Real User Stories
Dexcom G7 integration with Omnipod 5 keeps Ratemo family on track
Feb. 19, 2025 • 5 min read
Winters blow fiercely cold across the Great Plains of Minnesota. But in Minneapolis, the warmest spot might be within the hearts of the friendly Ratemo family and their home.
The loving group includes mom, Katie, a middle school secretary; dad, Teddy, a native of Kenya and special education teacher; son, Kaleb, a 16-year-old who just got his driving permit; and son, Micah, a 7-year-old who loves soccer.
They’re the typical Midwestern family in most respects, except one: their sons were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on the exact same calendar day several years apart, forever changing all their lives.
Double diagnoses, double the stress
In late 2012, Kaleb was a 4-year-old preschooler who began to exhibit the classic diabetes symptoms of extreme thirst, weight loss and lethargy. Katie didn’t know what was wrong, until an emergency phone call from his school in January 2013.
“They said, ‘You need to leave now, you’ve got to take your son to the hospital. He’s in DKA and if you don’t do it soon, he might not be here anymore,’” Katie recalled.
She took him to his doctor, who ran a blood test and found his glucose was 700. She then rushed Kaleb to the hospital, where he spent several days getting his glucose back in check. Katie and Teddy learned all they could about diabetes management and got him on an Omnipod insulin pump.
Years later around Micah’s first birthday, the family joined a Breakthrough T1D event, formerly known as JDRF, where blood testing was offered. Micah’s results showed he had the genetic makers for Type 1. Kaleb’s endocrinologist began weekly blood tests for Micah, which revealed rising glucose numbers. He too was diagnosed with Type 1.
Both diagnoses weighed heavily on the family.
“I took it really hard, and I had a lot of ‘mom guilt’ having Kaleb go through DKA to the point where they said that if we would have waited another day, he might not have been here,” Katie said. “Between that and the overwhelming life changes and learning all the diabetes management stuff, we had a really hard time at first. I didn't know anybody in the diabetes community, no one else in the family had diabetes and it was a lonely road.”
For Kaleb, the painful fingerpricks became a source of anxiety. He’d fib to his parents and say he felt fine to avoid testing, or he’d cower in fear when hearing the clicking sound of the testing needle.
“He would cry a lot, “ Katie said. “He would walk around with Band-Aids and calluses on every single finger. We had to fight him to poke his finger and check his blood. And it was hard, because his glucose was always out of range. Then there were the meal-time checks and bedtime checks. I felt like we weren’t on top of it as much as we could be.”
Things began to change for the better when Kaleb was 10 and got the Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System.
“It was way less stressful and it was easier,” Kaleb said. “I didn’t have to poke my finger* all the time, and I didn’t have to go to the school nurse and check my glucose every single day. It also helped because I was playing basketball at the time and wanted to hang out with friends, and now my parents could see my glucose numbers while I was doing that.”
For Katie and Teddy, Dexcom CGM enables them to better manage Kaleb’s diabetes, and they use the Follow app† to keep track of the boys and share that data with their endocrinologist.
“It was kind of like going from being blind to seeing the full image of what was going on,” Katie said. “So, it was nice to be able to see Kaleb be in class more and spend less time with the nurse. I felt less guilty about having to poke him and watch him be upset about that. But then it was also great to gain control and get more knowledge about how food affected him. I was able to have a peace of mind at work, I was on the phone less with the school nurse and I was making fewer runs to pick him up from school when he was not feeling well.”
More importantly, Kaleb got to enjoy being a kid again.
Dexcom delivers better control
“Just to watch him play basketball, and I wasn't always intervening and pulling him off the court to check his numbers,” Katie said. “He was doing a lot more birthday parties and going on bike rides with friends in the neighborhood and just things like that, which was nice to see. He gained more of a childhood without mom and dad hovering over every single piece of his life.” Prior to Dexcom G6, Kaleb’s A1C often registered around 10. It now ranges from 5 to 7.‡ And in getting his diabetes better managed, he helped pave the way for Micah, who also started using Dexcom G6§ and has had an easier diabetes journey.
‡Individual results may vary.
“Unfortunately, with Kaleb we kind of went through the wringer of learning everything,” Katie said. “But being able to see the trends helped me really learn Micah’s body and how he responds to certain foods and things that definitely help me plan ahead and then help support him when he's not in my care.”
