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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

CGM data

I have had a Medtronic Minimed Paradigm and RealTime CGM, since December 2009. It was rough to get used to it and how to work all the technology but it is pretty fantastic.

Nothing brings things into perspective like watching your pump plot its CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) graph throughout the day. I used to think getting more than a pre-meal blood glucose meter reading was bad for my ego: my 2 to 3 hour post-meal readings left much to be desired (especially by my doctor).  Now that I get a sensor (interstitial fluid reading, calibrated to be a close as possible to blood) reading every 5 minutes it offers a bigger picture that doesn't always reflect how I feel I'm doing. In fact, it often hyper-accentuates the extremes when, overall I feel like I'm doing well! It gives room for the doctor to tell me I lack control whereas all they used to have was my A1c reading and 3 to 6 meter readings throughout the day. Trust me, nothing is worse than being basically told "you suck" by a doctor. Even if I'm not getting into car accidents or fainting or going into a coma, the doctors still consider highs and lows a "failure."


July 10-July 16, 2013

 
Despite all of this, I am pretty pleased with my CGM graphs from this week (see below). I have been working very hard at staying below 8.0 mmol/L (144 mg/dL) and lowering my glucose so that I am not high for more than 1 hour. There were bad times here and there, such as the dinner out that turned into 1/2 a hotdog and a basket of fries, but I believe I'm going in the right direction toward achieving my goals!


Sept 17 - Sept 23, 2013


Look at all the time I spend in the green (goal area) versus on the graph above! It makes me giddy! Hopefully my doctor will be happy too!
 

Most recently: HbA1c: 7.9%, 144 lbs; left foot mild plantar fasciitis, blisters!

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