Messages In This Digest (25 Messages)
- 1a.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: mjriely1
- 1b.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: jayne Cathcart
- 1c.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Allison Herschede
- 1d.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Melissa Howell
- 1e.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Anngela
- 1f.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Pat Fields
- 1g.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Ron Ziegler
- 1h.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Greg Chapman
- 1i.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Allison Herschede
- 1j.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Wendy B.
- 1k.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Jennifer McMonagle-Harris
- 1l.
- Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please From: Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author
- 2a.
- syringe? on plane From: Maureen Helinski
- 2b.
- Re: syringe? on plane From: Ron Ziegler
- 3a.
- Weak Signal & Radio Interference From: Signe Myhren
- 3b.
- Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference From: ljbork
- 3c.
- Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference From: Elizabeth Blake
- 3d.
- Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference From: Ted Marshall
- 3e.
- Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference From: Jennifer McMonagle-Harris
- 4a.
- what size hyperfix to order From: Wendy B.
- 4b.
- Re: what size hyperfix to order From: Ron Ziegler
- 4c.
- Re: what size hyperfix to order From: Jennifer McMonagle-Harris
- 5a.
- Santa brought a Dexcom 7+ to our house too! From: Katherine Ames Iserman
- 5b.
- Re: Santa brought a Dexcom 7+ to our house too! From: Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author
- 6.
- My trial of Medtronic and Dexcom CGM Systems From: Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author
Messages
- 1a.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "mjriely1" mjriely@comcast.net mjriely1
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:18 am (PST)
It seems to all depend on the reason for the overproduction - if you eat carbs and your body begins to produce the insulin but doesn't stop then eating a low carb, protein diet seems might work. Of course, all of this has probably been tried. Please remember that T1 doesn't stop you from having lows...plus you'll have to deal with highs. I really don't have a good answer for you other then to say I would try everything in the book before taking out a pancreas. It would be worth doing those free trials as you set aside money to purchase the unit on your own if possible. While doing the trials you may learn what triggers your low BG levels so you can avoid high carbs or whatever activities seem to cause it. Or at least learn to correct at the right time with the right amount of food. I'm no doctor but I sure hope you find a good answer that works for you. Good luck!
Merilee
--- In diabetescgms@yahoogroups. , Caree Musick <caree.musick@com ...> wrote:
>
> Hi Pat,
>
>
>
> I'm sharing my opinion because I see that others have recommended a low carb
> diet. I don't see how a low carb diet is going to help you when the problem
> is that you are secreting too much insulin. A low carb diet would be
> beneficial if you were a type 2 diabetic but I would think that eating less
> carbs would only compound your problem with low blood sugar.
>
>
>
> I had a total pancreatectomy due to multiple pre-cancerous cysts which
> basically made my pancreas non-functional. I definitely prefer my life now
> to the quality of life that I had before. I count carbs and dose my insulin
> accordingly. I won't say that post-pancreatectomy is carefree but much
> better than before I had the surgery.
>
>
>
> If you choose to have a complete pancreatectomy you will be a type 1
> diabetic and also need to take pancreatic enzymes to digest your food. With
> the help of a good endocrinologist and diabetic team you can have a good
> quality of life following a pancreatectomy. I'm not saying that this is a
> decision to be made lightly just that it worked out better for me.
>
>
>
> Caremme
>
>
> >
>
- 1b.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "jayne Cathcart" jaynea.cathcart@btinternet.com jayne6287
Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:23 am (PST)
Oh Pat
In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic measures.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
Best regards
Jayne
--- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net > wrote:
From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >
Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone
"thank you" for all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant
holiday.
I've
been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a CGMS for me,
and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in the Guardian that
the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was a blessing and I
really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden drops. I have adult
onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce too much insulin,
and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just doesn't seem to
know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped down to 21 the
day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to prevent things like
that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood sugar is going low; my
body is so used to it happening that I was walking and talking during one
hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
Last
Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the
hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm still
having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the doctors
have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest of
my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they
-know- how to treat -that-).
The
doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so much that
it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my mental ability.
That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the surgery, but now I'm
getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms unit and a strict low
carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The endocrinologist seems to
think I would be better off as a diabetic. As diabetics ,what do you think? Do
you prefer your lifestyle or would you prefer battling low blood sugar
daily?
Oh, and
if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster decision,
that would be great too!
Thanks
again for all the help!
Pat from
SC
- 1c.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Allison Herschede" herschede@gmail.com majicmaid
Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:14 pm (PST)
I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be
avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage,
neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <
jaynea.cathcart@btinternet. > wrote:com
>
>
> Oh Pat
> In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do
> not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I
> could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but
> as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have
> devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other
> way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic
> measures.
>
> Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
>
> Best regards
>
> Jayne
>
> --- On *Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >* wrote:
>
>
> From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >
>
> Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
> To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
> Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
>
>
>
>
> First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for
> all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
>
> I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a
> CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in
> the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was
> a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden
> drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce
> too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just
> doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped
> down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to
> prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood
> sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking
> and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
>
> Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the
> hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm
> still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the
> doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest
> of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they
> -know- how to treat -that-).
>
> The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so
> much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my
> mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the
> surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms
> unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The
> endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As
> diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you
> prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
>
> Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster
> decision, that would be great too!
>
> Thanks again for all the help!
> Pat from SC
>
>
>
- 1d.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Melissa Howell" melissahowell@embarqmail.com sabhow
Sun Dec 27, 2009 2:29 pm (PST)
what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21 years-anyone else?
melissa
----- Original Message -----
From: Allison Herschede
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage, neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <jaynea.cathcart@btinternet. > wrote:com
Oh Pat
In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic measures.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
Best regards
Jayne
--- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net > wrote:
From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >
Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they -know- how to treat -that-).
