Continuous glucose monitors

[holwellcourtfarm]

Had anyone else tried one yet?

I'm trying out the Freestyle Libre which is available on a free 14 day trial (£54 every 2 weeks after that as the sensor needs replacing every 2 weeks).

Anyone who has read Tim Spector's book "Spoon fed" will know why they could be very useful.

 

[Farmer Fin]

You don’t look to be diabetic so what’s the point?

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

You don’t look to be diabetic so what’s the point?

Tim observed that when he and his wife both used one his blood sugar response to a breakfast of 2 slices of toast and marmalade was a glucose spike twice as high as his wife's.

Spiking blood glucose is one driver of tissue inflammation.

Arterial wall inflammation is a leading alternative theoretical cause of CVD now that the cholesterol hypothesis is utterly refuted (except that many health practitioners still haven't caught up) as it fits ALL of the known risk factors.

Following my heart attack last year, which my Cardiologist cannot explain without relying on my mildly elevated blood cholesterol, I am intetrested in how MY body responds to various carbohydrate foods.

 

[bitwrx]

So how does it respond to a couple of slices of toast and marmalade?

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

So how does it respond to a couple of slices of toast and marmalade?

Haven't tried that yet...

Only been in since Tuesday and I don't usually have toast these days. I aim to try it tomorrow though.

I did get a quick rise last night from eating couscous with my tagine but still well within the normal range.

 

[milkloss]

I tried my free one the other week. My graph doesn’t look as good as yours that’s for sure!

 

[DartmoorEwe]

I'm a nurse. Some people have them when they stay in our community hospital. They save people with diabetes having their fingers pricked all the time; it continuously reads glucose levels (you just wear a button which measures your plasma glucose). It gives an instantaneous reading when the scanner is passed over the button and it also seems to continuously monitor the levels as an audible alarm goes off when glucose is too low or high. Good life saving and life enhancing bits of kit.

 

[Farmer Fin]

Tim observed that when he and his wife both used one his blood sugar response to a breakfast of 2 slices of toast and marmalade was a glucose spike twice as high as his wife's.

Spiking blood glucose is one driver of tissue inflammation.

Arterial wall inflammation is a leading alternative theoretical cause of CVD now that the cholesterol hypothesis is utterly refuted (except that many health practitioners still haven't caught up) as it fits ALL of the known risk factors.

Following my heart attack last year, which my Cardiologist cannot explain without relying on my mildly elevated blood cholesterol, I am intetrested in how MY body responds to various carbohydrate foods.

Common sense that though. Marmalade would be 50% rapidly digestible sugar everyone is going to get a glucose spike till your insulin kicks in.

My wife is type 1 diabetic and has used these for about 2 years now. It has made a huge difference to her control. As a means for monitoring “normal” people I can’t see the value vs the cost.

On a different note glad you got over your heart attack and are trying to prevent yourself from having another.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

I'm a nurse. Some people have them when they stay in our community hospital. They save people with diabetes having their fingers pricked all the time; it continuously reads glucose levels (you just wear a button which measures your plasma glucose). It gives an instantaneous reading when the scanner is passed over the button and it also seems to continuously monitor the levels as an audible alarm goes off when glucose is too low or high. Good life saving and life enhancing bits of kit.

This one holds up to 8 hrs data and dumps the data to the phone each time you swipe it. So long as you swipe it at least once every 8 hours you get a continuous trace.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Common sense that though. Marmalade would be 50% rapidly digestible sugar everyone is going to get a glucose spike till your insulin kicks in.

My wife is type 1 diabetic and has used these for about 2 years now. It has made a huge difference to her control. As a means for monitoring “normal” people I can’t see the value vs the cost.

On a different note glad you got over your heart attack and are trying to prevent yourself from having another.

That's the point. I've no intention of using it for long, just long enough to understand which foods spike my personal reading badly so I can make them very occasional luxuries.

If I did have diabetes I'd happily pay for it full time.

 

[Farmer Fin]

That's the point. I've no intention of using it for long, just long enough to understand which foods spike my personal reading badly so I can make them very occasional luxuries.

Before my wife got the monitor on the nhs they made her to a diet course and carbohydrate counting. There are some good books that explain this and what certain carbohydrates will do to your blood. Worth a read.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Before my wife got the monitor on the nhs they made her to a diet course and carbohydrate counting. There are some good books that explain this and what certain carbohydrates will do to your blood. Worth a read.

Thanks.

The point is that these devices are proving that the response varies greatly between individuals whereas the mainstream advice assumes it does not.

 

[ollie989898]

Clever little geezers, will only be a matter of time before someone makes an implant you put under the skin and it can live there for a few years before being replaced. Already done for pace makers etc.

I wouldn't be searching too hard to determine what might convey someone's CVD or not. Still not an entirely understood science. I've known very fit and healthy adults suffer with it, MIs or strokes and I can't explain why.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Clever little geezers, will only be a matter of time before someone makes an implant you put under the skin and it can live there for a few years before being replaced. Already done for pace makers etc.

I wouldn't be searching too hard to determine what might convey someone's CVD or not. Still not an entirely understood science. I've known very fit and healthy adults suffer with it, MIs or strokes and I can't explain why.

I thoroughly recommend you read Dr Malcolm Kendrick's "The clot thickens" with an open mind and see what you think afterwards. I'll even lend you my copy if you like.