Type 2 Diabetic
- Thread starter oldcodger
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I’m guessing you are talking about the Continuous Glucose Monitors? I have no experience with them. I use the Ascensia Contour Next monitor and their lancets. They are finer than most.
They teach diabetics to poke their finger pads and that’s painful. Try poking the side of the finger. Make sure your lancet is adjusted to the lowest setting needed to draw blood.
As for the CGM that will be a question for your doctor to see if it’s right for you.
They teach diabetics to poke their finger pads and that’s painful. Try poking the side of the finger. Make sure your lancet is adjusted to the lowest setting needed to draw blood.
As for the CGM that will be a question for your doctor to see if it’s right for you.
I know the Type 1 folks love their CGM.
But in the US, I believe they are usually only available through prescription.
But some CGM's do require you to occasionally prick your fingers to double check the readings.
Not to mention they are rather expensive.
I would love a CGM myself. Something that I can link to a iPhone/Apple Watch, since it would be a medical excuse to bring my phone into the office.
But in the US, I believe they are usually only available through prescription.
But some CGM's do require you to occasionally prick your fingers to double check the readings.
Not to mention they are rather expensive.
I would love a CGM myself. Something that I can link to a iPhone/Apple Watch, since it would be a medical excuse to bring my phone into the office.
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A CGM does not measure blood sugar levels but interstitial fluid sugar levels in tissue. That means the readings you get are lagging compared to finger stick readings which give a direct BG reading. CGM readings tend to be too low if you measure currently rising blood sugar levels and may show too high if your blood sugar is already falling. A CGM is great for seeing the trend of your blood sugar level - steady, decreasing, or increasing. The values will roughly match fingerstick values if you take a fasting reading or a reading at least 3 hours after eating. If you track your sugar levels over three months the average over the measuring should roughly match your lab-derived A1C.
I have used CGMs to optimize metabolic performance in the context of nutrition, exercise, and athletic performance (anabolic higher blood glucose vs lower catabolic blood glucose state - important for controlling metabolism = adding body fat, burning body fat, increasing muscle mass). Your blood sugar level is an indication if you are in The sensors can easily get dislodged and water resistance is limited to short swims. You should use skin prep/adhesion promoter if you want the sensor to stay on reliably. if you put the sensor on your upper arm you can wrap it with self-adhesive bandages - the sticky, rubbery, stretchy stuff.
Lying on the sensor during the night may affect the readings significantly. A new sensor is not very accurate for the first 24 hours.
The cost is probably around $150 for two sensors (14 days sensors) out of pocket without coverage. Since I'm not a diabetic I did not qualify for the cost to be covered by my insurance and I had to pay out of pocket. You can use a standalone reader or a free cellphone app to read and store your data.
Whether a diabetic should do fingersticks or get a CGM depends on the testing frequency. If you need to inject insulin more than 3 times a day you qualify for a prescription. Without a prescription, you can officially not buy a CGM or sensors but you can get them like you can get anything.
The sensor is a medical device and you do break the skin and insert a half-inch-long metal needle into your skin. There is a small infection risk even with proper disinfecting techniques. in addition to the sensors, you will need disinfecting alcohol wipes, and you may want to use the aforementioned adhesion promoter (ie 3M Cavilon).
All in all: recommended but make sure to talk to a diabetes educator who will ensure you interpret the readings correctly and make the most out of the use of the device. Since you have diabetes you should see an endocrinologist rather than a GP or an internist. You should also see a nutritionist. Some diabetes educators are also nutritionists. Get one with creds.
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I use the Dexcom G6 because I get them through my insurance program that also monitors and provides coaching. It is no cost to me through the program so I participate and have constant glucose monitoring that communicates with my iPhone.
In my experience it is roughly accurate as I usually calibrate it through the app with a finger stick reading.
Also, since it is down on my abdomen it can be subject to bumps, etc., if I’m working. Dexcom provides overlay stickers to help protect the mounted sensor and transmitter and they do protect the sensor better than just the cloth sticker.
I prefer it over the Freestyle Libre in that the monitoring is relatively continuous vs having to scan your phone onto the sensor on your arm. And for me, the Freestyle gave me arm and muscle pain after a while. No such issue with the Dexcom.
