quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Chowser, or anyone else using the Libre CGM, a quick question. How do the readings compare to your finger pricks?

Mine were checking within +/- 10 so I said good enough.

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also don't drink regular soft drinks or juice, though I do keep some of my favorites (like 100% cranberry) on hand for occasional crashes.

Lol...I've only been at this a month, but I've already learned that those low glucose crashes are a great excuse to have a taste of the good stuff that I miss .

quote:

Mine were checking within +/- 10 so I said good enough.

Roger that. I'm getting a new sensor Wednesday (If I can get the folks at CVS to get thier heads out of their butts and process my prescription), so we'll see if that makes any difference. Even if it's not 100%, there's still a lot of value in watching the trends, the tracking, and ease of use...especially when I'm at work or out doing active stuff. Hopefully the tech keeps improving with time, too.

Thanks for the feedback, guys...I'm new to this and trying really hard to do it right, and it helps to have a baseline to know if what I'm seeing is normal or if it's way off base. I had a meeting with the diabetes educator today specific to type 1, and it was honestly pretty depressing to listen to her describe what's happening inside me (basically, my body is killing my pancreas, and there's nothing anybody can do about it) and what to expect down the road...so it's nice to know I'm not alone and that others are dealing with this thing and having success with it.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Chowser, or anyone else using the Libre CGM, a quick question. How do the readings compare to your finger pricks?

I alternate every 2 weeks with the libre CGM and 2 weeks without it due to paying out of pocket for them, Tricare does not cover them. I do random finger sticks as needed when I am not wearing the CGM. Each time I start a new CGM I do a finger stick the next morning for my AM fasting levels as a baseline comparison to the new CGM.

They are usually pretty much spot on, within 10 mg/dl. The farthest out I can remember was 14 mg/dl difference.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

Thanks for the feedback, guys...I'm new to this and trying really hard to do it right, and it helps to have a baseline to know if what I'm seeing is normal or if it's way off base. I had a meeting with the diabetes educator today specific to type 1, and it was honestly pretty depressing to listen to her describe what's happening inside me (basically, my body is killing my pancreas, and there's nothing anybody can do about it) and what to expect down the road...so it's nice to know I'm not alone and that others are dealing with this thing and having success with it.

Yeah, your body is murdering your pancreas. Your thyroid is possibly next of the hit list. If you have an endocrinologist or even if it's just your primary ask about testing thyroid function.

Don't take the complications warnings as complete doom and gloom. If you control your blood sugar you greatly reduce the risk of complications.

Keep in mind that the finger sticker and the cgm both have a 20%ish margin of error built in that combined with the lag time by the cgm can lead to readings that sometimes are at odds. The dexcom is pretty notorious for being wonky the first 24 hours. The libre may share that trait as it dials itself in.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
Wait till you have to remove the sensor. Look at the needle then.

I’m using it with no issues for several months now.

First sensor expired today and I took it off....you're right, that sure is a funky little thing under there.

I called in a refill to CVS yesterday to get a new one. Well, actually I went online because I tried calling it in and got put on hold for 30 minutes with no response....like literally every other time I've tried calling them for anything. I still haven't gotten any sort of notification that it's been filled. I guess I get to go over there after work and have them explain to me why it takes them more than 24 hours to take a box off of a shelf and affix a sticker with my name and rx# to it . The high school dropouts working at Advance Auto Parts are better at picking orders than these people.

I'm at 47 years Type 1 and still going. Ask me anything you want, I'll probably have a pretty accurate answer for you (because I'm still here, with all my parts that is). I can help you with counting carbs, but won't say anything now.

And FWIW, the doctor that told you that shit about dying and losing parts etc., was, how should I put this, mother fucking W-R-O-N-G. You can take that shit he said and throw it OUT the window, nothing could be FURTHER from the truth. When I was a full type 1 diabetic, I was a powerlifter and ocean rescue lifeguard, WITH all of those gawd awful Animal type insulins, which don't compare in the slightest to the FANTASTIC human insulins avail today (was training for a full out Ironman but chickened out for lack of support staff, so to speak).

You need to find a DIABETES SPECIALIST. That doctor is NOT a regular Endocrinologist, those guys are Internal Medicine doctors who deal ONLY in DIABETES, and will be found in a larger DIABETES (and related) Practice. So you can tell your old doctor to go jump off a cliff, because he's so dumb and out of date he shouldn't be practicing medicine at all if he doesn't know any better to tell you where to go for truly expert care. He is, in fact, based on that along, MALpracticing medicine, and should retire immediately before he kills anyone else.

