by Cherl Clark RN, CDE
31. October 2011 06:35
Recently, a woman shared her story with me on hypoglycemia unawareness. She had been on multiple daily insulin injections for years. Even though her eating habits were good she still had frequent low blood sugars. She realized she was starting to have hypoglycemia unawareness. It was scary enough having a low blood sugar but now she didn’t have the usual warning symptoms. Her blood sugar would rapidly drop resulting in her family or friends calling 911. She knew she had to do something about this problem for her own safety. She talked with her doctor. He stated the problem was her long standing type 1 diabetes which can be common in those who had been diagnosed 15-20 years ago. Her history of diabetes spanned 35 years. They agreed she should be put on an insulin pump and a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). What a difference it made. Now she wasn’t worried about experiencing hypoglycemia unawareness because the insulin pump helped her stabilize her blood sugars. The CGM, which consists of a thin needle inserted under the skin and a sensor worn for 2-3 days, continuously measured her sugar. It told her how rapidly her sugar was going up or down visually or by a built in alarm. This woman told me that “these two devices have rescued me from hypoglycemia unawareness and improved my quality of life.” Do you use an insulin pump or Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)? I’m curious to hear how switching to either device changed your life?