How bad does cgm hurt? Is it worth it?

[bnmom]

I got all excited when I learned about a cgm, then when I mentioned it to CDE at endo appointment - she totally poo poo'd the idea...said 'eh the needle is huge and really painful, calibrations a huge hassle, they're not worth messing with'

That was during our first visit after dx (dx'd last fall) so I didn't push. But after finding this site, it seems cgm's are fairly common so I'm rethinking it now.

Bobby was resistant to the idea of a pump at first, but now he is all for it because he's so sick of 5-6 shots everyday (we go to our 1st endo required pumping class later this month so hope to be pumping sometime in April.) But would it be too much to be poking him with a pump and a cgm?

Is the cgm more painful than inserting a pump?

As a hover mother, I'd love something that shows constant info on his level - and something that would allow me to possibly sleep through the night once in a while. My instinct is to use every available weapon in this battle - but if cgm insertion is awful, I don't want to hurt him anymore than absolutely necessary.

He is honeymooning, we have some wonky numbers at times, but for the most part it's been a relatively smooth ride so far (his A1C was 11.2 at dx, then 8.2 in Nov, then 5.8 in Jan) - so should I not worry about a cgm unless his A1C goes off the charts?

Do you love your cgm? How does your child feel about it?

Please help me! I'm so unsure...is a cgm something I want to push for...is it worth it...will my son hate it...?

Thanks in advance for your experience and guidance

[hawkeyegirl]

Really, insertion is a non-issue for us, and I have a kid who screams bloody murder if we come at him with a syringe.

We use EMLA (numbing creme) for every insertion. You put a dab on under a band-aid, wait an hour, and they can't feel it at all. He lays calmly on the couch for insertions and watches a video. Frankly, he prefers sensor insertions to infusion site insertions.

CGM is a whole new learning curve, and I wouldn't do pump start and CGM start at the same time, but it's completely worth it. We've been CGMing for almost 3 years now, and we wouldn't be without it.

[ecs1516]

I actually don't think CGMs are that common. You will find a lot of people using them on this site compared to your area I think. In my local area, we know many type 1 children but only one other one on a CGM.

We use both Dexcom for older son and MM CGM for younger son.

The Dexcom requires no numbing cream for us but the MM CGM does.

[PatriciaMidwest]

Hmmm....not sure why the CDE is less than enthusiastic about cgms. I would not and could not give ours up. Seriously. It is such a great tool, I love it.

As far as pain... it is not bad at all. There is a small stick or pinch, but it's over and done with quickly. You can use ice or a numbing cream too, especially If you child has a low body fat %. I have used Minimed and Dex, and for us Dex is less painful on insertion and more comfortable to wear, but YMMV.

Calibrations on the Dex are no big deal at all...in fact it still keeps giving data even if you don't calibrate it -not that my teen would ever forget to do that at school I don't feel like I need to wait for any special "stable" time to calibrate.

I think I saw your D child is 13, same as my DD. As he begins to leave the honeymoon stage, D will be less forgiving, and the cgms will really come in handy to alert you of changes before they become big problems.

[DsMom]

My adult niece has used the CGM and said it was painful--but I don't think she used numbing cream. When we decide to go with the CGM--and it's only a matter of time for us--we will definitely use the cream as we do for every pump site change.

[denise3099]

Insertion is a non issue entirely--we use emla cream for every sensor site. We don't use anything for pump sites since I don't think they are worse than a needel stick and she managed those 6x a day. But the sensor needle is considerably bigger so the emla is very useful for that. We only change out a site every 6 days so an hour with emla under a piece of paper tape is no biggy.

As far as usefullness goes there is nothing like the info you get from cgm!! I can't even go into detail here or I'd be here all day. 150 is 150 on a meter. Some information but not much. But on cgm you don't just get 150, but 150 with 2 arrows down, meaning bs dropping fast. Or with 2 arrows up meaning dose insulin now or big spike coming or run around teh block 3 times. 100 and holding steady means go on about your business. 100 and dropping means don't go to sleep or get behind the wheel of a car. 250 and dropping might mean don't do anything but 250 and rising means maybe you have a bad site. It's the difference between a snapshot and a movie. and add the alarms into it to warn you of thresholds and change rates and you can't beat that kind of info.

Calibrating is no big deal at all. Once every 12 hours, you push a button--it's nothing.

ETA: I would recommend cgm for non-pumpers too. But I agree to go one thing at a time.

CGM is not common, but it should be!

[sarahspins]

Originally Posted by ecs1516

I actually don't think CGMs are that common. You will find a lot of people using them on this site compared to your area I think. In my local area, we know many type 1 children but only one other one on a CGM.

Agreed.. most people I encounter think my Dexcom sensor is an Omnipod. I think that's a bit silly since the pods are SO much bigger, but when you stop and think that the only place most people see such items is in commercials (omnipod does have a TV commercial) or print ads, I can see why there is confusion.

I'm the only T1 I know that wears a CGM... not that I know a ton of T1's, but it just doesn't seem to be very mainstream - yet. Most others I've encountered react very much like "I could never wear that" or "wow, I didn't even know they had something like that" which I think is unfortunate.

Insertion with the Dexcom is not bad, or I wouldn't be able to insert it myself... trust me I don't use numbing agents. Everything is "hidden" before and after insertion, which I think makes it MUCH easier. If I was staring at the 23g needle that inserts the sensor wire, I'd probably think twice about it... but since i don't see it, it usually doesn't concern me at all.

[hawkeyegirl]

I think we are one of a handful of patients at our endo's office who have had success with the CGM. Our endo has told us that people want to slap it on, put no effort into learning how to use it, and have it give perfect readings.

They really are going to have to improve them quite a bit to gain widespread adoption of the technology.

[LantusFiend]

My personal experience was that the minimed sensors were awful and Dexcom ones no big deal. The needles are bigger on minimed.

[swellman]

I can't imagine being without it. It is such a great tool for us and gives us additional information that allows us to better manage D and get a good night's sleep.

I am seriously perplexed as to why a CDE would advise against one other than whether it's a good fit at a particular time with a patient.