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Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems

Just did a search for continuous monitoring systems as I thought they should be possible and there is a market.
Found the Dexcom which was the sort of thing I was expecting but also the C8 Medisensors non-invasive one which I think is very exciting - then found this thread when I was going to post about it.

I'm type 2 diet controlled which probably isn't what these are aimed at - and at $4000 it's pretty expensive. I would have thought there would be a market for rental though. It would be good to get an indication of how your body is reacting to food and exercise over a period of time and I think everyone could benefit from that. As it is non-invasive that should be possible.
 
A cgm is not so accurate as blood readings from a meter.

A cgm is mainly used to give the user an idea of the direction in which levels are moving.. They are not to be relied upon for accurate readings....They are usually used by type 1's that have lost their hypo awareness, or have had other issues around their blood readings..

Personally, I would as a type 1 pump user (and ex cgm user)...NOT consider this sensor that is non invasive until it has been well and truly tested by users via the nhs..... As there is no way I would waste my money hiring one or buying one.. As I still remember the glucowatch that soon became defunct. I also had a **** cgm by Abbott that was not fit for purpose... So no way would I consider for a long while...
 
Info from US conference re accuracy of CGM
http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/201 ... reatments/

Says Dexcom are best with readings on average within 10.8% of venous glucose readings, then Abbott Navigator at 12.3%, then Medtronic Enlite at 17.9%.

That matches my experience comparing Dexcom with Medtronic at the beginning of this year.

The interesting thing is that BG meters have to be within 20% of venous glucose values. We don't usually know whether they've been tested as more accurate than "within 20%", yet we rely on these as the "true" readings & discount our CGM readings when there's a mismatch - but it could actually be the CGM that's right!
 
I'm 2 weeks using a medtronic CGM and I'm absolutely loving it. The reading almost always match my blood glucose readings. Only time when there's a slight difference from my blood testing is when my bg is rapidly falling or rising. In that case I can see the 10 minutes difference.....but I'm talking of 1 point difference only ( eg 4.5 instead of 5.5) and anyway 10 minutes after results always match. I'm seriously considering of self fund myself as it CGM makes my life so easier. One important point: if I test 5 times my blood glucose with same meter in the same moment I will get 5 different results....sometimes with 3 points difference. I discussed with pharma company and I was told its in the range of error.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Interesting thread. I've put in a request to trial a sensor with our Trust as I want to see more what's happening at night with my little girl who is high most nights. So from an educational aspect I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do to improve things.

@ Charon. I was following them too. Unfortunately the C8 medisensors appear to have gone into administration, even though they got as far as CE mark approval.

Hopefully in the future pumps and CGM will be integrated and come as a package... all NICE approved, with no funding issues...


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I would trial that.

I currently have a trial CGM and can honestly say I will cry tomorrow when I have to give it back. Its liberating and takes a weight off. Im going to ask for a animas pump so I can use th intergrated CGM.

I would give my left arm otherwise to have one full time even though I'm hypo aware. :thumbup:
 
im a type 2, so been considering self funding for a while

the main reasons i would like a cgms are:
1, so that i can comply with the DVLA testing regulations, as i often for get to do a regular test

2, my bp meds make me feel odd a lot of the time so difficult to tell if feeling hypo or not

3, i have a hobby with slightly more risk than many, that involves me staying out at night in the middle of nowhere so would help keeping an eye on things

i know i would still have to do a couple of calibration tests a day which is fine...

so.. do you think its worth the cost of self funding?????
 
Chas, I am very interested in your views on the G4 as I am considering, but horrified by the cost.
Major lifestyle choices ahead...!
The big worry for me is that the warranty for transmitter and the receiver (hand unit) are 6 and 12 mo...... so they could be quite frequent costs... at 325 for a new transmitter, (dont know what the receiver costs by itself).

I posted about possibilities for getting one in america, no responses yet, but it adds up to selling the car, or eating porridge, which the kids wont like...

thanks for any thoughts.
 
