Hi there I’m diagnosed type 2. It worked hard to get my levels down and after my last review got them down to 40 (prediabetic ) I found out I was pregnant which is great and I’m 7 weeks but I’ve been given a Libre sensor and insulin I’ve found myself addicted to look at the readings as the alarm went off couple of times at night saying it was low then I took stuff and was high i feel so alone and scared has anyone else had this ???
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Early pregnancy and insulin
- Thread starter Ecgray
- Start date
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Libre is great but you have to understand it's (and other CGMs) limitations. One of the main ones being that if you apply constant steady pressure to the sensor, it gives false low readings. The most likely time for this to happen is if you lie on the sensor. It is therefore important to double check any overnight low alarms with a finger prick to confirm you are actually low before you eat hypo treatments..... unless you feel obviously hypo. Gradually you learn to place the sensor where you are less likely to apply pressure to it or adopt sleeping positions which alleviate the pressure.... I find putting my other hand under the elbow of the sensor arm just lifts it off the mattress enough to prevent what we call these "compression lows". It takes time to find the best placement though so in the meantime all you can do is make a note of which side you wake up on when the alarm goes off and sometimes your graph will show that there has been a sudden drop and these are two of the telltale indicators that it is likely a "compression low" but having your finger prick test kit by the bed and of course hypo treatments is important so that you can double check and easily treat if necessary without having to get out of bed or wander around the house half asleep and possibly hypo looking for what you need.
Have you had any real hypos yet? First hypos can be pretty scary, but once you get used to them and learn not to panic, they are usually easily fixed although I understand pregnancy can cause some quite persistent ones. I think being prepared makes a lot of difference so do keep hypo treatments with you throughout the house and particularly by the bed and I keep some in the bathroom as a hot shower or bath can lower levels particularly after exercise or a particularly active day.
Hopefully these are just false "compression lows" but hopefully this means you will now be more prepared, both practically and mentally.
What advice have you been given for treating hypos?
Have you had any real hypos yet? First hypos can be pretty scary, but once you get used to them and learn not to panic, they are usually easily fixed although I understand pregnancy can cause some quite persistent ones. I think being prepared makes a lot of difference so do keep hypo treatments with you throughout the house and particularly by the bed and I keep some in the bathroom as a hot shower or bath can lower levels particularly after exercise or a particularly active day.
Hopefully these are just false "compression lows" but hopefully this means you will now be more prepared, both practically and mentally.
What advice have you been given for treating hypos?
Inka
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
@Ecgray Congratulations on your pregnancy 🙂 The Libre can be a bit addictive at first. Have you actually started the insulin or have you just got it there ready and waiting? Which insulin is it (full name inc any letters or numbers after)?
Don’t over-rely on the Libre. It can sometimes read too low or too high. It’s always wise to finger-prick to check anything strange, and with the tight targets of pregnancy you’ll probably want to finger-prick more often than if you weren’t pregnant anyway.
Don’t over-rely on the Libre. It can sometimes read too low or too high. It’s always wise to finger-prick to check anything strange, and with the tight targets of pregnancy you’ll probably want to finger-prick more often than if you weren’t pregnant anyway.
Lauren
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Congratulations!
It's easy to over treat/correct when blood dips or rises, especially when you want levels to be perfect for pregnancy (I am certainly guilty of this!) I can only echo what the others have said, finger prick if you're not sure.
It's easy to over treat/correct when blood dips or rises, especially when you want levels to be perfect for pregnancy (I am certainly guilty of this!) I can only echo what the others have said, finger prick if you're not sure.
Hi, congratulation on your pregnancy 🙂. Don't worry the sensor does take a bit of getting used to but a couple of things you may find helpful.
1) The directional arrows are really helpful as it shows you how quickly things are changing but will always be behind your actual blood glucose levels.
2) If it says your high or low and you don't feel like it is always check with a finger prick.
3) Use the alarm functions so your alerted if it goes above or below a certain point.
4) Check it more often when your active or its cold as I find you use more energy
1) The directional arrows are really helpful as it shows you how quickly things are changing but will always be behind your actual blood glucose levels.
2) If it says your high or low and you don't feel like it is always check with a finger prick.
3) Use the alarm functions so your alerted if it goes above or below a certain point.
4) Check it more often when your active or its cold as I find you use more energy