I had second thoughts and removed my content here. It was a whole thing on my view that Medicare should cover cgm for all Type 1s with hypo unawareness and others who qualify. I consider them lifesaving and mine helps me to sleep at night, without too much worry. But .... I will not go further. Just my thoughts
I certainly had expectations, Nell, that people would disagree with my point of view about Medicare and CGM's.
So sorry for your troubles, Zoe. Of course I can't offer specific advice. I can only relate because a fibro fog mimics a serious low, including serious cognitive difficulties. It took me years to figure out how to stave these off, including the whole "taking it seriously" thing. Blessings.....
I'm sorry you have another condition, Judith that gives you the same difficulties, but glad you've learned to handle it well!
Hi Zoe,
Good going that you are going to be more careful. I think you always need to treat a low of 34, even at 50-60 just take 1 gm then eat and bolus. I don't wait to bolus I think I may try that, thanks for mentioning that. I usually have to wait to eat but I have been waiting less time more now. Lows are dangerous. I had a bad one 3 weeks ago where I just kept dropping and fortunately after 100g started to come up. Something was off with my stomach. I have lowered all my basal doses and I have had less lows since then. I also tend to not notice lows as much when I'm using my brain a lot and concentrating on something. When I get to 80's at night now I will have a snack like a slice of cheese or some nuts and some tea.
I used to watch that show a lot and I remember that dress.. cool :)
Thankfully you came back to earth Zoe. Been there in slowly preparing food while in a low instead of consuming something quickly. Our brains fool us when we are low.
I get in a distracted/stubborn spot on occasion. Like I mentioned/disrupted while in Gerri's thread about her problem one day having continued lows about 2 years ago.( Where is that Girl? I miss her good advice.)
At that time, I went outside to till the flowerbeds and plant some plants. My BG was about 6.8. Of course, it happened to be a very hot afternoon. That was all I had planned to do outside. Then I ended up raking the front and back lawns and tidying up the yards and putting the debris in containers. I went back in the house and tested about 4.4(79). Had 3/4 glass of juice and then I prepared supper, counted carbs, bolused and finished my supper. A while later, I felt tired and went for a nap.
Sometime later, I woke up to Paramedics and my Hubby busily working over me. I had had a 1/2 hour seizure, 2 glucagon shots and a glucose drip. All because I strayed from my original plan. Stupid!! I continue to try to be more cautious about getting distracted/stubborn. Been working so far. Respecting lows are a key for sure.
Just out of curiosity: For the people living in countries with social medicine (all free provided to everyone). Do your systems cover pumps and CGM's?
In Canada, I think there are 4 0r 5 Provinces that cover the pumps out of 10 Provinces and 3 Territories.
In 2006, some Members on another site got me into looking at the pump. The pump educator showed my Hubby and I all the machines(4) and supplies that were supplied free except for $650. for some supplies which our Insurance would cover. She also showed us the CGM that went with the Medtronic(?) but the cost of it was up to us to pay. That needle turned me off plus the extra cost and all the equipment I'd have to carry around. Not sure if the CGM/supplies are covered here yet.
I understand. I think I just said it wrong. Sometimes I can be 50 and treat and move ahead. Sometimes my brain works great and sometimes it does not work right below 60. That was I meant by dangerous.
in the morning before I got up. My phone was plugged in to charge across the room, and I was so shaky, I was afraid to even try to stand to get it. Fortunately, I keep one juice box in the night stand and was able to drink that. It helped some, but I still did not get up, as I was afraid I would fall. I tested before the juice at 52. Normally, not a problem at all, but it sure was that morning. Eventually, my body started to come back and I was able to stand, shakily, and get additional juice, but it took time.
I think when we wake up from sleep low we are a bit more disoriented?
I had one like that meee, where it was hours past any insulin and I just kept dropping despite lots of treatment (can't remember how much I took). When I bottomed out at 28 I was thinking 911 if I have one more drop but finally started to rise. It was weird; at the time I thought it was some odd delayed absorption by my infusion set.
Wow, Terrie, I've never had that kind of experience! I am so glad you came back to earth! And the lesson learned is a good one for us all which is why I'm posting here even though my experience wasn't that severe.
Thanks for the info on the Canadian system. I guess perhaps the developed countries are moving to considering pumps if not cgm's standard of care. But the developed countries are only 18% of the world population!
