CGM Beginner

I think CGM does show how changeable diabetes can be, even though you stick to eating/exercising the same (shows how clever our bodies are and our pancreas' when they work ) I have had some weeks with fairly pronounced morning phenomenon which only seems to start when I actually wake up - not before I wake up! Some weeks where it is almost flat and despite delaying my insulin in the morning and still eating porridge my after breakfast peaks are back having disappeared for a week!!!! I think the thing about CGM tho does mean that you can be more responsive and you know sooooo much more about what is going on, and it is enormously helpful in cutting down hypos and seeing those patterns and sorting doses out. I totally agree about the Ronnie Barker, when you inject the insulin you are trying to answer the question before it 's been asked as you have to consider exercise, food and anything else that might possibly come your way and it is your best guess (the more information and more knowledge you have the better those guesses can be).

I had a really good meeting with the nurses and a rep yesterday - they are all really interested in it and I've talked about the changes I have made and the peace of mind it gives me and all the stuff I have learnt so far, so I am really hoping that it might help others too. So I am happy, happy, happy

I am going to get one soon, I think having the graphs will help to keep notes and see what happens in a hope that you can learn the possible outcome

However as you said nothing is 100% consistent

I just want tighter control without the fear if hypos, I currently run high so that there is little risk to my driving license


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My main concern is I drive for work I can't take the risk


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When I was at my meeting yesterday with the nurses and rep they were using diasend to look at the information, which is a web based one so you can use it on macs - didn't look that different to the Studio software - not sure whether anyone knows anything about that and whether you can add labels…..having said that you can set up events in the dexcom like notes that you do exercise - and I think you could add in extras via the Studio software so that might be worth looking into too…if I get a moment I will have a play and see what I can find out

Other nuggets of useful information that Mr Gary Schiner was talking about in his CGM talks is that you want you low % to be around the 5% mark, definitely less than 10% ideally. When he looks at the data in Studio 'cos each day is a different symbol you can count the lows and the highs just by counting the number of symbols that happen at that point in the day to look for patterns as that tells you how many days that has happened on (I know obvious really but it gives you a place to start when you are presented with all that spaghetti information ). He also said that you can use the software to compare Mondays over a month and again look for patterns which I figure would be useful for exercise classes and things that you do like that on a regular basis.

I have read this Post with interest as my Diabetes Nurse is going to get me fitted with one of these as I drive for a living and it will alert me as and when my BG is dropping so I can rectify it quickly and should not hamper my working day.

Hey guys! Quick question, how much did the CGM set you back? Seems incredibly expensive

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Yeah , that's my question . Also the running costs (sensor etc) I asked at my hospital if they would be available on NHS soon and she said NO !!! Boo


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Dexcom costs £975 for the receiver and transmitter (receiver guaranteed to last a year, transmitter only 6 months) then £250 for 4 sensors which are supposed to last 7 days each but people often find they last 2-3 weeks. (The actual sensors can also be bought from animas with a letter from your doctor and are a bit cheaper, I think around £180 for 4). The transmitter when the battery dies anywhere between 6-12 months ish is £325 to replace.

If you have a Medtronic pump that you can use cgm with the transmitter is normally £490 plus £275 for 5 sensors. At the moment they are offering the transmitter for free with your first box of sensors plus your 4th box of sensors free but this is only really any use if you have a veo pump, and it seems the Medtronic system may not be as reliable as dexcom.

Oops forgot the other pump option, if you have an animas vibe pump it has integrated dexcom so start up if you have that pump is £450 including 4 sensors. I am still really mad at myself for not going for a vibe when I switched pumps last year and now have to wait another 3 years for a new pump!

Yes, I get sensors from Animas @ around £186 for 4 and I don't have a pump. Letter just said I was T1 and he and the hospital would support me. This however, was not strictly correct as they both said they were 'out of their depth' so I chose to move hospitals!!

Am self funding but support is available from Input website re. applying for NHS support.

So interested in the post-wake up blood sugar rise as it happens exactly the same with me! Steady when sleeping and then leaps 4-6 points when I wake up and have coffee but NO food. Can't really figure this, but it must be cortisone, so a 'later' type of dawn phenomenon perhaps? Have also watched significant rises if feeling particularly stressed. Fascinating how the hormones affect blood sugar... Helps one to understand just why, even with CGM, it's so hard to keep blood sugars steady.

Had Dex for 4.5 months now and still learning new things every single day. Best support has come from a US endo Stephen Ponder on his Power Within website. Fantastic, sensible advice. He is T1 and uses a Dexcom.


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How much do the animas vibe pump cost? With integrated dexcom it seems perfect

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I'd prefer equipment you can get on the NHS for free, no sense in buying any expensive things I probably won't use that much, even though my blood glucose management is not that bad. I can generally tell what my blood sugar is by seeing how tired I am, and when my muscles start to feel achey as if blood struggles to get to them, when I know that feeling, I know I have a high blood glucose. If I feel opposite to agitated or tired, it's generally below 10 as I am used to that sensation and when I hold onto it, I won't need to test, it's just second nature. And a hypo is a bit self-explanatory, as feeling shaky, drunk and stuttery would be simple signs, with weakness and drowsiness being really low to about 2.0.