The freebie Dexcom One+ I had on trial for 10 days expired a week or so back and I've just got around to checking the overall results in the Dexcom Clarity site.
By default it sets a target range of 3.9 to 10 and over the course of having it my readings were:
- 0% Very High
- 3% High
- 97% In Range
- 0% Low
- <1% Very Low (which I'm 100% sure were falsely low readings overnight
Average glucose was 6.4 during the 10 day period. If I'm right then I think that'd mean a Hb1ac of a little under 40 - which would be very welcome if it was true (given my hb1ac in late April was 68, and the one about a year before that was 80).
So my thoughts on it:
- Accuracy: Was quite a bit out on the first day or so but after settling down and with a couple of calibrations it was close enough to my finger prick results be useful. I probably wouldn't necessarily rely on it 100% however I think it was good enough for me.
- Usefulness: It's certainly nice not to have to do finger prick tests on a regular basis, and where I found it most useful was being able to see how my blood sugar reacted to different foods. It's also interesting to see the continuous results across the day - although could just be the scientist in me liking having data
- Comparison to the Libre (which I had on trial a couple of years back): The results from the Dexcom seemed more reliable to me than from the Libre (maybe because the Dexcom can be calibrated), and I also liked that there was no need to do a scan to get the results. I also liked the Clarity app and all the data that gave access to. So of the two I much preferred the Dexcom.
I'm still trying to decide whether to actually pay for the sensors though. I don't really need them, but did find having the data interesting and useful. Also the last time I got my hb1ac to a decent level (into the 40's) I then got complacent, stopped doing any tests or monitoring my weight and was quite shocked at my next annual review when my hb1ac had gone back up to 80 - and my weight had climbed back up to around the overweight/obese BMI of 30 or so.
If my hb1ac does get down to a decent level (i.e. into the 40's or below) at my next test (which is in about a month) then perhaps what I should do is put in place a regular regime of morning finger prick tests a couple of times a week, along with weekly weight checks - in order to stop any complacency from setting in.
By default it sets a target range of 3.9 to 10 and over the course of having it my readings were:
- 0% Very High
- 3% High
- 97% In Range
- 0% Low
- <1% Very Low (which I'm 100% sure were falsely low readings overnight
Average glucose was 6.4 during the 10 day period. If I'm right then I think that'd mean a Hb1ac of a little under 40 - which would be very welcome if it was true (given my hb1ac in late April was 68, and the one about a year before that was 80).
So my thoughts on it:
- Accuracy: Was quite a bit out on the first day or so but after settling down and with a couple of calibrations it was close enough to my finger prick results be useful. I probably wouldn't necessarily rely on it 100% however I think it was good enough for me.
- Usefulness: It's certainly nice not to have to do finger prick tests on a regular basis, and where I found it most useful was being able to see how my blood sugar reacted to different foods. It's also interesting to see the continuous results across the day - although could just be the scientist in me liking having data
- Comparison to the Libre (which I had on trial a couple of years back): The results from the Dexcom seemed more reliable to me than from the Libre (maybe because the Dexcom can be calibrated), and I also liked that there was no need to do a scan to get the results. I also liked the Clarity app and all the data that gave access to. So of the two I much preferred the Dexcom.
I'm still trying to decide whether to actually pay for the sensors though. I don't really need them, but did find having the data interesting and useful. Also the last time I got my hb1ac to a decent level (into the 40's) I then got complacent, stopped doing any tests or monitoring my weight and was quite shocked at my next annual review when my hb1ac had gone back up to 80 - and my weight had climbed back up to around the overweight/obese BMI of 30 or so.
If my hb1ac does get down to a decent level (i.e. into the 40's or below) at my next test (which is in about a month) then perhaps what I should do is put in place a regular regime of morning finger prick tests a couple of times a week, along with weekly weight checks - in order to stop any complacency from setting in.
