I am type 2 and was diagnosed after i started cancer treatment. The medication pushing my sugar levels up. I was given metformin. All was ok until i was given additional cancer medication. Suddenly (actually it was 6 months after the new meds when i had my sugar levels checked at the GP) my levels shot up from around 45 into the 80's. My metformin was increased, but the side effects of the metformin and my cancer medication has given me stomach problems and i'm in the process of trying to sort out what to do. I am not overweight, don't drink and eat a pretty good diet, so the assumption is that the problem is due to medication. Whilst this is being sorted, not very quickly, i have been looking into glucose monitoring systems, and I'm looking for advice from those who already use them. As I will be paying for this myself, I really want to make sure I make the right choice. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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Glucose monitoring systems - advice
- Thread starter Buffy61
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I'm assuming that you mean a continuous monitoring system like Libre? I have no experience of them so can't help there, but it might help with others if you say what you want to achieve with it. I'd have thought a simple glucose meter so you can test on waking, before & after meals & at bedtime would do the job. That will show you your base fasting levels before breakfast & how each meal affects your levels.
I have a finger prick system, but found it to be very unreliable. Trying to establish if insulin would help
Leadinglights
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- Type 2
In what way do you think your monitor is unreliable.
What sort of readings are you getting from your monitor.
Depending on your answer to the above, you may just need a change of meter brand.
But you can get a 14 day free trial of Libre 2.
But you can get a 14 day free trial of Libre 2.
Proud to be erratic
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Hello @Buffy61. If you were to fund a CGM then Libre 2 seems to provide the most flexible and therefore the most cost effective system. The others lock you into packages that need you to wear their system for a defined period continuously, or waste money - whereas Libre 2 allows you to "dip in and out" in 14 day blocks.
Each Libre sensor is an independent 14 day entity, at c. £50 each sensor. So, while you could wear sensors in continuous succession - you could also choose to wear one for a fortnight, then take a break. Each fortnight with Libre 2 you could maximise your experience by trying different foods (or medications) and see what the outcome was - then (without a sensor) consolidate on those trials. Thereafter you might choose to have one 14 day sensor per month, every 6 weeks, or even further apart and thus keep your expenditure down. You will need to check you have a compatible phone, or be prepared to pay a further £60 (?) for a Libre 2 Reader
But I do agree with the original question from @RBZ5416 - what do you want to achieve? When I had my chemo in mid 2020 I did not have Libre. But I knew in advance that the steroids, in particular, were going to elevate my BG and I was able to adjust my insulin accordingly. That said, being high for a couple of days is less damaging in the medium and long term than being low - particularly for me as someone who is insulin dependent. Since you are only using metformin for your diabetes, there is effectively no risk of going too low. So I deduce this is all about finding the best mix of meds to reduce stomach problems and I'm not sure CGM will help you much.
Good luck.
Each Libre sensor is an independent 14 day entity, at c. £50 each sensor. So, while you could wear sensors in continuous succession - you could also choose to wear one for a fortnight, then take a break. Each fortnight with Libre 2 you could maximise your experience by trying different foods (or medications) and see what the outcome was - then (without a sensor) consolidate on those trials. Thereafter you might choose to have one 14 day sensor per month, every 6 weeks, or even further apart and thus keep your expenditure down. You will need to check you have a compatible phone, or be prepared to pay a further £60 (?) for a Libre 2 Reader
But I do agree with the original question from @RBZ5416 - what do you want to achieve? When I had my chemo in mid 2020 I did not have Libre. But I knew in advance that the steroids, in particular, were going to elevate my BG and I was able to adjust my insulin accordingly. That said, being high for a couple of days is less damaging in the medium and long term than being low - particularly for me as someone who is insulin dependent. Since you are only using metformin for your diabetes, there is effectively no risk of going too low. So I deduce this is all about finding the best mix of meds to reduce stomach problems and I'm not sure CGM will help you much.
Good luck.
Bruce Stephens
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- Type 1
You need a reliable test strip setup even with a CGM (like Libre 2). Some systems seem to work poorly for some people, often (though not always) reading consistently too low or too high compared with test strips.
So concentrating on fixing whatever problems you're having with test strips seems to me to be the obvious priority. And likely test strips are the sensible thing for you to use in any case. (CGMs seem to me to be rather poor value for most people not using insulin. I can see occasional use (if you're on holiday eating unfamiliar food, or sick and wanting to keep track of levels), but generally the value seems limited.)
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harbottle
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I have used Libre CGMs (Around 6 of them) but doubt I'd use them again. I mainly used them when going abroad, but needn't have worried as eating out was pretty easy in Europe for finding suitable food and it also showed me that BG did come back down even after a sneaky piece of bread or a cannelloni.
They were useful for seeing trends (i.e. I saw that Oats created a spike that quickly dropped to normal, plus the fact that after breakfast when I head for work I saw a slight rise, just into the sixes, than came down by lunch.) It also showed that I didn't get any sort of 'dawn phenomenon' as it tended to be pretty flat all night and only went up a little when I was heading to the office.
But as a T2 it was only useful for info gathering, although I did find it fascinating how it would go down during exercise and then slowly creep back up to a 'set point' after exercise.
For now I'm sticking with my Contour meters. I'm not sure sensors are that useful unless you're on medication that can cause hypos.
They were useful for seeing trends (i.e. I saw that Oats created a spike that quickly dropped to normal, plus the fact that after breakfast when I head for work I saw a slight rise, just into the sixes, than came down by lunch.) It also showed that I didn't get any sort of 'dawn phenomenon' as it tended to be pretty flat all night and only went up a little when I was heading to the office.
But as a T2 it was only useful for info gathering, although I did find it fascinating how it would go down during exercise and then slowly creep back up to a 'set point' after exercise.
For now I'm sticking with my Contour meters. I'm not sure sensors are that useful unless you're on medication that can cause hypos.
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