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CGM is the most effective method for monitoring and treating diabetes

tim2000s said:
@azure I think pump and CGM together give much more flexibility to dynamically manage everything. I'm still not convinced that most severe nocturnal hypos are not a very serious side effect of outdated dosing regimes and certain insulins, but if we all had cgms it would be a lot easier to find out.
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Yep, both together would be fantastic ( and probably save money in the long run).

I agree the cause of some nocturnal hypos can be traced, but no-one could sort mine. I fiddled around with my long acting dose night after night, week after week. I believe one problem was that the insulin wasn't acting in a predictable manner, and the other problem, as I've said, was my varying insulin needs throughout the night, which the insulin could never respond to.

That was some years ago, but I doubt a more modern insulin or regime could help. Do feel free to make any suggestions though! I worry about having to come off my pump as there's no way I'd like to suffer those hypos again. I don't trust any long acting insulin.
 
tim2000s said:
@azureI'm still not convinced that most severe nocturnal hypos are not a very serious side effect of outdated dosing regimes and certain insulins, but if we all had cgms it would be a lot easier to find out.
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Yes, I've wondered about that. It needs investigating. The dosing regimes *are* outdated.
 
I have been Diabetic for over 52 years and was lucky enough to got funding for a pump and cdm ,it was quite a battle to get it but thanks to my Endo and DSN we managed.I thought I new about my own personal diabetes but since getting the CGM I've learnt so much about insulin trends in the last 6 weeks and has allowed me to manage my diabetes much more efficiently and I feel much more cost effective to the NHS.
 
My DSN was just reminding me of my pump plus CGM data, she was just looking at it and really amazed by the results. Sadly that's a while ago now.
 
As a person who doesn't have a cgm or pump, I totally agree with you @tim2000s . If you can't accurately measure the results of your procedures, you can't really tell if your procedures are working at their optimum level. I don't consider a few point in time bgls or an a1c as an accurate measure of results. If you are engaged with your management, I'm sure you'd get better results with a cgm no matter if you're on mdi or pump.
 
When my endocrinologist reviewed results downloaded from my blood glucose meter and saw that I did 500 tests in a month, he suggested it may make more sense for me to get a CGM device. Emulating CGM through fingerprick tests is truly painful :)

He offered Dexcom G4, I will "just" need to pay for the sensors. I decided I will give it a try...
 
cz_dave said:
When my endocrinologist reviewed results downloaded from my blood glucose meter and saw that I did 500 tests in a month, he suggested it may make more sense for me to get a CGM device. Emulating CGM through fingerprick tests is truly painful :)

He offered Dexcom G4, I will "just" need to pay for the sensors. I decided I will give it a try...
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It's amazing how many you do when you are testing once to twice per hour for a month. Pincushion fingers.
 
cz_dave said:
When my endocrinologist reviewed results downloaded from my blood glucose meter and saw that I did 500 tests in a month, he suggested it may make more sense for me to get a CGM device. Emulating CGM through fingerprick tests is truly painful :)

He offered Dexcom G4, I will "just" need to pay for the sensors. I decided I will give it a try...
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Thought I did a lot at 200ish a month. My finger tips are showing wear and tear, what are yours like?
 
@zjed and @tim2000s Yes, 500 per month is a bit too many. My endocrinologist suggested I use the sides of my fingers preferably not to destroy my fingertips. I really wanted to understand how quickly or slowly different foods increase my BG levels and so I tested 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours after a meal. I also tested a lot when I went jogging or did some other activity. I am still a beginner, so I figured more measurements are better then less. This only proved right when I discovere having just 2.8 after a 15 minute walk one day.

I think Libre would be perfect for me right now. It is a pity, it seems to be sold out. My endocrinologist had some doubts about Libre for a T1 person because of its lack of pro-active alerts. Given these facts, I will try out Dexcom G4 and see if I want to stick to it. I think its latest version (G4 Platinum) can even be connected to a smartphone. I have just ordered the Dexcom sensor and waiting for the delivery...
 
Your endocrinologist clearly doesn't understand what the Libre is or why it gets used. Alerts are only necessary if you have no warning symptoms of hypos. People don't buy CGMs solely for that. They also buy them to understand how their body works, which I guess is what you want too. It's perfect for that and the majority of users are T1.
 
I agree with Tim; not having the alerts is not a big deal if you are hypo-aware. The amount you can learn about how your blood sugar levels respond to different stimuli is amazing and so insightful. Many people have reduced their HbA1Cs after using it over a short period. I also considered the Dexcom but decided on the Libre because it's more discrete and doesn't require finger-prick calibration.
 
pinewood said:
I agree with Tim; not having the alerts is not a big deal if you are hypo-aware. The amount you can learn about how your blood sugar levels respond to different stimuli is amazing and so insightful. Many people have reduced their HbA1Cs after using it over a short period. I also considered the Dexcom but decided on the Libre because it's more discrete and doesn't require finger-prick calibration.
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As a case in point, my Hba1C last year was 53 (7%). It's now 40 (5.8%), and my standard deviation has gone from 55% of average glucose to 35%. Both of these have been down to changing the way I manage myself using CGM.
 
@tim2000s and @pinewood I bet you are right about Libre. It just seems impossible to buy, I tried Italy and Germany, it is sold out. The same in the UK (even though I do not live in the UK).
 
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