Hi! I’m new to this site, but my dad has had T1D since he was 20 years old, and he is now 65. We often worry about him getting too “low,” as he has had several accidents over the years.
He has an insulin pump that he uses, and a continuous glucose tester that he “can’t figure out” how to use (any tips on how to get him to want to use it?).
However, I was excited when I learned he wanted a smart watch for his birthday, and I found that there are some smart watches that either sync with the continuous blood glucose tester, or one (called K’Track Glucose Watch) that you can press the face and tiny needles “taste” levels in your skin fluids. Here’s the link to the resources I found:
Anyone ever tried any smart watches that will do this? Were they effective? Which is the best one?
Do you know which continuous glucose system he has trouble using and the cause of the problem?
I don’t have any experience with a smart watch myself. There will hopefully be a new, implantable system coming soon that could be easier for him, depending on his current trouble:
Ryan @rpm3313, the Sensonics Eversense six month sensor has shown good trial results so far. A few days ago the Eversense 90 day sensor was approved by the FDA for general use. I do not believe that the Eversense was approved for “therapeutic treatment” as were the two latest Dexcom monitors; the Eversense is more in the class of the several Medtronic sensors.
Karlyn @karlynlu, have you seen any of the trial results K’Track glucose watch? I’d be interested. About 15 years ago I was a tester for Glucose Watch continuous sensor which I thought was my “perfect” solution mostly because it was non-invasive - the watch hels a “sensor pad” against my skin and gave continuous readings and alarms. Only problem was - it failed to work properly. I had high hopes.
Hi, I don’t know which one he has. I think he stopped trying it because it kept beeping and he works at a place where it has to be quiet and he couldn’t get it to shut off. He’s not good with technology, but now that I know this forum is here, maybe he can get his questions answered. Thanks for your input!
@karlynlu My gut feeling is that none of these watches should be nearly as reliable as a CGM such as Dexcom. They seem simply too good to be true! However, if he is looking for convenience in viewing his blood sugar levels, I know that the newer Apple watches do allow you to see your blood sugars on there. So as long as he’s ok with inserting a Dexcom, I would recommend investing in an Apple watch to check his sugars!
There are NOT any watches “That Test Blood Sugar”. There are several CGM that “read” body glucose by analyzing interstitial fluids, but not blood. There are a couple of watches under development that hopefully will learn sense body glucose levels - BGL; I tested one of these, The Glucose Watch, several years ago and it didn’t work accurately for me.
Currently there are a few watches that can be configured to display glucose values generated by various CGM that analyize interstitial fluids - other than blood sugar.