My Three year old son was diagnosed in December. I want to try the CGM but scared of it will stay in place or him possibly messing with it. What type of machine is the best for a young very active little boy. We have been struggling with keeping him numbers balanced along with have a High A-1 C. Please help a family that feels like we are doing everything wrong.
Hi Dawn @Dljones10, you, your family, has probably not been doing everything “wrong”. Managing diabetes is never simple - especially at the beginning - and there will be days, sometimes a whole bunch of days when there is really no explanation for readings above range - nor for sudden hypoglycemic events.
It is very probable that your son - only six months since diagnosis - may have been in a “honeymoon period” where he started manufacturing insulin again. If he was making some insulin, naturally the amount of insulin you needed to inject was lower than his body required, but now if he has stopped making his own insulin the injected volume will need to increase.
Sounds confusing so I’ll try an example for a once-a-day background [Lantus] injection: say that you had been giving him 10 units and he was fine, now he may need 12 or 13 units. His doctor should advise on this. Just be careful that the increase isn’t so much that you will need to worry about “lows”; running a little high is in my opinion safer.
I’m very pleased with the Dexcom CGM but where your son is active and he won’t be needing alerts, the Abbott Freestyle might work well for him; the Freestyle has a shallower profile and may have less chance of him knocking it off. You will need to pass the “receiver / reader” within a couple of inches of the sensor to get readings. I believe the latest model has connectivity with a cell phone.
I have a feeling you really are doing well by your son - I hope some parents of young kids will let you know the ins-and-outs of CGM sensor placement .
Thankyou so much this was very helpful and made me feel at ease. Thankyou for your kind words. I am currently in the process of setting up an appointment to talk with his endocrinologist about his options. I gratefully accept any feedback pertaining to diabetic help and favorite choices amongst younger and older Type 1 families.
Hi Dawn
My daughter, who is rather resistant to wearable technology, agreed to try out the Libre Freestyle CGM last December. (She is 16 and was diagnosed at 11). She hasn’t looked back, and is very grateful not to have to do finger pricks 15 times a day. It also means at night I can swipe the reader near her shoulder and not wake her to test her. Much better. We did have a faulty sensor this past week, but I guess that is just part of the deal. The 5 years she didn’t wear a CGM were useful too, because she has learnt to “read” her body, and knows when she is dipping. I hope the endocrinologist can show you the range of technology available and let you test some so you can see what works best for your family. All the best as you navigate through all this!
Thankyou so much for your feedback
My 2 year old has been using the dexcom since she was 11 months old it has truly been a blessing we use overlay patches to hold it in place because she is very active like most toddlers.I can honestly say I cant live without it knowing exactly where her blood sugar is and where its going at all times is a relief. I hope this helps and I wish you and your little one the best of luck.
Wow that is such a relief Thankyou so much.
Your welcome keep your head up having a little one with diabetes is hard but I know you’re doing your best I’m also trying to get her on the omni pod for her insulin delivery…and I place the cgm on her upper buttocks so she can’t mess with it or tear it off.i hope this works for you and your little one.
I recently moved so patiently waiting to get into a endocrinologist. I have alot of questions about any easy way to make his life and mine a little easier. Yes it is chaotic at times, but its a learning process
Hi, my daughter has 3 years old now and she gets Diogenes in may last year and believes me I was thinking the same way as you
I didn’t want to go home from the hospital scared to do something wrong
But everything went very good so far
She is a very active girl
She is using the CGM and 3 months ago she starting using the pump tandem.
Just try to relax I know it’s hard sometimes everything changes in our lives but we can be very good at this
Any questions just text me and I can give some advice.
We are strong then we can image!
Thankyou Adriana this was very helpful. I appreciate any advice and assistance.
For us, the Dexcom is non-negotiable. I would sacrifice whatever it took to pay for it for my daughter. It has allowed us to achieve excellent time in range and A1C in less than 5 months of diagnosis that would not be possible without it.
I would call your new Endo and request immediate approval of the Dexcom. Don’t wait for an appointment. While you are waiting, listen to the Juicebox podcast. It is a parent of a T1D child discussing his management and stories from other parents and T1Ds at various stages of their journey. The CGM and the podcast have been the best tools for us.
Thankyou so much I have just recently talked to a dexcom representative, so we are in the process of getting that for him now. I will definitely listen to the podcast Thank You for letting me know about this.
I agree with the other comments here. My daughter was diagnosed at age 10 (now 13) and Dexcom is the most important tool we have had (well besides insulin itself of course). I don’t know how we survived without it. It has definitely meant more sleep for me and more peace of mind for everyone. It’s not perfect, but being able to track blood sugar will help you catch lows and highs and will also help you manage T1D better and get A1Cs down too. However, I would not worry so much about the high A1Cs - it’s a real challenge to manage T1D, especially in the beginning. You’ll get the hang of it and it will get easier as he gets older. We have not had too much of an issue with sensors falling off - occasionally one doesn’t make it the full 10 days and we just call Dexcom and they replace it for free. I know some people have more problems with them falling off, so it probably depends on the kid The overpatches help and you can also use GrifGrips (which come in fun designs that might help make the whole experience less traumatic for a young child). My daughter always wears her Dexcom on her stomach but one of the younger T1D kids we know uses the back of the arm.
Thankyou Diane that was very helpful.