Dexcom G7 integration pioneers
In August 2024, Kaleb and Micah participated in integration trials for the Dexcom G7 and Omnipod 5. After a month of using the Dexcom G7 and with Omnipod 5 integration together, Kaleb and Micah are feeling more confident in their diabetes management.
“The biggest difference is I see a lot fewer lows, because by the time when we get that low or the alerts for the lows, the pump is already either backing up on the insulin and the basal rate for either of them to drop,” Katie said. “If it flatlines quickly, it takes a lot fewer carbs for them to come back up and a lot less time. And then with the highs, I feel like we see a lot more straight lines, especially throughout the night.1-2 Night has been a big game changer with Dexcom G7 and Omnipod 5. I went through years of no sleep, but I feel like I finally get sleep, because most nights are very uneventful.”
Katie also values the Dexcom G7’s shorter, 30-minute warm-up time and how well it integrates with Omnipod 5.
“It really helps with the pump to stay intertwined with where the glucose trends are going in that system, just to keep track of keeping them in straight,” she said. “In the past, you’d put on that new Dexcom G6 sensor and you'd wait two hours. With the Omnipod, you’d never know what you'd get when those two hours were up. The G7 is consistent with that 30 minutes, and glucose is pretty much the same in between the changes. That's great!”
For Micah, pairing the G7 with Omnipod 5 allows him to focus on what really matters.
“He's a very serious soccer player,” Katie said. “So, when he's on the field, he doesn't want to be interrupted with diabetes at all. And between the two integrations, putting that activity mode in or just having it watch the trends with soccer, out of the last couple seasons he’s only had to sit out a few times with low glucose levels. Same with school. He spends a lot of time in class without needing to be in the nurse's office or going home. It’s a much more normal childhood.”
With Kaleb and Micah’s diabetes in better check, the Ratemos now enjoy the flow of normal family life. They plan a trip this summer to Kenya, where they will reconnect with extended family and Kaleb is excited to drink the country’s delicious passion fruit and mango juices. They also look forward to honing Kaleb’s driving skills on Minnesota’s icy winter roads and encouraging Micah’s growing passion for soccer – all routine family milestones made easier thanks in part to Dexcom G7.
“Coming from a person with two kids, I feel like Dexcom has made it possible for me to parent both of them to the best of my ability, watch them enjoy their childhoods and become their own individuals,” Katie said. “But then, also not lose my sense as an individual, as a parent, as moms already typically do. Now, I still get my sense of self, I still get my sense of social life. I still get to work, my husband still gets to help maintain them. Meanwhile, our kids are living as happy, carefree lives as possible.”
Get started on Dexcom G7
If you live with diabetes and do not use CGM, talk to your doctor about Dexcom G7. We can help you get started with a free benefits check. Click the button below to send us some basic information.
*If your glucose alerts and readings from Dexcom CGM do not match symptoms or expectations, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. †Separate Dexcom Follow app and internet connection required. Internet connectivity required for data sharing. Users should always confirm readings on the Dexcom G7 app or receiver before making treatment decisions. §Dexcom G6 is indicated for patients with diabetes ages 2 and over.
1 Brown et al. Diabetes Care (2021). Study in 240 people with T1D aged 6 - 70 years involving 2 weeks standard diabetes therapy followed by 3 months Omnipod 5 use in Automated Mode. Average overnight time (12AM-6AM) with high blood glucose in adults/adolescents and children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 32.1% vs. 20.7%; 42.2% vs. 20.7%. Average day time (6AM-12AM) with high blood glucose in adults/adolescents and children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 32.6% vs. 26.1%; 46.4% vs. 33.4%. Average overnight time (12AM-6AM) with low blood glucose in adults/adolescents and children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 3.6% vs. 1.2%; 2.5% vs. 1.2%. Average day time (6AM-12AM) with low blood glucose in adults/adolescents and children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 2.6% vs. 1.4%; 2.1% vs. 2.0%.
2 Sherr J, et al. Diabetes Care (2022). Study in 80 children with T1D aged 2 to 5.9 years involving 2 weeks standard diabetes therapy followed by 3 months Omnipod 5 use in Automated Mode. Average overnight time (12AM-6AM) with high blood glucose in children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 38.4% vs. 16.9%. Average day time (6AM-12AM) with high blood glucose in children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 39.7% vs. 33.7%. Average overnight time (12AM-6AM) with low blood glucose in children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 3.4% vs. 2.1%. Average day time (6AM-12AM) with low blood glucose in children for standard therapy vs Omnipod 5 = 3.4% vs. 2.6%.
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.