Based on your original post, I can tell you that you will have a pretty damn good life ahead of you with VERY few limitations. The insulins and treatments today for Diabetes are truly excellent, and I guarantee you will benefit from them GREATLY and have a fantastically healthy and active life ahead of you with your wife and kids.

So go tell that mofo doctor of yours to have a nice day, but whatever you do, DON"T GO BACK to him for ANY advice or referrals. He's useless and only doing you and anyone else he's advising much harm.

Wrightd, thanks for that. I spent some time on the phone today getting some things changed around...hopefully the doctor and pharmacy situation will get sorted out eventually. There aren't a ton of options in our area, and the ones we do have are mostly booked out for months. I get the idea that most of these people are not well versed in type 1...especially with onset in an otherwise healthy adult. They really seem to expect you to be overweight, have horrible eating habits, and basically be falling apart. It's almost like they're flipping to a little used chapter in the back of some big diabetes book and just reading off the script from there...and if I ask questions that aren't covered by the script, they have no idea how to answer them.

I want a wholistic lifestyle approach to this....diet and exercise supplemented by insulin. They seem to think the other way around...they want to just dose me up with insulin until I crash and then take glucose tabs to bring me back up. I want to know stuff like how exercise impacts insulin efficiency, and what triggers the body to release stored glucose, so I can try to manage it. If I could structure my lifestyle to just take a regular dose of long acting insulin once a day (which is what I'm currently doing), I'd feel pretty successful.

I'd also love to know what triggered my body to do this, but they can't tell me that either. They told me my test results showed antibodies in my blood, so they're assuming there was some kind of viral infection. I asked if it could have been the covid shot that I got in March and April, because I haven't been sick at all and that's the only medical thing that I've really done in the past year and a half. They just told me a bunch of people got the shot and there hasn't been a rash of type 1 Diabetes, so it can't be that. I'll admit that does make some logical sense, but it's not really an answer, and doesn't even try to address my specific case. It's pretty frustrating that the medical community as a whole seems content to just accept and treat this thing with insulin, rather than try to identify the cause and correct it.

I am amazed at the incompetence of the prescription and pharmacy system, too. The doc just prescribes what she wants without any regard for what my insurance covers or availability...and I don't know enough about this stuff to question her until after I try to fill it. Then I get to the pharmacy and find out that they have a script for insulin but no needles. So I can take the stuff home, but have no way to inject it. Today I got notice of a refill at Meijer so I went to pick it up and it's just lancets...insurance won't cover any more test strips for 2 weeks, but I guess now I can at least poke holes in my fingers for practice or something. I ended up buying some strips out of pocket...I did a little shopping around and found that I can get some that are even cheaper than insurance. But seriously, how stupid can you be?

Then there's CVS. That place is just grossly incompetent and mismanaged. I tried to pick up my libre sensor today, and they didn't have it ready, so I get to go back tomorrow. Apparently it takes more than 24 hours to take a box off the shelf, put it in a bag, and stick a label to it. Oh, and they won't answer the phone at all, ever. I've tried 4 or 5 times in the past week, get put on hold and nobody answers for 30+ minutes until the phone finally just cuts me off. So I have to drive 40 min round trip to figure this out...and then again tomorrow to finally pick it up (hopefully). The first time I went in there, I had to go 3 times, and ultimately had to call customer service for the manufacturer so I could tell the CVS people how to do their job. If the place wasn't selling stuff that people literally need to stay alive, there's no way they'd still be in business.

Hi 92F.

Your approach and detail is extremely encouraging. It will take some time to figure all of it out, since your personal experience and personal observation of cause and effect, combined with personal research, will eventually get you to exactly where you want to go with it.

Here's some advice so far:

You're exactly correct that they're reading the script and regurgitating their ignorance back to you. Not their fault except they don't know enough to get you into a Diabetes Center. Here is the one I use, check it out so you can see what they do, and find another one like it closer to you. But here's the kicker - if it's not close to you, you will need to do some traveling to see them, but believe me here, it will be worth it for you, considering the alternative of not finding one:

https://www.evms.edu/internal_...itz_diabetes_center/


One you are able to get to a center like the one above, they will be able to tell you exactly what triggered your Diabetes. For me it was an autoimmune response caused by being bottle fed cows milk instead of breast milk after I was born. During those times doctors were telling mothers not to feed their own infants breast milk. Idiots. There are other causes but let those guys figure it out for you, as they've seen it all and they know all the triggers.

