The VA can issue under there one of 2 critireas and I fall unboth cleary!!!
Here it is and My Endo adn DCM (Diabetic Case Manger) would casue she they dont really work QUOTE from her!!! and dont really work that good…I think it’s about M. O. N. E. Y.!!!
Read VA healthcare directicve on Insulin Pump and CGMS
What do or what does every one think??? I meet Hypo and Hyper and Unawreness and including Disabiliting Hypo and all mention period and documented on my ACCU-CHEK!!! Taking my mg/dL 14-18 times a day!! for he last YEAR!!! +
Hardly! My husband has been carrying a man purse for as long as I’ve known him (27 years). It’s a very small black thing, and it’s very handy for me – mainly b/c when I don’t feel like carrying a purse, I put all my stuff in his bag, lol! Your wife will love it!
You my friend are one lucky wife! I refuse to let my wife carry any of the bionic items for fear they will become lost again in the black hole that is her purse. I fear that if I carried a man purse, the iteme she would see fit to add would cause some sort of space vacuum, sucking in all items near it. =^)
Started using MM CGM in June of 2007 - had BBBAADDD experience. tossed it. It took a year to try again after talking with a doc on line about the Dexcom (which is always spot on). I’ve had the Dexcom for almost 2 years and it has saved me from several lows going too far. Now that I’m 50 something and 30+ yr with type 1, I’m struggling to keep the swings down. So I think that CGM is the way to go in the future and will ultimately lead to a closed loop system.
I’m also Hypo unaware, just ask my spouse
I’ve been pumping for 24+ yrs and have been through many pump improvements. I truely believe that the strives we make today utilizing and improving CGM systems will pave the way for many others in the years to come. so I think this is a GREAT TOOL.
Keep fighting the insurance companies. I had to, to get a pump 24 yrs ago…
I would beg to differ…what does one’s HbA1c have to do with having lows. My last HbA1c was 6.1 but I have some bad lows that catch me when I least expect it, too many variables.
I had to fight the "pumps are too new, no data to prove they work in the 80’s. Find some docs on line to help support your case. most of all keep fighting. They will give you one just to get rid of you and it will help the next person. Good luck!
i bought a Dexcom 7 out of pocket, because my insurance company says I’m “doing too well” too need coverage for one.
I had to wait nearly a week for a trainer to show up, but Dexcom counted those 6 days as part of my 30 day trial period. I wore the unit for a couple weeks but the numbers were so erratic, despite multiple calls to tech support. I was testing even more frequently than my normal 8-10 times a day because I simply didn’t trust it.
When I was getting up during the night with alarms (which proved to be false) my husband made the comment that I seemed to have lost much of my previous freedom to having to tend to this machine all the time. Plus, I didn’t like how bulky the receiver was.
I would’ve loved to give it a little more time but since I was paying out of pocket, I only had 30 days to try it, and like I said, Dexcom counted the six days I had to wait for training. So I returned it.
That was almost two years ago. I’ve been working with my endo to see if I can qualify for one due to some slight hypo unawareness. But since I test about 12-15 times a day now, I don’t see that a CGMS would make much difference for me. I still don’t want to have to wear that bulky thing, along with my pump and carrying my kit; it’s just too much.
I believe they’ll improve to the point where we’ll all get one as a standard procedure but for now, I’ve given up the battle.
I tried the Medtronic CGM for about 2 months and found my experience extremely frustrating and unpleasant. When, inserting the needle I felt like I was stabbing myself with a lance! Then, I found the shell difficult to keep inserted. I am thin through the trunk, which Medtronic kept reminding me. Medtronic needs to address both of these issues before I will return to the M. CGM. The CGM did help me see immediately the effect of diet and exercise on my blood sugars, and that was helpful. I think it takes several months of use (aside from the insert and keeping it in problem) before a person can feel comfortable in using the CGM.
I think CGMS technology is the best thing since sliced bread. I’m a Dexcom 7 Plus user. I have found it to be invaluable in helping me keep an eye on things. It has helped me avoid some nightime lows and I can keep an eye on what’s going on when I try something new. CGM helped me tighten up my control a great deal and it was nearly painless. At least with the Dexcom, the insertion of the sensor is practically painless. I think I would go nuts without the silly thing now. I would recommend CGMS for anyone who wants to keep an eye on real time glucose monitoring. I think the CGM should be standard issue equipment when you are diagnosed.
The keeping it in problem is solved by using a cover, such as Tegaderm or IV3000. The thin problem is solved by inserting at a shallower angle. The stabbing is, unfortunately, unavoidable. I’m surprised you didn’t get better training! But then, when I first tried it, I was unsuccessful, also. After 2 years, I took another training, a lot better that time, and have been able to use it successfully. These devices are far from perfect, but I expect they will improve with time, like the meters did. You might want to wait a couple of years and then try again.
Natalie, thanks for your suggestions. I tried both of these suggestions, but continued to have problems with insertion and keeping it on. I received two trainings, but the problems I mentioned continued. Yes, I think I will need to wait a couple of years, but I would like to use a CGM now, as I am sure my control would improve.
Are you using a skin-prep wipe to prepare sensor site? I mistakenly did that twice (so used to using with pump infusion sets, I went on autopilot) and got ???. Now I stick to alcohol wipe and rarely get ???
Well, it looks like the only solution is for you to get fatter, LOL!! Actually, I’m really sorry it hasn’t worked for you, because I have found it so informative. The other thought I had is, whether a Dexcom might work for you. I don’t know if that’s available to you, and I don’t know if they will let you have a trial period, but it might be worth looking into.
I wanted to add something to my earlier comments. First thanks to those who replied to my specific complaints. Next, I did find that a suggestion by one of my “trainers” helped with the pain associated with insertion of the needle. I put an ice cube wrapped in a washcloth on the site where I planned to insert the needle for at least 5 minutes prior to the insertion. That helped deaden the site and it did not hurt nearly as much to stab myself. The other suggestion she made was to hold the needle in place for 5 minutes after insertion. I found it difficult to hold it in place for that long, but it did seem to help with the success of putting in the needle and keeping the site from bleeding (a major problem for me). Those are two suggestions that may help other CGM users.
Yes, but I would have to get fatter in the middle and I don’t think it works that way when one gains weight! I do not think my insurance company would pay for a second CGM, so I don’t know if it would be worth it to undergo a trial and then not be able to buy one if I liked it.
Not being able to gain fat in the middle means you are not insulin-resistant, which is a wonderful thing! I, on the other hand, gain it there, and nowhere else. Not having insulin resistance means you are at less (but not no) risk for heart disease – there is still the issue of being diabetic, which you can’t change. But if you get heart disease, it will be later rather than sooner, yay!
I’m sorry about the insurance thing – and being stuck with equipment you can’t use. So I guess it’s Serenity Prayer time – change what you can, accept what you can’t , and try to figure out the difference!
To add on there are a variety of charts that come with the software for dexcom, but in addition you can add in “events” like insulin, carbs, excercise which will have icons show up on the chart (like a needle for when you injected/bolused the insulin) at the bottom of the chart/graph of your BS numbers for that time period. In addition, if you input a BG reading it imposes it on the graphs (so you can go back later to see how close the CGM was reading to what you were testing).
Actually, once it is in, it is not that painful. The moment of injecting is the worse. I think it is seriously insane to expect people to inject such huge needles in the first place. Medtronic needs to work on this problem.
