My daughter used to call robots "Robot Dude". With the CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) now attached to me I am feeling a little more like a robot. The training was very good, the only issues were the husband of one trainee and the other trainee told stories. I understand that you may want your significant other to learn this as well, but turn off the cell phone or if you answer it leave the room. The other trainee was nice but when she started to tell a story it took a while, I am all for stories and sharing life experiences but there is a time and place and show up on time. Part of my frustration with this was the fact that I knew from reading the materials I had to do checks with the blood sugar in two hours from the start and then again two more times that day before bed to calibrate the CGM.
I will admit when first seeing the sensor and the needle used to insert it, it is very intimidating. They say it is painless and I believe it, I think I just hit a tender spot. The sensor must be on the same side of the body as the pump and this caused a little thinking for me as I usually have my pump on the front of me as I keep it in a front pocket (and the clothes I wear sometimes don't have a back pocket) and when I sleep I put in on or just around my hip because I sleep on my stomach a lot. The trainer helped me decide to put the sensor on my side a little so it can work from the front and hip. It didn't miss a beat all night. I did have slight bleeding where it was attached but it was minimal and stopped very quickly. The whole process of setting the sensor was a little involved. You have to pick it up in a certain way so you don't pull the needle out and when inserting you have to follow steps pretty well to do it right. Angles and the way you remove things when placing the sensor have to be done right. It is still all worth all the trouble to give that added help in controlling diabetes in my opinion.
Due to the fact that I like instant gratification it was tough to wait for the first calibration time of two hours to start seeing information on my pump regarding the CGM. Being a nerd of sorts I love things like this and it is very interesting to see the graph populate itself. I am trying to wait another day to upload the data to look at reports.
The downside right now is getting used to having something else attached to me. I am going to have to try different spots to find what works best and is comfortable. Right now on my side above my waist is alright but it is slightly uncomfortable which may be the tape holding the sensor and transmitter or just the area. It is not painful, I am just always aware it is there.
This is going to be a great addition to controlling my diabetes as it will give me a good idea what is going in between Blood Glucose readings. The thing I am looking forward to the most are the predictive alerts to help prevent the highs and lows. In addition I think it will help figure out the best basal rates. I realize it is a process of always fine tuning as seasons and activities change along with my body but I can't wait to see my a1C in August as my most current from a couple of weeks ago was done from 7.1 to 6.6.
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