Pros and Cons of the Continuous Glucose Monitor

CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITOR

It took a long time, a REALLY long time, for our insurance to cover the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) for Sawyer. 

We've had it now for two months, and here are my thoughts on it so far.

Pros

* You can track blood sugar trends throughout the day.

* There are alarms that can be set for various situations, such as extreme lows, highs, or dropping fast.

* During sports, Sawyer could see his blood sugar and trends at a glance.

* Finger pricks only twice a day.

* Sensor change only once a week.

Cons

* It had to be calibrated twice a day. Failure to do so resulted in false readings.

*The sensor and transmitter came off during swimming and other activities.

* The sensor made the skin of his epidermis and dermis itch the entire week he wore it. 

* The alarms go off a lot. Sawyer silenced them because he didn't like the attention in class. Even when we changed the settings to only two alarms, he would set them on vibrate to avoid embarrassment.

* After one of the sensor changes, the monitor stopped receiving readings after one day. 

*Removing the transmitter from the sensor was very difficult.

*We received error messages of not being able to receive transmissions for half an hour.

*We received messages of the transmitter not working and rebooting, which would take two hours to warm-up.

*The cost. (When a sensor or transmitter fails, it's not cost effective to change it until the following week, leaving one without readings until that time.)

Sawyer is currently at camp. The meter wasn't working and it wasn't cost effective to change out the sensor mid-week.

It would have been nice to have the CGM for camp to monitor his BG during all the activity in which he'll be participating.

The CGM is a HUGE advancement in diabetes self management. Depending on the brand you get, the results will vary. 

For us, the monitor worked well during school sports season. For his field trip, it was not always accurate. And for a fun birthday party with other very active teenage boys, it was a flop.

Have you tried a CGM? 

Are you planning to in the future?

What were your results?

Bag of Hope

It's a lot to take in when your child is first diagnosed with type one diabetes. 

We've now adapted to the lifestyle change. We count the carbohydrates, we check the blood glucose, we administer shots. We've even dined out a couple of times. Nothing fancy, no, we're not up to dealing with a dining-in experience yet. We have done McDonald's and a few other 'to-go' deals. 

Sawyer has been terrific about checking in with the school nurse before gym class, lunch, and his bus ride home. He is accepting and understanding about not sneaking food...so far. 

The saddest moment for me was when Sawyer asked, "Am I ever going to get rid of diabetes?" 

Up until now, it was a virus or a flu from his point of view. It came, he takes some medicine, and then it goes away, like an ear infection or bronchitis.

I had to tell him that technically it won't go away. It's hard to tell a child something like that. The good news, I told him, is that it is treatable and researchers are close to developing a vaccine to combat the disease.

With all this adjustment and sad news, there was a bright spot to our days. 

I received a call from a diabetic nurse from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Michelle had a gift for my son and she was willing to drive almost two hours to bring it to him. I told her she didn't have to do that and mailing it would be just fine. No, she wanted to come and visit us.

Michelle has had juvenile diabetes since she was two years old. I would guess her to be in her mid-thirties now. She is an inspiration. She has managed her diabetes well and has no complications from the disease. Complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, loss of limbs are just a few examples of the complications that can arise if diabetes goes untreated. 

Meeting someone who had good diabetes management and no complications was encouraging to a mom who recently learned that her son has a chronic disease. 

Michelle shared a little bit about diabetic treatment and also set mom (that's me) up with an endocrinologist (diabetic specialist). 

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has a program through which they deliver a bag of informational supplies and other items to a newly diagnosed child. Among the items was a book starring the Pink Panther. It is a child (and grandparent :) friendly book with valuable information on diabetes, how it happens, why it happens, and treatment options. It better informs family members about the importance of checking blood glucose levels, what can happen if sugars are too high or too low, and how different levels of activity can effect blood sugar levels.

Also in the backpack was 'Rufus the diabetic bear', along with his own book, "Rufus Comes Home", an endearing combination that offers support and education to the child and other family members. There was a DVD, information packets, and a carbohydrate counting book along with other literature on diabetes.

This does not replace the health of your child by any means, but it is nice to know that there are others out there who are supportive and care about what you are facing.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is working to find a way to prevent, better treat, and cure type-1 diabetes. 


If you wish to donate to the research development through JDRF, you may do so through their Web site: https://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=100903&sitereferer=100686