Freestyle Navigator CGM vs. Minimed CGM

the receiver is about the same size as a minimed pump and it has a built in blood machine which i really like.

Wow - the blood machine built in is a big plus!!  Makes it a perfect trade off, since you no longer have to carry around the blood machine.  This all certainly gives me something to ponder.  :)

Gracie,

 

Thanks for you comment. So what you are telling me is that you NEVER go high? Over my 8 year experience with diabetes I have never had a day where my blood sugars have been in perfect control all day. There is always some sort of spike after eating or from exercise, or from stress.

 

I have fits myself trust me, I have written about it numerous times on this blog and on my personal blog as well.  I dont want to have a high reading and I am doing everything I can to get my blood sugars in range but sometimes life or not bolusing correctly for a meal. Highs happen. that is just part of diabetes.

 

I am curious how long you have had diabetes?

Gina,

I have had diabetes for over 5 years now.  I test fasting & 2 hours after lunch & dinner. I exercise for an hour one hour after dinner. My highs are usually 105-108 range. I've been in the one teens once this year. ( was eating out & think they slipped something in the sauce). I take no medication, totally controlled by diet & exercise.

Hugs,

G

 

Gracie,

 

Oh, Ok that explains it!

 

I have type 1 diabetes and I am insulin dependent. You just control it with diet and exercising which is more pre-diabetes.  And your body most likely is still making insulin where my pancreas makes none. There is a huge difference between you and me in regards to diabetes.

 

It takes a while for insulin to kick in sometimes for fatty foods or food higher in carbs which also  causes the spike. Sometimes you cant get it down for a couple of hours like chinese food and pizza. Those are killer carbs. I do stay away from them but I do like to eat it on occasion I am just giving you examples.

 

gina

gina,

Yes there is a huge difference between Type 1 & 2 ( & now they're saying there is a Type 1.5). No it wasn't pre diabetes, my A1c was a not so perfect 10 & I was routinely in the 220's. But I've worked very very hard to get it under control. I'm very glad you now have the CGM, I'm sure that helps you a lot. Are they going to let you keep the one you tested? It sounds like a better deal for you. May you have success on your journey!

Hugs,

G

PS I make a pizza crust with eggs & cheesed that tastes a lot like the real deal. Found it on About.com/Low-Carb Diets 

I will totally try to get a Dexcom put on! Oh how cool would it be to wear all three at the same time!

 

On second thought maybe that wouldn't be so cool. All three beeping simutaneously may put me in the coo coo house haha I would try it though

Hi Gina - where do you live? I wear Dexcom and have done the Dexcom/Minimed simultaneous trial and Dexcom wins hands down. I might be able to swing a trial for you with the Dexcom if there is rep in your area.

 

If you DO use it for a trial, you can email me if you have any questions about troubleshooting. As with any device company, technical support is limited in what they tell you by FDA regulations and there are a bunch of great tips you could use that the Dexcom people can't give you!

Jimmie I am so happy that my post was useful to you.

 

Although I dont know why your endo thinks an a1c of 6.3 is too low? I am wondering the reasoning behind that. I have been trying to hit 6.5 - 6.3 range for a long time.

 

How do you do it!

Like Gina commented I don't understand why your endo's got a problem with a 6.3 A1C, unless you're blood sugars are "cycling" but trending on low side...in other words ranging from low BS (40-60 mg/dl range) back to normal / low normal BS. If that's the case, using a CGM might help you flatten out your blood sugars at a "comfortable level", e.g. 90-110 mg/dl range (so the BS  bottom doesn't fall out), and help reduce your lows. CGM has helped tremendously for me  (MM 522 /w RTMS) in that regard.

 

My last 2 A1Cs were 6.0-6.1 range...which is actually higher than the 5.6-5.7 A1C range I used to have (for a long time) until my endo got mad at me for making myself vulnerable to lows.

I tend to pass out when I am really low. Last weekend I passed out on Saturday and Sunday. I fell on Sunday and have three bruises on my left isde. I might have broken or hurt a rib as it still hurts when I laugh or cough. I do realy like my endo. I will give the CGMS a try. I asm going in Tuesday for a training session. I do have a different basal rate for days when I do not use the treadmill. Treadmill days will have me setting a lower basal for 3 hours. I haven't done the treadmill since last Sunday. One thing about living alone is that I do not tell anybody about this. Well, any local people. Maybe it's good that I talk about it here.

Do you bolus to cover meals just before or in the 2-3 hour active insulin from bolus period before excercising? If so that (in addition to your possible need for some basal rate tweaking before/after working out) may be resulting in some of your lows. Excercise can magnify low blood sugar impact of boluses.

 

My workouts (treadmill type) are generally in the morning (30-60 mins after waking up from sleep). Before working out I have a relatively low carb breakfast: 2 egg omlet (maybe some cheese on it) and V8 juice, and start my workout when my glucose reaches 130-150 mg/dl range (using my CGM to monitor this) in order "to keep the bottom" following out on me. My CGM glucose usually trends up in the 1st 30 mins after starting the workout, but then gradually/gracefully trends lower towards the end (my total cardo workout time is 40-45 mins). My glucose (tested by blood) is usually in the 80s range after working out (better than 40s!!!). Usually post-workout my CGM glucose will start trending up - so most of the time I need to (after verifying with a blood sugar) cover this post-workout-rise with 1 unit of insulin in the 60 minute period after working out.

 

Good luck!

So glad to hear from a treadmill user. I try to eat the same breakfast every day: about 72 carbs. I do the treadmill not long after breakfast. I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph. Now that I have not been on the treadmill since last Sunday I can see that the treadmill is the problem. I do have a different basal rate that I have been using all week and the results are good. So "tweaking" the basal shoud work. thanks for your advice!

Jimmie,

 

I use the treadmill also. I don't do mornings though I am a night person. I usually Tread after dinner I cut my basal in half at dinner and then I turn my basal to 50% an hour before working then during I put temp basal of 0% and as soon as I am done working out i put it back to 50% for another hour. That usually keeps me from bottoming out.

 

 

One point to emphasize regarding my approach is that I don't bolus or eat high carb meals before excercising. In other words I eat a low carb + protein meal (breakfast in my case), stretch after (10-15 mins) then start my cardio workout (treadmill, but also have an excercise bike and elliptical machine). I've found that bolusing to cover meal carbs before working out NOT to be a good thing. Obviously with any of these approaches, and mine may be considered unorthodox by some, YMMV. Take care! Steve