# Who do you ask to borrow a CGM off?



## Nyadach (Aug 22, 2011)

Basically, I am in a bike race in a months time...and it's my first attempt at a race so that's bad enough. And stopping every so often like I do in training isn't really an option I want to bother with, although might have to resort to. So am hoping I might be able to convince someone into letting me borrow a CGM. But the question is who?

Do I ask my GP? the local diabetic department in the PCT I'm in (but not under there care but did my DAFNE course with)? or my consultant I see (but not expected to see before the race sadly) but he's outside my PCT but I am under his treatment?


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## Northerner (Aug 22, 2011)

I'd ask your DSN  Having said that, be aware that some hospital CGMs aren't whizzy and snazzy - I believe some you can't even see the results until they get downloaded back at the hospital.


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## Robster65 (Aug 22, 2011)

As Northerner says, not sure it would help you. They lag about 15 minutes behind realtime, so would only alert you to a downward or upward trend and you'd need to decide on the fly what to do about it.

Could you work out from your training rides, how much you drop per mile (?) or time-based and then have a jelly baby/sports drink every so often to keep you approx within range ?

Maybe better to run slightly higher for some spare near the finish. As you become exhausted, your muscles will scream out for glucose I would have thought.

Rob


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## Nyadach (Aug 22, 2011)

That's kind of what I've been attempting to work out for the last few months. To some degree anyhow I have a rough idea of what occurs over such a distance, but also learned pretty much everything seems to tinker with the data. Weather, what I ate beforehand and how long it's taking to burn down. Time since last injection. I probably have too much data now which makes it quick crazy when working out what's going to happen. 

Northerner, just wondering...which DSN you think might be best to ask? the one attached to my consultant outside my PCT? or the one attached to my PCT?

The last CGM I had was a download at hospital usb stick thing off the consultant outside my PCT...so utterly useless in this case. But was thinking of trying to wrangle a Guardian or a Dexcon 7+ or something similar was all.

(The reason it's so utterly confusing as to who the hell looks after me is because during some gov cost cutting exercises 7-8 years back, they got a bunch of so called doctors who were pretty much a bunch of accountants who discharged all the type 1's and stuck us solely under GP control with no access to a DSN or any other support. GP was furious and after me being scraped up by paramedics 2-3 times a week flipped and sent me out of the county to another PCT to get access to a consultant and a DSN. This last year the original PCT got rid of the accountants/doctors and have been asking to reclaim me as a patient. I haven't been paying a great deal of attention to them really since the current doc and DSN have fixed me up very nicely with lower hba1c and not a single need for outside assistance since. I've been offered kit before off the local PCT DSN, but it just gets messy with so many elements mingled together when trying to wrangle stuff is all).


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## Northerner (Aug 22, 2011)

I'd ask the one who you are currently seeing i.e. not your PCT one. How long is the race? On runs I have worked out I get the first 5 miles 'free', as long as I start above 7, then 10g carbs per mile. Good luck in your quest (and I think you'll be very lucky if you succeed in getting one for a specific period of time to cover your race period, sad to say)


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## Nyadach (Aug 22, 2011)

Not a big race, only 48mile, there's an "option" for a 98 mile version but am wimping out of that for a first attempt. Yeah, probably not a chance but what the heck, worth a go I guess


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## Northerner (Aug 22, 2011)

Nyadach said:


> Not a big race, only 48mile, there's an "option" for a 98 mile version but am wimping out of that for a first attempt. Yeah, probably not a chance but what the heck, worth a go I guess



Have you been reading this thread: 

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=20152


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## Nyadach (Aug 23, 2011)

Cheers, interesting.


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