This article describes the way I’ve been managing my CGM so that I get continuous data, with only a few 5-minute updates missed for many months now. For most people using CGMs (such as the Medtronic and Dexcom systems) each time they start a new sensor there’s a big gap in their CGM coverage. Not …
We’re still seeing a lot of confusion in the market about what a “Contour Next” meter can do. To save myself from repetition I’m putting this information down in one clear place. There are currently four BG meters in Australia that use Contour Next strips. They all have different features! Contour Next Small. Uses two …
Most CGMs (Continuous Glucose Monitors) require calibration by comparing with BG fingerprick samples. These help ensure that the numbers the system reports are a good analog for your current blood glucose. If left uncalibrated for too long the values can drift from reality, but the speed of this drift varies across systems. I wrote earlier …
Over the years I’ve spent some time living with multiple CGM systems: Dexcom G4 and G5 Medtronic Guardian2/Enlite (640G pump) FreeStyle Libre FreeStyle Libre with Spike/xDrip+ Incidentally for the purposes of this technical discussion, the Libre is a Continuous Glucose Monitor. Any lack of alarms/etc does not change this, even if “Flash” monitoring doesn’t have …
“How accurate is the Libre anyway?” It’s a question we hear a lot. Many people are surprised when the values it reports are different to the BG value reported by their meter. But as I described in a recent article about meter accuracy, your meter doesn’t always tell you “the truth”. So I decided to …
Blood glucose meters are an essential tool for anyone with diabetes. Even those of us using Continuous Glucose Monitors need to manually check every now and then (e.g. to regularly calibrate the CGM). I’ve used many different meters over the years, but this isn’t going to be a history lesson. It’s more about some of today’s …