Steady glucose screens, or CGMs for brief, are life-saving units utilized by individuals with diabetes.
These instruments assist them higher observe their blood sugar ranges and glucose developments over time and enhance their time in vary (TiR), glucose ranges, and HbA1cs.
CGMs are geared up with alerts and alarms that may let the person know when their blood sugar ranges have gotten dangerously excessive or low.
However how do you utilize a CGM—and the way can this machine enhance your diabetes administration?
This text will let you know every little thing it’s good to learn about CGMs and the way finest to make use of them.
What’s a steady glucose monitor?
Steady glucose screens are small, externally-worn units that lots of people with diabetes use in lieu of handbook blood sugar testing.
They don’t require an excessive amount of enter from the person and have been confirmed useful in enhancing blood sugar management.
In distinction to handbook blood sugar checks, a CGM will mechanically check the interstitial fluid (fluid discovered within the areas round cells) that may approximate a blood sugar studying inside 10% each 5 minutes, for as much as 288 readings per day.
It is a large enchancment over the ten or so occasions an individual would usually manually check their blood sugar.
Moreover, a CGM reveals development strains, so you possibly can predict future blood sugars, plan meals, and train accordingly. When you discover patterns, you possibly can regulate your medicines to remain on prime of your administration much more.
A useful tip is to set high and low blood sugar alarms that wake you up in the course of the night time so you possibly can examine your blood sugars and keep away from emergencies.
CGM expertise is enhancing on a regular basis. Dexcom, a preferred CGM producer, now has a product that comes with a Share function. This permits individuals to share their blood sugar knowledge with as much as 10 distant followers—making this an amazing choice for folks with youngsters who’ve diabetes.
Some CGM techniques are actually built-in with insulin pump expertise, which might make insulin dosing changes based mostly on blood sugar readings.
Can anybody get a CGM?
Eligibility for a CGM varies and depends upon what sort of medical insurance you will have. Nonetheless, most state Medicaid packages, Medicare, and personal insurance coverage do cowl CGMs for individuals with diabetes.
Some plans will solely permit individuals who inject insulin to qualify for a CGM.
Others would require the affected person to manually check their blood sugar a sure variety of occasions per day to qualify. And a few would require proof of frequent hypoglycemic occasions and even hypo-unawareness.
Different plans will cowl a CGM for almost anybody with a diabetes analysis.
It’s vital to do not forget that CGMs can be found by prescription solely.
Discuss together with your physician in the event you’re interested by getting a CGM. For those who qualify, they can assist you get a prescription to strive it out!
There may be additionally one thing referred to as a “short-term” or “skilled use” CGM the place you possibly can basically borrow a CGM out of your physician’s workplace for a shorter time frame (72 hours or two weeks, for instance), to easily observe blood sugar developments to make administration changes.
This could be an effective way to strive a CGM earlier than diving into truly shopping for an entire system.
I certified for a CGM! How do I take advantage of it?
There are 4 totally different manufacturers of CGM out there in the USA at present:
- Abbott Libre
- Dexcom
- Medtronic
- Eversense
Every comes with its personal professionals and cons, so be sure to speak together with your physician to determine which one can be most applicable for you.
Some are extra inexpensive than others, whereas others supply extra options which may be extra engaging to you as a affected person.
Solely the Medtronic and Dexcom CGMs might be built-in with an insulin pumping system, so in case you are on insulin pump remedy, that’s one thing to contemplate.
When you’ve determined which kind of CGM you’d like to make use of, the next steps can assist you get began.
Verify your insurance coverage protection
That is an compulsory first step (in the USA), but it surely’s essential to see in case your medical insurance will truly cowl the kind of CGM you want to use.
You’ll have wonderful protection that doesn’t require any copayments or additional charges, however extra doubtless than not, you’ll need to pay not less than a small proportion of the money value for a CGM.
For those who should not have medical insurance, you’ll need to pay the whole checklist value of the CGM.
Fill your prescription
Many CGMs can be found as a pharmacy profit, this implies that you may take your prescription proper to your pharmacy and decide up your CGM alongside together with your insulin every month.
Nonetheless, some medical insurance plans require that CGMs are offered as sturdy medical tools (DME). On this case, the affected person should work with a third-party provider, resembling Byram or Edgepark.
If that’s the case, your physician will probably ship the prescription to them for you, after which a consultant from a third-party provider will manage your cargo and supply. There isn’t a value for transport these medical units.
This may be trickier as a result of generally there may be miscommunication between your medical insurance plan, your physician, and these third-party suppliers. Nonetheless, they attempt to make the method as seamless as potential for the affected person.
Attend all trainings
Often hosted at your physician’s workplace, these trainings function an organization consultant who demos new insulin pumps or CGM provides for you.
Nonetheless, increasingly of those trainings are additionally out there on-line for extra comfort.
Firms like Dexcom, Abbott, and Medtronic make these coaching classes simply out there on their web sites.
Don’t overanalyze the information
Are you all arrange together with your new CGM? Congrats! You could have simply taken a giant leap in your diabetes journey that may hopefully have you ever feeling even higher and more healthy nicely into the longer term.
A standard problem that new CGM customers usually encounter is the urge to overanalyze the information. This causes them to over-correct each excessive and low blood sugar ranges. This habits leads to extra damaging blood sugar ranges (howdy, rollercoaster!)
In truth, checking your CGM knowledge developments an excessive amount of can contribute to nervousness and diabetes burnout.
Keep in mind: it’s pure to see your blood sugar spike after you eat and drop whereas exercising.
Don’t set your expectations too excessive when first beginning on CGM remedy. There’s a large studying curve, and it’s good to discover ways to make the system be just right for you.
Keep away from over-analyzing your CGM knowledge by relying in your insulin pump (and its preexisting settings) to make dosing selections for you rather than manipulating the numbers manually.
Discuss together with your physician in the event you’re combating CGM-induced nervousness. They can assist you undertake wholesome boundaries round expertise. A psychological well being supplier will also be an amazing useful resource for reduction.
Make CGM part of your routine
CGM expertise is a tremendous addition to your diabetes toolbelt, however recognizing that it received’t clear up your whole blood sugar woes is vital.
Habits like common train, maintaining a healthy diet, getting sufficient sleep, adjusting your medicines as wanted, and managing stress are additionally essential elements for residing a wholesome life with diabetes.
CGM expertise can empower you with making higher dosing selections—together with deciding when and the way is one of the best ways to train, and what meals and drinks your blood sugars are most delicate to.
Data is energy! Utilizing CGM knowledge to coach your self on how your physique reacts to sure meals, stress, and train might be extraordinarily useful.
Conclusion
Steady glucose screens, or CGMs for brief, are highly effective instruments utilized by individuals with diabetes to higher observe their blood sugar ranges in real-time.
In addition they present trending knowledge over time, so individuals can higher predict the place their blood sugars are headed—and in response, construct an train and consuming schedule that helps their blood sugar ranges.
CGMs can enhance blood sugar and HbA1c ranges and vastly enhance high quality of life.
Make sure that to examine together with your medical insurance to see what sort of CGM is roofed (if any.).
Discuss together with your physician to see which model of CGM is most applicable on your care, as each model has professionals and cons.
After filling your prescription and attending any obligatory coaching (provided each in-person and digital), it’s vital to not over-analyze the information.
Keep in mind that CGM expertise is a robust a part of your diabetes toolbelt, but it surely isn’t the one software that you just’ll must dwell a wholesome life with diabetes.
Persevering with to train, eat healthily, handle stress, regulate medicines as obligatory, and get sufficient sleep are additionally pivotal to residing nicely with diabetes.
