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    • 14 hours, 46 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Have you ever been told you couldn’t physically do something because you live with diabetes?
      Long time ago - told there were certain occupations I would not be allowed to do because if T1D. Pilot, air traffic controller, military, etc.
    • 14 hours, 49 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I have been told many times "YOU CAN'T EAT THAT!" ONLY to frustrate them and eat it anyway and then bolus accordingly.
    • 14 hours, 50 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I think it is a common experience for most people with T1D. People do not understand anything about it. I do not take it personally. I try to educate when appropriate.
    • 14 hours, 50 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      Lol hell when haven't they. Lol
    • 14 hours, 58 minutes ago
      KarenM6 likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 16 hours, 51 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was only 2 when Diagnosed 70 years ago. My small town doctor admitted he didn't know much about T1D, and fortune for my parents and I he called what is now Joslin Clinic, and they told him how much insulin to give me. He taught my parents, who then traveled over 350 miles to Boston, to learn about how to manage T1D. My doctor learned more about T1D, and was able to help 2 other young men, that were later DX with T1D in our small town. I went to Joslin until I turned 18 and returned to become a Joslin Medalist and participated in the research study, 20 years ago. Still go there for some care.
    • 16 hours, 51 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was 7 when things changed in my home. My older brother was hospitalized for 2 weeks. When he came home, we no longer ate the way we had before. This was 1956. Dessert alternated between sugarless pudding or sugarless Jello. I learned that bread and potatoes had carbohydrates and that turned to sugar. There was a jar in the bathroom. It seemed my brother was testing his urine every time he went in there. There was a burner and pot on the stove designated for boiling syringes. I watched my brother give himself shots and I remember how hard it was to find someone to manage his care if my parents had to travel. Diabetic Forecast magazine came in the mail each month and there were meetings of the local diabetes association that my mother attended religiously. My brother got a kidney and pancreas transplant at age 60 and before he died lived for 5 years as a non-diabetic. A few years later I was diagnosed. Sorry he was not able to make use of today’s technology. I often wonder what he and my late parents would think about me, at age 66, being the only one in the family with type 1.
    • 16 hours, 54 minutes ago
      lis be likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 20 hours, 54 minutes ago
      kilupx likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      My brother was type 1 since an early age. I was only diagnosed in my late 40s
    • 22 hours, 56 minutes ago
      Phyllis Biederman likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 23 hours, 42 minutes ago
      Bill Williams likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I was diagnosed in 1976 at the age of 18 while in college. One weekend, I was drinking a lot of water and peeing frequently. I remembered having read a Reader's Digest article on diabetes, and I told my friends I thought I might have it. Two days later, the diagnosis was confirmed.
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Absolutely nothing. Diagnosed in late December 1962 at at the age of 8 years and was told I was going for a stay in hospital because I have "sugar diabetes".
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I knew I couldn’t or shouldn’t have my two fav things in the world: Pepsi cola and chocolate. I was 42, and suspected very strongly that I had it, and ate a large piece of chocolate cake before my doctor’s appointment (sounds more like I was 12). Fast forward 25 years later: I never had a real cola again, but do occasionally have chocolate. I’m way healthier than I was back then in terms of diet. I no longer have irritable bowel, and I’m lucky to be able to afford what I need to combat the ill effects of this chronic disease. I’m blessed, and grateful for insulin.
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      It was 35 years ago for me. I had no experience with T1d. I was starting to show symptoms and my sister-in-law quickly researched T1d and told me what she found. I went to my GP a week or two later. My BG was over 600. He sent me to the hospital right away. Blood test confirmed it.
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I only knew a little . That is why I give grace to others who do not know anything or have misconceptions.
    • 1 day ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      I knew I couldn’t or shouldn’t have my two fav things in the world: Pepsi cola and chocolate. I was 42, and suspected very strongly that I had it, and ate a large piece of chocolate cake before my doctor’s appointment (sounds more like I was 12). Fast forward 25 years later: I never had a real cola again, but do occasionally have chocolate. I’m way healthier than I was back then in terms of diet. I no longer have irritable bowel, and I’m lucky to be able to afford what I need to combat the ill effects of this chronic disease. I’m blessed, and grateful for insulin.
    • 1 day ago
      Gary R. likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day ago
      ConnieT1D62 likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day ago
      eherban1 likes your comment at
      How much did you know about type 1 diabetes before you were diagnosed?
      Being 4 years of age, I think I can be forgiven for not knowing much of anything at all. That was 3 quarters of a century ago. ⎛⎝( ` ᢍ ´ )⎠⎞
    • 1 day, 12 hours ago
      NANCY NECIA likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I think it is a common experience for most people with T1D. People do not understand anything about it. I do not take it personally. I try to educate when appropriate.
    • 1 day, 15 hours ago
      Anita Stokar likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I won't use the word "diabetic" as a noun. It's as simple as that, an adjective, yes. I didn't refer to a good friend with MS as a "sclerotic". When I was working with first responders, I tried to remember to say "schizophrenia is involved", or "there's alcoholism at play here".
    • 1 day, 15 hours ago
      Anita Stokar likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      I think it is a common experience for most people with T1D. People do not understand anything about it. I do not take it personally. I try to educate when appropriate.
    • 1 day, 15 hours ago
      Anita Stokar likes your comment at
      Has someone ever told you that you can’t eat something because you live with diabetes?
      No one has said (in seriousness) you can't eat that, but I have gotten the question "Can you eat that?"
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    If you use a CGM, how did your A1c change in the first 6 months of use?