The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster decision, that would be great too!
Thanks again for all the help!
Pat from SC
- 1e.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Anngela" anngelia@ymail.com anngelia@ymail.com
Sun Dec 27, 2009 3:52 pm (PST)
In 1999 I was dx'd with multiple sclerosis after 29 years of D. By 2001 or 2002 I really was having trouble with short term memory. I was only 40 and I thought for sure it was the ms causing the problem. But these days I'm starting to wonder. But either way ms or D, they both suck but the ms more than the d.
--- On Sun, 12/27/09, Melissa Howell <melissahowell@embarqmail. > wrote:com
From: Melissa Howell <melissahowell@embarqmail. >com
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 10:29 PM
what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21 years-anyone else?
melissa
----- Original Message -----
From: Allison Herschede
To: diabetescgms@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage, neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <jaynea.cathcart@ btinternet. com> wrote:
Oh Pat
In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic measures.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
Best regards
Jayne
--- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth. net> wrote:
From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth. net>
Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@ yahoogroups. com
Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastos is, a rare condition where I produce too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they -know- how to treat -that-).
The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster decision, that would be great too!
Thanks again for all the help!
Pat from SC
- 1f.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Pat Fields" ptfields@bellsouth.net ptfields@bellsouth.net
Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:17 pm (PST)
Jeff: Thank you for the suggestions, particularly about "encouraging" the
CGMS manufacturers to permit evaluations of their products. As for managing
my blood glucose by diet, that -may- be possible (which is why I'm not as
committed to surgery as I initially was; at this point, though, it's hard to
figure out just what is triggering the excessive insulin, since sometimes I
can eat larger amounts of carbs without any apparent effect, while other
times a small amount will send the blood glucose shooting up (relatively
speaking - my highs are nothing like a diabetic's) then plummeting into the
teens and twenties.
Aron: Thank you for letting me know that T1 -is- doable, and for your
opinion. I agree that the surgery really needs to be a last-resort kind of
thing.
Caree: I can see how being able to control both carbs and insulin directly
would be significantly less stressful than the current uncertainty. Thanks
for giving me hope that things can be better, even if I wind up taking this
sort of drastic step.
Kimi: Yes, I've come to realize that I really do have to go to bat for
myself in this matter. (Although I finally have an endocrinologist that
seems actually to be interested and trying to see the "big picture".)
Merilee: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm concerned about the possibility
of high BG levels, too.
Allison: Thank you for the warnings. That's one reason I went looking for a
T1 support group, as none of the doctors were really addressing the question
of long-term health effects from the pancreatectomy. (Their attitude seems
to be, "We know- how to treat diabetes and aren't sure what to do for the
Nesidioblastosis, so let's give her diabetes and treat that." *eye roll* )
In fairness to my doctors, while I can control the blood sugar lows during
the day, nighttime is dangerous for me. I know that there is a chance that I
may die if I don't have a CGMS. I have awakened with convulsions (at night)
and then passed out. This is one of the main reasons that they are
advocating the surgery.
Pat in SC
- 1g.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Ron Ziegler" ronnielee2u@yahoo.com ronnielee2u
Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:45 pm (PST)
http://www.diabetesdaily.com/ forum/complicati ons/2907- short-term- memory-loss
https://www.diabetesnet. com/ask_john/ ?p=52
http://ezinearticles.com/?Memory- Loss-and- Diabetes& id=329245
http://www.spacedoc.net/lipitor_ thief_of_ memory.html
I have encountered this complaint with many diabetics. Is there a correlation? I can't remember.
Ron
MM722+CGMS Type 1 26 years
--- On Sun, 12/27/09, Melissa Howell <melissahowell@embarqmail. > wrote:com
From: Melissa Howell <melissahowell@embarqmail. >com
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 4:29 PM
what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21 years-anyone else?
melissa
----- Original Message -----
From: Allison Herschede
To: diabetescgms@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage, neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <jaynea.cathcart@ btinternet. com> wrote:
Oh Pat
In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic measures.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
Best regards
Jayne
--- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth. net> wrote:
From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth. net>
Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@ yahoogroups. com
Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastos is, a rare condition where I produce too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they -know- how to treat -that-).
The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster decision, that would be great too!
Thanks again for all the help!
Pat from SC
- 1h.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Greg Chapman" gregc@mac.com gregc_mcauliffe
Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:34 pm (PST)
Lows kick in a whole bunch of fight/flight body reactions that are really not very good for you (over and over). It's very stressful on a bunch of systems.
As far as memory loss; I _am_ finding it harder to concentrate/remember things... I assumed it was because I was getting older (I'm 48), not that it was due to lows. But how would you know? I've been Type 1 since I was in my early 20s. I've been getting older since then, too... ;-)
Greg
On Dec 27, 2009, at 2:29 PM, Melissa Howell wrote:
>
> what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21 years-anyone else?
> melissa
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Allison Herschede
> To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
> Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
>
>
> I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage, neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
>
>
> Allison
>
> On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <jaynea.cathcart@btinternet. > wrote:com
>
>
> Oh Pat
> In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic measures.
>
> Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
>
> Best regards
>
> Jayne
>
> --- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net > wrote:
>
> From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >
>
> Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
> To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
> Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
>
>
>
>
> First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
>
> I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
>
> Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they -know- how to treat -that-).
>
> The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
>
> Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster decision, that would be great too!
>
> Thanks again for all the help!