Prescription only and I know some insurance companies won’t cover unless you do a pre authorization via your provider. It’s not always successful.
In my experience it is roughly accurate as I usually calibrate it through the app with a finger stick reading.
Also, since it is down on my abdomen it can be subject to bumps, etc., if I’m working. Dexcom provides overlay stickers to help protect the mounted sensor and transmitter and they do protect the sensor better than just the cloth sticker.
I prefer it over the Freestyle Libre in that the monitoring is relatively continuous vs having to scan your phone onto the sensor on your arm. And for me, the Freestyle gave me arm and muscle pain after a while. No such issue with the Dexcom.
Prescription only and I know some insurance companies won’t cover unless you do a pre authorization via your provider. It’s not always successful.
They all require some needle.
I use the pin prick, it's not so bad after a couple days.
But Type 2? Get your liver working.
A) No alcohol, just stop. I'm sorry. Taxes the liver no matter the amount.
B) No honey, no fruit juice and light on the super sweet fruits, Just say no to free fructose. (think liver again)
C) No sugar
D) Very very light of free simple carbs. Rice of any variety, bread etc NOPE. Sorry.
E) Apple cider vinegar
F) Lemon water
I'm not a doctor but if your A1C is not lowered following the above, something else is wrong.
I was amazed how detoxing and cutting out these things lowered my daily glucose levels. I mean was getting over 150 and such, now much lower. It's time again for my A1C and shooting for ~6.
The Dexcom 6 is disappointing. The system is glitchy and sometimes inaccurate/unreliable. I have used it to my advantage but it is fraught with issues to the point that Dexcom has sent me at least 6 new sensors over the first 6 months.
Like so much of current technology it doesnt live up to the hype.
Having said that, It has helped me quite a bit, its just way more work to maintain and troubleshoot than they would have you believe.
Like so much of current technology it doesnt live up to the hype.
Having said that, It has helped me quite a bit, its just way more work to maintain and troubleshoot than they would have you believe.
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@Padlo, did you reverse your Type 2 diabetes?
Well depending on the definition and my next couple years tests but my glucose is below diagnosed levels and I never had any symptoms
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It's amazing what can be done with low carb diet. The conventional medical wisdom of low fat/high carb diet combined with so much junk in our food supply is what is causing all these chronic illnesses.
Actually as I see it, many Americans do both, high fat and high carbs. I see it everyday, lines of cars, literally packing the parking lots of fast food restaurants where they overflow out onto the street. All to eat high fat and high carb foods. Cooking healthy foods at home is rare and if a restaurant dedicates more then 25% of their menu to healthy selections they will go out of business, except maybe one chain Bonefish Grill though I sometimes wonder if they will survive, I do not see their parking lots packed like I used to and I really dont know where else to go with a large selection of healthy stuff (for a restaurant).
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I don't know about high fat. My diet is about 15% carb, 25% protein and 60% fat including butter, lard and olive oil (while making sure there are no BHA or BHT carcinogens in it). When you look at a Big Mac, it has 103 grams of non-water content. 43% is carbs, 25% is protein and 32% is fat. It gets worse when you add fries and a diet coke.
I guess for me personally I look at both trying to avoid the family history of both devastating heart disease to an extreme my sibling has and my father died of at a young age and diabetes that they both have/had. So I try my best (if I am reading your post correctly I can see you certainly know what you are doing with the numbers) to blanket not eat anything too starchy or fatty and will eat fish as much as practical something both of them never did.
I remember decades ago my brother not feeling well, a lipid test the doctor called him and said its so bad his blood is "like milk"
Im not kidding, it was a long time ago and if I even grab at straws to tell you numbers you wouldnt believe me, like triglycerides over 1000. He is a great guy but I dont understand, food for some and what we eat are sometimes blocked out of your mind as you eat them? He isnt grossly over weight yet to this day will eat 70% hamburgers and sausage on the grill and brag about it.
Here I am if I have a hamburger on the grill I buy 93 to 95% lean chopmeat that my wife will make for me, she gets the more fatty 80 to 85 for herself.
He has had quad bypass 20 years ago, stents more recent, most likely many heart attacks he didnt know what was occurring, an EF score below 30 and a multi purpose IED/Pacemaker device now implanted in his chest.
I have none of this YET. I am being monitored for cancer, would be just my luck *LOL* Go figure, PSA score now at 15!!!
