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    • 11 hours, 47 minutes ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      People keep sending me articles with headlines that suggest stem cell transplants “cure” diabetes. However, as mentioned above, a lifetime on immunosuppressive drugs carries its own risks that are probably worse than the risks of well-controlled diabetes. They’ll figure out a way to hide these engineered beta cells from our immune systems someday. I might be willing to call it a “cure” when that happens, although I’ll probably to too old to benefit by then.
    • 11 hours, 48 minutes ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      I am aware that cell therapies are being researched. This may be a panacea in the future. But, for me, red flags are waving. There are many possible dangers with these experiments. I only have this one life. There are no do-overs if something goes wrong, or if there are side effects. So, I tread carefully. Even with all the health issue that I have, I enjoy the one life that I have.
    • 13 hours, 30 minutes ago
      Janis Senungetuk likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 14 hours, 39 minutes ago
      Amanda Barras likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 14 hours, 48 minutes ago
      René Wagner likes your comment at
      If you or your spouse live with T1D and are thinking about having a baby, how concerned are you about them carrying T1D autoantibodies?
      I decided not to have kids when I was young enough to do so. I was too worried I may pass it to them, or their children.
    • 15 hours, 35 minutes ago
      Marty likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 17 hours, 32 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 17 hours, 33 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      I follow diabetic research rather meticulously. Most advancements are top-notch. But please take note of the risks and warnings. My spouse, on an entirely different issue (lower lumbar pain) injected umbilical stem cells one ago and has had intense headaches ever since.
    • 18 hours, 12 minutes ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 18 hours, 47 minutes ago
      mojoseje likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 19 hours, 2 minutes ago
      Gary R. likes your comment at
      Are you familiar with cell therapies that are being developed to treat T1D?
      Taking immunosuppressive drugs creates a whole other risk factor.
    • 1 day, 12 hours ago
      Amanda Barras likes your comment at
      If you or your spouse live with T1D and are thinking about having a baby, how concerned are you about them carrying T1D autoantibodies?
      I had two healthy pregnancies. The only issues were low blood sugars and my babies being born early other than that they are 38 and 35 years old, healthy children.
    • 1 day, 17 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      I use them all. I use an app when I’m eating out. I use labels when at home. If not on the app I estimate.
    • 1 day, 17 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      I generally do a very rough guess of carbs and correct if needed by adding more insulin for an also rough guess for effect of fat and protein later. My alert is set at 130 to remind me so I don’t get too high. I watch arrows a lot. I have had individual sensors lately that are not accurate. This can throw me off, where the sensor reading will be going up fast at say 180 and I will test my blood and it is 130. Sometimes I will have already corrected for the 180. This can cause a very rough day having to feed the insulin. I am hoping sensors will continue to get more accurate. So much depends on it especially with the algorithm. I usually don’t wait for my algorithm to correct because it will let my bg get too high. I know I’m supposed to let the algorithm do its thing but my goals are more strict. I am on G7 and Omnipod 5. I would like to be able to set my target at 100.
    • 1 day, 17 hours ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      I should have clicked the fourth option. I use the labels if available. If not, I estimate.
    • 1 day, 17 hours ago
      atr likes your comment at
      If you or your spouse live with T1D and are thinking about having a baby, how concerned are you about them carrying T1D autoantibodies?
      We knew the risk was 50%. My wife miscarried 4x. We ended up with three great sons, only 1 has T1D. His eldest daughter (of 2) also has T1D.
    • 1 day, 17 hours ago
      atr likes your comment at
      If you or your spouse live with T1D and are thinking about having a baby, how concerned are you about them carrying T1D autoantibodies?