> Pat from SC
>
>
>
>
>
- 1i.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Allison Herschede" herschede@gmail.com majicmaid
Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:46 pm (PST)
I definitely have issues with short term memory loss. I read a study at some
point in the last year showing a correlation between lows and dementia. I'll
have to see if I can find it. Kinda scary thought.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 9:34 PM, Greg Chapman <gregc@mac.com> wrote:
>
>
> Lows kick in a whole bunch of fight/flight body reactions that are really
> not very good for you (over and over). It's very stressful on a bunch of
> systems.
>
> As far as memory loss; I _am_ finding it harder to concentrate/remember
> things... I assumed it was because I was getting older (I'm 48), not that it
> was due to lows. But how would you know? I've been Type 1 since I was in
> my early 20s. I've been getting older since then, too... ;-)
>
> Greg
>
> On Dec 27, 2009, at 2:29 PM, Melissa Howell wrote:
>
>
>
> what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory
> loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21
> years-anyone else?
> melissa
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Allison Herschede <herschede@gmail.com >
> *To:* diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
> *Sent:* Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion
> please
>
>
>
> I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be
> avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage,
> neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
>
> Allison
>
> On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <
> jaynea.cathcart@btinternet. > wrote:com
>
>>
>>
>> Oh Pat
>> In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do
>> not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I
>> could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but
>> as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have
>> devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other
>> way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic
>> measures.
>>
>> Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Jayne
>>
>> --- On *Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >* wrote:
>>
>>
>> From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net >
>>
>> Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
>> To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
>> Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for
>> all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
>>
>> I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a
>> CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in
>> the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was
>> a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden
>> drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce
>> too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just
>> doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped
>> down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to
>> prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood
>> sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking
>> and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
>>
>> Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the
>> hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm
>> still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the
>> doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest
>> of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they
>> -know- how to treat -that-).
>>
>> The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so
>> much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my
>> mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the
>> surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms
>> unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The
>> endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As
>> diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you
>> prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
>>
>> Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a
>> faster decision, that would be great too!
>>
>> Thanks again for all the help!
>> Pat from SC
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
- 1j.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Wendy B." billingsley.wendy@gmail.com mom2type1
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:03 pm (PST)
Dear Pat:
Thank you for sharing your story with our group. I had no idea that this
condition existed. I think you received some great feedback from T1d's on
this board. I sincerely hope that you can get a CGMS and insurance to
cover. I just can't imagine how the cost of the CGMS could come close to
the situations that may arrive due to your low BG. I am sorry to hear that
you are having this trouble.
Wendy
On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 1:38 PM, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.net > wrote:
>
>
> First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for
> all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
>
> I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a
> CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in
> the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was
> a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden
> drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce
> too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just
> doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped
> down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to
> prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood
> sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking
> and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
>
> Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the
> hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm
> still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the
> doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest
> of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they
> -know- how to treat -that-).
>
> The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so
> much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my
> mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the
> surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms
> unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The
> endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As
> diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you
> prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
>
> Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster
> decision, that would be great too!
>
> Thanks again for all the help!
> Pat from SC
>
>
>
- 1k.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Jennifer McMonagle-Harris" jennifer@jharris.net turtle4461
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:23 pm (PST)
This is a tough call but if it were me, I'd sign up for the surgery. I
would want the control. After 2 kids in 3 years, I have found myself in a
body that I don't understand very well and I am completely BG unaware, both
high and low. But because, I know that goes in (both insulin and food) I
have better predictability than I would in your situation. However, I opt
for a higher A1C (like 7-7.5) because I am safe that way. Yes I know that I
may have some long term complication, however, for me, I'll risk seeing my
kids graduate from high school to ensure I see them graduate from nursery
school. I have recently had a few close calls with potentially fatal lows
following baby #2.
If you used insulin, you would have a clue of what to anticipate. For me,
I'd do this in a heartbeat instead of the risk factory you are currently
dealing with.
On a side note, you still would not have T1. You would be completely
artificial insulin dependent but TI diabetes involves and autoimmune process
that you would not have. For example, if you have new islet cells
implanted, your body would not likely kill like mine would. And although an
extreme option, would a transplant be an option??
Good luck with your decision.
Jennie
-----Original Message-----
From: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. [mailto:diabetescgms@com yahoogroups. ] Oncom
Behalf Of Greg Chapman
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 8:34 PM
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Lows kick in a whole bunch of fight/flight body reactions that are really
not very good for you (over and over). It's very stressful on a bunch of
systems.
As far as memory loss; I _am_ finding it harder to concentrate/remember
things... I assumed it was because I was getting older (I'm 48), not that it
was due to lows. But how would you know? I've been Type 1 since I was in
my early 20s. I've been getting older since then, too... ;-)
Greg
On Dec 27, 2009, at 2:29 PM, Melissa Howell wrote:
what kind of damage from lows? I have been experiencing short term memory
loss for a while and wondering if thats a result of type 1 for 21
years-anyone else?
melissa
----- Original Message -----
From: Allison Herschede <mailto:herschede@gmail.com >
To: diabetescgms@ <mailto:diabetescgms@yahoogroups. > yahoogroups.com com
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
I agree with Jayne. There is no way I would go type 1 if it could be
avoided. You then risk all the long term damage (retinopathy, kidney damage,
neuropathy etc. compounded with the damage from lows.
Allison
On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 11:23 AM, jayne Cathcart <jaynea.cathcart@
<mailto:jaynea.cathcart@btinternet. > btinternet.com> wrote:com
Oh Pat
In my opinion (and I am no Doctor but am type 1 diabetic for 47 years) do
not get your pancreas removed - I would do anything possible if it meant I
could be cured from diabetes.I know the lows are dangerous and terrible but
as a type 1 diabetic you would also have the highs which over time can have
devastating effects. this is just my opinion but there must be some other
way to avoid these lows for you without having to take such drastic
measures.