Regarding your new Libre, throw it in the trash, and replace it with a "Dexcom G6" system. Much superior, and will help you teach yourself exactly how your body responds with combinations of diet, exercise, and insulin. It could also save your life. The Libre won't do those things for you.

Regarding pharmacies, you probably already know, find a pharmacy that your insurance participates with but does a good job of queuing up and filling your diabetic supplies. I started out with one but switched for the Dexcom system refills specifically, as you can use different pharmacies with different types of meds, though one is better, but only if it works for you.

Last, DITCH the bottles and syringes immediately. That's Dinosaur shit. Get the insulin pens that you attach mineature needls to the end of the pen. You simply dial in your dose, inject with the pen, and put then pen back into your pocket, computer case, or lunch pail etc.

Last (again), DITCH the lancets for drawing blood on a regular basis. Your Dexcom G6 system will do most of that testing, but only have a small supply of lancets as backup when your Dexcom is down for service or recycling back up with a new sensor. The days of pricking your finger for a blood glocose reading are OVER and done. Nada. Nope.

That's enough for now, I know it's a little overwhelming. But you're on a great start. It's like learning how to run a pool after you buy a house that had one even though you didn't want it. After you get to that "ah hah" moment, you know what I mean.

I'm excited for you. Daibetes management these days is fantastic, for those that pursue it, and fortunately you're the perfect person. BTW, are you a tech or engineer by trade ? If yes that would explain it.

quote:

BTW, are you a tech or engineer by trade ? If yes that would explain it.

Actually, I'm a night shift cop, believe it or not. But before that I was a computer tech/programmer/dba for 10 years. I'm also a pretty decent shade-tree mechanic and an armorer for my department. Troubleshooting stuff is just what I do.

As to the Libre vs dexcom, the libre has seen some improvements recently. It now actively monitors the sensor and has alarms that you can configure to let you know when you're low or high, even if you're not scanning. My first night with it I didn't have it set right and it woke me up 3 times. It also has provisions for logging food intake, exercise, and insulin. I was on the fence about going to it at first, but after two weeks I'm a believer in the benefits, even with some of the shotcomings. I will say I'm optimistic that these devices are all going to improve with time as the tech gets even better.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Chowser, or anyone else using the Libre CGM, a quick question. How do the readings compare to your finger pricks?

Mine were checking within +/- 10 so I said good enough.

I've been on the new one for a week now, and the readings are far more accurate....like you said +/- 10 or so. I'm not sure if that's the sensor itself, or where I placed it, but it's been much better than the first one. Not cheap at $37/pop, but it's way more convenient, and provides much better feedback and tracking. I've started setting the alarm at 80 when I'm at work, that way even if I'm out and about and it starts dropping I can eat something before it becomes a problem. On the other end, I can check it easily and know when not to eat, and give it time to come back down. It's a pretty amazing tool.

I also like how it takes and saves readings while I am asleep and when I get up to scan it I can see where I was throughout the night.

My old Doc had an app she could look at thet would list what my insurance would cover. very proactive and ran a tight ship. Retired when Obamacare came in. Like the new Doc (just got his green card after 10 years) but the experience is nowhere what it was. You are in charge of your care and you will need to read up and research everything

How long after people started to take Metformin + insulin did you start seeing results, i.e. blood sugar dropping to somewhat better levels?

Metformin didn't do anything for me, and doc had me discontinue it once she figured out I was type 1. I'm honestly not sure why she prescribed it before they got that test back. On the upside, I didn't really experience any of the side affects, although I was only 2 weeks in, and had only worked my way up to 1000mg/day...the original plan had been to go to 2000mg stepping up by 500mg each week.

My family doc started me at 10 units of Lantus and told me to step up 2 units every 4 days until my numbers got where they needed to be. He estimated I'd need to be about 18 units based on my weight, and he was pretty much spot on. The first week at 10-12 units, it didn't seem like it was doing much of anything, but I was super high starting out (close to 400 post-meal). Then as the dose went up, it started dropping. I also made very agressive changes to my diet, which helped, too. A couple of days at 18 and I was right at my target.

