cgm monitors
I'd like some feedback about the cgm monitors. I've read up on them a little bit and I'm thinking of going to my dr and asking him to prescribe one for me because i've been hypoglycemic and it sound like something that could help me regulate my sugars more. Has anyone ever used one that a friend from this site? All sugestions would be great;-)
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I have the Medtronic mini med with the cgm I absolutely love the cgm because it forces me to take more finger sticks and so to look at the reasons on my pump and think before I eat!
hi sorry have no experience of them…wish you well!
Haven't heard of them but being type 2 I haven't needed insulin but grandson is type one so I'd like to know about it for him. He's 24 and prefers just his pen and poking himself to test.
No I haven't either , But would love to learn more,
Like a few of the others, I use a Medtronic MiniMed Revel Pump 512 but with the new Enlite CGM. It is very comfortable and easy to insert.
I think all CGMs at this point are going to be inaccurate until they can make some great improvements in how they read the glucose levels in our bodies.
The BEST part about them at this point, is that they do show trends. They alert you when your BG is dropping or rising. You can then do a finger stick to check and make sure you actually are and what your numbers actually are and then act accordingly.
I'm new at using one and right now, I'm loving it! It should help me and my doctor tweak my insulin dosages better along with my carb ratios.
If your insurance will cover it, I say, by all means, go for it!
Teresa
Teresa, have you read about the medtronic pump/CGM that got approval to be used in Europe…it combines the CGM with the insulin infusion set so that there is only one insertion point for both. Exciting development but no approval yet in the US. I read about it here in one of their news articles…here's the link http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetes-infor.... Unfortunately, I have no insurance coverage for CGM so haven't been using one.
Totally fascinating, Lou! Thank you so much for sharing that information! I'm totally excited to see that progress and can't wait for it to become available in the US!
I have Medicare and Medicaid. It used to be neither of them paid for a CGM but now, Medicare doesn't but Medicaid does. That's how I got mine recently. Yay for advances in the insurance industry too! Proactive rather than reactive!
No, I haven't but I'd like to know more as well.
what are cgm monitors?gd luck on that let me know my sugars are running a little high also
Sorry I've not heard of them , i don't test at all just diet !!!
thanks 4 everyones input;-) I'm t2 hypoglycemic and just want to know what others think about this cgm;-)
I've done a lot of research and I'm also looking at going on the dex com g4 as a "pre pump" adjustment therapy. CGMs will be inaccurate as they are really only useful to see the trend in your sugar levels. After all if your blood sugar is 5 mmol (90 mgdl) and rising, you would treat that completely different than if it were falling.
The other thing I have been advised to watch for being a type 1 is rage blousing… Taking extra insulin because your sugars aren't dropping. Then you realize your humalog doesn't peak for a couple hours and you realize that your blood sugar is dropping like a rock for the next the hours because you've taken several shots and your peak action will now be over the next 3 hrs.
All in all it is definitely an interesting system, and a great advantage for sure. As some have pointed out, the costs can be very high, and are definitely a limiting factor. The list cost from animas lists the sensors at about 80 dollars Canadian, the CGM at 800, and the transmitter I believe at 300. Sensors are claimed to be good for 7 days.
The part that interests me with the CGM is the alarms. From what my diabetic team has said, you can alarm for sugar level, or rate of change, or both. Can anyone confirm that?
At any rate, I'm hoping my endo will give the green light for pump therapy next week, however I expect it will likely be a few more months before we can consider it.
One of the advantages of the Medtronic Enlite CGM is that it communicates directly with the Medtronic 530G Insulin pump and has a "Threshold Suspend" feature that, if you fail to respond to an alarm for a pre-set low BG level (like when you're sleeping and don't hear it), the pump will suspend insulin delivery for up to 2 hours. I don't think any other system does that. Users of the 530G with Enlite system, according to their reviews, have been very pleased with it.
sorry hun but never heard of them type of monitors.. google it may find some imfo on them
Funny,
I have a Paradigm, which is both a CGM and insulin pump. At the end of the day I found fingersticks to be the most accurate (and you still need to do them everyday to calibrate the CGM with your blood glucose monitor)
The best part though, was they recorded rise/fall trends, AND alarms when your sugars are too low, which would be a huge help for your hypoglycemia.
Good luck, keep us posted!
Jeff, I'm using a Medtronic Minimed Revel Paradigm 523 pump (that's a mouthful!) but not a CGM. Until Medicare provides coverage for CGM's I can't afford them. Medtronic's new Minimed 530G with Enlite has a CGM (Enlite) that communicates with the pump. It has the capability of suspending basal insulin delivery for up to 2 hours if blood sugar drops below a preset level and there is no response to the alarm it generates (like you may not here the alarm if you are sleeping.) Many users report better control with it. I would upgrade to that system if I had coverage for CGM's.
Dear, I've never heard if that type of monitor. I'd like to know exactly what they are, but I like my Breeze 2 a cup heck machine
I had gotten my Hgb A1C down from 12.5 Feb 2012 to 6.5 April 2013. But it had gone back up to 9.5 this Apr after I totaled my car June 2013 & lost 4 family members. But I got it back down to 7.5 by July 14,'14. I'm on depression meds plus my new Dr put me on Metformin ER 1000 mg bid & Byetta 10 MCG bid & Novolog 8 units at supper & Levimir 10 units at bedtime. Hoping to get rid of some of it before long. If there's anything else you need to ask you may
Take care. Barb
Sorry dear I've never heard of it. Good luck getting the information you need to make an informed decision.
Here's a link to a Medtronic article describing why you'll get different readings from a CGM than from a finger-stick. http://www.loop-blog.com/blog/Why-Sensor-Gluc... click on the black box midway down the article to see the video…I found it enlightening.
Very sorry luv, have no idea about that, good luck with your quest!
Here's a link to an article that appeared in Diabetes Forecast describing a CGM and what it does.
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/05-may/a...
I am also trying to find a link to a video Medtronic put out describing why CGM's and finger-stick readings will always differ. If Medicare provided the coverage, I would opt for a CGM.
Sorry never even heard about these monitors, hope your doctor can give you some good insight when you see him next.
I don't anything bout them but think that's what my dr is putting me on next week.
Sorry funny girl mot very knowledgeable on this subject sorry "smiles"
I use the Medtronic Enlite CGM that goes with the 530 pump. It's comfortable to insert and have in but I find some irritation to the skin with the insanely sticky/stretchy tape. I like having it but it's got a reputation for being inaccurate. I've heard many great reviews on the dexcom system and am thinking of switching. It usually gets inaccurate readings if you are prone to quickly changing sugars and not relatively stable in your management. I think it's a great tool when it works but requires extra attention. I will definitely keep using mine and look into the dexcom version
I use it. I find it to be inaccurate. But, I still use it. You still need to do a finger stick for insulin dosing. I use the Decomm G4 Platinum.
I don't know much about it either. Would talk to dr and see what dr says.
Sorry funnygirl98, not in my expertise realm .