Sunday, August 24, 2014

Walk of Hope: Day 4

Today is all about Bradley's continuous glucose monitor (CGM). This thing is amazing! I believe it has saved Bradley's life several times. I cannot imagine not having it. It really keeps my mind at ease and helps us manage his diabetes a lot more effectively and quickly.



Bradley wears a CGM 24 hours a day. It gives his blood sugar, it shows you if his sugar is steady, dropping, or climbing and how fast it's moving there. It also alarms if Bradley's blood sugar is low. It does not replace his meter, he still needs his finger pokes. There is a lag time with his CGM so we always have to give him a finger poke if we are going to have a meal, or if he needs a correction for being too low. 



He gets his CGM replaced once a week. Sometimes he is very discouraged to get it replaced and other times he is excited. It changes weekly- as you will see in the video, he did not want a new sensor this week.


These are the steps you will see in the video:

  • He gets a numbing cream on about an hour beforehand
  • Next we use alcohol to clean the area
  • Then, we apply SkinTac to help the bandage stay on (it has to stay on all week)
  •  Using the applicator, we insert the sensor, it uses a needle to insert the sensor under the skin
  • The applicator is taken off the sensor
  • We then attach the transmitter





Just this year CGMs have been approved for Bradley's age group. I am so thankful for the advancements that science makes every day. This is truly a lifesaving device!

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