To Dexcom Or Not To Dexcom?

[Ashlav91]

Hi all,

DexCom...

Although I was diagnosed almost 11 years ago, DexCom has only recently come to my attention.

For those of you who used/ still use it, have you seen an appovement at all?

It interest sme with the potential ease of not having to constantly worry about BG levels and having to stop What I'm doing at the time. The though of just looking at a smart watch or mobile to check would be so much similar on the go or whilst exercising.

The only thing that puts me off is the potential large some of Money required on a monthly basis for sensors etc is rather high.

I understand if rather spend money to improve my overall health but when you're talking over £300 pm then you start to reconsider.

If you have any comments, please feel free!

Thanks in advance

Ash x

 

[novorapidboi26]

It is expensive that's for sure........

you could try and get a Libre prescription and then just fork out the one time payment for a bluecon or maio maio reader.....which will take readings off the Libre every few minutes and send it to an app of your choice...

there will be notification options for high and low etc....

I haven't any personal experience but I am aware of the devices....

 

[niniskins]

I used the Dexcom G4 for the longest of times. In my opinion, it made living with T1D 10x easier. If I was ever concerned about my blood sugar, I would simply look down and see what my number is instead of having to poke my finger and check. It is very convenient and helpful. Identifying trends is also a great use for this. After meals, exercise, stress, almost anything, you can see what your sugar levels do. This helped me balance my blood sugars by making adjustments so they aren't all over the place.
Now the sensor is supposed to be replaced every week or something (I'm not sure), but I could make the sensor last about a month before it ripped off. This saved a lot on supplies.
Having the convince of just knowing your sugar all the time is super nice. Seeing the trends also improved my health.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[Deleted Account]

I tried Dexcom and Libre.
Sure there was some value from both but I didn't find either very accurate so the value to me was the trends rather than the absolute values. I was able to work out which foods spiked earliest (so learnt to take my insulin earlier), what was happening during exercise, etc.

The DexCom can alert when your BG is too high, too low, falling too quickly or rising too quickly.
Some people have "pimped" their Libre to do something similar but this requires additional tech.

If possible, I would recommend getting a trial before making a long term investment - some people find them great, others find them inaccurate or irritates their skin.