Curious, when you were diagnosed, did your doctor let you know CGMs were an option for blood sugar monitoring or were you automatically prescribed a blood glucose meter such as OneTouch or Accu-Chek? I’m curious because when I was diagnosed, I was automatically given a BGM and didn’t even know CGMs were a thing for Type 2s until late last year. I only thought they were for Type 1s.
Many of us were diagnosed decades before Cell phones, Personal Computers, CGM’s etc. were even invented, so we have evolved since the first BGM’s even existed to today’s CGM technologies.
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CGMs should be available for anyone with an impaired glucose metabolism. I find insurance policies that discriminate against T2Ds’ access to pumps and CGMs to be unjust. As a T1D, I have easier access to this equipment, but i think T2Ds should be able to take advantage of this technology, especially if they treat with insulin.
CGMs provide safety and protection but the best thing they do is provide a custom education about how your unique glucose metabolism works – if you’re paying attention!
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I was lucky that my insurance carrier had updated the CGM policy to cover Type 2s last year making it much easier to get one. I likely would have benefitted a from having one several years prior.
I am told that if you aren’t on multiple injections the numbers have no change for medication administration. So they aren’t covered. So as example if your BS is 200 , you aren’t going to change the dose like you would if you where adjusting insulin. So it depends. Probably clear as mud,lol. Nancy50
CGMS have just recently become more popular so it is possible that at the time of your diagnosis they weren’t used much. Medicare just started allowing some CGMSs in 2017 (before that they weren’t cover for anyone). The Libre CGMS came out about a year or two ago. Dexcom and Medtronic’s Glucose sensor have been out a lot longer than that but they weren’t often used without the insulin pump.
That may be the way medicare interpretation is, but in reality, patient may modify their food choices, based on pre-meal BG. Maybe RX needs to include that in doctors notes. Or do some exercise.
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It takes so long to find out what tools are in our toolbox. Years.
For those living with T2, do you use a CGM or insulin pump?
- Yes
- No
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I use neither. I use an insulin pen.
It would be interesting to see a poll with the question,“As a T2, do you use both a CGM AND an insulin pump”?
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I use both. My doc (PCP) had mentioned that I’d probably benefit from a pump but I was doing fine on MDI at that time. Last summer my RX formulary changed so my insulin regimen changed as well and it was a struggle. That’s when I found out about CGM and did more research into them and pumps. Started with a G6 in October and a Tandem pump in January. What I wish I would have known several years prior!
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And I wish that Medicare had covered the Dexcom CGM since I started on Medicare which was about 3 years ago (IIRC).
I am beyond fortunate to be a public sector employee with a Cadillac insurance plan.
As a T2 I check my BG levels before most meals, and make food adjustments as needed. And after any meal, I am not sure of the carb count. Does not provide me with anywhere near enough strips, I find the CVS strips and pretty good and lot less expensive.
Other than exercise, I can’t lower my BG, but I can avoid making a high number worse.
As to the question above do I use a pump and a CGM I had to answer No.
I would recommend the equestion could be clarified to T2’s who use insulin, do you use a pump and/or a CGM