    Home > LC Polls > If you use a CGM, how did your A1c change in the first 6 months of use?
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    How many people do you know in person (not online) who have T1D?

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    Do you currently have any smartphone apps that you use to look up the carbohydrates in various foods? Share your favorites in the comments!

    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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    31 Comments

    1. Britni

      I don’t remember what happened to my A1c in the first 6 months, but it probably went up as I was having frequent low blood sugars (45 low glucose events in 30 days) when I first started wearing my CGM.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. Janice B

      My A1C did not change but I spent more time in range

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Ahh Life

      A1c did not change. Standard deviation dropped from 90 to 45. All this in 2006 with the Minimed Harpoon, aptly named for the size of the insertion needle.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. AnitaS

        Hahahaha………
        I like your sense of humor.

        1
        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. Carolann Hunt

      Looping brought it down even more

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. paulinams28

      I feel that something that compromises the CGM’s blood glucose reading accuracy is the insertion step. Not sure if its the design or what, but in my experience I have lost many sensor tapes (guardian sensor 3/medtronic) because of puncturing capillaries. And at times I have to calibrate up to 4-5 times a day, which makes you think if the sensor is actually doing its job.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. Mary Dexter

      My A1C did not change; it has been below 7 since I was correctly diagnosed and given insulin. The biggest change was that my husband was able to sleep at night.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. Kristine Warmecke

      When I was made to get my first CGM, in July 2007, I wasn’t given a chose on which one I wanted, it was just Medtronic’s. It was a pain and inaccurate, so much that I stopped wearing it because of all the issues with it.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. Bonatay

      I thought I would never be in the 8s. After CGM use I made it into the 7s.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Wanacure

        Hey, Bonatay, you can get into normal range with a CGM. Exercise, go to low carb diet. IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT. Eat veggies like spinach and Brussels sprouts at every meal. Eat nuts and seeds every meal. Include non-sugared peanut butter, almond butter. Get protein from sardines and wild-caught canned or smoked salmon. Add avocados and olive oil to your diet. Eggs, cheese, unsweetened yoghurt or kefir are good for you. Two ounces sweet potatoes, “yams” or canned pumpkin taste good, add fiber. Two tablespoons flax meal per day. I Tb wheat germ & 1 Tb yeast at breakfast and again at dinner. Don’t forget 4 Tb tomato sauce every day. For polyphenols have at least 1 cup Green Tea (decaf available). Save your kidneys by carrying a water bottle in your backpack. Yeah, it’s hard to kick carb addiction.

        4 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. Lawrence S.

