Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Introduction

Even if you don't have an "official" type 2 diabetes diagnosed, I still recommend that you get any continuous glucose monitor–there are several different models available without any prescription, each lasts about 2 weeks–and notice how different foods and activities affect your blood sugar. I actually started using CGM first, got frightened by my results, and received my official diagnosis–and a supply of CGMs covered by my insurance–somewhat later. But if you do have diabetes, I believe it's a must have.

How it works

First of all, it does not hurt. Like, at all. Any continuous glucose monitor comes packed into a special single use device you use to insert the CGM filament under your skin in a specific place of your body: normally, it's a back of your upper arm. The filament is attached to a sensor which has an adhesive layer and sticks to your skin:

The device does have a needle which comes with a spring so the whole placement is very fast: the needle goes there and back, leaving the filament inside; it's less than a quarter of an inch length, and you don't feel it at all. The CGM sensor attaches to your skin and stays there for 2 weeks; you can take shower, swim and do anything. I suggest you hold it for about a minute when applying, which makes it stick better.

But the main thing is: it's not painful at all, don't be as frightened as I was when I was preparing to apply it for the first time!

Why?

Imagine driving a car without a speedometer. Sometimes you can learn how fast you drive by looking at the signs like this one:

Sometimes you can go to your dealership and they will tell you if your driving style is OK or not, based on the condition of your car. But it's going to be really hard for you to actually understand and improve your driving style based on this information.

In the glucose management world, a "dealership visit" is your A1C blood test you get once in a while, during your annual physical. A "your speed" sign is a finger prick test, which you can probably do once or twice per day. And a CGM is your speedometer, showing how exactly your glucose levels change as a result of any food you eat, or any mile you walk, or anything like that.

The interesting thing is that all these devices show various numbers, and it took me some time to figure that out. Let's see what all those GMI, A1C, and eAG numbers are!