I was thinking the same Zoe, glucagon pen, ambulance or both. I read that other people here have used smaller doses of glucagon which you can do with a syringe when something like that happens. I felt very sick all of a sudden with mine too as I took more glucose drinks etc. got the runs and felt I would throw up also etc. I only went to the low 40's but I knew it was really bad from how I felt and how much sugar I was taking with no real response.. I went up a bit at first and then start dropping again, very weird. I'm thinking stomach bug or gastroparesis of some sort or something like that caused mine along with my am basal kicking in- I had no fast acting for 3 hours- and I had only taken 1 unit then for a snack. It was very scary and reminded me of serious lows really are and how we need to work to avoid them and control them hopefully before they get bad. Good thing you made it through in both cases :)
Wow, Terrie,I'm so glad you survived that! I feel even more scared just reading about your experience because I have also gone for a nap when tired after a meal and ended up low. I often do more gardening etc. than I plan and will now be super careful to bolus less etc. if I'm eating after that.
wow, i set my CGM at 80 at bedtime. if i'm 80 and dropping on my CGM with it buzzing I'm probably already 60's due to the delayed response of CGM. I have NO desire to go below 80's anymore. what's the point, just too damn dangerous.
Zoe, OMG...I am so glad you're OK. this concerns me. I wish you would treat before 60's, why even bother trying to hold it there or go lower. why not aim for 80's and no lower? I don't understand the push to try and get lower and lower? This scares me terribly. I wish there was a way we could check in on all those on here who live alone, ya know. Happy to do it if we could? I don't trust this disease, don't trust insulins, don't trust all the tech crap we have to work with, hell, they're all off a good majority of the time anyway. I am determined now to try and not go below 80...70 is too close to 60 and then with too much insulin or some delayed response to god knows what i'm droppping. Please be safe, Zoe! :)
medicare coverage, especially those who are on disability (SSD I think it's called) is provided due to past employment history and they've paid into it, no? Also, well, someone who may have a vision problem, glasses would work fine but medicare covers contact lenses, no? Maybe someone on medicare has a problem with walking, crutches might work, maybe even a push wheel chair but medicare covers those electric wheel chairs (IDK, i've seen it on TV commercials saying medicare covers it, ha!). I'm sure there have been many medical/treatment advances in terms of other chronic, life threatening diseases over the past 20 even 10 years or so, cancer, etc...i don't believe medicare requires those who sadly struggle with other chronic diseases to use outdated treatments or protocols. Why shouldn't a type 1 diabetic be covered for the best treatments possible, we're trying to live everyday with this beast. Thus, I believe medicare should cover pumps (I believe they do) and CGMS, especially for those who have hypo-unawareness. The costs of diabetes complications I'm sure are hurrendous, including type 2. The costs of someone with hypo-unawareness could be possibly devastating including loss of life to said person or someone else. This has me thinking, I wonder how many annual ER visits are related to insulin complications, too much, too little, etc...would be curious to see some data on that. Probably be shocking to see/hear what paramedics and ER's see in terms of insulin related accidents.
Thanks for the concern, Sarah. I basically think we have to choose to trust or else live in fear, and I'm not willing to do that; to me it's a quality of life issue.
I think we're about evenly divided between those who consider "below 70" low and those who consider "below 60" low; though of course there are always outliers in all aspects of D management. To me it is all a balance; I felt I was going too far in the direction of laxness and need to balance it out, but don't want to go in the other direction of obsession or anxiety driven behavior either regarding lows or highs. I don't "push to try and get lower and lower". I correct to 110. But I feel we vary in terms of stability and I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I could aim for 80, or 90 or 110 or under 140 for pp or whatever but there will be times I am lower or higher, sometimes very much so. The choices come in in how we deal with it when we are and everyone makes different choices.
Interesting discussion , Tud cohorts and friends. I have been cavalier about lows, but not when I am in the 30's. the low bG" brain fog" really makes you think you have to follow certain routines, like fix your dinner before you treat a low. I generally suspend the pump, and "float" a 60's pre-meal low and not treat it until after I eat, making sure to include fruit or dairy with the meal. I turn the pump back on and bolus about 15 minutes after the meal is consumed.. I am then generally within range and I watch the CGM or finger-poke test frequently to make sure I am not getting high, or low. This system is not infallible; it works 75% of the time.. I use it when if I am at home and have time to make the adjustments both before and after. For ANY low, when I am out and about, I always treat below 70, whether before a meal or not. And Zoe, I am so glad you pulled out. Additionally,I always treat any low in the 30's, 40's immediately with a juice ( Capri sumn14 gm juice bag) or 3-4 glucose tabs. whether before or after a meal, or anytime when that low.
God Bless
Hi Terrie and all,
I live in France and in answer to your question CGM's are not covered by our system except maybe in rare cases for pregnancies or.....? It is easy to get a pump - they are rented to us but paid 100% by the system. All of our other supplies are covered 100% and also any visits closely or vaguely related to diabetes. I know we are lucky! (PS to have this great coverage our salaries are docked and much lower than in the US)
Be careful Zoe! Those lows can come up quickly!