Hi Sugarless Sisters (& Misters).
My BIGGEST diabetes fear is losing my life to an extremely low blood sugar. I actually lost a childhood friend to low blood sugar in our college years. It really scared me, but it also woke me up to the fact that diabetes can be very dangerous. Even though I was diagnosed at 10 years old, I never really knew or heard of any “compliant” diabetics who had lost their life to the disease. Since I was always (relatively) compliant, I never thought that diabetes could truly hurt me.
After losing my friend, I became OBSESSED with avoiding low blood sugars...which resulted in me purposely having somewhat high blood sugars regularly and doing less intense exercise for fear of dropping too low during or after the workout. This also led me to having less productive sleep because I was too afraid of going into a deep sleep and not being able to feel my blood sugar drop. It was a huge struggle for me since I was an athlete in high school, and I have ALWAYS loved running/being super active - I also love to sleep!
NOW, thanks to the optional, real-time glucose alarms* on my FreeStyle Libre 2 system, I have peace of mind because I know I’ll be alerted when I go too low†. I have my FreeStyle Libre 2 reader set to alert me when my glucose level is below 90. This allows me to treat a potential low blood sugar before it even happens! Basically, if I have any insulin on board (IOB) or if I know will be active soon, I will go ahead and eat a small snack like peanuts or a protein bar if my FreeStyle Libre 2 system graph is trending down. This will usually keep my blood sugar from going below 70.
Using my FreeStyle Libre 2 system has allowed me to live a more carefree life. I can now relive my “glory” days as an athlete (with social distancing enforced lol) and I can enjoy good sleep without having to stress about my blood glucose level dropping too low†!
You don't realize the mental toll that the anxieties of diabetes can take until they are eased. What are some of your diabetes worries that a continuous glucose monitor has helped with or could help with?
*Notifications will only be received when alarms are turned on and the sensor is within 20 feet of the reading device.
† Alarm notifications depend on the threshold set by the user.
Visit https://www.freestylelibre.us/safety-information.html for safety information.
