[Diabetes-talk] DexCom G5 Mobile CGM system

Sun Feb 14 23:17:55 UTC 2016

Dar, the CGM has no connection with taking insulin at all. It's simply a way
to look at your blood sugar readings and see the patterns. What you do with
the information is still the same. But if you have hypoglycemia unawareness,
an alarm with go off when your number is too low and get your attention for
sure, or will get the attention of someone else if you can't respond. You
can also set an alarm to notify you if you are too high. But the device does
not administer insulin in any way.
Glad you are doing the walking you are. Keep it up!
Veronica

"Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on
iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
To learn more, visit:
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                Veronica Elsea, Owner
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Santa Cruz, California
Phone: 831-429-6407

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of d
m gina via Diabetes-talk
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 1:01 PM
To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: d m gina
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] DexCom G5 Mobile CGM system

With wearing this device, do you still have to take extra insulin?
I ask because my diabetic coordinator says I still would have to do two 
different insulin shots.
Being confused I don't want to keep adding more insulin at the cost of 
$400 for five pins.
That seems quite out of reach for anyone.
I am told the price was because my insurance needed to have me pay what 
they want for the start of the year, even though I pay a co payment on 
a monthly bases.
I am walking a treadmill for an hour for five or six days.
When the summer gets here, and there is no snow then I can go back to 
my mile and a half walk that I do with my dog.
Glad this is working for you.

Original message:
> Hello Ed and all interested in CGM, pumps and accessibility,

> Fair warning, this is a lengthy post...

> Ed - I am also using the DexCom G5 Mobile system(G5 stands for fifth
> generation), and have been since it first became available as an upgrade
to
> the prior system late last year. I am late in providing an update to this
> list, and for that I apologize. The DexCom G5 Mobile is quite a
breakthrough
> in terms of accessibility over their previous DexCom G4 Share system.

> As you describe, nearly all aspects of the day-to-day use of the system,
> including setup and calibration can be managed by someone who is blind.
I'm
> glad to hear that your A1C has fallen into a healthier range since you
began
> to use the CGM. Mine did also, and in general, the statistic I've heard
> reported is that on average, a person's A1C will lower one full point when
> using a CGM consistently.

> Hang in there with pulling the plastic covers off the adhesive. In the
> beginning I had some issues as well, but now very confidently handle
> applying the sensors to my skin. I've included at the end of this email a
> lengthy description of how I go about putting on my sensors.

> Not being able to detect a low blood sugar before it is dangerously low is
> known as hypoglycemia unawareness, and if your insurance covers CGM use,
> having hypoglycemia unawareness gets you automatic approval for use of the
> CGM. CGM can truly be a life saver, and I know both my wife and I sleep
much
> easier now.

> Now, in terms of the Medtronic system, they are marketing the Minimed 530G
> (I think the G stands for Guardian). This is a combination insulin pump
and
> CGM system. It still requires you to have two items inserted under your
> skin, the canula for the pump and the sensor for the CGM, but the pump
unit
> handles both the display and input for both the pump and the CGM. The
> feature that sets this pump and CGM system apart is that the pump pays
> attention to the CGM readings, and when the CGM indicates you are going
low,
> if you do not respond, it automatically turns off the pumps basil insulin
> delivery for up to two hours. This is the first time ever in the US a pump
> has been approved that takes data from a CGM and makes a decision for the
> human wearing the pump. That in and of itself is a landmark
accomplishment.

> In terms of accessibility, They offer a system named Minimed Connect,
which
> can be used in conjunction with an iPhone or iPad app to display
information
> about the Minimed 530G pump and CGM on your phone. By the way, I believe
one
> must purchase the Medtronic Connect system to have the iPhone app display
> the CGM and pump information; for DexCom the system connects to the iPhone
> at no additional charge. I spoke with another blind person who uses it. It
> does have a few advantages over the DexCom G5 Mobile system if you use a
> pump, because the Connect app lets you get information from your pump as
> well in an accessible form. I use a pump, and I always have to ask others
to
> tell me how much insulin is left in my cartridge, how much insulin is
still
> active in my body since my last bolus, and what my pump battery level is.
> With the Minimed Connect system, the blind person can now access that
data,
> along with the CGM current reading, right from the iPhone app. The
> availability of the pump information on the app is a first, as far as I
> know, for any pump.

> That being said, just from the CGM pperspective, the Minimed Connect falls
> way behind the functionality available via the app for the DexCom g5
Mobile
> system. As I said earlier, the Minimed Connect app only lets one view the
> data from the app; you cannot interact with the pump or the CGM via the
app.
> So, with the DexCom G5 Mobile, you can use the app to start and stop your
> sensors, enter your twice-daily calibration values, set all your
individual
> alert levels and sounds for your high and low thresholds, and you can even
> enter your diabetes-related activity into the app, such as how much
insulin
> you just took, how much carb you just ate, how much exercise you just did,
> and other items such recording that you are ill.

