Recommended CBGM and Insulin pumps

Morning Megan, trust me when I say you will sleep despite tossing and turning they are very easy to cope with ! Have you explored the freestyle Libre at all, this is a good cost effective blood glucose monitoring system however it is self funded. Are you intending to self fund ? I believe CGMs can be quite expensive so it's a good idea to work out what your plan is and what you want to achieve before diving in

hi @MeganFatch
welcome to the forum

no experience of CGM's but have started pumping 5 months ago - and it is fabulous.
I am on the omnipod - and i am a restless sleeper too -- have not had any issues .

the freedom not to have to inject is amazing

there is a lot of work goes in to maintaining levels on the pump though -- i keep detailed daily records on everything
and speak to my DSN about once a month


all the best !

Type 1 60 years. I've been on Medtronic pumps and cgm for nine years. Now with Medtronic 640G pump and CGM on NHS because of lack of hypo awareness. Far less hassle with injections (once every 3-4 days for pump, every six days for sensor) and no trouble with pumps flying about at night or day. I just wish the pump and sensor could be smarter. Being horribly irregular (widely different BG results given same bolus, basal, food and exercise) makes control very difficult. I have to test BG very frequently because the sensor isn't accurate enough and gives too many low blood sugar alerts (it buzzes) when the actual BG is nowhere near the low limit. On balance pumps and cgms are a huge advance over the old injection, but they aren't intelligent. It would be better if when you told the pump you were doing heavy exercise, that it lowered your basal rate, that if you had an inexplicably continuous series of high BG readings it didn't continue to suggest far too low corrections. Diabetes needs a lot of attention.
Best wishes
Adam

adamrit said:

It would be better if when you told the pump you were doing heavy exercise, that it lowered your basal rate, that if you had an inexplicably continuous series of high BG readings it didn't continue to suggest far too low corrections. Diabetes needs a lot of attention.
Best wishes
Adam

Click to expand...

I'm on the same pump and I have a preset temp basal when I do exercise. You can set your own levels. The low corrections may be due to the fact you have your target range set quite high, for some reason the Medtronic pumps only aim for the higher end of the target range when offering correction doses (personally I would have set it to aim for the middle of the target range, surely that could have been built into the software)

Hi @MeganFatch, I have been self funding the Dexcom G4 since November, and started on a Animas Vibe pump a week or so ago. I persistently refused to even consider a pump since being diagnosed in 1986, but that was because I simply didn't understand it all. I am so glad I took the leap of faith, and have no regrets at all. Sleeping is no issue, and the pump just clips into my PJs, and the CGM is simply amazing - Not had the confidence to leave it loose in bed or under the pillow as many do, but sure that will happen in time. I used to go months without blood tests, and now shiver at the thought of being "offline" for just 2 hours when the dexcom needs to reset once per week! I have found the accuracy of the G4 to be exceptional (there appears to be wuite a few negatives spoken on here about the Libra, but there are also die-hard fans, so I would recommend you investigate fully before making a decision on any system - and whilst the up front setup costs of the Dexcom are higher, the 2 year running costs are remarkably similar to the Libra), but the value is in the trend, and not so much in the actual reading at any given time. I would highly recommend you read "Think Like a pancreas" and/or "Sugar Surfing", as they will really highlight the benefits you can gain from a pump and CGM combo. They are also worth the read if you stay on MDI. Also "Pumping Insulin" is an amazing read, if you decide to move forward with a pump.
I chose the Vibe, because it pairs with the Dexcom, and provides cheaper access to the sensors and transmitters via Animas.
The bolus calculations and basal dosing is simple yet brilliant, and I have also set myself up with an xDrip, meaning I am able to see the CGM data on either my phone or smart watch, which is perfect when doing things like skiing, and I don't want to have to get the Dexcom out of my pocket.
If you have any specific question, feel free to PM me or ask in the forum, I'll happily answer whatever I can, but personally, like most people, I would not get rid of my pump or CGM for anything. HtH, Paul

After 7 weeks of reporting problems with my Dexcom G4 with Share to Dexcom technical support AND to the manager, Trish Kruger and Director, Theresa, of Customer Experience at Dexcom, a letter was received on Tuesday, 3/8/16, alerting patients to a KNOWN problem with alarms and alerts NOT sounding on the devices (15 different model numbers of this device).
They also know that some of the replacements that they have sent out to patients, to address this device failure, HAVE THE SAME ISSUE, but are mailing them out, anyway.
Is anyone else having these types of issues with Dexcom?

I find them very unresponsive and they don't seem to be listening to important information that I provide to help them troubleshoot this further.

hello, I am 73, type 1 on insulin for 46 year no complications as yet. Wish this type of forum had been around years ago. (wish lots of things had been around years ago,.) I have had some problems with lack of hypo awareness recently and have just decided to use the freestylelibre - so far in my trial I am feeling good about it, giving me some confidence asd it is so easy for me to check frequently. I have to finance it myself but the confidence it gives me is worth it. Comparing the cost to what strips and lancets cost on NHS for the usual blood tests gives me food for thought. Am interested to hear other thoughts on the freestylelibre use. thanx.