New to Forum : would like advice on monitors

[MammaMagrs]

Hi everyone. This is my first time here. I am a type 2 diabetic caused by atrophy of the pancreas which is a side effect of the fact I have stage 4 liver disease as well as crohns disease. I was started on insulin a couple of months ago and it seemed to be going well and my levels were slowly getting better..the suddenly last Friday I had a huge hypo. My husband came home from dropping our son at school and found me having a full on seizure. He called the ambulance service and a rapid response car was with us in 4 minutes and found my level was 0.9!!!!
I was taken to hospital and just got out this morning. We have no idea what made my level drop SO low, SO suddenly. I am fed by NG tube due to my crohns disease and had had my feed on overnight as normal. Had got up, tested and was 15, and did my normal dose of novomix 30. In fact, did everything the same as i normally do day by day!! Nothing different at all.
The hospital have changed my insulin to Lantus and novorapid.
We literally can't work out what caused things to go so wrong so quickly.
Anyway, it gave us all a terrible shock and of course we are desperate to avoid a repeat.
With that in mind - does anyone use a continuous glucose monitor? Or a flash monitor? Can anyone tell me anything about them or direct me to a website where I can do some research please?
What are the pros and cons of each?
What are the pros and cons versus finger prick testing etc.
I will be so thankful for ANY advice, support, guidance or whatever so thank you in advance.
Please just ask if there is anything you want to know that I haven't mentioned xx
Much love xx

 

[Ljc]

Hello @MammaMagrs , welcome to the forum. What a terrible experience for you both, I am glad you are ok.

I use a A FreeStyle Libre (flash glucose monitor) it provides an awful lot of information as well as the direction your BG (blood glucose) is heading in but and I think this is a very big but for you the basic system which I use doesn’t alarm when going low, though I believe their are kits etc that you can use with it that will alarm. I believe @everydayupsanddowns has a blog about his Libre trial , he we’ll be along later and hopefully be able to provide a link.

I am not sure if all CGMs (continuous glucose monitors) alarm others here will know.

I advise contacting your diabetic team /nurse on Monday to see what they advise esp about you going so very low rapidly.

I hope your new insulin’s work well for you.

 

[Northerner]

Hi everyone. This is my first time here. I am a type 2 diabetic caused by atrophy of the pancreas which is a side effect of the fact I have stage 4 liver disease as well as crohns disease. I was started on insulin a couple of months ago and it seemed to be going well and my levels were slowly getting better..the suddenly last Friday I had a huge hypo. My husband came home from dropping our son at school and found me having a full on seizure. He called the ambulance service and a rapid response car was with us in 4 minutes and found my level was 0.9!!!!
I was taken to hospital and just got out this morning. We have no idea what made my level drop SO low, SO suddenly. I am fed by NG tube due to my crohns disease and had had my feed on overnight as normal. Had got up, tested and was 15, and did my normal dose of novomix 30. In fact, did everything the same as i normally do day by day!! Nothing different at all.
The hospital have changed my insulin to Lantus and novorapid.
We literally can't work out what caused things to go so wrong so quickly.
Anyway, it gave us all a terrible shock and of course we are desperate to avoid a repeat.
With that in mind - does anyone use a continuous glucose monitor? Or a flash monitor? Can anyone tell me anything about them or direct me to a website where I can do some research please?
What are the pros and cons of each?
What are the pros and cons versus finger prick testing etc.
I will be so thankful for ANY advice, support, guidance or whatever so thank you in advance.
Please just ask if there is anything you want to know that I haven't mentioned xx
Much love xx

Hi MammaMagrs, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear you had such a bad experience I've had one or two in the 10 years I have been diagnosed and they were very difficult to explain at the time, although not as bad as yours sounds Sometimes it's very difficult to find an explanation, although the mixed insulin you were on may have been a factor because of the less predictable nature of it. It's really good news that you have been moved to Lantus and novorapid as it provides a much more manageable and flexible way to control your blood sugar levels 🙂

I've used a Libre, which is excellent for providing information and giving an indication of where your blood sugar levels are heading, although it doesn't currently have an alarm. For alarms you would need a CGM which are more expensive and less likely to be given on prescription (A Libre is pretty difficult to get on prescription anyway!). I'd suggest having a look at the INPUT website where there is lots of information about the pros and cons of various types of technology:

https://www.inputdiabetes.org.uk/cgm/cgm-flash-user-reviews/

 

[mikeyB]

Yes, I’d support the idea of a Libre system, though you would be looking at close to £100 a month. Of course, having had a fit, that would be persuasive for a prescription if you live in an area where prescription of the system is allowed. The one big advantage of the Libre is the predictive element. It will tell you if your BG is dropping quickly - but only if you take a reading. There’s no alarm - yet. I’m sure it’s on the way.

I fully sympathise with the fit - I’ve had four. First two in shops, last two in bed. None since using the Libre.

 

[SB2015]

Hi Mammamgrs, sorry to hear about the problems you had. I had one seizure soon after diagnosis. As you say it is not something to be repeated, and frustrating when you cannot work out why it happened.

As Northerner said, the switch to Basal (Lantus)/ Bolus (Novorapid) regime will make things a lot more flexible. It may take some time to get the basal amounts and the carb ratios adjusted to your needs but well worth it. Let us know how you get on with this.

I use a Libre, along with my pump. The Libre really helps me head off the hypos. Although it has no alarms it is so easy to swipe and get my readings, through layers of clothes, that I just check regularly, and it is part of my ‘normal’ routine. The reader also shows the pattern of my levels over the past eight hours. This is particularly helpful when checking my basal insulin overnight. It is costly but with your recent experience you may be able to argue for it on the NHS, which is possible in some areas. The CGM is the next step up which has alarms and some will switch off the insulin if you are giong low. This is even more costly than the Libre so is far harder to get on prescription.

As you work on your new management with separate basal/bolus Insulin there will no doubt be questions. Just ask. No questions are considered silly on here. I have been glad to have access to such a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as all the encouragement that is given.