CGMs - Continuous Glucose Monitors

Adventurista

angelamb1970 wrote: »

I can 100% say if I had a CGM 5 years ago, I would not have slid into type 2. The foods recommended to me by the dietitian, even at measured portions, shoot my sugar up too high, leading over time to huge highs and lows. 4 oz chicken breast, no sauce, 1 cup broccoli, half cup whole grain brown rice, plus an apple... typical dinner I would consistently spike to 170's-200's. EVERYBODY is different, individual foods affect us all differently. Now, as far as weight loss? I'm making better choices keeping my blood sugar from having such highs, and consequent lows, which is eliminating the "starving" feeling when my sugar drops after the spike, eliminating the yoyo up and down, and the scale is reflecting this. My dr recommends everyone have one for even just a month, to get an idea how your body processes food.

Bold is mine.

To add to the recommendations a family member received was to see 200 or less 2 hours after they stopped eating.
-- sadly, the dietary recommendations, meds, movement did not seem to arrest the decline but how does one tell because would it have been worse faster if they had no therapeutic treatments?

Personal musing... before a person is diagnosed diabetic, wouldn't a GCM reveal problems with blood glucose spikes? And, at pre-diabetic point illustrate in a clear way the early problems?
-- if a person does not feel their symptoms beyond maybe a vague thirst or fatigue, it can be difficult to heed the warnings when diagnosed pre-diabetic... would think metabolic issues begin earlier than pre-diabetic, and would wonder if a CGM would be helpful there.

I am not sure though how this would relate to weight management. Although, spike in appetite swinging with insulin is something significant that can be addressed; appetite management. Something there maybe.

paperpudding

My dr recommends everyone have one for even just a month, to get an idea how your body processes food.

that seems an extremely unlikely scenario to me.

I cannot imagine any reputable Dr suggesting everyone get a CGM for a month or any length of time.

and type 2 diabetes develops over time - getting a standard fasting blood glucose test done 6 monthly at most, would pick up any development of diabetes or its forerunner, impaired glucose tolerance and allow one to make any required adjustments to diet and weight loss and activity, to reduce their risks

neanderthin

paperpudding wrote: »

My dr recommends everyone have one for even just a month, to get an idea how your body processes food.

that seems an extremely unlikely scenario to me.

I cannot imagine any reputable Dr suggesting everyone get a CGM for a month or any length of time.

and type 2 diabetes develops over time - getting a standard fasting blood glucose test done 6 monthly at most, would pick up any development of diabetes or its forerunner, impaired glucose tolerance and allow one to make any required adjustments to diet and weight loss and activity, to reduce their risks

Well, firstly you would need to know why a doctor would prescribe a continuous glucose monitor to begin with, considering diabetes or IR is a given.

Your answer, which follows your MO is probably going to be "but they said everyone" would be my guess.

Think in context, it helps, would be my advice.

neanderthin

Adventurista wrote: »

angelamb1970 wrote: »

I can 100% say if I had a CGM 5 years ago, I would not have slid into type 2. The foods recommended to me by the dietitian, even at measured portions, shoot my sugar up too high, leading over time to huge highs and lows. 4 oz chicken breast, no sauce, 1 cup broccoli, half cup whole grain brown rice, plus an apple... typical dinner I would consistently spike to 170's-200's. EVERYBODY is different, individual foods affect us all differently. Now, as far as weight loss? I'm making better choices keeping my blood sugar from having such highs, and consequent lows, which is eliminating the "starving" feeling when my sugar drops after the spike, eliminating the yoyo up and down, and the scale is reflecting this. My dr recommends everyone have one for even just a month, to get an idea how your body processes food.

Bold is mine.

To add to the recommendations a family member received was to see 200 or less 2 hours after they stopped eating.
-- sadly, the dietary recommendations, meds, movement did not seem to arrest the decline but how does one tell because would it have been worse faster if they had no therapeutic treatments?

Personal musing... before a person is diagnosed diabetic, wouldn't a GCM reveal problems with blood glucose spikes? And, at pre-diabetic point illustrate in a clear way the early problems?
-- if a person does not feel their symptoms beyond maybe a vague thirst or fatigue, it can be difficult to heed the warnings when diagnosed pre-diabetic... would think metabolic issues begin earlier than pre-diabetic, and would wonder if a CGM would be helpful there.

I am not sure though how this would relate to weight management. Although, spike in appetite swinging with insulin is something significant that can be addressed; appetite management. Something there maybe.

Yes it would be a tool that can show how high an individual spike of a particular food items for example effects blood glucose above a base line. And depending on how high that food goes above base line and for it's length of time can indicate an issue. The more dysfunctional pancreatic beta cells are, which is where insulin is produced, the effect will be greater which can and does indicate a problem well before any diagnosis of IR or diabetes. If you decide to use a CGM it's important that before you test any food that you fast for at least 12 hours, if it's to check an individual food item. As well you need to give it about 2 hours after ingestion before you check your blood glucose levels.

For example and me personally steel cut oats bairly raise my blood glucose levels when consumed on their own but in a meal with milk and a few berries is was greatly increased. Overall when wearing a monitor it can tell fairly accurately how much a particular meal effects our metabolic homeostasis of our blood glucose.

Just to add: I believe if doctors not only took fasting blood glucose they also took fasting insulin levels it would make more sense simply because as fasting insulin levels increase over time even when fasting blood glucose don't that it's a good proxy that they will, and they do unless a dietary change has taken place, and for me that was to reduce most starchy carbs which reversed the situation I had many years ago.

Adventurista

Ty @neanderthin - helpful. Earlier screening could be helpful, along with dietary help. Wondering if the milk is the added spike with the oats and berries, since mom used milk or juice when she had low bs events. Inspiring that you reversed and staved off through dietary changes, et al. Thanks for the share.

paperpudding

neanderthin wrote: »

paperpudding wrote: »

My dr recommends everyone have one for even just a month, to get an idea how your body processes food.

that seems an extremely unlikely scenario to me.

I cannot imagine any reputable Dr suggesting everyone get a CGM for a month or any length of time.

and type 2 diabetes develops over time - getting a standard fasting blood glucose test done 6 monthly at most, would pick up any development of diabetes or its forerunner, impaired glucose tolerance and allow one to make any required adjustments to diet and weight loss and activity, to reduce their risks

Well, firstly you would need to know why a doctor would prescribe a continuous glucose monitor to begin with, considering diabetes or IR is a given.

Your answer, which follows your MO is probably going to be "but they said everyone" would be my guess.

Think in context, it helps, would be my advice.

Yes my answer is going to be repeating what I said before - extremely unlikely a doctor would suggest everyone get a CGM for any length of time.

Since the claim was that a doctor suggested this for everyone.

No context was given in the claim, the claim said everyone.