• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
HealthDigital Health

Parents of Children With Diabetes Are Furious Following the Blackout of a Major Blood Sugar Monitoring Software

By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 2, 2019, 5:00 PM ET

Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitoring technology has been a quiet revolution for diabetes patients. The wearable patch keeps tabs on diabetics’ blood sugar levels in real time. What’s more, the Dexcom G5 and G6 devices can transmit information to a smartphone app through a service called Dexcom Follow—critical for the parents and caregivers of diabetics, who can receive instant notifications of dangerous oscillations in blood glucose for those who may not be capable of monitoring such data themselves.

But, at some point late Friday evening, the Dexcom Follow service went dark. And it still hadn’t been fully restored as of Monday afternoon, according to an update on the company’s Facebook account.

The outage—and the lag time between the service blackout and Dexcom’s notifications to its customers—had many parents in a fury. Children with type 1 diabetes require intensive monitoring to account for blood glucose spikes and falls and, as you might imagine, nighttime over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend might require greater vigilance.

Caregivers shared their displeasure on the company’s Facebook updates, with some noting that their children could potentially have died in their sleep.

“I understand tech issues happen and I’m so grateful for Dexcom! But I woke up in a panic at 6am after I realized the share app went down and I hadn’t received a single “no data” notification,” wrote one parent. “No alert, nothing. My son went unattended from 1am-6am. A bit terrifying and unacceptable.”

There have been no reports, so far, of devastating health effects resulting from the outage.

Many noted that a technological breakdown is understandable—but a dearth of communication isn’t. “What is upsetting is the ridiculously long delay in Dexcom updating or notifying anyone that they were having an issue with their technology, especially considering that it took place when many children were going to bed or in bed already,” said another caregiver.

Some users discovered the issue when they checked the app Saturday morning and found a blank screen, according to the New York Times. One of the first updates was posted to Dexcom’s Facebook page at 8:03 a.m. Pacific on Saturday—multiple hours after the outage occurred.

The company is warning users not to delete Dexcom Follow or the Dexcom G5 or G6 continuous glucose monitoring apps since doing so might cause the applications to malfunction. That specific update wasn’t posted onto Dexcom’s Facebook page until 2:10 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday, more than 24 after the problem reportedly occurred. The firm is headquartered in San Diego, California.

The issue has yet to be totally resolved.

“At this time, the Dexcom Follow services have not yet been fully restored but we have seen significant improvement in system performance,” said a company spokesperson in an emailed statement. “Our teams continue to analyze the effectiveness of the changes we’re making and are working around the clock on a complete resolution.”

And it’s still unclear exactly what happened, although the company has alluded to a bandwidth problem.

“We are still investigating official root cause,” wrote Dexcom. “However, we have determined that a server overload occurred due to an unexpected system issue that generated a massive backlog, which our system was unable to sufficiently handle.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—2020 Crystal Ball: Predictions for the economy, politics, technology, etc.
—Why Trump is bad for business
—In the wake of Brexit, Amsterdam is the new London
—A roundtable of investing experts share their best advice for 2020
—The 10 best business books of 2019
Subscribe to Fortune’s
Eye on A.I. newsletter, where artificial intelligence meets industry.

About the Author
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

gen z
CommentaryGen Z
Gen Z is engineering an analog future — and it’s at least a $5 billion opportunity
By Luba KassovaApril 1, 2026
58 minutes ago
sheryl
HealthLean In
Sheryl Sandberg tapped a 25-year-old to run Lean In. Here’s her plan to close the AI gender gap
By Jacqueline MunisApril 1, 2026
6 hours ago
Nutricost Probiotic Complex Review (2026): Expert Approved
HealthDietary Supplements
Nutricost Probiotic Complex Review (2026): Expert Approved
By Christina SnyderMarch 31, 2026
15 hours ago
The 6 Best Weight Loss Supplements for Women of 2026: Nutritionist Approved
HealthDietary Supplements
The 6 Best Weight Loss Supplements for Women of 2026: Nutritionist Approved
By Christina SnyderMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Toryo Ito, the vice abbot of the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto
SuccessCareers
Buddhist monk says workers struggle to wind down from fast-paced office culture—he shares a 30-second tip to reset your nervous system
By Emma BurleighMarch 29, 2026
3 days ago
Are you addicted to technology? 6 questions experts use to help spot red flags
Big TechHealth
Are you addicted to technology? 6 questions experts use to help spot red flags
By Kristin StollerMarch 28, 2026
4 days ago

Most Popular

Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
Economy
Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
AI
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Markets cheer as Trump threatens to abandon Iran war, but Jamie Dimon sides with allies: ‘Win this thing and clean up the straits’
Energy
Markets cheer as Trump threatens to abandon Iran war, but Jamie Dimon sides with allies: ‘Win this thing and clean up the straits’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
19 hours ago
The federal government shed 385,000 employees last year. Now the Trump administration is on a blitz to hire Gen Z workers
Politics
The federal government shed 385,000 employees last year. Now the Trump administration is on a blitz to hire Gen Z workers
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
1 day ago
A CEO trying to reindustrialize America says blue-collar pay is headed for 'massive hyperinflation' and kids should skip college to become welders
Success
A CEO trying to reindustrialize America says blue-collar pay is headed for 'massive hyperinflation' and kids should skip college to become welders
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
Personal Finance
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.