> All that data, in conjunction with the blood glucose readings from the
CGM,
> can help you and your diabetes health team determine how to best adjust
your
> particular carb to insulin ratios, basil levels on your pump, etc.

> On the Minimed system, all the functionality I just described for the
DexCom
> has to be entered on the Minimed pump system, which is absolutely not
> accessible.

> Another advantage of the DexCom system is that all you need to carry with
> you is your iPhone. The DexCom sensor you wear on your body transmits the
> information directly to your phone. On the Minimed system, you have to
carry
> another small device with you, named the uploader, which is about the size
> of an automobile key fob. The Minimed transmitter on your body first sends
> the information to the uploader, and it in turn sends it to the phone. So,
> it is small, but the uploader requires charging, and it is one more item
to
> remember, and potentially to forget.

> Finally, a wonderful advantage of these new CGM systems is that they also
> automatically send the blood glucose data to the CGM company (either
DexCom
> or Medtronic) where it can be viewed by you or your doctor. The web-based
> DexCom product for viewing your data, identifying blood glucose trends,
and
> tracking how you re doing is called Clarity. As I said earlier, the
> Medtronic name is Minimed Connect. DexCom offers Clarity for free.

> So, when I see my endocrinologist, she can call up my data from the DexCom
> site. I do not need to have my CGM uploaded to her PC in her office, nor
do
> I need to give her my blood sugar logs. For better, or worse, my life as a
> diabetic is available to her, in living color.

> Of course, there are many privacy safeguards in place. Your physician can
> never see your data unless you provide them access, and you can limit how
> long they have access. If you provide your doctor ongoing access, for
three
> months or six months, for example, they can log in and see your data even
> whenyou are not at the office. And, the clarity system also let's you
simply
> email a report to your doctor.

> I hope that soon, everyone on this list that can take advantage of a CGM
can
> start using one. . I'm encouraged that at some point Medicare may start
> covering them.

> All the best,
> Tom Ley
> What follows next is a description of how I put on a sensor.

> How I put on a new DexCom G5 Mobile sensor without sight
> First, I find that often, the sensors come out of the large sealed plastic
> coverings such that the adhesive oval area is curled downward, so the
> adhesive is not flat. I make sure I bend up the oval shaped adhesive area
> all the way around until it is flat again.

> The covering over the adhesive is made of two pieces, each piece covering
> half of the adhesive. The two tabs you pull on are right next to each
other,
> in the middle of one of the long sides of the oval.

> I usually start off by holding the sensor by the adhesive area with the
> fingers on my right hand, holding on the right side of the adhesive area.
> When I hold it like this, the bottom of the adhesive area is facing me,
with
> the long body of the sensor that contains the inserter kind of falling
back
> and down away from me to the right.

> Then I find the tab for the left half of the adhesive with my left hand,
and
> making sure my right hand is only grasping the right side, I pull the tab
on
> the left side toward  me and down to remove it. Lacking another hand, I
> usually put the piece I just removed between my lips to hold it until I'm
> done.

> Then, I very lightly grasp the now exposed sticky adhesive part with the
> tips of my left fingers. I grasp the smallest part I can, about in the
same
> place the tab was that I just removed. And, I can now let go of the sensor
> with my right hand.

> It is important not to get the adhesive stuck to your clothes or anything
> else. I hold it away from my body. I might say also that I always stand
when
> I put on a new sensor.

> Now, I use my right hand to find the tab for the other half and pull it
> toward me and down until it separates. I then hold this one between my
lips
> as well. I'm sure it would make for some humorous watching if anyone
videoed
> me while I was doing this!

> Now, the entire adhesive is exposed, and I'm holding on to the adhesive
with
> my left fingers, but just the smallest part is sticking to my fingers.
Now,
> I grasp the body of the sensor inserter with my right hand, and very
> carefully unstick mhy fingers from the adhesive. If done carfully, none of
> the adhesive will be sticking to itself, or anything else.

> Next, I carefully use my right hand to maneuver the sensor to the place on
> my abdomen I plan to insert and touch the adhesive to my skin. Then I
> qquickly run my finger over the adhesive to make sure it is well attached
> all around.

> Hope this helps!

> Tom

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-- 
--Dar
skype: dmgina23
  FB: dmgina
www.twitter.com/dmgina
every saint has a past
every sinner has a future

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