Good luck in whatever you decide and I hope something sorts out for you
Best regards
Jayne
--- On Sat, 26/12/09, Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth.
<mailto:ptfields@bellsouth.net > net> wrote:
From: Pat Fields <ptfields@bellsouth. <mailto:ptfields@bellsouth. net > net>
Subject: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
To: diabetescgms@ <mailto:diabetescgms@yahoogroups. > yahoogroups.com com
Date: Saturday, 26 December, 2009, 18:38
First off, I would like to take a moment to tell everyone "thank you" for
all your help; I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday.
I've been waiting two months now in hopes that my insurance would okay a
CGMS for me, and they still have not made a decision. I've had to turn in
the Guardian that the company let me keep for a month for evaluation. It was
a blessing and I really miss it - even if it didn't always catch my sudden
drops. I have adult onset Nesidioblastosis, a rare condition where I produce
too much insulin, and my insurance company (Tricare Prime South) just
doesn't seem to know what to do. I wish it did since my blood sugar dropped
down to 21 the day before yesterday- very scary, and I would really like to
prevent things like that from happening. I can't always tell when my blood
sugar is going low; my body is so used to it happening that I was walking
and talking during one hospital visit with a blood sugar reading of 24.
Last Oct., I had 85% of my pancreas removed in the hope of controlling the
hypoglycemia. It did help - the drops are not as frequent, however, I'm
still having life threatening drops. I won't bore you with everything the
doctors have tried, but they have now suggested surgery to remove the rest
of my pancreas, which would turn me into a Type I diabetic (because they
-know- how to treat -that-).
The doctors have told me that I've been suffering from low blood sugar so
much that it will begin to (if it has not already) permanently affect my
mental ability. That is one of the reasons that I initially okayed the
surgery, but now I'm getting cold feet and beginning to wonder if a cgms
unit and a strict low carbohydrate diet might be the better way to go. The
endocrinologist seems to think I would be better off as a diabetic. As
diabetics ,what do you think? Do you prefer your lifestyle or would you
prefer battling low blood sugar daily?
Oh, and if you know of any way to get an insurance company to make a faster
decision, that would be great too!
Thanks again for all the help!
Pat from SC
- 1l.
-
Re: Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Posted by: "Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author" jeff@incredibleassemblies.com chucklejeff
Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:27 pm (PST)
Hi, Pat -
>>> it's hard to figure out just what is triggering the excessive insulin,
since sometimes I can eat larger amounts of carbs without any apparent
effect,
CGM may be able to shed some light on that, allowing you to see cause and
effect. You'll get a good picture of response and you can document what you
eat and when directly into the system.
>>> I know that there is a chance that I may die if I don't have a CGMS. I
have awakened with convulsions (at night) and then passed out. This is one
of the main reasons that they are advocating the surgery.
It seems that you have a great argument for your insurance company here. CGM
will cost them less than surgery (and you'll need the CGM after surgery,
anyway). This is your ticket for your insurance company. Get your endo to
write a letter saying he/she is considering 2 treatments: 1 is CGM and the
other is the surgery to make you a Type I diabetic, followed by CGM (along
with pills to try to control other pancreatic functions, and there's
potential complications.) Seems like a no-brainer for them.
Best of luck,
-jeff toll-free: 1-888-967-3386
Award-Winning Children's Author, Jeff Nathan, presents
CurricuLaughs
Curriculum-tied Language Arts Education through HUMOR
"... by far, the best set of presentations I have seen in our school system
."
Dr. Marc Kerble Assistant Superintendent Winchester Schools
Winchester, MA
". a student said it best. "You Rock!" From the mouth of babes, Jeff you
were sensational. Thank you ever so much!"
Kristine O. Murray Media Enrichment Specialist Maghakian Memorial
School Brookline, NH
see these and other raving testimonials at
<http://www.IncredibleAssemblies. > www.IncredibleAssemcom blies.com
From: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. [mailto:diabetescgms@com yahoogroups. ] Oncom
Behalf Of Pat Fields
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 7:17 PM
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Subject: RE: [diabetescgms] Thanks for all the help & your opinion please
Jeff: Thank you for the suggestions, particularly about "encouraging" the
CGMS manufacturers to permit evaluations of their products. As for managing
my blood glucose by diet, that -may- be possible (which is why I'm not as
committed to surgery as I initially was; at this point, though, it's hard to
figure out just what is triggering the excessive insulin, since sometimes I
can eat larger amounts of carbs without any apparent effect, while other
times a small amount will send the blood glucose shooting up (relatively
speaking - my highs are nothing like a diabetic's) then plummeting into the
teens and twenties.
Aron: Thank you for letting me know that T1 -is- doable, and for your
opinion. I agree that the surgery really needs to be a last-resort kind of
thing.
Caree: I can see how being able to control both carbs and insulin directly
would be significantly less stressful than the current uncertainty. Thanks
for giving me hope that things can be better, even if I wind up taking this
sort of drastic step.
Kimi: Yes, I've come to realize that I really do have to go to bat for
myself in this matter. (Although I finally have an endocrinologist that
seems actually to be interested and trying to see the "big picture".)
Merilee: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm concerned about the possibility
of high BG levels, too.
Allison: Thank you for the warnings. That's one reason I went looking for a
T1 support group, as none of the doctors were really addressing the question
of long-term health effects from the pancreatectomy. (Their attitude seems
to be, "We know- how to treat diabetes and aren't sure what to do for the
Nesidioblastosis, so let's give her diabetes and treat that." *eye roll* )
In fairness to my doctors, while I can control the blood sugar lows during
the day, nighttime is dangerous for me. I know that there is a chance that I
may die if I don't have a CGMS. I have awakened with convulsions (at night)
and then passed out. This is one of the main reasons that they are
advocating the surgery.
