CGM - Type 2 diabetes , no insulin - is it worth investing in one?

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LoobyLou77

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Type 2
Hi, hope that everyone is doing okay.
I wanted to pick peoples brains as to whether it would be worth me investing in a CGM even though I'm not on insulin so that I can keep a closer eye on my blood sugar levels. I'm unable to carry out the finger prick test throughout the day due to work and have been struggling to manage my diet recently. I wondered if this was another way that I could keep a tighter control on things.
Many thanks for your time. 🙂
 
I would say it can be useful, if you are going to make changes as a result of your data, especially if finger pricks can be tricky- they often have free trials on libre 2.
 
There is certainly no harm in applying for the free 14 day Freestyle Libre trial. The only things you need to qualify for it are a diabetes diagnosis, a suitable phone to scan it with and the list is extensive and not to have used the system before. It is important to understand the limitations of Libre and other CGM details in the link below and not take the readings it gives you at face value, but it should certainly give you an idea of which foods/meals are OK for you and which are causing your body problems and need to be reduced or avoided.
Libre is the most widely used device in the UK I believe and whilst it doesn't suit everyone, it works very well for many of us and is probably the most economical.

forum.diabetes.org.uk

CGM limitations and precautions

Moderator Note: This helpful reply was copied from another thread as it details some of the commonly experienced limitations of continuous glucose sensors. My blood sugar has been in perfect range for days now, but although I haven't changed anything, I'm starting to get very short periods of...
forum.diabetes.org.uk forum.diabetes.org.uk

What are the issues with finger pricking at work? If it is just washing facilities I just test my least dirty finger (usually ring or little finger), wipe the first drop of blood away (usually on the back of my other hand) and then test the second drop. I have horses so my hands are often filthy, especially if I am picking feet out or trimming hooves. I have never had a problem yet and in reality my skin gets breached by far worse things on a regular basis when hands are filthy and I don't usually think twice about it. If it is not having the time, then work should allow it, but in reality it takes less time that popping to the loo and you are entitled to do that.
 
I have little wipes in with my monitor, mainly for if i need to tezt at night and don't want to get up to wash my hands- but the data on a cgm will always be more complete than finger pricks, plus pricking too much is a pain
 
I think you would find the graphs etc with the CGM interesting and possibly useful but can you justify the cost?
 
Perhaps it’s something you could do every once in a while when you felt things had drifted, changed, or become more chaotic, and you think the additional detail would be helpful?

Starting with a free trial seems like a good option.

I used to use Libre like that in my early days with sensors. Every so often I’d feel I needed a bit of a diabetes reset - and the 14 days was enough to spot patterns, make some changes, and see improvements before the sensor ran out
 
I am T2 not wanting to take medication. I did the Libre 2 free 14 day trial (bought a reader on ebay) and found the data very useful. Even if not totally accurate - tends to lag actual levels by 10-15 minutes, it does give an indication of direction of readings. If my levels are high (steady or rising) I do 10 minutes on the bike or other activity. I don't tend to get lows except occasional compression lows at night.
I see a lot of folks complaining about sensor failures, but in the 6 months I have been using Libre 2 I have not had any problems - I will likely take a break from regular use of these sensors as they are an expense I can ill afford. But I feel I am much better informed now.
 
Vivi M said:
I will likely take a break from regular use of these sensors as they are an expense I can ill afford. But I feel I am much better informed now.
Click to expand...

Glad you got on well with them, and found them helpful @Vivi M
 
Vivi M said:
tends to lag actual levels by 10-15 minutes
Click to expand...
I keep reading this but I do not believe it is correct.
CGMs read interstitual fluid rather than blood. Changes in BG do indeed take 10 to 15 minutes to affect interstitial fluid.
However, CGM manufacturers know this and take the delay into consideration with the algorithm than converts interstitial fluid readings into BG.
Libre does this by extrapolating the current trend. This is only an issue if the current trend changed direction in the last 15 minutes.

This is one of the limitations described in the thread that @rebrascora referenced above.
 
I think Libre’s algorithm aims for 5 mins. Sometimes you can see scanned readings ‘overshoot’ when BG changes direction abruptly, when the trace is later extrapolated from 5min averages.

My Dex G6 only updates every 5 mins - which can be very frustrating, and does seem to exhibit the full 10+min lag more often than not.
 
I was offered the libra cgm as I’m on insulin but my skin is extremely sensitive and I’m prone to allergic reactions to dressings or adhesives used to secure it. When I’m in hospital, they always need to bandage my drip or it falls out. Every time.
 
Hi @Loobyloo It sounds like you would make good use of the data that you collect from a sensor. There are limitations as have been pointed out, but the sensors can be very useful in showing patterns and in particular the impact of certain foods. I was amazed when I first started using a sensor and made some helpful changes to my meal content/portions in order to reduce the spikes that I saw after certain meals. Let us know how you get on if you choose to try it out.
 
helli said:
I keep reading this but I do not believe it is correct.
CGMs read interstitual fluid rather than blood. Changes in BG do indeed take 10 to 15 minutes to affect interstitial fluid.
However, CGM manufacturers know this and take the delay into consideration with the algorithm than converts interstitial fluid readings into BG.
Libre does this by extrapolating the current trend. This is only an issue if the current trend changed direction in the last 15 minutes.

This is one of the limitations described in the thread that @rebrascora referenced above.
Click to expand...
Yes, you can see that the lag has been 'smoothed out' in the graph, but if you take concurrent readings and prick tests over a period of time, you can see the lag. I get a longer lag in one arm where the lymph node has been removed following breast cancer.
 
SB2015 said:
Hi @Loobyloo It sounds like you would make good use of the data that you collect from a sensor. There are limitations as have been pointed out, but the sensors can be very useful in showing patterns and in particular the impact of certain foods. I was amazed when I first started using a sensor and made some helpful changes to my meal content/portions in order to reduce the spikes that I saw after certain meals. Let us know how you get on if you choose to try it out.
Click to expand...
I also found the data useful to see the effects of physical activity on readings
 
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