After my little incident a couple of weeks ago, my CDE and endo talked me into trying out a CGM. Since I have an Animas pump, I’m using the Dexcom. I’ve worn it for about three days now and I still can’t decide how I feel about it. I got it mostly to help me identify when I’m heading toward a low, but I find it most helpful in identifying when I’m going up since I personally hate being high when pregnant. My endo told me not to overreact when I see spikes after meals since he knows I’m an aggressive corrector, and so far I’ve been able to do that. I was even surprised that my postprandial spikes aren’t as bad as I thought they might be. So that has been one interesting tidbit I’ve learned from Dex.
On the other hand, Dex annoys me often. I understand and can even accept that it is sometimes up to 20% off (so if I’m 100, it could say I’m 120, or 80), but I have no patience for when it is 60, 70 or even 100 points off. What is the point of this technology if I can’t rely on the data being even remotely accurate? It seems like a lot of trouble for something that gives faulty information.
I do find the little trending arrows to be helpful, so it’s almost like I’ve already starting ignoring the actual number on the screen and just watching the arrows. I have been woken up about 5 times already by Dex, only twice for legitimate highs/lows, and the other three times were false alarms. While I was glad to be woken up the two times when it mattered, I was annoyed the other three times when I was woken up for no reason (and I was really annoyed when one of those times ended up being about 100 points off!).
So, while I’m certainly not an avid fan of Dex, I’m trying to wait it out a bit more to give it some more time. We’ll see if I can figure out ways to make use of it as best I can without getting constantly irritated by the fact that ultimately, the technology just isn’t there yet.
In more uplifting news, I'm almost out of my first trimester - only two more days to go. I can't believe it, and am SO excited to be moving on to this next phase! More to come on that later. In the meantime, hope everyone stateside has a great holiday weekend!
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Thanks for your comment on my post. It can be so annoying sometimes. The dexcom will probably get better. Some sensors work better than others. Also, for the most part, the longer the sensor is on, the more accurate it seems to be. I definitely understand about being woken up for a false alarm, those do stink, especially when you already have to get up a million times a night to pee!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a love-hate relationship with my DexCom. I got it between baby 1 and baby 2. I wore it full time until baby 2 was a year old. Sporadically since then (he is now 2). Many times I am more hating than loving my Dex.
ReplyDeletePregnancy changes the whole diabetes game. DexCom (and what the heck to do with all of the information it spits at you) changes the game as well.
If it is any consolation to you, I always had a somewhat lull with how many extra issues diabetes gave to my pregnancy during my 2nd trimesters. Lows when I was pregnant, and the first couple months postpartum were even worse, were wicked. I feel a thousand times worse during them (the impending sense of disaster and hopelessness is far far amplified) than when not pregnant/early post-partum.
I don't have a Dexcom, but I do have Medtronic's CGM- I have the same issues that you've described above. I too, look at the arrows more than the actual number and that seems to help.
ReplyDeleteI also give myself a break sometimes....6 days on..then a few off, then I put on another one...I like it better that way. However, I'm not sure when I'm preggo if I would do that...Good luck!!
Yay for the second trimester!
ReplyDeleteI have the Medtronic CGM, although I do not use it "full time". I have the same issues that you have mentioned - there were times when it was so off it was really frystrating, making it difficult for me to trust the readings. I also like the trend you are able to see and the arrows showing where you are headed. Like you I was also surprised as I thought I was spiking a lot higher than I actually am. I did find however that when wearing it I tended to be a little more aware of what I eat, so that could also have played a role.
Where do you wear yours? I tried another sensor about a week ago, but I find that the adhesive of the sensors aren't as good as the pump sites. I managed to dislodge it after only a day...