Pat in SC
- 2a.
-
syringe? on plane
Posted by: "Maureen Helinski" helins19@verizon.net helins19
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:41 am (PST)
Was the terrorist using a syringe like an insulin syringe? I always have
gotten on planes with those so easily and wondered why no one even looked at
them. To me just the needle could be a dangerous weapon. Maybe that will
change now. Once in China a security guard carefully examined a bottle of
insulin, even taking it out of the box and turning it upside down etc. He
still didn't look at the syringes.
Maureen Helinski
helins19@verizon.net
- 2b.
-
Re: syringe? on plane
Posted by: "Ron Ziegler" ronnielee2u@yahoo.com ronnielee2u
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:50 am (PST)
my pencil or ink pen or car keys could be just as dangerous.
Ron
MM722+CGMS Type 1 26 years
--- On Sun, 12/27/09, Maureen Helinski <helins19@verizon.net > wrote:
From: Maureen Helinski <helins19@verizon.net >
Subject: [diabetescgms] syringe? on plane
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 9:41 AM
Was the terrorist using a syringe like an insulin syringe? I always have gotten on planes with those so easily and wondered why no one even looked at them. To me just the needle could be a dangerous weapon. Maybe that will change now. Once in China a security guard carefully examined a bottle of insulin, even taking it out of the box and turning it upside down etc. He still didn't look at the syringes.
Maureen Helinski
helins19@verizon. net
- 3a.
-
Weak Signal & Radio Interference
Posted by: "Signe Myhren" jechante17@yahoo.com jechante17
Sun Dec 27, 2009 2:26 pm (PST)
I'm vacationing in Colorado. This morning I was at a local grocery store, when I looked down at my MM 522 with CGMS and saw a WEAK SIGNAL message. I walked outside, waited about 2 minutes, and my signal was back to normal. This afternoon I went to a shopping mall. Looked down, saw a WEAK SIGNAL again. Since the people I was with were not leaving in any hurry, I decided to turn off the sensor, rather than risk a total shutdown and the necessity of another 2-hour startup. Does anyone recall how many minutes you can have a weak signal before the sensor needs to be started from the get-go (with the two hour startup?)
A friend of mine said these Weak Signals likely occur when something nearby is operating at the same radio frequency as my CGMS.
Thanks!
- 3b.
-
Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
Posted by: "ljbork" ljbork@yahoo.com ljbork
Sun Dec 27, 2009 2:49 pm (PST)
--- In diabetescgms@yahoogroups. , Signe Myhren <jechante17@com ...> wrote:
. Does anyone recall how many minutes you can have a weak signal before the sensor needs to be started from the get-go (with the two hour startup?)
>
I think it restarts after not having data for 20 minutes.
Linda B.
- 3c.
-
Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
Posted by: "Elizabeth Blake" poodlebone@yahoo.com poodlebone
Sun Dec 27, 2009 3:58 pm (PST)
>From: Signe Myhren <jechante17@yahoo.com >
>I'm vacationing in Colorado. This morning I was at a local grocery store, when I looked down at my MM 522 with CGMS and saw a WEAK SIGNAL message. I walked outside, waited about 2 minutes, and my signal was back to normal. This afternoon I went to a shopping mall. Looked down, saw a WEAK SIGNAL again. Since the people I was with were not leaving in any hurry, I decided to turn off the sensor, rather than risk a total shutdown and the necessity of another 2-hour startup. Does anyone recall how many minutes you can have a weak signal before the sensor needs to be started from the get-go (with the two hour startup?)
>
>A friend of mine said these Weak Signals likely occur when something nearby is operating at the same radio frequency as my CGMS.
I think the transmitter holds 40 minutes of data before it will spit out a LOST SENSOR alarm, which means you would have to restart it (tell the pump you're starting a new sensor). I don't think you would have to remove the transmitter, so you'd just have to wait a few minutes at most before it asks for a BG calibration.
I have never gotten Weak Signal alerts in stores but I have gotten them in every casino I've been to. The first time I just walked outside every 215-20 minutes or so until the alert cleared and my data appeared, then I'd go back in. At one casino I was getting the Weak Signal alarms even in the hotel room but if I clipped the pump right over the sensor it was okay. I had my sensor in my arm, so I had to clip it to the sleeve of my shirt. I did that only at night.
--
Liz
Type 1 dx 4/1987
Minimed 722 + CGMS
- 3d.
-
Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
Posted by: "Ted Marshall" ted@lauramarshallphoto.com ted_a_marshall
Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:17 pm (PST)
As long as the transmitter is still connected to the sensor and it has been less than 7 days so connected, you can just do a "sensor start->new sensor" or "sensor start->restart sensor" and it should ask for a calibration within 5 minutes.
/Ted
----- Original Message -----
From: ljbork
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 2:49 PM
Subject: [diabetescgms] Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
--- In diabetescgms@yahoogroups. , Signe Myhren <jechante17@com ...> wrote:
. Does anyone recall how many minutes you can have a weak signal before the sensor needs to be started from the get-go (with the two hour startup?)
>
I think it restarts after not having data for 20 minutes.
Linda B.
- 3e.
-
Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
Posted by: "Jennifer McMonagle-Harris" jennifer@jharris.net turtle4461
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:27 pm (PST)
After 20 minutes or so, I get a lost sensor. But if I go to find lost
sensor instead of start new sensor it usually just starts to work again. If
you don't disconnect the transmitter, you should be able to just start new
senor and get a enter BG almost right away. I only have to wait 2 hours
when the sensor has been disconnected.