      47 years ago i had my pregnancies and didnt hear about her carrying T1D antibodies but i did have concerns about my child having diabetes. When she was about 12 there was a study to see her chance of developing diabetes ,this blood test was negative. 2 of my grandchildren have been tested and were negative . At the time of my pregnancies i had diabetes for 10 years
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Watertail likes your comment at
      When people talk about diabetes, are there trigger words that bother you? Please share what they are in the comments.
      oh and this one...... when I see a new doctor they say... "let's get some blood work to see if you have diabetes" and I ask them... did you even read my intake forms that say I have had T1 D for over 40 years? ughhhhhh
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Janis Senungetuk likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      I use the nutrition labels as a starting point. For home made foods or for restaurant meals, my wife who was a nutritionist, helps come up with a carb estimate. Then there are times that I just have to take a wild ass guess. I have collected a list of over a hundred common foods that I eat and I keep that keep that list in a notes app on my phone right next to my T-slim app. I often check the nutrition labels for things on my list to see if the recommended carb levels for that item have changed. Then I adjust my list as needed. I also check my BG response to listed carbs I eat. I have adjusted some items over time. So, I would call this approach a hybrid. As Daniel Bestvater notes above, we are only controlling one item out of 6. Your mileage may vary.
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Watertail likes your comment at
      When people talk about diabetes, are there trigger words that bother you? Please share what they are in the comments.
      Not really trigger words as much as not understanding or even aware of the difference between Type 1 and Type 2.
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Watertail likes your comment at
      When people talk about diabetes, are there trigger words that bother you? Please share what they are in the comments.
      And it's especially frustrating when HCP's ask about "checking your sugars? Be a professional dammit, ask about my "blood glucose"
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Janis Senungetuk likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      I count carbs, acc. To Mabel if I have, look up nutrition for items, and estimate if needed. Used to always cook myself till this yr, now in apt where food is provided, so now looking up a lot to estimate. Going pretty well
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Janis Senungetuk likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      Years ago I used to calculate out carbs with a scale & book. Then I realized it didn’t seem to make a huge difference. I had many discussions with an endocrinologist friend about this topic and we both found that highly accurate carb counting didn’t seem to make much difference. As long as you are in the ballpark. I think we need to realize the pancreas produces at least 6 BG regulator hormones and we are only injecting one, insulin. So we need to do our best but not stress over it. This is at least why 2 identical meals can result in two different BG levels.
    • 2 days, 6 hours ago
      Janis Senungetuk likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      It depends on the situation. At home I calculate carbohydrate with my scale. At restaurants it depends on if they have nutritional information available. If they don't have it, I estimate. The same with eating with other people's houses even while using my scale.
    • 2 days, 9 hours ago
      AmyM likes your comment at
      When you bolus for a meal, do you usually estimate carbs, use an app, or the nutrition label? Please share your habits in the comments.
      If I have a label I use it. Mostly I guesstimate then use the info the next time I eat the same meal. I am a big eater with no weight problem. When I go out, usually 2-3 times per week, I have to put in 90 grams of carbs, then add if not enough because I will go low before I go high. The other times, when eating at home, I eat less. Exercise is key. I just got back from 3 trips in 6 weeks. To Sicily, Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and to visit family in Baltimore. Only in Baltimore did I have issues with BG, because I wasn’t walking as much, although I did walk 1.5 miles most days. A1C when got home was 6.3. Time in range about 75%, down from usual 85%. I’ll take that. Not traveling for another year probably and will get back on track.
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    If CGMs existed when you were diagnosed with T1D and you wanted to use one, did you have to wait to get a CGM for any reason? Select all of the below options that apply to you, and share your experience in the comments.

