Has anyone tried this thing?? its like a little needle they put in kind of near your belly button i guess, and it stays in for 72 hours and then they take it out and it shows a record of your glucose for all that time… or something?? im still quite confused about the whole thing but im supposed to be getting soon and im SO nervous!! probably because i dont understand it yet. HELP!!
Let me know if anyone has ANYTHING to say about it.
Thanks =]
Hey Hollis,
I have used two different continuous glucose monitors (CGM) in the past year - the Minimed one and the Dexcom - and am currently using the Dexcom. I’ve written plenty of posts about the CGM on my blog (here’s a link: http://sixuntilme.com/blog2/cgms/). The basic gist is that a CGM takes “blood sugar readings” from the interstitial fluid in your body and sends the readings to an external receiver, giving you a pretty good gist of what your blood sugar is at any given time and what direction it’s going in. CGMs have high and low blood sugar alarms, so they’re useful for detecting hypos in the middle of the night, as well as helping to determine whether or not your basal insulin/carb ratios are working out for you. 
I wear my Dexcom sensor either on my arm or on my lower back, and I did a quick video to show how a sensor is applied. It’s a tricky device to get used to, but knowing when I’m popping up too high, dropping too low, or just pinging all over the place has really helped me fine tune my numbers.
Are you going to be using a CGM full time, or just for a few days? If you’re hooking up to one for just a few days, I’m guessing you may be hooked up to the Minimed system.
I hope this little blurb of info helps. I know there are a lot of other people on TuDiabetes who are either using CGMs currently or have used them in the past. Ask us anything, and hopefully we can help!!
Shoot - I screwed up the link to the sensor video. Here it is, hopefully correct this time: Six Until Me, Dexcom Sensor
Hey, Hollis. Kerri is a trustworthy resource - I learn a lot about new technologies from her wonderful blog.
We have several sources of information about continuous monitoring here on the site. This discussion has a lot of helpful information, as does our group for continuous glucose monitor users. We also have a group for Dexcom users, Freestyle Navigator users (this is the one I wear), and a group for those who use the Minimed Paradigm insulin pumps (many of which have a cgms function).
I wear the Dex too, and I wear it on my abdomen (not as adventurous as Kerri!). It is definitely not as scary as you think:) If you want to know more, or have specific questions, feel free to shoot me a message.
I have the MiniMed CGMS and I wear it on my leg. But like Kerri said, if it’s just for a few days, you’ll probably get hooked up at the Dr’s office and it will be on your stomach. Check out Kerri’s posts. And you can google it some too. There are lots of people who are using CGM now and lots of info on it.
I have the Minimed CGMS also…I still only use my upper stomach for the sensors
I am using the Freestyle Navigator (Abbott) CGM and can put the sensor in the back of the arm. Not painful, and I’m not running out of places for my pump, either. It looks like at least the Dex can be worn in the back of the arm, too.
I look like I’m wearing the biggest nicotine patch in the world (the Navigator transmitter looks bigger than the others) but it has been worth it. This tu diabetes site - and Kerri’s site - appear to have a lot of links to the various CGMs available and a lot of personal testimonial for you to research.
I am hooked up to one right now and its only been a day and I already hate it! but I have to keep mine on for 7 days…not 72 hours! but I hope it worked out for you!