I've had so many lows lately that I can't explain, I'm quite disgusted with my diabetes at the moment. I'm not catching most of them before dropping into the 50 or 40 range, plus several have happened overnight. Then tonight, I indulged with sweet and sour chicken and my blood sugar soared into the 300s before I could catch it.
I'm typically pretty dedicated to testing. I go through test strips quickly. My lancet always needs to be changed. The meter certainly gets its use. But sometimes, I just don't feel like checking. Or sometimes, I'm just not in a place to check. Sometimes I'm sleeping.
The mix of lows and the need for a little more freedom has me checking out the Dexcom Seven CGM. I've previously used the Minimed Paradigm CGM, which I was not happy with. Out of two boxes of sensors, I only got good, accurate use out of two to three of them. I never felt comfortable reyling on it. I never even felt like it was that useful of a tool for me.
But I've heard that the Dexcom is so much better. Kerri seems very happy with it. And several of my other D friends have gotten theirs and seem content. It seems more accurate. It seems like it might actually help.
It'd definitely be nice to sleep through the night without fearing that I'll drop and not realize it, especially since I'm moving out on my own again in the next months. I'd also enjoy the freedom to grocery shop, work, watch TV, and drive without worrying that I'll drop at any moment. I'd love to happily reside under 130 without feeling compelled to check my blood sugar every five minutes to see if I've dropped yet.
Despite all that, I'm not sure that I want to pursue the Dexcom. For one, I have no idea if my insurance would cover it and I don't have the funds to pay for any pricey deductibles or the device outright. Even if it would, I'm not sure that I want to sign up for something that I'll be wearing 24/7.
I hated the pump very much. I never got to a comfortable place wearing it constantly. Even disconnecting for showers or exercising, the sets just bothered me. Literally and emotionally. My skin became irritated. I hated the marks it would leave behind. And it greatly interfered with how I felt about myself.
I do understand that the Dexcom is different though. There's no tubing, no actual devices that I have to clip to my belt or coordinate in a dress. It's not something that I have to wear every day, every week. I can pick and choose the weeks that I do wear it, when I feel the need or want the ease.
Since my life is about to change in a very big way, I'm contemplating management in a different way. I'm hoping that management will get easier with a stable schedule and less stress (from school at least). I'm considering using Symlin to control my post prandial numbers. And I'm seeking a consistently lower A1c.
For me and my "planner" tendencies, I know that if I get things under control in the next year that when it comes time for marriage and children that I'll be better prepared. I know that starting as early as possible will make my life much easier when it comes down to the tough years of a new marriage and later pregnancy. Not to mention that the better controlled I am all around, the more healthy years I can add on to my life.
I don't think I'm ready to go after the Dexcom right now. I am going to consider it more strongly in the next month or so. I'll continue to see how the blood sugars stabilize (or don't). But at this moment, it isn't something I want to start now anyway and I do not need the extra stress of insurance battles.
I'm curious to know if anyone's used both the Minimed and the Dexcom though and how they liked each. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
I have used both Minimed and Dexcom. Dexcom is my favorite even compared to the Navigator. I also hated the pump, I was on it for about 7 years. I hated being attached to something all the time and the malfunctions that came along with the pump. My skin also became really irritated. I like the Dexcom because of the 2 hour calibration, you do not have to wear it all the time. You can take breaks inbetween the sites. It is also pretty accurate. I never had a time where it was more then 30 points off from my meter. Hope this helped.
I have used both the Minimed and the Dexcom; I "used" the Minimed for several years. The word "used" is in quotes because I rarely actually was good about putting one in. The Dex is so much better it's frankly embarrassing for Minimed. This comment is basically a random collection of my thoughts...
First, it's soooooo much more comfortable - the transmitter snaps neatly into the sensor and doesn't flop stupidly around like the Minilink does. Even with 1000 bandaids which, by the way, make me rash like crazy, it was never totally stable, so the wire would shift and dig and hurt. The needle is also definitely smaller = more comfortable. My skin still freaks out at the site, which I think is related to the wire being in the skin for a full week, but I'm also pretty sure that's unavoidable (I also have an allergy to the adhesive, but no bandaids = much happier skin). I've only had one sensor (of 5 or 6) really kick it after only a few days, and I lost another one to the shower. I never noticed the accuracy problems of the Minilink system until I started using the Dex, which is so much more accurate for me it's not even funny. And the alarms are actually loud enough to wake me in the night, which the Minimed pumps' most certainly are not. I do wear a pump, and having two devices was definitely an adjustment for me; I really like the integrated pump-CGM thing. I'll admit the separate device is growing on me, though, since when I wear a dress (like at the wedding I attended last weekend, or today at work) I can actually make use of the CGM just as easily as any other day. The Dex receiver is stupidly larger than it has to be, though (it does fit in the back pocket of my jeans, at least).
Moral: Dexcom is a total win. Though I doubt you'll be able to get away with paying nothing for it; even with pretty good insurance my cut was a couple hundred dollars. Which sucks.
Oh, and 2 hour calibration + 7 day wear = actually useful for a reasonable period of time, whereas the minilink, between the calibration period and the short shelf-life, was barely worth it.
I have refused to take perscription meds for my Type 2 choosing instead to control it with diet. I am having great success with my change to an alkaline diet. I started by drinking 8.5 alkaline water. I also mix powdered greens in it and drink throughout the day. The human body is intended to be alkaline but the food and drinks we consume makes it acid. Read The Ph Miracle or some other books on Ph/acid balance. You won't regret the knowledge and going alkaline. In three days my fasting blood tests are below 120, they were between 135 and 190 depending on what I ate the day before. Only rare acid forming foods and drinks for me. It is worth the sacrifice to have the hope of normal blood sugar levels again and the big plus of normal weight for my body and height.
I just started wearing a Dexcom 7 yesterday. I borrowed it from my new diabetes educator's office & will wear it for 2 weeks. So far, it's been pretty cool. I use the OmniPod pump so I'm used to having stuff stuck to me all the time, so the sensors don't faze me. My educator told me that although the CGM is supposed to be recalibrated every 6 or 12 hours (by doing two separate finger stick blood tests & entering the results into the CGM)I might as well enter the results every time I do a fingerstick blood test. Keeps the CGM a little "truer" to my actual blood sugar. I test when I get a warning that I'm dropping or rising fast so I can double check the CGM numbers. So far they've been pretty accurate. Plus, it's neat to watch the graph of your BG changing throughout the day.
I would see if you could borrow a CGM from your doctor's office to try it out for a while. "Try before you buy" is always a good move.
I now use the DEX. I loved my Navigator, but it is not available. positives for the DEX EASE of USE. very small transmitter, easily reset sensors(against FDA approval) great computer printouts. Negatives ( COMPARED TO nav) range from receiver, ease and comfort of injecting cannula, most data only available after download, instead of directly on receiver, ON ME--- it is not nearly as accurate as the NAV, commonly over 25% off from the blood readings. I have had many false highs, and false lows. The nav was usually only a couple points off. I will continue using the DEX as a better than nothing until Nav is re-released, and then swith back. The false highs and lows, and the out of range are too much for me to deal with if another option is available. However, my friend gets more consistent readings with her DEX.