Preferences for glucose monitoring devices - research study

Hi everyone, I am conducting a research study to understand the opinions and preferences of people in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) for glucose monitoring devices. I would really appreciate your input into these discussions which will highlight what is important to people in DOC with managing diabetes. More information about the study can be found at:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/researchproject/glucose-monitoring-devices3/

Please note as this is a research study, your responses to this thread until the 20th of December may be used in a research study. You can choose to opt out of this study until the 23rd of December. If you wish to do so, please click on the link above, fill in the participant opt out form and return it to Emma Tassie by email (emma.tassie@abdn.ac.uk).

Thanks to all who have taken part so far You are welcome to join at any time, if you have missed a day and would like to discuss those questions please feel free to do so.

On day 1 we would like to speak about day to day life of managing diabetes and technology.

1. Can you tell me about what best helps you manage your diabetes and what parts of diabetes management you find most difficult?

2. What types of diabetes technology have you tried?

3. Are you eager to try new diabetes technology when it is newly available?


On day 2 we would like to know about your experiences of finger prick testing

4. What do you like and dislike about finger prick testing?

5. How many times do you (did you) finger prick test per day?

6. What are/were the biggest barriers to finger prick testing for you?


On day 3 we would like to know about your experiences of flash glucose monitoring (Libre). Today's questions are:

7. What do you like and dislike about flash glucose monitors?

8. Do you find (or think) the flash glucose monitor is useful for day to day diabetes management?

9. Do you (or think you might) use this information to adjust your insulin regimen?


Today is day 4 and it's the second last day, today we would like to know about your experiences and opinions of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). Here are today's questions:

10. What do you like and dislike about CGMs?

11. Do you find (or think) the CGM is useful for day to day diabetes management?

12. Do you (or think you might) use this information to make more adjustments to your insulin regimen?


Today is the last day I’ll be posting questions to the thread – thank you so much to everyone for taking part! Let’s finish it off by discussing what would be your ideal glucose monitoring system. Here are todays questions:

13. If you could choose any of the glucose monitoring devices available, what would you choose and why?

14. Do you think this glucose device could help you more effectively manage your diabetes, and why?

15. What are the most important features of a glucose monitoring system to you?


Edited by Mod to confirm this has been approved.

Hi Antje, thank you for your very helpful reply

Brunneria said:

1
These help me manage my blood glucose: the Freestyle Libre, using a glucometer, the support of fellow forum members
The most difficult is the endless minutiae of controlling blood glucose by diet only. Every mouthful chosen and controlled. Also the total lack of support from my NHS doc practice.

2.
Three different brands of glucometer, ketone testing strips and urine dip sticks, carb counting/nutrition apps on phone and tablet, online menu and recipe apps and websites, Freestyle Libre, and about to start using the miaomiao. Also private and NHS blood testing for HbA1c, random glucose, vitamin deficiencies, kidney function, cholesterol, CRP, etc. Some of these have led to me self funding further tests and nutritional supplements, and so on.

3
Eager? That depends on cost, availability, reviews, efficiency and convenience.
I self fund my blood glucose testing, so cost is a major factor.

Click to expand...

Some very interesting points raised - thank you for sharing

slip said:

Purely on a technology basis:


Bolus calculator (with IOB, time of day bolus ratio and correction ratios etc.) helps, wish the Libre scan results allowed it too! not so helpful, having to upload the scanner data for clinic manually - not difficult just a PITA.


Medtrum CGM, Abbot freestyle libre, like antje Novopen5 (with the memory function - a life saver at times) - would love to try a pump/AP


Yes, if it's affordable.

Click to expand...

The memory function pen seems a popular option - thanks for sharing

Go for it said:

1. Can you tell me about what best helps you manage your diabetes and what parts of diabetes management you find most difficult?
The most amazing monitoring device that I've been on since August. It wasn't on the drop down list of monitoring devices on your site? I always have lucozade available....that's my go to if required. Exercise.

2. What types of diabetes technology have you tried?
I've been pricking my fingers for years and using a variety of blood glucose monitoring devices. They have been good because that's all I knew. However my bug bare was always....if I test my sugars eg at night and it says 8....how do I know if that's going up? Going down or staying where it is? In the day at least I'm awake and can tell....or do a second test. However fingers suffered, skin peels and numbness creeps in. It's also anti social and a pain when you are out and about. However, Dexcom G6 came into my life in August and I cannot sing it's praises enough. Yes it costs but I would forfeit something else and afford Dexcom. A little sensor in your belly low down (change it very very easily every 10 days) and it has a tiny transmitter that clips into it, very unobtrusive. It links to an app on your phone that sends you blood glucose readings updated every 5 mins! It bleeps/vibrates if you drop low and the same if you go high.....not only that it tells you on the app if your sugars are going up steadily or fast and also if you are dropping steadily or fast. It will keep reminding you so you have to acknowledge it to stop the bleeping/vibrating....which proves to it you are dealing with it. AN ABSOLUTE GOD SEND XX

3. Are you eager to try new diabetes technology when it is newly available?
I wasn't before but actually now I probably would.