Good luck
Jennie
-----Original Message-----
From: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. [mailto:diabetescgms@com yahoogroups. ] Oncom
Behalf Of ljbork
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 4:49 PM
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [diabetescgms] Re: Weak Signal & Radio Interference
--- In diabetescgms@ <mailto:diabetescgms%40yahoogroups. com>
yahoogroups.com, Signe Myhren <jechante17@ ...> wrote:
. Does anyone recall how many minutes you can have a weak signal before the
sensor needs to be started from the get-go (with the two hour startup?)
>
I think it restarts after not having data for 20 minutes.
Linda B.
- 4a.
-
what size hyperfix to order
Posted by: "Wendy B." billingsley.wendy@gmail.com mom2type1
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:06 pm (PST)
I was going to order my first roll of hyperfix. I was wondering what
thickness works best for the CGMS? The two or four inch? I would be using
it on my 7 year old son. We normally use two pieces of tegaderm-overlapped
across the sensor and transmitter. We do not normally disconnect for a
restart at 7 days. If we do, I use a pair of cuticle scissors and cut
around the transmitter.
Thanks for any help.
Wendy
- 4b.
-
Re: what size hyperfix to order
Posted by: "Ron Ziegler" ronnielee2u@yahoo.com ronnielee2u
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:15 pm (PST)
At this time, I use OpSite Flexifix, and the 4" is my preference. If I would want it smaller, all I have to do is cut to size. Couldn't do that if I had the 2".
When using Hyperfix, the same applied for me. 4" worked best for me, but when I needed smaller
I just cut to fit my need at that time.
This way it gives me the freedom to go either way. Since most times I want the 4", I don't have to cut to size very much. But I do use it sometimes for my infusion sets too and smaller then works best.
Good luck and best health in 2010...for everyone:)
--- On Sun, 12/27/09, Wendy B. <billingsley.wendy@gmail. > wrote:com
From: Wendy B. <billingsley.wendy@gmail. >com
Subject: [diabetescgms] what size hyperfix to order
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 9:06 PM
I was going to order my first roll of hyperfix. I was wondering what thickness works best for the CGMS? The two or four inch? I would be using it on my 7 year old son. We normally use two pieces of tegaderm-overlapped across the sensor and transmitter. We do not normally disconnect for a restart at 7 days. If we do, I use a pair of cuticle scissors and cut around the transmitter.
Thanks for any help.
Wendy
- 4c.
-
Re: what size hyperfix to order
Posted by: "Jennifer McMonagle-Harris" jennifer@jharris.net turtle4461
Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:25 pm (PST)
I agree, I'd order the 4" for more flexibility.
Jennie
-----Original Message-----
From: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. [mailto:diabetescgms@com yahoogroups. ] Oncom
Behalf Of Ron Ziegler
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 9:15 PM
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Subject: Re: [diabetescgms] what size hyperfix to order
At this time, I use OpSite Flexifix, and the 4" is my preference. If I would
want it smaller, all I have to do is cut to size. Couldn't do that if I had
the 2".
When using Hyperfix, the same applied for me. 4" worked best for me, but
when I needed smaller
I just cut to fit my need at that time.
This way it gives me the freedom to go either way. Since most times I want
the 4", I don't have to cut to size very much. But I do use it sometimes
for my infusion sets too and smaller then works best.
Good luck and best health in 2010...for everyone:)
--- On Sun, 12/27/09, Wendy B. <billingsley.wendy@gmail. > wrote:com
From: Wendy B. <billingsley.wendy@gmail. >com
Subject: [diabetescgms] what size hyperfix to order
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Date: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 9:06 PM
I was going to order my first roll of hyperfix. I was wondering what
thickness works best for the CGMS? The two or four inch? I would be using
it on my 7 year old son. We normally use two pieces of tegaderm-overlapped
across the sensor and transmitter. We do not normally disconnect for a
restart at 7 days. If we do, I use a pair of cuticle scissors and cut
around the transmitter.
Thanks for any help.
Wendy
- 5a.
-
Santa brought a Dexcom 7+ to our house too!
Posted by: "Katherine Ames Iserman" k_iserman@yahoo.com k_iserman
Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:49 pm (PST)
Hi, All,
This is my first time posting to this group... We received our Dexcom 7 Plus Christmas eve for our three-year-old daughter and attempted to get it going ahead of the training next week. Well, we received 'failed sensor' for this first try and I'm not sure what I did wrong. Any ideas? Here are the details...
-- applied the sensor around 4pm on Christmas day per the instructions, with the exception of the site.... our daughter
has no fat on her abdomen so we put it on her upper buttocks, opposite
side from her pump site (Animas Ping)
-- sensor failed 30 min into the warm up period.
-- waited about an hour then restarted it. This time it failed 45 min into
the warm up and I noticed that just before the sensor failure, the
receiver displayed "???".
-- Waited over night and around 9:30 the next morning restarted it again. 'Sensor failed' at 30 minutes into warm up.
Other info that could be useful....
-- She wears her pump in a harness on her back and the Dexcom receiver in a pouch around her waist.
-- I double-checked that the transmitter and receiver are paired --they are.
-- Transmitter and receiver are in range and the receiver displays the symbol that shows they are communicating.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Katherine
(Daughter, Ellery, 3-yrs-old, diagnosed April 2009, pumping Ping since June 2009, started Dexcom Christmas Day.... silly us... but we were so excited!)
- 5b.
-
Re: Santa brought a Dexcom 7+ to our house too!
Posted by: "Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author" jeff@incredibleassemblies.com chucklejeff
Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:25 pm (PST)
Hi, Katherine -
Sounds like a bad sensor. I just did an eval and started my eval with 2 bad
sensors, before finally getting a good one. They will replace it, but I have
heard folks here talk about going for long stretches with good sensors and
then get 2 out of 3 bad ones in a box.
