In recent months, Continuous Glucose Monitors have become more and more mainstream in the diabetes world. You may have seen them on the arms of famous celebrities such as singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, and Type 1 Diabetes activist Nick Jonas. The good news is, as more and more insurance companies and programs cover CGMS, more people have access to them. And it seems that every day new programs are covering these machines.
If you aren’t familiar with a Continuous Glucose Monitor, it is a machine worn on your arm that continually tracks blood sugar. There is a misconception that a needle remains in your arm all day, but that is not the case. When placing the CGM, an extremely thin needle is used to insert the filament. The filament is a thin flexible sensor which typically is not felt by the person wearing it. That is what stays in your arm until you change it, from 3 days to 3 months, depending on which device is used.
As a dietitian and diabetes professional, one of the benefits that I see for those using a CGM is that they are able to easily monitor how their blood sugar changes throughout the day, and how it reacts to different meals and snacks. When you check your blood sugar with a glucometer, you just see your blood sugar at that moment in time. A CGM may check your sugar any time from every minute to every 5 minutes. A glucometer reading is similar to a snapshot, and a CGM is more like a still image film, made up of many snapshots put together.
Another benefit is that a Continuous Glucose Monitor is a good tool for anyone who does not want to prick their finger multiple times per day. Those with a CGM should still keep their original glucometer in case they need to compare readings, but they typically do not need to use it often.
Continuous Glucose monitors are currently recommended for those with Type 1 Diabetes, some people with Type 2, and those with Gestational Diabetes. At this time CGM’s are only recommended for those with Diabetes. If you have been instructed to check your blood sugar multiple times a day, a CGM may be a good fit for you. Talk to your provider to weigh the pros and cons.
Learn more:
https://diabetes.org/tools-support/devices-technology/choosing-cgm
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.