# CGM tomorrow



## sugarfreerach (Oct 10, 2010)

Helloo! Im getting a CGM fitted for a week tomorrow as my DSn wants to get me to 6% exactly before i get the green light for trying to conceive! Bit scared to be honest, ive seen really small ones but ive a feeling the nhs ones are massive!   scared i'll knock it (already where a pump so used to having something attached to me) and that it wont work. Any advice? Ive read the other cgm thread but its gone slightly off topic  . To be honest my sugars have been really tight the past 3 weeks since last seeing DSN as i need to get down half a percent (its like losing that last 2 pounds!)


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## bev (Oct 10, 2010)

How exciting! The hospital ones are bigger than the ones we use - so cant really give a comparison. Is this one that doesnt show the data? Does your team interpret the data for you?Bev


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 10, 2010)

she said something about downloading data next week? does that mean i wont be able to read results til next mon? i  test every 2 hours at present anyway ha ha


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## bev (Oct 10, 2010)

I think its one where they will look at the data when you take it back - so not very helpful for you to make any changes as needed - but it will give you a good picture of what is happening when your not testing. I havent used one of these so cant give you a lot of information - I think (?) Adrienne might know more than me about these particular CGM's.Bev


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

thanks bev x


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## Adrienne (Oct 11, 2010)

sugarfreerach said:


> thanks bev x



Hi

There are two 'stand alone' CGMS you may get.   There are no doubt much newer ones around but can't think all hospitals have purchased them.  

You can have a Guardian RT where the levels are posted to a screen on the pager sized thing you will be wearing.   This enables the user to tweak insulin etc as to the levels and trends.

The other I only know as a CGMS where you where the same sort of sensor and have the same sort of sized pager thing on your person but no screen.  You have to calibrate, the same as the other, (only calibrate when your levels are ok if possible) but you cannot see what is happening.

The idea of this second one is that after a week you can download the data and as you have been doing your normal daily stuff, your team and you can see what is actually happening, ie any trends at certain times of the day or any hypos overnight maybe.    It is a much better idea than the RT which you can tweak and manipulate as you go along.    

Hope that helps.


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## bev (Oct 11, 2010)

I knew you'd come up trumps Adrienne - what you dont know about pumps and CGM's isnt worth knowing - but then you have been doing this for 10 years.Bev


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

ok ive got it, its a 2 inch sensor thing in me and a pager type gadget, but it does show my sugars and trends etc.  Good, for the first 2 hours. Then it has stopped giving me any data. The little egg timer has been going for an hour and a half. rang the nurses at hosp but no answer and text my other nurse (my normal nurse didnt fit it) but no reply yet (only 20 mins ago).  not really sure what to do.  Its close to me all the time so no issues about distance. I callibrated fine after an hour like she told me and it was working fine (except suagrs were a lot lower than my tester showed) and then at 2 i noticed it wasnt showing anything.


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## Northerner (Oct 11, 2010)

Did you get any sort of manual with it Rach? It sounds like it needs resetting if the egg timer has been going that long. Hope you get it sorted!


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

i got an a5 piece of paper with symbols on it, but the egg timer means its "doing something", not sure what maybe its on a coffee break?


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## Northerner (Oct 11, 2010)

Sounds to me (as a programmer!) it's got itself into an endless loop. and isn't actually doing anything. I hope you get a response soon, otherwise it might be worth switching it off and on again or something similar. I admit, that's what I'd be tempted to do! If you know what make/model it is might be worth googling to see if others have experienced this, or if there is an online manual.


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

ooh great idea thanks! my dsn said ring helpline, which closed 3 mins ago arghh! its a good job my sugars are 5! dsn is ringing me in 5 mins


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

my main dsn rang me (even though shes ill!) and she said because i ate within an hour of having it done it messed up the readings. I asked the other dsn if i was ok to eat yet she said yeah course, just do everything as you normally would. Grr. we've tried to redo it but still not reading it.  She says if still no joy just disconnect it and abandon it! ha ha ah well i'm sure i'll live!


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## bev (Oct 11, 2010)

Dont abandon it - I will txt Adrienne to see if she can help.Bev


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

thanks! xxxx (i had to add more kisses as it wouldnt let me post less than 10 characters)


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## Adrienne (Oct 11, 2010)

Hiya

What machine it is?   What make?   Then I may know what I'm talking about.   Is it a Guardian RT?     You can generally download all the instruction manuals so we can take a look in there.     I need to know what it looks like really to if I'm familiar with it.

Don't abandon it though, not yet.


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

hi, its a freestyle navigator.  looked online and apparently i didn't calibrate it quick enough the 2nd time it asked- about an hour after 1st calibration.  So what ive done is disconnect and reconnected it and in an hour im going to recalibrate and see whats what. i really really dont want to give up on it, so i'll try all suggestions. although if i take the batteries out i will have to put a new sensor in (which i dont have) according to the instructons


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## Adrienne (Oct 11, 2010)

Yep that is all absolutely correct.  I think they are all much of a muchness to be honest.    I don't know about the freestyle navigator but I do know others on the children's email list who have used them.   See what happens in an hour and if nothing else works, let us know and me or Bev can ask on the list.


The two calibrations are close together, how odd but if thats what the manual says then fair enough.

Good luck.


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

thanks, yeah i thought it odd as well, i wasnt expecting it- i was actually walking round town and only realise it had stopped when i sat down for a coffee. so not sure how long it had been asking for another calibration.


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

ok, we're back on! After an hour of waiting (good job its double coronation st tonight!) and ive calibrated and success! OK fingers crossed, i really really want this to work!  Thanks so much for helping people!


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## Adrienne (Oct 11, 2010)

Ah ha just read a bit about it.    When you put the sensor in first off and attach it you just turn the machine on and leave it.    What it is doing is 'wetting' and mixing with the interstitial fluid and getting itself sorted out.  The machine takes an hour to get to the right place and then it will ask for its first calibration.  I don't think you calibrate as soon as you put it in, it wouldn't work.

Our CGMS (via the insulin pump) does exactly the same but it takes 2 hours, so 1 hour is lovely.

As you didn't hear it (it should have alarmed) and then enter a calibration then it has gone tits up.   Quite normal.   Ours would be saying Cal error and bad sensor and all sorts of things.

So for us, we just turn off and turn on and either it will decide to wait another 2 hours (1 in your case) or it will ask for a reading within minutes.

If it doesn't work, let me know.


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## Adrienne (Oct 11, 2010)

sugarfreerach said:


> ok, we're back on! After an hour of waiting (good job its double coronation st tonight!) and ive calibrated and success! OK fingers crossed, i really really want this to work!  Thanks so much for helping people!



Wey hey.  Ignore my last message then, it worked.   

Brilliant.  Good luck.


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 11, 2010)

yeah, i'd already waited an inital hour with it in ,before calibration and then it wanted another one which i missed. im keeping my eyes glued to it now just in case!  Thanks so much adrienne


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## sugarfreerach (Oct 17, 2010)

well my week ended with the cgm and i miss it so much! i love seeing what my sugars are doing all the time. i did feel like half woman half robot but loved the ease of knowing what happened through the night. funnily enough i had a near perfect week, 6's every time i looked at it.  I had one hypo in the night and beeped at me over an hour as its 20 mins behind and so thought i was still low. but i soon forgave it when i woke up with a 6 and then gave me 6's the rest of the day. realised im not going over 11 even after meals which is good i think. Seeing nurse tomorrow and i have to hand it back (kicking and screaming) will they let me have whilst pregnant do you think?


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