Best of luck!
Warm regards,
-jeff toll-free: 1-888-967-3386
Award-Winning Children's Author, Jeff Nathan, presents
CurricuLaughs
Curriculum-tied Language Arts Education through HUMOR
"... by far, the best set of presentations I have seen in our school system
."
Dr. Marc Kerble Assistant Superintendent Winchester Schools
Winchester, MA
". a student said it best. "You Rock!" From the mouth of babes, Jeff you
were sensational. Thank you ever so much!"
Kristine O. Murray Media Enrichment Specialist Maghakian Memorial
School Brookline, NH
see these and other raving testimonials at
<http://www.IncredibleAssemblies. > www.IncredibleAssemcom blies.com
From: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. [mailto:diabetescgms@com yahoogroups. ] Oncom
Behalf Of Katherine Ames Iserman
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 11:49 PM
To: diabetescgms@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [diabetescgms] Santa brought a Dexcom 7+ to our house too!
Hi, All,
This is my first time posting to this group... We received our Dexcom 7 Plus
Christmas eve for our three-year-old daughter and attempted to get it going
ahead of the training next week. Well, we received 'failed sensor' for this
first try and I'm not sure what I did wrong. Any ideas? Here are the
details...
-- applied the sensor around 4pm on Christmas day per the instructions, with
the exception of the site.... our daughter has no fat on her abdomen so we
put it on her upper buttocks, opposite side from her pump site (Animas Ping)
-- sensor failed 30 min into the warm up period.
-- waited about an hour then restarted it. This time it failed 45 min into
the warm up and I noticed that just before the sensor failure, the receiver
displayed "???".
-- Waited over night and around 9:30 the next morning restarted it again.
'Sensor failed' at 30 minutes into warm up.
Other info that could be useful....
-- She wears her pump in a harness on her back and the Dexcom receiver in a
pouch around her waist.
-- I double-checked that the transmitter and receiver are paired --they are.
-- Transmitter and receiver are in range and the receiver displays the
symbol that shows they are communicating.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Katherine
(Daughter, Ellery, 3-yrs-old, diagnosed April 2009, pumping Ping since June
2009, started Dexcom Christmas Day.... silly us... but we were so excited!)
- 6.
-
My trial of Medtronic and Dexcom CGM Systems
Posted by: "Jeff Nathan, Award-Winning Author" jeff@incredibleassemblies.com chucklejeff
Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:20 pm (PST)
I just completed a trial of the Dexcom Seven Plus and the Medtronic Paradigm
CGMS. I chose not to evaluate the Navigator because of its size. I was
asked to provide a report on my findings here when I was done, so here goes:
Comparing CGM systems
Before starting a trial, you need to ask yourself, "What is the MOST
CRITICAL assistance that YOU need from a system?"
For me, that was pretty easy. I have hypoglycemic unawareness and, after
finding myself behind the steering wheel on one of Boston's busiest highways
during rush hour with a blood glucose level of 24 mg/dL, I knew I needed
help. (Actually, I didn't know I needed help then - I had to raise my blood
glucose level first.) My most dangerous scenarios are when I am driving and
when I am sleeping.
My top 5 priorities fell like this:
1) Accuracy, especially in low range
a. I need to know that I am about to be unfit to drive BEFORE I am
unfit to drive. I need to be woken up and told that I am in danger of
hitting a low from which I will NOT wake up---BEFORE I get to that point.
2) Consistent discernable warning when sugar falls below 50
a. False alarms are better than missed alarms
b. Easy to understand, even if I'm very low
c. Ability to ignore future alarms, if it is stable or trending
upwards
d. Warning for highs, but accuracy there is not as important as it is
for the lows
3) Good use model for sleeping
a. No loss of transmission while sleeping. Alarm if that happens, but
I don't want extra wake-ups if it can be avoided.
b. Alarm that will wake me
4) Not too uncomfortable
a. I don't want to feel it day in and day out
b. Low insertion pain (Okay, I'm a wimp and I like to avoid pain
whenever possible.)
5) Durable and abuse-able
a. Survives my school visit floor-diving, etc.
b. Survives in basketball and winter ultimate
So, how did they do? They both did fairly well and I'll include additional
categories in addition to MY top 5.
1) Accuracy, especially in low range: advantage DEXCOM
Medtronic explained that the technology measures the interstitial fluid
glucose level, which lags the blood glucose level. If that were the whole
story, I would expect to see the 2 systems with the same delayed response. I
did not see that. I'm not going to deal with the difference in lag time, per
se. As users, the time domain needs to tell us trends, but that needs to be
coupled with the key question, "where am I at RIGHT NOW?" One could argue
that this information comes from a blood glucose measurement, while the
trending information comes from the CGMS. I would argue that it would be
nice to get both pieces from 1 source and use the blood testing as the
reality tether. That is exactly how I plan to use my new DEXCOM system.
I am including data from my trial. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INFER THAT THIS
REPRESENTS HOW THE SYSTEMS WILL PERFORM IN YOUR BODY. Everyone is different.