    Home > LC Polls > If CGMs existed when you were diagnosed with T1D and you wanted to use one, did you have to wait to get a CGM for any reason? Select all of the below options that apply to you, and share your experience in the comments.
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    If you (or your loved one) lived with T1D as a child, at what age did you start dosing insulin without help from an adult?

    Sarah Howard

    Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.

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    25 Comments

    1. Nevin Bowman

      Glucose meters weren’t even available when I was diagnosed 😀

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. George Lovelace

        I guess there were Lab Tests back in 1964 but for Home Testing all you could get is Urine Tests that only told you how badly you were managing T1

        3
        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. Patricia Dalrymple

      I’m unsure if they existed but one wasn’t suggested for a few years after LADA diagnosis. I’ve tried them twice and find them uncomfortable and difficult to calibrate. Plus, if I’m awakened in the night, I don’t want it to keep alarming after I have eaten. It has been awhile since I tried one and I’m sure all my complaints are user error. Will have to give it a go again since I need help with my times in range.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Sherolyn Newell

        I’ve only had Dexcom G6, but I am happy with it. You might want to check into it. It seems accurate nearly all the time. I hardly ever do finger sticks any more.

        1
        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Siri Lachmansingh

      I was only offered the use of a CGM when I was having a hard time controlling my sugars, and I had to borrow it from the clinic I went to. It was big and bulky, I don’t remember liking it at all or if it helped.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. Sherolyn Newell

      Up until the Dexcom G6, they all said you still had to do finger sticks for insulin dosing. It seemed silly to me to do both, so I didn’t get one. Then when G6 said you could use it for dosing, I got one. I am 99% happy with it.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. Mary Dexter

      I wanted to use a CGM at the very first, but was put off by my CDEs. For some reason, I had to first qualify (show expertise) to use a Medtronic pump and use it for a number of years before the CDE would even consider it. Then I had to accumulate enough serious lows to satisfy the insurance company and go through the appeal process, because they never grant the first request. When I complained to a subsequent CDE about the difficulties and inaccuracies of Medtronic, she showed me her Dexcom, but said I probably wouldn’t be able to get one. It took several more years and another request and appeal with insurance before I finally got my Dexcom. I quit pumping around the same time and have been happily using the Dexcom and insulin pens for the last decade.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. Sahran Holiday

      Was diagnosed many years before CGMs were available. Physician prescribed and insurance approved as soon as available.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. jeredb

      Did not exist when I was diagnosed (1990). I started on Dexcom G5 about 4 years ago and loved it – wished I’d looked into them sooner. Switched go G6 as soon as they were available. They are a game changer and I recommend a CGM to everyone I talk to that has diabetes or knows someone with diabetes. They’re expensive but if you can afford it they’re a must have! I am sure eventually price will come down and everyone will be able to get them – much as meters did over time.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. Maggie Morgan

      I was diagnosed at 11 and insurance would not approve until I was at least 16, and even then I needed special written permission from by pediatric endocrinologist.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. Lawrence Stearns

      This is an interesting story. I was diagnosed in July, 1977. There were no CGM’s, only urine test trips (which were close to useless). In 2008 (not sure of the year), my insurance company would not cover a CGM, which was a new product at the time. Subsequently, in 2008, I had a low blood sugar and fell while at work and broke my leg. I called the insurance company while I was convalescing at home and told them that if I had a CGM, I probably would not have fallen and broken my leg. The insurance company immediately approve the CGM for me.

      3
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Bill Williams

        Insurance companies STILL don’t understand Type 1/

        1
        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    10. Chris Bullock

      My personal belief if Dexcoms need to be given as soon as one is diagnosed. I have been living with type1 going on for 34 years and have seen a lot but the Dexcom has provided one thing none others have trending alerts. I wish I would have had this growing up since back in the 80s my BS was a bit more fluctuation but once I got my Dexcom I was completely happy with it. An with more pumps working with it it has been a blessing from the ole days

      3
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. Jneticdiabetic

      CGMs weren’t around when I was diagnosed in 1995. Pumps were also not as common then. My endo recommended, but I was hesitant to wear one at first. About 4-5 years post my diagnosis and many severe hypos later, I agreed. It then took about a year of appeals with my insurance company to get it approved. Getting a pump probably saved my life. I didn’t have another severe low for me than a decade.
      I work in a diabetes clinic/research center and had an opportunity to try the early Medtronic professional CGMs. They were big with a cord connecting to sensor (no blue tooth back then). You had to put it in a plastic bag to shower. No readings were displayed, had to wait for download by doctors office. It c was a start! I was able to get the early Medtronic real- CGM when I was pregnant. Helpful, but it was not very accurate so didn’t keep up with it. Later got a Dexcom G4 and was very happy with it. Currently use a Medtronic 670g pump/sensor.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. Amanda Barras

