I got told I was diabetic when I was 17. For the next 12 years I managed that news with a little finger pricker and some test strips. It was a faff. Not only was finger pricking uncomfortable, more importantly it looked weird and made me anxious in social situations.
Often, to avoid potential embarrassment, I just didn’t do it. Bad diabetic.
On top of that, it was also a lot of stuff to take out with me. I needed needles, the pricker itself, test strips and a meter to read them with. If I had a bag with me that was fine, but if I just wanted to go out without bulking up it was a nightmare. I longed for winter where I could wear coats with more pockets, just to make the process easier.
But then something incredible happened - The Freestyle Libre. This new button sat on my arm and let me check my blood sugar using Bluetooth. It felt like a game-changer, something that would make my life so much easier and diabetes management so much… cooler.
And it did, for a bit.
When did things start going wrong?
As with all new technology, problems started to occur. The Libre sensor would often fail if the weather got too hot or too cold, or sometimes just for no reason at all, leaving you without the information you needed when you needed it most. This often happened just as I was about to go to the gym or go to bed, causing me anxiety at crucial times. No-one wants to stay awake for an extra hour waiting for an app to start working, especially not my wife.
The Libre 1 also lacked alarms. This meant if I dropped low in the middle of the night and my body didn’t wake itself up, I’d be screwed. This happened a couple of times - fine when I checked before bed, low in the middle of the night. Eventually I was swapped to the Libre 2 which came with alarms, but still had those same connectivity issues that impacted its performance.
What had started off feeling like a game-change was now feeling like it was holding me back.
Last month, though, I got an upgrade. Technology moves rapidly, and less than a year after I’d been put on the Libre 2, I was moved to a Dexcom One. Welcome to the world of continuous glucose monitoring.
What is a CGM?
A CGM is a continuous glucose monitor. It does exactly what you’d expect to - tracks your blood sugar all the time, sending updated figures every minute without you needing to do anything at all. Don’t ask me how it works, because I’m just a guy who wears it, but what I do know is that it’s wonderful.
I don’t have to do anything other than open the app on my phone to get an accurate reading. On the Libre, readings would be about 15 minutes delayed, whereas the Dexcom gives me readings every 60 seconds. They’re also 99% accurate, making it almost as good as a proper blood test.
What about the app itself?
The app is proper simple. There are three screens - your glucose readings, some reports about your averages, and the settings of the sensor. That’s all you need, really. The Libre had loads more, which looked exciting at first, but realistically I never used them after the first couple of weeks of exploration.
There’s still the odd hitch - occasionally readings will be unavailable for no obvious reason, but it fixes itself nine times out of ten if you restart it or leave it for a few minutes.
The alarms are better too. On the Libre 2, the low glucose alarm was a heart-attack waiting to happen. You couldn’t miss it, which I guess is a good thing, but sometimes it would make me wish I was nearer a toilet. Saved my life? Sure. Cost me a good pair of jeans? Shame.
On the Dexcom, you can change the alarms to a sound that suits you. Mine is currently a funky little tune that sounds like a Mexican dance number. It still wakes me up, but in a happier way.
Can you get Dexcom on the NHS?
Of course you can, otherwise I wouldn’t have it. For a while you had to pay a subscription, but my generous diabetic specialist at Sheffield Hallam sorted one out for me and got it added to my repeat prescription. There are still a few technical details that need sorting out though. For example, the Dexcom One is two separate parts: One, the sensor you apply to your arm, and two, the transmitter that clicks into it. You order the sensors through your GP and the transmitter via the pharmacist, and so far the two don’t seem to be talking to each other.
I await with baited breath to see how long that takes to fix.
But apart from that, I love you Dexcom One. You’ve made it possible for me to be even lazier with my diabetes management, which is exactly what I want. The less I can do and the healthier I can be, the better life is.