Interested in dexcom .. should i get one?

[type1gabs]

Helllo fellow diabetics!

I am a type 1 diabetic for 24 years im 25 now, my hbac1c was 118 a few months ago when i was suffering from diabulemia and depression, with the support of my diabetes team ive got it down to 86 just 3 months after i run and dp yoga, just completed the great north run a few weeks ago with my boyfriend - no hypos too!

My control goes a bit crazy usually a few hours to a few days after exercise, as always diabetes is so hard to predict and with exercise it makes it even harder... im slim heathy and have no complications. My consultant mentioned the decom and libre which over time and weekly, the dexcom works out cheaper (not that price is an issue, i value my health and rather spend it kn my health rather than clothes!) Im not bothering about injecting myself every day so getting a pump isnt essential for me. he priority for me with my diabetes management would be constantly knowing what my glucose levels are and seeing any trends/spikes/crashes.

Has anyone currently got dexcom at the moment? What are your thoughts on using it, the benefits, the cons, and whether i should get one?

Thanks!

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @type1gabs I've used the libre and now use the Dexcom G6, my thoughts are:

It's not as accurate as i'd like but then despite the lag it's still good for identifying trends and it's useful that I can set up alerts for high/low readings as well as get the results pinged through to my mobile, so saves carrying another reader with me, particularly as I run as have limited pocket space to stick glucotabs, readers, phone, keys, pump etc. Despite the variance on readings I have reduced my finger prick tests and only test before driving or if it's reporting a high/low and then I use my meter to calibrate against the G6. I am also doing some analysis now on the duration of novorapid, so am using it to measure this, as keen to establish if it's lasting less than 2.5 hours. The alerts are also useful, Sat morning at 2am it woke me by reporting a 10.6, so took a bolus then and woke at 5 mmol/l and it's events like this that make it very useful vs the libre.

 

[DunePlodder]

Yes, if you can afford it get one.
As well as general monitoring, use it to learn about your diabetes.
Experiment:
See how much one unit of insulin reduces your bg. And how long it takes to do so - you may be surprised.
See how much 10gm of carbohydrate increases your bgs.
See which foods "spike" you.
Above all use it to get your basal insulin dosages "right", whether MDI or pump.
As I'm sure you already know, if basals are correct everything else is easier.
Even if you then stop using a CGM you have this information which is invaluable.

 

[Energize]

I use the Libre (although Type 2) and you can get the Meowmeow (not sure of spelling) which is a one-off purchase and attaches to the Libre. Using certain apps on phones, this can then mean you can have alarms and stuff too.

I've not used the MeowMeow but it seems people are very pleased with what it does.

From what I've read, I understand the Libre is actually cheaper than the Dexcom. Although the Dexcom can be made to run a bit longer, doesn't always work out as such.

Basically, what I'm saying is that there are various options available - but I'm no expert

This is the thing I was meaning - Miao Miao https://www.deebee.it/?p=14451&lang=en Best to do a search for it, tho

Here is, perhaps, a better site https://diabeteslifehacks.com/en/my-experience-with-the-miaomiao-freestyle-libre-transmitter/ but I can't find out the cost in UK for you.

 

[LooperCat]

I use MiaoMiao and love it - it makes Libre as good as Dexcom imo. With the third party collection apps, you blood calibrate it, and set alarms to whatever levels and times you like, it’s brilliant.

You get them dierect from the manufacturer, they’re £160 but waterproof and rechargeable. www.miaomiao.cool

 

[Scott-C]

Hi, @type1gabs , any type of cgm, whether it's dex or libre, can make life a lot easier, so I'd say go for it.

There's been a lot of posters who've been in two minds about whether to get cgm. After they've tried it, they've been reluctant to go back to strips alone.

We're dealing with a constantly moving, unpredictable target, so it's only fair that we get to see how it's moving. Cgm gives you that, strips don't.

You've probably had a few situations where the first you've known about a bad hypo or hyper is after it's happened, and we all know how long it can take to sort those sort of messes out.

With cgm, though, because we have a more or less real time graph on our phones and watches, it's easy to just have a quick glance every now and then, and if we see things looking like they're going to go astray, we can step in and fix it with maybe 1 or 2u to pin a rise from an underbolused meal, or 5g or a biscuit to tail off what might become a hypo.

We learn a lot about how little glucose is needed to gently tail off a drop, which means we are less likely to get into a rollercoaster by overtreating a hypo.

The first time you realise you have managed to completely avoid having what would have been a hypo, you will be totally sold on cgm.

Couple of books which discuss how to use cgm properly, they're on kindle:

Sugar Surfing, Stephen Ponder

Beyond Fingersticks, William Lee Dubois

I live in an area which prescribes libre, and the docs are starting to put together some numbers on how it affects a1c since about March when it started going on script.

In the pic below, it shows how out of 320 patients, the numbers getting an a1c below 48 almost doubled, and the numbers above 75 more than halved.

I'd suggest that's got a lot to do with the patients being able to see their levels and do sonething about it. A1c is just a number, though, but it's just as important to realise that it just makes day to day life so much easier and predictable being able to see what's going on, so I suspect many of these patients just have more peace of mind too. That has certainly been the case with me.

 

[boxing]

Hi type1gabs. I was in the Libre for about a year. I worked well except I got very low readings like 2.4 on the reader, but when I pricked on the meter I was around 5-6. It used to worry me. I never knew when to take a coke or whatever to bring up my bg. The last 2 weeks I have gone onto dexcom g6. Perfect readings compared to a bg glucometer. Only problem the alarm in the middle of the night when I am going low can wake the dead. I suppose that is the function of the machine. To keep you from going low. Without a doubt dexcom for me. No carrying around an extra device. It is linked to my Samsung s8. Good luck