Does anyone have these, or do you know much about them? Like if they are available for kids and how accurate they are?
Im on the Navigator and i love it! you would have to speak with the doctor about minimum ages- but i definitly recommend them! Mine is accurate most of the time but iit doesnt really like to register really high numbers (it will just continue to say around 250)- but most of the time it is great. The arrows letting you know if it is going up or going down fast are the best part! It really helps to keep lows and highs from happening- and it is great to work out with !! There is no worrying about if my sugar is too low to keep going- or having to check constantly
So how often do you have to check with the actual meter?
I calibrate 3 times a day. Not sure how the other cgm are
[quote user="Oanj9"]
So how often do you have to check with the actual meter?
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The Navigator requires four calibrations during the five day life of a sensor. It tells you when to calibrate. You don't have to decide when you want to do it.
I have used the Medtronic CGM and am using the Dexcom CGM right now. I know that the Medtronic Sensor is set to work with children as they offer that option for them. For some reason I think Dexcom is licensed for use with those over 18... Don't quote me on that though as I don't have access to my manual right now. Both systems are really great and pretty reliable. I have found greater accuracy with my Dexcom and the comfort level is much greater as well. Both sensors though require two calibrations a day. However, I still test more often, even though I trust the sensor I like to always be certain.
My son just got the Dexcom Seven CGM and he/we love it! It has to be calibrated twice a day and it is very accurate.
im going to my doctor next week and i wuz thinking about talking to him about one of these things but i donmt know what type and wht does calibrating mean?
Calibrating is the idea of using your meter to test and enter the reading into the sensor. This is so that an accurate sugar can be used to get the CGM somewhat close to what your sugars are.
I asked my diabetic educator about getting one for my daughter who is 9. She tells me they are not accurate for kids. I have a feeling it's because their office pushes Animas brands and I believe it's Medtronic that has the pump CGM combo. I personally would love for her to have one.
[quote user="Bethann111"]
I asked my diabetic educator about getting one for my daughter who is 9. She tells me they are not accurate for kids. I have a feeling it's because their office pushes Animas brands and I believe it's Medtronic that has the pump CGM combo. I personally would love for her to have one.
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Well my brother is 14 and the office he goes to likes both of those companies and they still say its not accurate for kids. It would be great if kids could get them especially teenagers just because many of them go through a rebellious stage. Like now, it seems like he doesnt check as often as he knows he should. Hopefully it wont be long and it will be available for kids.
Hi,
My son who is 8 uses a CGM from Medtronic. We don't use them all the time.
We use them first to see trends if we thing something is changing like he is
growing and his sugar levels are not what we expected. We also use a sensor if he is
away from us at friends houses as he knows what to do when it alarms him. The
sensor when calibrated correctly give a good picture of what is happening.
Although it is always 15 minutes behind what is actually going on, it gives him
enough warning to act (eat or bolus). The sensor gave us a better picture of
how his body reacts and how fast things work for him. The calibration is so
important and can lead you down the wrong path if not correct. So they are not
perfect but I do feel better about him using the sensor.
The price is crazy and I don't like sticking him too much as the needle is
very large. So we don't use them all the time even though I use Elma (It is a
numbing cream and he doesn't feel anything.) I just wish they where more accute and less intrusive on the body. T1's need something better!!
I know a lot of people love the sensors, but I had a trial for the Medtronic CGM and it didn't work for me at all. It was painful and it told me I was in the 60s even during Thanksgiving dinner. . . So my alarm went off every half hour to tell me I was low. In the end, I was told I was too skinny. Make sure you do a trial first!
I agree with you. I also tried the Medtronic CGM and did not like it at all. It was very inaccurate, it kept telling me I was low even though I was normal (or high). I also am fairly thin so it was also very painful for me plus I didn't like having a giant device on my body as well as my pump. Hopefully one of these days they will come up with one that is smaller, more accurate, less painful, and less expensive.
The trick to using a sensor successfully is calibration, patience, high usage and placing the sensor the best way you can for your body mechanics/biology.
I have used the Nav and the MM side by side at the same time. Both have their pluses and minuses. Trick that I was taught later on with the MM was being patient to calibrate. This means not entering BG too often and do it when the BGs will be stable for at least two hours.
The readings on the Nav were slightly more accurate.
The big obstacle for using any CGM with children is the difference in body chemistry and the make up and depth of their interstitial area below their skin which is where the sensor read glucose. I believe this is why only the MM is currently approved for small children.
I have my 3yo daughter on a trial right now with Medtronic CGM (without the pump at this time) as a step towards getting her on the pump. I know, she must seem really young, but she is a trooper and is already very involved in the fingerpricking, etc. So, to answer your question, the arrows are a very nifty feature, especially in a toddler when she isn't always going to be picking up on when she is getting low. The accuracy seems to be about a 30 minute lag for her. We are calibrating three times a day with a fingerprick at each meal for accuracy of insulin dosage so we still have to do 4 fingerpricks a day but that is better than the 6-10 I was doing before, and we have a trend anaylsis. It is going to require a little more in terms of sensor wearing, but I think it will be worthwhile in the management on her sugars. It is really inspiring me to try to keep her as level as possible. Note: her A1C was 7.6 the week before we started CGM.