New guy with CGM anxiety
Been a T2 for about 9 years now. Been on Jardience for about 3 after insurance company switched me from Invokana. Got curious last week at my checkup about the CGMs I have seen so much about. Doc gave me a sample to use and monitor. A1C fluctuates between 7 and 8 on checkups typically but I wanted to see what my sugar does overnight.
3 days in and I am scared out of my mind. First night, I ate normally. Blood sugar shot up from about 130 to 245 at 12 AM. The alarm from my Libre app shocked me awake. Finally dozed back off. Next day I ate very low carb and blood sugar hovered in the low 120s to 105ish. Woke up that night at 3 AM to another alarm. Blood sugar under 65. Ate some low sugar canned peaches and went back to bed after calming down. I have never seen my sugar in double digits when pricking my finger during the day. Today, I ate a low carb breakfast, a few tacos from Taco Bell and a steak and sweet potato for dinner at 7. Lunch sugar shot up over 240 and dinner rose to 250 at 9 PM. It's 1 AM now and it dropped to 128. I am afraid of it dropping more.
I am already plagued by anxiety. Seeing what my sugar is ctively doing has done nothing to make me feel better about my condition. It seems like a losing proposition. Not enough carbs and my sugar gets near dangerous lows. Some carbs and my sugar spikes high. This is causing me to wake up every night for one or the other and my wife is losing sleep because I am up fretting. What do I do?
Apologies for the delayed reply! Thank you for reaching out and sharing. How are you feeling today? In terms of adding a CGM, it may be helpful to eat as you normally would and focus on observing your numbers. Several changes at once can leave you feeling like a yo-yo with high and low blood sugar. Eating a balanced amount of carbohydrates throughout the day can help level your numbers out. Also, everyone's bodies respond differently to different foods. The CGM can be a learning opportunity for you to see how your blood sugar responds. Take a look also at what you were doing throughout the day in terms of activity, stress, illness, sleep, or lack of sleep, etc.
I'd encourage you to speak with your doctor about any new, changing or concerning symptoms, if you haven't already. In addition to speaking with your doctor and/or Dietitian, these articles may be helpful to you: https://type2diabetes.com/clinical/continuous-glucose-monitor-work and https://type2diabetes.com/diet-nutrition/healthy-nutrition.
Slow and steady changes. Document how you're feeling and keep some simple carbohydrate snacks close by if you see another low. Please let us know how you're doing, if you'd like. Sending positive thoughts your way for stable numbers and a good night's sleep. Best, Kelly, Type2diabetes.com Community Moderator
HI Kelly. 10 days in with the CGM and I feel much better. It has given me a pretty accurate view of just how poorly I was eating and what things I can and can't eat any more. I had a few readings in the 60s at night and 1 over 300 after my favorite meal at Bojangles. But generally speaking, I've been "in range" about 75% of the time. I feel much less stressed knowing what is going on. I am going to talk to my doctor tomorrow about options going forward. I do like the convenience of not having to prick myself though.
I appreciate the kind words and the encouragement.
Hello
, As I'm sure you know those numbers going up and down are a concern. I would strongly concerned that you speak to your medical doctor as soon as possible. You don't want those numbers to get out of whack. With your doctor changing your medication and now you have anxiety it is cause for alarm. Let your doctor know at once what is going on. Keep us up to date on what is going on. Take care, Diane - Team Member please explain cgm as I sm Canadian and our wording and blood counts are different. I try to keep my numbers between 5 and 9.
Hi. It stands for continuous glucose monitoring. An example would be the Dexcom6. It sends information to your phone every 15 min, has alarms etc. Unlike the Libre flash drive that you have to scan. A CGM is quite valuable for folks with diabetes that take insulin multiple times a day or for those who experience severe hypoglycaemia. In terms of cost, CGM is significantly more expensive. Does that help? Shelley, moderator
Forgot to include this chart. Will help you to understand the values used in the USA vs Canada. https://www.joslin.org/patient-care/diabetes-education/diabetes-learning-center/conversion-table-blood-glucose-monitoring Shelley, moderator
I noticed that I had blood glucose spikes late at night when I ate a protein-rich meal. My nutritionist told me that it was likely that my liver released glucagon to avoid low blood sugar. Important to keep your micronutrients balanced at meals.
