hello! I have a question, My Daughter is 14 going on 15, I have noticed that when she does have a low its pretty low (low 50’s) by the time she even starts to feel it. and the highs sometimes are high 200’s and low 300’s before she feels it. I haven’t seen too many teens on here w/CGMs. I have also read that the people who get the most benefit from CGMs are more in their 20’s and older.
I am wondering being that she doesn’t notice that she is dropping if this would justify getting a CGM? If so would the Ins co cover it? I did notice that the Dexcom is not too horribly expensive, but as with a meter how much are the sensors? are they a HUGE expense?
I wouldn’t get a CGM as a way of detecting when you’re going low or high, simply because there is usually a 20-30 minute delay between the sensor data and the pump. However, you can set the alarms so that it alerts her when it’s heading downward, maybe 80 or 85, and when it’s heading upward such as 180 or 190. But that means you’ll get a lot more alarms, but it can be worth it. I don’t think the age of the person has anything to do with it. It’s just that people in their 20’s or older have been waiting a long time for this technology so we’ve been jumping on it!
thats what I was thinking of. Mostly because she doesn’t feel it when she is going low, even starting. Its already way low by the time she feels anything. So if there is a way to head that off, say an alarm at even 70, she could just eat a light snack as a way to bring it up, thus avoiding the low.
My son uses dexcom. If your daughter will use it, you will find it invaluable. If she is going to resent it and “forget” it in the desk, it will likely be a waste of money. We love our dexcom, it has been a wonderful thing we have never regretted getting, but many people leave it unused, because they are not willing to put in the time and effort that a cgm requires to be used well. If your teen is wanting better control, she will likely appreciate the heads up on lows and highs, but many teens ignore or turn of the alarms because of their peers and that is sad, but realistic. So talk with your daughter and see what she wants. And research what the CGM’s do and do not do so you go into it with your eyes wide open. For us, the dexcom is about 5 minutes behind the actual bg reading. It has been wonderful, but my son has had enough lows that he is more embarassed by his behavior when low than an alarm… not everyone is the same way though.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with this. Are you using the Dexcom, Angi, or the Minimed, because I have never seen a delay anywhere near that long with the Dexcom. Maybe it’s just my own experience, but my CGM data is usually very close to what I see with a fingerstick, even when I’m rising and falling. I would recommend doing it.
I would highly reccommend getting one of the systems. I to would not notice highs or lows until I had to take drastic action. I have had a CGMS system for seven months (mine just died) and it is amazing some of the things that you notice about how you are treating yourself.
As far as the expense is concerned, a lot of insurance companies will now cover the systems (sometimes it takes a little persistence!!!). My endocrinologist was willing to go to bat for me had my insurance tried to deny covering it. The hpyoglycemic episodes were something that was going to be emphasized. They can get very costly if you happen to pass out in a public area (E.R. visits, etc. I have experience in this, not a fun time!!!)
Fortunately for me Blue Cross/Blue Shield decided recently that it was a benefit to cover these items. Medtronic (as I am sure the other companies probably do to) provide a lot of training and assistance to work your way through the maze of the insurance issues also.
What I do about the delay on the MM system is set my alarms at 80 mg/dl and 150 mg/dl. That way when i drop quickly, it’ll alarm me at 80, but by that time i’m about 65 or so. Also when it jumps up and alarms me at 150 I’m usually 170 or so. It works for me
I think our next appointment we are going to ask for one. The last time she had a low episode before she noticed she was 42. It seems to be getting lower and lower. I know that we can’t get a pump until summer, maybe around the same time. I just would hate for the next time she has a low episode to have to use the glucagon shot.
thanks for all of your help.
