It’s so much more comfortable, smaller and a lot faster§, and I like wearing it on my arm instead of my abdomen||.”
Alton enjoys Dexcom G7’s fast warm-up time and the overall positive impact Dexcom CGMs have had on his life - including no more fingersticks*
*Fingersticks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.
“I was able to get the sensor installed easily, and I started to get my real-time numbers after it warmed up in about 30 minutes,” he said. “And now that I can see my trends in real time, I can make better-informed decisions whenever I’m cooking. Cooking is not just something we do here in Texas, it’s our way of life. Dexcom G7 has allowed me to be able to modify recipes and the techniques to control my glucose numbers based on what I’m seeing in real time with my G7.”
His favorite feature is the trend graph, which he monitors regularly and conveniently on his smartwatch.†
“Often when you check your glucose numbers with a BGM, you see what your number is just at that particular moment,” Alton said. “But there are times whenever you eat something and two hours later you might get another number, but you don’t know what happened in between. Dexcom G7 allows you to be able to see those numbers in between, so you can see how your body actually reacts to things you do in real time and adjust.”
And for a pitmaster who spends hours over the hot flames, Dexcom G7’s strong adhesive is a bonus.
“I play around with fire when we’re cooking and it’s hot in Texas to begin with, let alone adding on burning oak – you tend to sweat a little bit,” he joked. “Whatever Dexcom uses for its adhesive on the G7 works really well. I’m not just dropping sensors left and right, and I like that.”
Back into the fire
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After switching to Dexcom and gaining better control over his type 2 diabetes, Alton faced an unexpected health set-back in October 2021 when he was diagnosed with Stage 2 colon cancer. He had surgery in December and began chemotherapy in January 2022. For six months, he watched his A1C rise to 7.4% and glucose levels spike in reaction to steroids he had to take with the chemotherapy. Though discouraged, his endocrinologist told him to battle the cancer first, then worry about type 2 diabetes after.
In June 2022, doctors declared him cancer-free. Alton refocused on his diabetes journey with his Dexcom CGM at the ready and eagerness to regain control.
“The first three months, we barely moved the A1C from 7.4% to 7.2%, and it was just my body having to fight back from dealing with all I had to over the previous six months,” he said. “Once I got through the next three months, that was when I started to make the turn and I started seeing the numbers start to drop, getting back to where they were before and even better.”
Today, he boasts an A1C of 5.4% – the lowest it has been in some time and a number he believes he couldn’t achieve without the help of Dexcom.‡
“I’ve never had better control than what I have now,” Alton said. “Could I have had that control prior to using a CGM? I’m not sure. Even if I was finger poking five or six times a day, I’d only see what my numbers are at that particular moment and not in between. I wouldn’t be able to see what’s happening when I eat something and wouldn’t get to see the trends I get to see now.”
He’s become a passionate proponent of Dexcom CGM, recommending it to several friends and offering them wisdom gained from his struggles and successes. He remains adamant about advocating actively for oneself to get the best care.
With his type 2 diabetes in control and doctors in surveillance mode for his cancer, Alton can put his health concerns a bit more on the backburner. He is able to spend more time with family, travel, and build new content for his Dawgfatha’s BBQ YouTube and Instagram channels – all with better peace of mind.
He can also answer the all-important questions that send different American regions into verbal spats, such as: Is barbecue pork or beef?
“Barbecue is whatever you put on the grill, man,” he laughs. “I don’t discriminate!”
Start on Dexcom G7 Today
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§In reference to Dexcom G7’s 30 minute warm up|| compared to Dexcom G6’s abdomen wear. †Connected compatible smart device required to display readings on watch.Smart devices sold separately. For a list of compatible devices, visit https://www.dexcom.com/compatibility. ‡Individual results may vary.
BRIEF SAFETY STATEMENT: Failure to use the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and its components according to the instructions for use provided with your device and available at https://www.dexcom.com/safety-information and to properly consider all indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and cautions in those instructions for use may result in you missing a severe hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) occurrence and/or making a treatment decision that may result in injury. If your glucose alerts and readings from the Dexcom CGM do not match symptoms, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. Seek medical advice and attention when appropriate, including for any medical emergency.
Dexcom, Dexcom Follow, Dexcom Clarity, and Dexcom Share are registered trademarks of Dexcom, Inc. in the U.S., and may be registered in other countries. ©2023 Dexcom, Inc. All rights reserved.
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