Edited by Mod to confirm this has been approved.

Click to expand...

[/QUOTE]
Great to hear your experiences of the Dexcom G6 - thank you for sharing

Antje77 said:

For everyone who wonders, this thread has been approved by DCUK!

1. Helps:
Fiasp. No more pre bolusing, much power post-meal spikes, and I see if I dosed right at least an hour earlier than with NovoRapid, preventing me from correcting too soon after insulin.

Closely monitoring bg through Libre and fingerpricks and reacting to what they tell me:
- Short term by correcting with insulin or carbs.
- Over the days by remembering the doses I used yesterday and the day before and what effect they had, as my insulin need seems to have a wave-like pattern over the weeks so my doses over the last days tell me a lot about my insulin need (or ratio, if you like, although I don't use ratio's) for today.
- Long term by mostly avoiding foods that have proven to be a nightmare to correctly dose for. Foods that spike fast and high make me itch to rage bolus too soon to correct the high, avoiding them makes life easier. I do sometimes choose to eat such foods, accepting a messy diabetes day once in a while.

1. Difficult:
- Constant awareness of having to think about what my bg is doing. Forget for a moment and diabetes takes the opportunity to pull nasty tricks.
- Constant decision making.
- No more crisps before bed (or in bed, really). After the initial spike, which I can dose for, the stupid things tend to spike me 4 or 5 hours later when I'm sound asleep.
- Swimming in lakes or canals, except for close to shore or ship where my stuff is. I'd love to tell my friends: "Hey, let's swim to the other ship/that buoy/the bend in the canal!", but I'm afraid to.
- I really dislike diabetes reviews, even when I know that all is well.
- People thinking I don't feel well when I check my bg often during social gatherings with food involved. Having scanned my Libre 10 minutes before makes me self-conscious to do it again but the second scan gives me information that's useful; take a piece of toast with garlic butter or that devilled egg?

2.
Various glucose meters
Novopen 5, which remembers your last dose (and other insulin pens)
Fancy new insulins
Various lab tests before my reviews
FreeStyle Libre, both with LibreLink and with Glimp, never used MiaoMiao

3.
Depends on what the technology is and if I think it may benefit me. Not interested in pumps, for instance, but very interested in Eversense and Dexcom (way too expensive though).

Click to expand...

Hi Antje, thanks again for taking part yesterday! Todays questions have been added to my original post. Looking forward to hearing your experiences about finger prick testing

Go for it said:

1. Can you tell me about what best helps you manage your diabetes and what parts of diabetes management you find most difficult?
The most amazing monitoring device that I've been on since August. It wasn't on the drop down list of monitoring devices on your site? I always have lucozade available....that's my go to if required. Exercise.

2. What types of diabetes technology have you tried?
I've been pricking my fingers for years and using a variety of blood glucose monitoring devices. They have been good because that's all I knew. However my bug bare was always....if I test my sugars eg at night and it says 8....how do I know if that's going up? Going down or staying where it is? In the day at least I'm awake and can tell....or do a second test. However fingers suffered, skin peels and numbness creeps in. It's also anti social and a pain when you are out and about. However, Dexcom G6 came into my life in August and I cannot sing it's praises enough. Yes it costs but I would forfeit something else and afford Dexcom. A little sensor in your belly low down (change it very very easily every 10 days) and it has a tiny transmitter that clips into it, very unobtrusive. It links to an app on your phone that sends you blood glucose readings updated every 5 mins! It bleeps/vibrates if you drop low and the same if you go high.....not only that it tells you on the app if your sugars are going up steadily or fast and also if you are dropping steadily or fast. It will keep reminding you so you have to acknowledge it to stop the bleeping/vibrating....which proves to it you are dealing with it. AN ABSOLUTE GOD SEND XX

3. Are you eager to try new diabetes technology when it is newly available?
I wasn't before but actually now I probably would.

Edited by Mod to confirm this has been approved.

Click to expand...

[/QUOTE]

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with us yesterday. Todays questions have been added to my original post. Looking forward to hearing your experiences about finger prick testing

slip said:

Purely on a technology basis:


Bolus calculator (with IOB, time of day bolus ratio and correction ratios etc.) helps, wish the Libre scan results allowed it too! not so helpful, having to upload the scanner data for clinic manually - not difficult just a PITA.


