So far, out of 4 MM sensors used from a box (7 days each), all have been unable to accurately track my sugars. Ugh. $700 wasted. I wonder if it has anything to do with the box being left at my door out in the sun by UPS!?!?! Do you think MM will replace/refund a bad box?
I love my CGM, I just hate the 5 hour recharge time.
I just ordered my Medtronic CGM today!!! I am totally scared out of my mind. By the way, Iâm 42 years old- I should be able to handle this with no problem. Happened so fast that I had no time to look back. Have appointment with nurse at 9:30 tomorrow. Wow! Shazzzamm!!! I hope this contraption is worth it! I am an active female; I donât need anything else slowing me down. Wish me luck!
Good luck, Rebecca! :-)
I am debating on getting a cgm. Would you guys suggest that I do?
Jolynn, my advise is to learn as much as possible about CGM before you make the investment. For some the technology works well, but for some it doesn't. I did the CGM for two years and then stopped because of many issues with the technology. What I've seen from reading posts on this site about CGM is that everyone seems to be different and for those who can master calibration its helps in managing our T-1 diabetes.
See if you can get a hold of, and read, the book âBeyond Fingersticks: The Art of Continuous Glucose Monitoringâ by William Lee DuBois. Wil is a huge advocate of CGMs, but he can help you better understand what a CGM can and cannot do (many people go into it with unrealistic expectations), and whether it will give the info youâre looking for. A word of caution, though: his language can be quite âcolorfulâ.
Personally, I use a CGM all the time and canât imagine NOT using it. Itâs certainly not the best CGM out there (far from it), but it can show me trends, which are more important to me than raw numbers.
The best analogy I can make is that the cgm is like a speedometer. You can use formulas, feelings, and measurements to estimate what your sugars are between meter readings, but the only way to KNOW what your body is doing between readings is to have the data. And the data changes daily.
I started with the original medtronic cgm, and upgraded to the Realtime. the accuracy improvements are amazing!
Alright thank you! That is super helpful. I will look for that book!
You can do a trial run first. Ask your endocrinologist, or contact the manufacturers directly, and they'll set you up with someone.
For me, I'm about 50/50 on the CGM. It was very handy - when it worked. Sometimes the readings were way off, sometimes the infusion set wouldn't go in correctly. But, when it did work, I found it very useful. Learned a lot about how my body responds to various foods and insulin.
Unfortunately, having another infusion set in my body all the time is not practical because I have very little body fat. I've always intended to use it once/month to recalibrate my pump, but I've never done it. I tense up at the thought of having to put the infusion set in. Hopefully, the technology will get much better - like an all-in-one infusion set.
Thanks!
Just started using the new Medtronic Minimed 530G pump with CGMS. (note: I have been a minimed pump wearer since 1995) So far it has gone off with a warning about every 20-30 minutes for the last 5 hours. I think it may have bled out and may be screwing the readings up, but since its all taped over I really can't tell. I'm hoping it's just because it hasn't gotten calibrated yet, but if this keeps up at work all day tomorrow I will have to turn the alarm off. Is there anyone else in the group using this new Pump/CGMS?
I wear the CGMS with a minimed paradigm pump. I think itâs very important to calibrate when blood sugar is constant. Sometimes it takes several hours and a second calibration to be closer to target. I do turn off my alarms at work and just check it by looking and testing with my meter every so often. I LOVE the sensors and hate to go a day without one in. Do not give up. It gets better!
I have not used the new sensor but was told the new one is similar to the old one for calibration. When I wore the old sensors, I found the best trick was to insert the sensor at night and calibrating it in the morning. This gave the sensor plenty of time to "get wet" inside my body and it made it so I didn't have to deal with all the alarms during the day.
If I bleed through the Sof-Sensor, (old style), I usually find it is useless. I sent back my 530G and Enlite sensors when I realized the $$ costs were going to be close to double.
I'm with you guys. Most times, the actual readings are hopelessly inacurate, but it is the trends that concerns me. Yes, I get a lot of false alarms, especially for the remainder of the day after a long (10+ miles) run. I also have site selection problems but generally find the my upper buttocks works best, abdomen often will not insert to full depth and ofetn womes out as I bend and stretch throughout the day.
My plan is to order the new Enlite sensor, to use with my revel 723. Yes it costs twice as much BUT, they last twice as long; that's a wash. Unoffically, I learned that the enlite does work with the revel. In a month, I will know!
I had the same experience with the minimed cgms. It was three years of being horribly inaccurate, uncomfortable, and the sensors didn't stay on very long. However, I switched to the Dexcom about a year ago and LOVE IT. You can actually rely on its readings and I can wear it for a lot longer at a time. Just FYI - if you're eligible to switch.