interesting comparison of CGMS

[Momof4gr8kids]

This was posted on the forums at the diabetes mall by John Walsh. It is a good read, and may help if you are thinking about getting a CGMS.

http://www.diabetesnet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5

[LantusFiend]

It is interesting, but there is one factor that the author of the study does not seem to take into consideration; that what part of his body these sensors were on may have made a difference.

[EmmasMom]

Those results are really good in favor of the dex, and it looks impressive, but I think it's very important to note that it is only ONE person.
There are a lot of people that have very good and bad experiences with both products, and most people are somewhere in the middle.
If you're making a decision on a con mon I'd look at more scientific research that uses more than one study subject.

[rickst29]

for most PARENTS to remember, John is an middle-aged adult (as I am). Thick skinned, with aging subcutaneous fat, and just plain BIG, the body chemistry which he presents to the Sensors might be quite different than YOUR child. Even though there's a reputation for Dex being better at catching lows, MM works great for lots of people. And, especially with the new Transmitter, MM totally wins the "battle" of convenience, because it's waterproof.

The only way to know which one is best for YOU or YOUR CHILD is to try both of them! :D I advise against trying to wade through lots of informal and under-designed "studies" and personal stories.... instead, you should try them BOTH YOURSELF to choose the winner.

(BTW, I'm CWD's most long-term Dexcom user.)

[Momof4gr8kids]

After trying the dex out for a week through our doctors office we decided against getting a CGMS for now. We plan on waiting to see where the tech goes and opinions on the later series dex, MM, and if Navigator is EVER released. Also I have heard rumor that Animas is releasing one in 2008.

I am actually not sure if Dex IS A, or B. It is the first one shown, but it never actually states which is A, or B at least that I saw. I thought the interesting point was in saying that neither are really that reliable. I had already made the desision at that point to not go with CGMS but had I not have already tried one out I think this would have brought to my attention the need to question weather I really wanted one or not. Before trying one out I really, really thought they were a maricle, but they weren't for Julia at least.

[bkfkmc]

This technology certainly isn't perfect. I can only speak for MM because we haven't tried the Dex, but it took us using several sensors to get the hang of it. Increased accuracy comes with calibrating at the best times and not over calibrating. Also, getting the insertion and taping down takes some practice (again, I am talking about MM). I was pleased with it when we first bought it, but I was more pleased after using it a good month or month and a half. Again, it isn't perfect, but it did take some time to truly get the hang of using it. I think we could have gotten an idea of the device with a one week trial, but for me it took quite a bit longer to get the feel of how it works best. I know each persons needs/wants are different and I can certainly understand someone even just plain not wanting to wear it (something smaller soon please!)

I would stop short of calling it a miracle for our family, but it sure has been life changing. Even if the finger stick and CGMS are off by several points, the arrows still give me the information that I need. If the CGMS is showing 212 with 2 arrows up and the finger stick shows 240 then I need to give a correction based on the finger stick. The CGMS gave me the clue that his blood sugar was trending upward quickly to I could take action sooner that I otherwise would have. Sorry for rambling...

[EmmasMom]

I do think it's important for anyone looking into getting one of these to remember that it is not a finger stick replacement. It is not testing blood so there is going to be a delay, it's not a problem with the system, it's just how they work. But, the accuracy between our meter and our sensor is often closer than retesting with our meter. If you were to retest every single finger stick and see how off they can be throughout the day the margin of error wouldn't seem nearly as bad on the con mons. We tend to think of the finger stick result as "absolute" and really it's only within 10-20%, if you added a small time delay to it... well you'd have a cgms.
They are a great tool, and the trends are very, very helpful and the alarms can be life saving, but you have to "learn" how to use them for your own best results. And just like pumping it can take time to work a new device into your life. If you only tried out a pump for a week, you'd probably want to throw it back at the rep by day 4!;)

I think our results are better than average, I don't know why, but it took time and playing with everything, just like Kristi. I was not nearly as impressed when we did a trial with the Guardian, (same sensor, different monitor), and I had it for 10 days, but after 3 months with this system it's just easy and works great...

I know everyone's experience will be different, and the current models aren't for everyone. I was desperate, and was willing to deal with downsides of a first generation model, and I'm glad we did it! Like everything in D your YDMV, YRMV!

(I'd be interested to see 30 days of testing with two different glucometers 288 times a day, I'd bet the results would be very disturbing.)

[rickst29]

Lantusfiend, your guess is definitely off the mark (John KNOWS where the good places are, and used each device properly).

JmeB78. Your worry "maybe we don't know which was which" is unwarranted. (We know, absolutely, positively, which one was which. :cwds:)

And Amy's right, you're NOT DONE LEARNING how to use them effectively in just a single week. Make sure that you get a longer trial period when you sign up.