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How relevant is the single-point measurement using pinpricks?

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mysorian

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Recently, I started using CGM just for testing. I have used pinpricks, off and on for 20 years. The daily variation cannot be represented by a single-point measurement. The cost of single-point measurements is not trivial. What is the use of this? Is it even relevant and to whom?

Especially, in its present form done at a doctor's office, I ask, is the doctor even serious about opting for it?

Regarding the disparity between single-point measurements and CGM, I have this question. Which one of these measures the true value of glucose in the blood?
 
My understanding which maybe wrong is that a finger prick is what you blood sugar actually is at the time it’s taken , it doesn’t tell you what your blood sugar is doing ( stable , dropping , raising ) , I know it’s what the ambulance service use to determine the bs of a collapsed person ,
a CGM Libre doesn’t measure actual blood , and it lags behind actual bs , but it is better at telling us how bs are trending ,
there are lots of varying opinions on both finger pricking and CGM. Personally I remember when personal blood monitoring didn’t exist and can say the developments that have happened have greatly increased , a better control for me , so I guess the point of it for me without it I would be in a far worse place than I am now ,
 
I am a Libre 2 user. When it was prescribed to me I had to "attend a video seminar" on just how the Libre worked, and how to apply it. It was stated that if at any time the patient didn't feel as well as the L2 reading was showing, always double check with a finger prick.

I always double check a potential hypo being shown by my L2 with a finger prick.
 
I am Pre/T2 (whatever). My A1c is in the non diabetic range. I have been finger pricking for over 10 years. Most of the time I finger prick only one time. It helped me a lot controlling my blood glucose and portion control. I am not taking any medicine. I keep records of all my eating habits and blood glucose data. Good luck to all members.
 
mysorian said:
Recently, I started using CGM just for testing. I have used pinpricks, off and on for 20 years. The daily variation cannot be represented by a single-point measurement. The cost of single-point measurements is not trivial. What is the use of this? Is it even relevant and to whom?

Especially, in its present form done at a doctor's office, I ask, is the doctor even serious about opting for it?

Regarding the disparity between single-point measurements and CGM, I have this question. Which one of these measures the true value of glucose in the blood?
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Pin pricks tell you what your glucose is right now. That might inform you about medication needs, hypo treatments, the effect of a recent meal as compared to before eating. In a drs surgery it may help decide if a hypo or a dka could be occurring or indicate if further diagnostic testing is warranted if above guidelines. As to the cost depends if you consider the cost of not monitoring in both health and cost to treat complications.

cgm measures interstitial fluid not actual blood and apply algorithms to inform you what your blood glucose is. They seem to be subject to more variances and margins of error than meters (and that also varies by individual and specific sensor) but have the advantage of taking multiple frequent readings and thus identifying direction and speed of change as well as an estimate of current readings. And it creates a nice graphic of how the entire day looks in retrospect. Oh and no pin pricks either.

demonstration of variations across the day is not a goal of pin pricks so hardly surprising it’s not the result. Though if you took enough readings across the day at fairly representative times it could make a respectable estimate. Most meters and logging software do this for you with estimates of hba1c given enough data. How accurate it is depends on the sampling used.

As to your final question pin pricks are the only one that measures the true value of glucose in blood. Cgm are a calculation of that. Both have advantages and disadvantages and neither are 100% foolproof.
 
Ajax said:
I have a fairly ✻regular✻ routine ..clockwork mealtimes, etc ..so to keep my diabetes in a 'holding pattern' ..I test my blood sugars at 05:20, then take my morning dose of insulin a couple of minutes after ..then breakfast about 20 mins later ..I repeat these tasks at 16:20 ..single-point measurements are useful, ceteris paribus.
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But how often is everything else equal? Also the OP is not testing in order to ascertain the safety of a fixed insulin dose as you are, ie you are not already too low to take the dose. I can’t see what else this schedule of testing tells you. Maybe consistently high levels would indicate a need to increase medication/see the dr or reduce carbs in the preceding meal

In this case, as for many other T2, it’s to check specifically the effects various meals and activities have on levels so adjustments to diet and lifestyle can be made - with a view to controlling blood glucose with either less or no medication.
 
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