I don’t have a CGM yet. Working on it. I know just about everyone who has one says it’s a life-changer. But I have a concern. You know the way some people have to check their Facebook every 40 seconds? Do you become that way with your CGM, checking it compulsively and constantly taking measures to avoid highs and lows? I can picture myself just glued to it, ignoring my work, my chores, my family, the dog at the door … Tell me it’s not like that at all. Please.
Hi Beacher,
Speaking from personal experience, I would say at least in the beginning, yes it is. Like anything new you want to see what everything does and now with so much information you can see how every little carb affects you. Initially I was an OCD user. As time went on, not so much. It is an everyday part of my life, one I am very grateful for, but like all background noises you start to tune some of them out. I do check my CGM regularly, but now I trust the alarms more. They aren’t perfect, but they are in the ballpark most of the time, enough so that I only fingerstick 5-6 times a day now instead of 20-25.
Yes. It became such a compulsion for me, I gave it up. Sorry but it focused my life on my BG.
It’s helpful. You need to think about it as a tool only.
To a certain extent, yes. If you are problem solving certain aspects of your diabetes, then you’ll pay close attention as you make tweaks. Once you have everything under control, then I agree that you carry on and pay attention to alarms. I check before driving, before going into meetings or making presentations, or after eating certain types of food. Otherwise, I have plenty of other activities to be OCD about. 
I’ve also toned down my downloading of the CGM data and pouring over the software/reports. But in the beginning, yes, this will be a very cool distraction, especially if you’re really interested in improving your control. Without making any dietary controls but just by watching my CGM and minor bolus tweaks from what I learned (plus more timely correction doses for high bgs) my A1C dropped from 8.2 to 6.8 in 3 months.
I’ve been using a CGM for eight years now. While I pay fairly close attention to my CGM, I do not watch it to the exclusion of other important things, like reading, writing, exercising, and socializing.
To someone whose blood glucose metabolism works automagically, it may seem like I pay more heed to the CGM than I should. I understand that perspective is seated in ignorance about the huge metabolic chaos an out-of-control blood sugar can exact on your life.
You can choose to ignore your blood glucose number or watch it to the exclusion of everything else in life. There’s lots of ground in between that can strike a nice balance between those extremes.
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Sure, compulsiveness can happen but I think most of us use it as the tool that it is, paying more or less attention depending on the circumstances of the hour and day. You can probably plan on watching it a lot more when you first get one, but that’s just normal curiousity and calibration.
A very real danger yup.
I found that having a CGM lessened my diabetes anxiety and I no longer think about it as much. It’s setup to alert me when my blood sugar is out of range and I trust it to do its job. I can now enjoy dinner or a movie without wondering what my blood sugar is doing.
Sure, I checked it often at first to see patterns but once I started learning what my blood sugar really looks like, I didn’t need to check anymore.
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Great word! Stealing it!
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@beacher - trying to reply, but it’s soo hard to because I’m … (hang on) … constantly checking my … C … G … M … it was @ 90 when I started this post, and now it’s … ummm … rocketed … (hang on a bit, sorry) … to 91! 
As others have said, it will take a bit for you to reach a state of CGM-checking equilibrium, which may also be dependent on what’s going on with your BG and your life at any particular moment. I have been checking mine way more today, because I seem to be inexplicably living in hypo-land.
Also, depending on how sensitive you are to feeling lows (or highs), you might find yourself checking more, or less.
I certainly check my CGM more frequently than I ever did fingerstick meter tests, but I can do it very indiscreetly and in stride with other activities.
i agree that it was pretty addicting at first but like with all technology, the excitement of it faded somewhat with time. Being a very obsessive person, though, I still found it to be somewhat of a distraction even after the newness wore off. The biggest help in decreasing the amount of time I spend thinking about has been getting an Apple watch. I set my low alarm fairly high so that my watch will discretely vibrate at a higher number than what I typically treat. That way when I start having anxiety about going low or high, I can remind myself that parameters are set very tight and I therefore have no need to check. And, when I do want to be obsessive about it, I can just glance at my watch which takes up less time and energy than digging out the receiver/phone.
Even when I do get obsessive with it, I find it still takes up less time than I previously spent worrying about my numbers without it.
Does the CGM cause compulsive behavior or are compulsive people compulsive with their CGM’s? I like numbers and am a bit compulsive with all aspects of my diabetes, much like I am with other aspects of my life.
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I think I was more compulsive and anxiety prone before using a CGM. I felt almost like I was operating in the dark somewhat and was testing my BG 15 times a day on some days. In times when I was out for a couple of hours, doing an activity that wouldn’t allow me to test during, I would get very agitated and uneasy. Before going to bed, I would test at least twice in a span of 30 minutes, to try and establish a trend. While I kept things very tightly controlled, it was exhausting.
Now with the CGM, I feel a lot more relaxed. Being able to see the trends and adjust accordingly is amazing and I love it. I also don’t finger prick nearly as often. Maybe only 4-5 times a day. I can also participate in more activities without having to worry much as I always have a clue at how I’m doing. I know I feel more at ease but I had others tell me that I seem to be more relaxed as well. 
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Yeah I’ve tried a CGM twice. I can’t deal with it for that reason, plus it makes me SO aware of my being diabetic (I’m aware enough on my own, thanks very much) that it makes me extremely depressed.
I do check my blood sugar frequently “the old fashioned way,” but it’s not like having something attached to your body that you can not only check a million times, but which actually ALERTS you about stuff even when it might be off, and in the middle of the night when it’s off - and rest is important for my levels to be sane.
It’s not the tool for me.
Laughing at the dog remark but truly, I have OCD and my hubby and my endo thought the tool would make me loopy. I cant afford it anyway, so I am not going that route. At least not for now.
I have been using my CGM for 6 months and I was very resistant to it initially. Now I would not do without it. I have noticed that I no longer live in fear of having a low because I know when my BS is going down and I can take care of it. The readings helped my doctor see a pattern in my BS rising and he suggested a change in my pre meal insulin that helped me tremendously. I say try it and see if it works for you. Having no fear makes my wearing a CGM worth it for me.
Thank you, all, for all your helpful replies. I put in my order today.
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Good luck and please report back on your experience with a CGM.
I am stealing it as well!!!
That was very funny…
I have had my CGM for about a month and I do check constantly because it still so new. The OCD was not really my problem as was the fact that I had to be within 20 feet to get readings. I have learned the limits as to how far I can go at home…i no longer take it to the bathroom 
. I have noticed that I am not checking it as often. Having the CGM is very useful…and I have developed a routine with it already.