Mojo. I'm really glad I can afford to have the G4 as its been a god send for me, BTW I'm now getting four weeks for each sensor and my transmitter is a year old and still going strong.

Being able to see what my BG is doing every 5 mins, getting alarms when it goes low or high, getting warnings when it drops or rises quickly is fantastic. No more hypo's, no more massive BG swings, no more bad moods (that I can blame on diabetes ). Being able to control my life and my work life with no need to now stop when recovering from low BG's, as they don't go that low any more.

I would say if you can get it on insurance (in the US) or can afford to fund it then its got to be a must have item.
 
Chas, that sounds great, but I am in the UK and would need to self fund. That is the big question mark, as other things would need to be cut back. So I am very interested in whether users especially self-funders, find it find it worth the cost.
 
Hi All,
I hope you are well!
I've never been here before, probably about time really...

I'm a Type 1 and have been for about 23 years. I'm still an old school Insulin Pen user after finding a pump trial a little limiting a couple of years ago.

I am looking and hoping to self fund a CGM system, not necessarily worrying about an insulin pump. Although not perfect my control isn't too bad but I want to catch rising and falling levels rather than realising I have already reached a little further one way or another than strip testing does.
I test quite a lot, up to 15 times a day, generally between 5-10 times. I've been told that this is excessive by some Dr's and I feel guilty for costing the NHS money, however, I worry about the future and so I continue to test.

I feel a CGM would be awesome for me. Each day is different each day should be enjoyed. I'd love to catch things that little bit sooner and eliminate as many more of the negatives as possible.

This thread is pretty old now but fingers crossed you're all still reading it.

Which CGM would people recommend now in April 2015?

I'd love to hear from you.

Many thanks,
Step.
 
Step - I've been using the Abbott Freestyle Libre since it came on the market last October. It has it's faults and is expensive but it's much better than lots of blood tests, and just as accurate, when working correctly. See the thread Freestyle Libre On Sale started by Emotha. More info at www.freestylelibre.com

Graeme
 
Hi Graeme,
Thanks so much for your response. I'd just heard about this one from Abbott, and now looking, thanks for the direction.

My immediate thoughts are:
Why do you need to scan if it's constantly taking readings?
Can it not just display the whole information it's obtaining on the handset without requiring this scan?I guess if not... why not? I realise it must be a cost reason, but where are the savings in this method. I'll keep reading, I'm sure this i all answered in there.

So what have tended to cause the faults for you then? Any patterns?

Cheers,
Step.
 
@Step best bet is to go and read the link that @GraemeJones provided. You should be able to find all the answers to your questions in the topic and on the website. Just be aware. The Libre is NOT a CGM, it does not transmit data constantly. It is classed as a Flash GM, as you have to scan it to flash the data off teh sensor.
 
Step - as you'll see from Abbott's demo video, the Libre comes in two parts. The sensor is stuck to the skin and has a probe underneath. It measures the glucose in the interstitial fluid (the wet stuff between the lower skin cells, not blood) continuously. It records up to 8 hours of data. The other part is the reader. It uses an RF link to communicate with the sensor, but only when the two are brought together. It then takes the data from the sensor, displaying the current BG level and a graph of the data for the last 8 hours.

There have been problems -

1. Sensors falling off. I've not had that, mine have been difficult to remove after two weeks.
2. Skin reactions. Again I've not had that, it seems that some people just can't tolerate the adhesive.
3. Faulty sensors, either not working at all or giving false readings. I've had one of each of these out of a total of 12 sensors. Abbott replaced both with no hassle.

The biggest advantage for me has been no hypos while using the system. You can check as little or as often as you like e.g. less frequently after food, more frequently coming up to mealtimes. The starter pack (reader and 2 sensors) costs under £150 so it's not that expensive to try it. The cost comes when, like most users I guess, you find you can't do without it. Works out at £1300 PA if you start a new sensor every 14 days, but of course you can take a break whenever you like.

Graeme
 
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