Data (all readings are mg/dL):
DexCom Medtronic Blood test finger stick Time
46 92 63
5:17P D1
51 78 46
6:30
166 118 171
8:00
61 84 71
10:27
173 142 192
5:15A D2
151 131 157
8:00A (recal. MM only)
51 76 32
4:40P
60 65 57
5:32P
224 165 221
9:12P (recal. MM only)
63 104 40
10:29P
59 84 60
11:16P (recal. MM only)
54 91 45
11:52P
80 85 62
12:40A D3
47 77 44
6:14 (recal. MM only)
86 74 77
10:07 (no recalibration)
53 67 43
11:40
70 60 66
12:20 (no recalibration)
97 75 84
2:25P
49 66 43
10:03P
117 115 109
7:49A D4 (no recalibration)
51 75 52
8:35 (recal. MM only)
68 69 50
10:20
59 81 64
12:20 (recal. MM only)
52 68 52
12:40 (recal. MM only)
42 57 49
1:22 (no recalibration)
2) Consistent discernable warning when sugar falls below 50: advantage
DEXCOM
Though both systems were set to alarm when I hit 60 or below, I got low
warnings from the Dexcom system before the Medtronic EVERY SINGLE TIME. In
fact, I got no warnings from the Minimed system until after recalibrating a
couple of times because it didn't think I had gone that low. Both systems
were easy enough to understand. The Dexcom system offered a simple
adjustment of the "snooze" feature (not bothering me for another half-hour
or another 5 hours if my sugar is still low).
3) Good use model for sleeping: advantage DEXCOM
I was able to lose transmission with BOTH systems while in bed, pushing the
transmitter into the mattress by laying directly on it and, for Dexcom,
putting the receiver between 2 pillows. Communication problems seem to be
plausible for both systems. The Dex automatically reconnected as soon as it
could. The Minimed would have wanted me to go through a "find lost sensor"
routine while I was sleeping.
Both alarms can wake me up, but I found the Dexcom combination of sound with
vibration to be the best solution.
4) Not too uncomfortable: advantage DEXCOM (daily), advantage
Medtronic (insertion)
This is definitely an individual issue. You need to try this for yourself.
For me, the Minimed sensor started itching the 2nd day it was in, and it was
a very bothersome annoyance until I took it out on day 4. The Dexcom sensor
started itching on day 8 but the itching was mild, recurring maybe once or
twice in a day.
Minimed had the insertion advantage. Insertion angle is critical for
Minimed, but they have a spring-loaded inserter. Dexcom expects you to push
theirs in like a syringe. The Dexcom sensor is a smaller gauge needle,
making it less painful, but the Minimed inserter makes things easier and
reduces the pain.
5) Durable and abuse-able: advantage BOTH
Both systems were able to survive my floor diving and basketball clumsiness.
I was unable to play winter ultimate during the trial to test that
environment.
6) EASE OF USE: advantage DEXCOM
The ability to calibrate anytime, stable or unstable, is a distinct
advantage for Dex. Medtronic advises to calibrate only when stable and that
does help with their product, but the 7+ doesn't care as much. I ran into
calibration issues with both systems (calibrating Medtronic while unstable
and calibrating Dexcom with very high BG and not recalibrating as I got
lower).
Transmission loss: After 40 minutes or so, Medtronic requires a "find lost
sensor" routine. Dex simply reconnects automatically and moves on.
Dex has no worries about ISIG numbers or insertion angles or stability for
initial calibrations.
7) Customer support: advantage MEDTRONIC
Medtronic has a 24/7 help line, staffed, for the most part, with people who
really want to help. In late hours, Dexcom has people on call. I tried this
route and was unable to get a call back before I had to leave my house. Live
people were helpful and courteous.
8) EASE OF EVALUATION: advantage MEDTRONIC
The first thing I want to say is that the Clinical Specialists who trained
me on each of the systems were WONDERFUL. Both were very knowledgeable,
friendly, and accommodating. Dexcom forced my doctor's office into giving
up a room (and they are very short on space) and I had to drive there.
Medronic made it easy and came right to my house.
I did run into 2 bad DEXCOM sensors to start off the evaluation period. This
turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it forced me to evaluate the two
systems head-to-head, or stomach-to-stomach, as it were.
The Medronic system had better transmission range. If you are going to
perform a trial with both systems, isolate them on different sides of your
body. I did find that the Dexcom receiver seemed to suffer from some
interference when placed too closely to the Minimed transmitter (sensor). On
opposite sides of the body, they each did fine.
The Dex transmitter has an internal "2 year" battery and does not have to be
removed for recharging. The Dex receiver needs to be recharged every few
days. It does function while it is charging but its range is reduced.
The Medtronic system means less hardware to carry around, but I find the
accuracy difference worth the extra piece of hardware. One other interesting
note: my Medtronic pump can receive data from my blood tester. I was told to
turn this off when using their CGM (otherwise it would recalibrate at every
reading, which is non-optimal) whereas I can use this Medtronic feature if I
DON'T use their CGM. Had their engineers added an OPTION to use the
transmitted value for calibration (as they have done for the hand-entered
values), they would not have created an advantage for their competition.
Ideally, I would want an alarm that combines level and trend. Neither system
offered that to me, but even just a level-based alarm is a huge life-saving
leap over what I had before.
So that's the info from my eval. Now, I am going to bed (with my Dex trial
sensor still in - 12th day - telling me that I am at a stable 91 mg/dL and
my finger stick reading just 3 mg/dL higher).
Warm regards to all,
-jeff toll-free: 1-888-967-3386
Award-Winning Children's Author, Jeff Nathan, presents
CurricuLaughs
Curriculum-tied Language Arts Education through HUMOR
"... by far, the best set of presentations I have seen in our school system
."
Dr. Marc Kerble Assistant Superintendent Winchester Schools
Winchester, MA
". a student said it best. "You Rock!" From the mouth of babes, Jeff you
were sensational. Thank you ever so much!"
Kristine O. Murray Media Enrichment Specialist Maghakian Memorial
School Brookline, NH
see these and other raving testimonials at
<http://www.IncredibleAssemblies. > www.IncredibleAssemcom blies.com
Need to Reply?
Click one of the "Reply" links to respond to a specific message in the Daily Digest.
MARKETPLACE
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Individual | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment