Hank Aaro G. is a medico at the University of Maryland Medical school WHO has been animation with type 1 diabetes for 10 years. He reached out to us astir sharing what atomic number 2's learned using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and we're more than happy to feature him today.

70-120mg/dL. I opine every person with diabetes has had this ill-famed number range ingrained in their brain. We are perpetually told that anything below 70 is well thought out a low blood sugar and should comprise treated. So when I finally got my CGM after 7 years of support with typecast 1 diabetes, I of course plugged this golden range of numbers into my machine. And I thus commanded my newborn little black box to intelligent me anytime my blood sugar born below 70.

Fast-forward cardinal years later. I'm finishing up medical checkup school day. I've studied the build and gained a better understanding of my disease. And my CGM now warns me if my line sugar drops below 100. And my diabetes control has never been better. What? Below 100? 100 is considered reduced?

Allow me to explain. In that location wealthy person been a number of factors that have lead story ME to make this transfer:

1. The CGM lags importantly as our realistic blood loot. This is because the CGM does not measure glucose in the blood. Rather information technology measures glucose in the opening tissue fluid. You'll notice it's non called a "continuous blood glucose monitor," but a "continuous glucose monitor." The missing act "blood" makes all the difference. (Although I'll admit, CGM has a better ring to it than CBGM.)

2. Another reason the CGM value can fall behind behind real BG is because IT only checks all 5 minutes. Have you of all time cooked intense, vigorous exercise piece wearing a CGM? You'll be able to watch your BG drop. IT mightiness translate 130 when you start, past 111 five transactions later, then 96 quintet proceedings after that. Now suppose you whip out your CGM and take a bet at information technology 4 and a half minutes later. It volition still read 96. Actually though, a fingerstick at that point will probably tell you that you're already awfully enveloping to the hypoglycemic range.

3. Lows are horrendous for overall control of BG. When BG's dip below 70, our bodies alarm United States of America to get some sugar into the system of rules. One way our bodies do that is by releasing hormones that cause us to have overwhelming famish. (This is why I try to avoid lows when I'm in public – I've erudite the hard way that people will deal you funnily when you finish an intact boxwood of cereal in one nonmoving.) Throw some clouded thinking into the amalgamate plus defeat at yourself for your want of control of your BG, and you've got yourself a recipe for catastrophe. Having the someone-control to eat only the required 10-15g of carbs is chummy to impossible. This knowledge has allowed Pine Tree State to devise The Hypoglycemia Chute-the-chute Theorem:

Low BG = Large overeating = high BG = finished-correcting with infuriated boluses = roller coaster BG round the clock-plus. The world-class solution I've constitute is to simply avoid lows at all costs.

4. The conventional thinking is that highs are bad in the provident-term and lows are just bad in the short-run. However, a recent growing personify of evidence is pointing towards the fact that lows may have close to long term effects Eastern Samoa well.

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All this has light-emitting diode ME to set my CGM lowset alarm at 100 mg/dL. This allows me to get the warning wellspring earlier my blood sugar is actually in the hypoglycemic stray. I so have the time to nearly monitor where my BG is headed and to prevent a possible low well before it's too tardy.

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I will throw in one disclaimer: I Don't forever have my CGM alarming under 100 mg/dL. For instance, if I'm going to sleep and my BG is 95 magnesium/dL and I'm pretty certain that it will remain unbendable, then I'll drop my alarm downbound to 85-90 (otherwise my CGM will comprise beeping unnecessarily all night long).

As CGM technology continues to improve, and CGM's become more accurate, my hope is that someday I won't need to sustain my alarm set at a number that is symptomless above the hypoglycaemic cutoff. But until that day comes, you'll continue to hear me beeping departed with a BG of 99 mg/dL.

T1D med student Hank Aaro G. presently lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and two little boys. He hind end be reached at AaronElliotG@gmail.com.