      I don’t recall my A1c’s changing when I first started on a CGM system. I usually ran between 5.5 and 6.0. However, since I’ve been on the Control IQ system with Dexcom G6 and Tandem, may A1c has consistently run at 6.1

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

      In 2009 I started on the Dexcom System 7+ and don’t remember much change in A1c but it did bring down the anxiety over Hypo events. Now the G6 with Tandem CIQ I have eliminated almost All Hypos

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. Amanda Barras

      Pre-pump on 8 shots a day I was at 7.2 with hard work. Adding a pump dropped to 6.8, adding CGM dropped to 6.3.

      4
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. Carol Meares

      My A1c did not change so much but I am guessing that my time in range and standard deviation changed a lot. I had many lows and and highs but my A1c overall was good. Now I have less lows and highs maintaining much more even management of my diabetes. CGM is a glorious addition to my life. I could not live without it.

      4
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Joan McGinnis

      It was 2008 and I have no idea but under 7 now and I am happy for someone with T1D for 43 yrs

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. TEH

      Going on GGM helped me drop from 7.8 to 7.1. Going on modified close loop with the 770G I have been able to drop A1C further to 6.9.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. M C

      The only thing that changed when I started using a CGM was the average number of times I check my BG level each day.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. Natalie Daley

      I check more often, so fewer lows and highs, learning the trends and not being as concerned about lows, especially at night have been great. Libre 2 is a work of art.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. Kevin McCue

      I tried the Medtronic version of CGM and it was terrible, ended abandoning it after 2 years(A1c went from 7.6>9>8.7>8.8) when I was able to get insurance that covered Dexcom then Tandem. Constant false alerts with Medtronic with no improvement in A1c. Pre Dexcom CGM, I was struggling with high A1c and trying for tighter control. Ended up having lows that I could t see coming and A1c went up. Post Dexcom CGM, the accuracy and seeing trends that I could trust allowed me to get my A1c went down dramatically from 8.8 to 6.5 in the first few months.

      5
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Tina Roberts

      Decreased 2.% 10.5 to 8.5.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. kflying1@yahoo.com

      Not a good question. Since beginning to use a CGM my occurrences of hypoglycemia have dropped to zero. especially during exercise or sleep.

      2
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. LizB

      I don’t think my A1c changed too much because pre-CGM I had so many lows that I wasn’t aware of. I started using Medtronic’s Sof-Sensors when they first integrated with the pump (2007 or 2008) and I can’t remember my numbers from that far back. It definitely helped me to avoid some of the most serious lows and highs.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    21. Janis Senungetuk

      My A1c didn’t change in the first 6 months of using the Dexcom G5. The changes came later using the G6 because my endo insisted that I needed to raise my A1c to 6.5 – 7.0 from the 6.0 level it had been at for years.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    22. Bill Williams

      Using a CGM was never about “improving” my A1c. I’d fluctuated between 6.5 and 7.5 for years using finger sticks and MDI. Libre and Omnipod are, for me, about ease of use, not reducing A1c or increasing time in range. Those numbers have changed very little.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    23. AnitaS

      My A1c really didn’t change but the highs and lows don’t happen as frequently nor are they as dramatic as before.

      1
      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    24. Lenora Ventura

      I can’t remember because I began using Dexcom when they 1st came out back in 2008. Been with them ever since & will never go without!!!

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    25. Mark Schweim

      I don’t remember any effect on my A1c, but I started using Dexcom CGM in 2008 and that’s already 13, almost 14 years ago.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    26. Steve Rumble

      I recently started using a CGM and have not yet used one for 6 months.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    27. Carlene Vaitones

      My A1C improved because I’m able to be in the range of 120-95 more often without lows because I can see the low coming on the app. So I snack a little more often and skirt that nice lower “normal” range.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    28. David Smith

      I answered “NA” because I have been on a CGM less than 6 months, although the early trend seems to be decreasing A1C.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply
    29. Cheryl Seibert

      My A1C before a CGM was a good 6.9 (the highest I ever had) and with the CGM it dropped to 6.5. While my BGs wildly swing in a wide range, they change quickly, so it balances out. Still not in control (TIR) and StDev that I would like, but maybe the best a brittle diabetic with a big appetite can hope for.

      4 years ago Log in to Reply

    If you use a CGM, how did your A1c change in the first 6 months of use? Cancel reply

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