18 units seems to be the magic number for me, although there have been a few days where I had a cold or ate something I shouldn't have and it just won't stay down. I've only been doing this since October, and most days now I wake up around 90, but the last two days I've been between 115 and 120, so I'm not sure what's going on there. My work schedule got screwed up because the other night shift guy got Covid, and we got slammed last night and it messed with my meal schedule, so that may be part of it. It also doesn't help that my kids made a bunch of noise this morning and woke me up at 10:30...when I didn't get to sleep until 6:30am. And I'm working again tonight, so that's gonna suck.

Hopefully one of the type 2 guys can help out with your Metformin question. I know there are a couple of guys at work who are type 2 who can keep it under control with just the Metformin and no insulin shots, so apparently it does work under the right circumstances.

Thanks. The person concerned (not me) is on 15 units at bedtime, along with 500mg Metformin ER at supper. Her numbers have come down a lot, but she's struggling to get under 320.

She was only diagnosed last week and the Metformin is scheduled to increase to 1000mg next Wednesday. She's changed her diet to low carb and meals to 4 or 5 small ones a day.

Although she's feeling a lot better, she's getting a bit discouraged that her numbers aren't getting better, quicker.

I just need something to encourage her that it will get better!

I just went back and looked at my logs from when I started. It took me exactly 14 days from when I started taking insulin to when I was down to the 90s on my glucose in the mornings. I was right where she is when I was a week in...scared and frustrated that it wasn't working. Tell her to keep at it, it'll get better. FWIW, I'm 185lbs, if that helps put the dosing into perspective (although if she's type 2, her insulin needs may be very different). I also run 1.5-2mi every morning, walked much as I can, do other exercise, and cut my carbs way back...those things seem to help as well.

One other thing to make sure she knows, and I wish somebody had explained to me...getting brought down like that can mess with your eyesight. I've been nearsighted for over 20 years, and all of a sudden my glasses didn't work anymore and I became far sighted. I was kinda freaked out and thought I was going blind. It was pretty miserable because I was working the whole time, too. After about 3 weeks of having my blood sugar regulated, they went back to normal....so I'm horribly nearsighted again now and back with my original prescription. The way my eye doc described it, the drastic change in blood sugar affects the pressure in your eyes and the way you lenses expand and contract. I don't know all the details, but I know it really sucked. Thankfully it does get better. It's extra motivation for me to keep my blood sugar in check, because I never want to go through that again. She should go see an eye doc, though, because high blood sugar can cause other eye problems as well.

I'm no expert on any of this...it's all new to me, too. But I was right where your friend is 2 months ago, and I can assure her it will get better. If she has any questions, feel free to relay them and I'll do my best to answer. I'm in no way qualified to give any treatment advice, but I'm happy to share my experience if it helps put things into perspective.

Thanks for the info!

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92fstech

Or anybody, anyone suffer from dizziness when first diagnosed? if you did, did it clear up with the medication?

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Originally posted by Pyker:

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92fstech

Or anybody, anyone suffer from dizziness when first diagnosed? if you did, did it clear up with the medication?

I never really had any general dizziness, but I did almost pass out a couple of times, both times after significant adrenaline dumps. That's part of what convinced me I needed to go to the Dr...I was at work, something intense happened, and all of a sudden I was experiencing tunnel vision, loss of hearing, and nausea. Not good when you now have to deal with the thing that caused the adrenaline response in the first place. I never actually went out, but it came close a couple of times. My theory on that, and my doc agrees, is that my baseline blood sugar was already so high that the adrenaline response was enough to bump me up into the 500-600 range, which just about took me out.

Overall I just felt weak and lethargic all the time, with intense thirst that couldn't be quenched. I was drinking (and peeing) constantly, yet always thirsty. I was also hot all the time, but I usually am anyway, so that didn't trigger any red flags. It built up gradually over time, so I didn't realize how bad I was feeling until I got it back under control.

The vision issues I had once my sugar started coming down could be described as difficulty in focus. It didn't really make me dizzy, but it did give me headaches. The worst things were transitions...like looking at the computer in the car then back out the window...it was like it took 4x as long as normal for my eyes to focus, and they never really did get perfectly sharp. It was worse in the dark, and I work nights, so you can imagine how much fun that was. Thankfully it all got better eventually...like I said above, it took about 2 weeks to get my numbers down, then probably another week or two after that until my eyes completely caught up.

Thank you again for the information.