Something new our way comes

In my last post I wrote a tiny bit about the Dexcom CGMS and my hope to acquire one.  We are 1 step closer to that goal, but it's a tiny step.  At least it's a step forward and not backward.

When Elizabeth sees her pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. H, in a few weeks, we are also going to see the CDE (certified diabetes educator) first to get a trial sensor inserted.  You wear the sensor for 3 to 5 days and then mail it back to the doctor where they hook it up with their machine to give you the readout of what the blood sugar levels did 24 hours per day.  It takes a reading every 5 minutes 24 hours a day.  The sensor they use in this trial is from a different company than we'd like to use eventually, and I hear that these sensors HURT a LOT when putting in.  If we eventually get approved for our own CGMS, the Dexcom 7, those sensors are way smaller and don't hurt nearly as much to insert.

After the trial period, then Dr.H will have to write a prescription for the Dexcom 7 and sensors.  I'm not sure how much our out of pocket expense would be.  The Dexcom 7 itself costs around $1200 and a box of 4 sensors that last 1 week each is around $425.  So it's pretty expensive.  BUT--if we can get tight control over blood sugar levels to lessen the problems associated with high blood sugar in the long run, it would be worth every single penny spent!!!

http://dexcom.com/products/plus_components

Then Dexcom will have us fill out a ton of paperwork, including a 30 day log of blood sugars.  They would be looking for at least 3 BG's under 50.  The CDE told us that it looks even better to the insurance company to have one of those be in the middle of the night.  We've only had 1 low like that in the last few weeks.  I'm not sure how I feel about that part of the deal.  Do you pray your child has a low that you don't catch?  Do you fudge numbers (dishonest)?  Do you submit what you have and pray that the insurance company approves the request anyway?

Elizabeth has increasingly had trouble being aware of her lows.  Even in the 50's.  And that day that she was 41 during softball.  She had no idea and was as surprised as I was to see it on the meter.  That really scares me and it would be one of the HUGE advantages to having a CGMS!  You can set it to alarm (loudly) if the reading is under a certain level so that you have time to react and treat a low.  I like that.  I might be able to get a little bit more sleep at night.  ;-)

Hopefully this will work out.  If it does, it probably won't be until at least the middle of July after all the hoop jumping and rig-a-ma-roll that we'd have to go through.  But in the end it would be worth it for her to have a little more freedom and security.  :-)