How to Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)

Steady glucose screens, or CGMs for brief, are life-saving units utilized by individuals with diabetes.  

These instruments assist them higher monitor their blood sugar ranges and glucose traits 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 employ a CGM—and the way can this machine enhance your diabetes administration? 

This text will inform you every part you have to find out 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 guide blood sugar testing. 

They don’t require an excessive amount of enter from the person and have been confirmed useful in bettering blood sugar management. 

In distinction to guide blood sugar checks, a CGM will routinely 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. 

This can be a big enchancment over the ten or so occasions an individual would usually manually check their blood sugar. 

Moreover, a CGM reveals pattern traces, so you may predict future blood sugars, plan meals, and train accordingly. When you discover patterns, you may modify your medicines to remain on high 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 may verify your blood sugars and keep away from emergencies. 

CGM expertise is bettering on a regular basis. Dexcom, a well-liked CGM producer, now has a product that comes with a Share characteristic. This permits individuals to share their blood sugar knowledge with as much as 10 distant followers—making this an excellent choice for fogeys with youngsters who’ve diabetes. 

Some CGM programs are actually built-in with insulin pump expertise, which may make insulin dosing changes primarily based on blood sugar readings. 

Can anybody get a CGM? 

Eligibility for a CGM varies and is determined by what kind of medical health insurance you will have. Nonetheless, most state Medicaid applications, Medicare, and personal insurance coverage do cowl CGMs for individuals with diabetes. 

Some plans will solely enable 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 along with your physician in the event you’re inquisitive about getting a CGM. In the event you qualify, they can assist you get a prescription to strive it out! 

There’s additionally one thing referred to as a “short-term” or “skilled use” CGM the place you may basically borrow a CGM out of your physician’s workplace for a shorter time period (72 hours or two weeks, for instance), to easily monitor blood sugar traits to make administration changes. 

This may 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 exploit it? 

There are 4 totally different manufacturers of CGM out there in america at the moment: 

• Abbott Libre
• Dexcom
• Medtronic
• Eversense 

Every comes with its personal execs and cons, so make certain to speak along with your physician to determine which one will likely be most acceptable for you.

Some are extra reasonably priced than others, whereas others supply extra options that could be extra engaging to you as a affected person. 

Solely the Medtronic and Dexcom CGMs may be built-in with an insulin pumping system, so if you’re 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 america), but it surely’s essential to see in case your medical health insurance will truly cowl the kind of CGM you want to use. 

You might have glorious protection that doesn’t require any copayments or additional charges, however extra doubtless than not, you’ll need to pay at the least a small proportion of the money value for a CGM. 

In the event you do not need medical health insurance, you will want to pay the overall listing 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 choose up your CGM alongside along with your insulin every month.

Nonetheless, some medical health insurance plans require that CGMs are supplied as sturdy medical gear (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 arrange your cargo and supply. There isn’t a value for delivery these medical units.

This may be trickier as a result of generally there may be miscommunication between your medical health 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 characteristic an organization consultant who demos new insulin pumps or CGM provides for you. 

Nonetheless, increasingly more of those trainings are additionally out there on-line for extra comfort.

Firms like Dexcom, Abbott, and Medtronic make these coaching periods simply out there on their web sites. 

Don’t overanalyze the info 

Are you all arrange along with your new CGM? Congrats! You might have simply taken an enormous leap in your diabetes journey that may hopefully have you ever feeling even higher and more healthy properly into the longer term. 

A standard problem that new CGM customers typically encounter is the urge to overanalyze the info. This causes them to over-correct each excessive and low blood sugar ranges. This habits leads to extra harmful blood sugar ranges (whats up, rollercoaster!) 

In reality, checking your CGM knowledge traits an excessive amount of can contribute to anxiousness and diabetes burnout. 

Bear 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 big studying curve, and you have to learn 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 along with your physician in the event you’re battling CGM-induced anxiousness. They can assist you undertake wholesome boundaries round expertise. A psychological well being supplier will also be an excellent useful resource for aid. 

Make CGM part of your routine

CGM expertise is a tremendous addition to your diabetes toolbelt, however recognizing that it received’t resolve all your 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 parts 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. 

Information is energy! Utilizing CGM knowledge to coach your self on how your physique reacts to sure meals, stress, and train may be extraordinarily useful.

Conclusion

Steady glucose screens, or CGMs for brief, are highly effective instruments utilized by individuals with diabetes to higher monitor their blood sugar ranges in real-time. 

Additionally 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.

Be sure to verify along with your medical health insurance to see what kind of CGM is roofed (if any.). 

Discuss along with your physician to see which model of CGM is most acceptable in your care, as each model has execs and cons. 

After filling your prescription and attending any necessary coaching (supplied each in-person and digital), it’s vital to not over-analyze the info. 

Keep in mind that CGM expertise is a strong a part of your diabetes toolbelt, but it surely isn’t the one instrument that you simply’ll have to stay a wholesome life with diabetes. 

Persevering with to train, eat healthily, handle stress, modify medicines as vital, and get sufficient sleep are additionally pivotal to residing properly with diabetes.