Medtrum CGM, Abbot freestyle libre, like antje Novopen5 (with the memory function - a life saver at times) - would love to try a pump/AP


Yes, if it's affordable.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the helpful information you shared yesterday – todays questions have been added to my original post. Looking forward to hearing your experiences about finger prick testing

Brunneria said:

1
These help me manage my blood glucose: the Freestyle Libre, using a glucometer, the support of fellow forum members
The most difficult is the endless minutiae of controlling blood glucose by diet only. Every mouthful chosen and controlled. Also the total lack of support from my NHS doc practice.

2.
Three different brands of glucometer, ketone testing strips and urine dip sticks, carb counting/nutrition apps on phone and tablet, online menu and recipe apps and websites, Freestyle Libre, and about to start using the miaomiao. Also private and NHS blood testing for HbA1c, random glucose, vitamin deficiencies, kidney function, cholesterol, CRP, etc. Some of these have led to me self funding further tests and nutritional supplements, and so on.

3
Eager? That depends on cost, availability, reviews, efficiency and convenience.
I self fund my blood glucose testing, so cost is a major factor.

Click to expand...

Hi and thanks again for taking part yesterday. The questions for today have been added to my original post. Looking forward to hearing your experiences about finger prick testing

slip said:

day 2 My experiences of finger prick testing


What do I like? the taste of my own blood?! LOL TBH theres nothing to like about it - it's what I have to do to keep me in control. Dislike, the hard peppered lumpy skin on the sides of all my fingers.


6-7 times a day


cleaning hands before testing to avoid contamination/skewed results. The size of the blood sample, before the Libre I was using Abbotts insulinx that needed a minuscule amount of blood, the libre wants an arm full!

Click to expand...

“the taste of my own blood?! LOL” Some interesting points raised - thank you

slip said:

day 2 My experiences of finger prick testing


What do I like? the taste of my own blood?! LOL TBH theres nothing to like about it - it's what I have to do to keep me in control. Dislike, the hard peppered lumpy skin on the sides of all my fingers.


6-7 times a day


cleaning hands before testing to avoid contamination/skewed results. The size of the blood sample, before the Libre I was using Abbotts insulinx that needed a minuscule amount of blood, the libre wants an arm full!

Click to expand...

"What do I like? the taste of my own blood?! LOL"

Brunneria said:

4. What do you like and dislike about finger prick testing?
I find knowing my blood glucose levels very reassuring. And incredibly valuable for blood glucose control. My HbA1c has improved significantly as a result.
I do not find it painful, and since I rotate my fingers, repeated testing throughout the day does not make my fingers sore.
Remembering to test is inconvenient but quickly becomes a habit.
I find the cost (I self fund my testing equipment) makes me test less frequently than ideal.

5. How many times do you (did you) finger prick test per day?
When I was first testing and mapping out my reactions to foods and my blood glucose levels, I tested
fasting blood glucose, before food and then 1 and/or 2 hours after, then again on going to bed. Conservative estimate 9 times a day.
However, as time has gone on, I test less, and over the last couple of years have mainly been using a Freestyle Libre periodically for intense periods of glucose monitoring to learn what happens over the full 24 hours, but not prick testing between Libre sensors. I find this better financial value than endlessly prick testing by the clock, and it is a much easier process too.

6. What are/were the biggest barriers to finger prick testing for you?
Having to self fund.
Cost of self funding.

Click to expand...

Brunneria said:

4. What do you like and dislike about finger prick testing?
I find knowing my blood glucose levels very reassuring. And incredibly valuable for blood glucose control. My HbA1c has improved significantly as a result.
I do not find it painful, and since I rotate my fingers, repeated testing throughout the day does not make my fingers sore.
Remembering to test is inconvenient but quickly becomes a habit.
I find the cost (I self fund my testing equipment) makes me test less frequently than ideal.

5. How many times do you (did you) finger prick test per day?
When I was first testing and mapping out my reactions to foods and my blood glucose levels, I tested
fasting blood glucose, before food and then 1 and/or 2 hours after, then again on going to bed. Conservative estimate 9 times a day.
However, as time has gone on, I test less, and over the last couple of years have mainly been using a Freestyle Libre periodically for intense periods of glucose monitoring to learn what happens over the full 24 hours, but not prick testing between Libre sensors. I find this better financial value than endlessly prick testing by the clock, and it is a much easier process too.

6. What are/were the biggest barriers to finger prick testing for you?
Having to self fund.
Cost of self funding.

Click to expand...

Sounds like lots of observing at the beginning - thanks for sharing