Three biopsies over the years, 2 MRIs no cancer yet as of June 2021... I'll find out the next procedure in another month. Ive become so used to biopsies the last two I was awake for and less than 10 or 15 minutes later walked out of the office. It's not pleasant to an extreme but it's over fast.
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Zee09
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Yeah he reversed it back to type 1...
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High fat diet lowered my cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It was a complete surprise and a great disappointment of what the conventional medicine teaches us of fats in diet and overall health.
If you are healthy, give this low carb diet a try. Do blood work now including A1C then go on low carb diet for 6 months and then do another blood work. If you are worried about butter or lard, increase your intake of olive oil (food will simply become a carrier for oil intake
). AVOID seed oils. See what your results will be.
I was diagnosed type 2 in 2018 with an A1C of 7.2. At the time, I was drinking a 2-liter of full sugar coke a day. I cut out all full sugar and processed sugar foods, lost 40 lbs rather quickly, and A1C dropped to 5.8. I never monitor my blood sugar. I don't even own a device to do so. I just get bloodwork every 6 months to check on it. My A1C has stayed in the 5.5-5.8 range, and I still eat a lot of carbs. I just eat whole wheat and whole grains with no HFCS. I tried keto for a short while and my liver and gall bladder did not like it at all. I got pretty sick which was when we found out I have gallstones and the high fat diet was aggravating it. Went back to eating more carbs and protein and felt much better. These days I try to stick to the mediterranean diet eating a lot of fish, chicken, fresh veggies, and whole wheats.
They may eat high fat, in a way. But wrong fats, for sure.
Point being people fear fats and they get FAT on carb replacements.
I actually upped my fats. Don't be afraid of fat. Be afraid of simple carbs.
My wife has been using a Dexcom CGM since the G4 version. She's currently using the G6.
If you don't like sticking your fingers, it's a good alternative. You do have to replace the sensor every 7-10 days; the transmitter every 3 months or so (IIRC).
Her only complaints are loss of signal and you can't lower the volume of the alerts. This is by design but it can be annoying.
Keeping your glucose in range is important as is your blood pressure. If out of control, both can lead to bad outcomes for your kidneys.
If you don't like sticking your fingers, it's a good alternative. You do have to replace the sensor every 7-10 days; the transmitter every 3 months or so (IIRC).
Her only complaints are loss of signal and you can't lower the volume of the alerts. This is by design but it can be annoying.
Keeping your glucose in range is important as is your blood pressure. If out of control, both can lead to bad outcomes for your kidneys.
There are other things I have done as well, but really learning how my body reacts to foods is amazing.
For example, sweet potatoes send my blood sugar through the roof. I was amazed. Something about them that doesn't trigger insulin release.
Overall the goal is to move from insulin resistant to insulin sensitive.
I stopped using any sugar substitutes. I eliminated caffeine. I eat fruit but portion it (not eating 3 mangoes and half a pineapple)
I eat a lot of olive oil, beef fat, butter, MCT's, hemp oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil. But I am not fat.
For example, sweet potatoes send my blood sugar through the roof. I was amazed. Something about them that doesn't trigger insulin release.
Overall the goal is to move from insulin resistant to insulin sensitive.
I stopped using any sugar substitutes. I eliminated caffeine. I eat fruit but portion it (not eating 3 mangoes and half a pineapple)
I eat a lot of olive oil, beef fat, butter, MCT's, hemp oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil. But I am not fat.
Everyone is different and that’s the problem with diabetes. One diabetic can each half a sandwich and have minimal impact on their sugars while someone else will have their sugars skyrocket.
Fats are important in a diabetic diet but watch your lipids. I eat a lot of meats which provide fat and protein but my triglycerides were up on my recent lab work. I have to pare back a bit.
The other important factor is exercise. Exercise is imperative.
I hope the OP will give more details like when he was diagnosed, his lifestyle, diet and how often he is checking his sugars.
Fats are important in a diabetic diet but watch your lipids. I eat a lot of meats which provide fat and protein but my triglycerides were up on my recent lab work. I have to pare back a bit.
The other important factor is exercise. Exercise is imperative.
I hope the OP will give more details like when he was diagnosed, his lifestyle, diet and how often he is checking his sugars.
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