      I answered 2 ways.
      1. CGM was not developed yet in 1988.
      2. Once CGM was available my insurance wouldn’t cover it anyway and I had to wait until 2012 to have an insurance who would cover it. I tried to get it in 2007 but I’d have to pay out of pocket and couldn’t afford it then.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Janis Senungetuk

      I was dx in 1955, long before personal glucose meters, much less CGMs. In 2015 I asked my MD to prescribe the Dexcom CGM. It took a battle with insurance but eventually I was able to start with the G5 system. Now I’m using the G6 in sync with the Tandem t:slim X2 pump. As long as the tech all works as advertised, I’m very happy.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. JoAnn

      I was in a new state seeing my new dentist I had a very scary emergency sitting in the chair as my bg dropped to the 40’s She ended up calling my husband and an ambulance for me
      After this terrifying scare…I had to do something so I started searching on the internet for help
      I discovered cgm’s on Facebook T1 groups and asked my family doctor to order it
      My insurance covered it
      I’m so appreciative to have the device

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. Tina Roberts

      I started one as soon as diagnosed but it was medtronic back in 2007. The sensors were so inaccurate and woke me up all through the night with alarms that I quit using them for years.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. NancyT

      Technology has changed so much since I was diagnosed in 1961! 🤓 The only way of getting any sort of glucose reading at home in those days was by testing urine. This actually involved boiling the specimen with a chemical solution in a test tube to compare with a color chart.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. Molly Jones

      I wasn’t aware of CGM’s from the book’s I read as they were published @2000. When I started complaining about the extreme variability of my blood sugar, differing insulin sensitivities and the unknown causes, my doctor suggested using one and it was covered by my insurance.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Britni

      CGM’s didn’t exist when I was diagnosed, but even after they were release I waited a long time before trying one. I’m scared of needles and was nervous bout having to insert the sensor. It wasn’t until I heard about the Libre that I decided to give one a try

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. Beth Franz

      Other – diagnosed in 2018. I was given zero help or information on how to dose insulin much less what a cgm was or how to get one. I had to do all the research and call my insurance to see what I could get. After horrible inaccuracy with the Libre – went on Dexcom with better accuracy results – but only after MUCH research of my own on how to manage it.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. Leona Hanson

      When I was diagnosed I didn’t need one at the time and then when I need one the insurance didn’t didn’t cover the cgm and now I’m waiting for my doctor come back from a family emergency to get the script to get one finally after 8years of waiting. Ok otherwise I couldn’t afford one

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    21. Brandon Denson

      I did not have a choice to get an insulin pump when I was diagnosed in 2004. I inquired about it after the nurse shared with me that they had a device that could administer my insulin without me having to take a shot every time.

      I insisted to get one but they said that I needed to live with type 1 for a year to learn how to manage it. I’ve always been involved with technology so I truly believe this would have helped me out of the gate.

      When I first found out about a CGM, I had one immediately. It was a complete game-changer. In the beginning, it wasn’t the accuracy that I expected but things have changed tremendously over the years.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    22. NAK Marshall

      I got my first meter at age 32 (diagnosed at age 9 in 1960) and when cgm came out I jumped on and haven’t looked back (except when a reading seems really off). I was ready and willing to pay out of pocket if necessary to keep it once I reached medicare age and had stockpiled what I could, but luckily Dexcom was approved shortly before my stockpile ran out once I was eligible. I did write many emails and letters to all kinds of government involved people and congress, etc during the 2 years before medicare kicked in for me.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply

    If CGMs existed when you were diagnosed with T1D and you wanted to use one, did you have to wait to get a CGM for any reason? Select all of the below options that apply to you, and share your experience in the comments. Cancel reply

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