Welcome, introduce yourself here!

Welcome @arnolfo, glad you found us. No commercialization, just community and advice. Thanks for joining, and I hope you are successfully able to negotiate your insulin purchases.

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Welcome to the group. Many folks here with a lot of great insights.

Are you in Illinois?

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Welcome @arnolfo! I feel your pain about your diagnosis, and like you am here for the wealth of information and camaraderie. This is a great blog to get information and suggestions and the people are super nice too!

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Yes. In the burbs just 30 odd miles west of Chicago.

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Thanks, looking forward to sharing and gaining new insights!

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Welcome @arnolfo! We have quite a few threads created where we discuss your concerns. It’s something that everyone is either going through, or fears going through at some point in their lives. Here’s one such thread.

Very nice to meet you and look forward to interacting with you in the future.

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Nice, I’m in the NW suburbs! We’re practically “neighbors”.

Lisa

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Thanks! I haven’t had problems with lows at night, mostly running too high because I like to eat too soon before I go to bed. I just need to cut that out! I did have a seizure from a low… one time… at diabetes camp :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: that was not a pleasant time. I hope you can do it if you want to! I saw there’s an extra dongle to carry around so I’ll probably put it on hold for now anyway.

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Hi! Just joined this week. Love reading so many of the topics that I can relate to as well!

I’m from Glen Burnie, Maryland - near BWI Airport. I was diagnosed as a T1D in June 2001 at 35yo. I’m almost 17 years in (really?!?) and have learned so much along the way.

In 2015 I had achieved Hypoglycemic Unawareness status, something I didn’t even know existed. Over the last two years I have experienced some pretty bad lows. A couple while I was home (luckily?), but I do live alone. There were several occasions where I “came back to awareness” sitting on the floor in front of the fridge just shoving food in my mouth. There were also several occasions where I was driving. Bad, just bad. I managed to avoid hitting anyone or anything but did get pulled over once. I vaguely remember the officer asking me if I was drinking and I think I said something like, “I was trying to get my dinner.” I do remember him asking if I was diabetic. He gave me that liquid gel stuff (YUK) and next thing I’m in an ambulance. Thank God for Uber so I could retrieve my car at 3am from where they parked it for me. And the time I was in my car shoving Christmas leftovers from Mom in my face…that was so scary. I had a flat tire, and had no idea where I was (not the first time the lost thing happened). I didn’t recognize the roads on the Google map but the roadside hazard guy had me “pin” my location so he could find me. UGH. Also in that time period managed to break my foot, probably in one of the falls I took trying to get to the fridge. And once I had a seizure while trying to get to the fridge. THAT my folks, is damn scary. You know exactly what is happening and you can’t do anything about it.

That’s when I asked my doctor about a pump and CGM. Had a year long fight with the insurance company, but I won. And since they dragged it out so long I had exhausted my out-of-pocket so they had to pay for 100% of the pump, CGM and start-up supplies.

I have had these devices in my life for a year now, and my life 1,000,000% better. I am so much better equipped and because of the way my trainer and I discussed my settings and when to change them, my awareness of my lows is returning. Starting to feel them again.

It costs me more, but for me, it’s totally worth it. Besides, I exhaust my company paid deductible and out-of-pocket much faster now and the rest of the year is 100% covered.

I don’t worry when I’m at the farm riding alone anymore. I am back to being happy I live alone. If I’m driving and a low is happening fast I have time to pull over and treat it.

Glad to find this group. Thanks for being here!!

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Welcome, @PerfectHorse! Have you found your A1C also improving as a result of your CGM and pump or did you always have thought control?

Looking forward to our interactions in the future!

Again, welcome to FUD!

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Welcome @PerfectHorse! Sounds like you had a rough time for a few years. Serious lows can be really scary. I’m glad you’re able to avoid them better now! I also live alone, and the Dexcom has given me a lot of security because I know I can address lows before they get too bad.

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My A1c went from 10.2 to 6.3

Thanks for the welcome!

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Wow, what a testament to the power of Dexcom!! Really amazing story. So glad you were finally able to get the help you need in managing your dangerous lows. Did you always have such dramatic lows, or did they creep up eventually?

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They kind of crept up on me. For a long time I could feel it, I’d get a weakness in my upper arms, a flutter in my chest and be too warm (I’m always cold). If I was sleeping I’d find myself out of bed and already on the way to the kitchen to grab something (I’m not a fast awake kind of person). I wasn’t getting any of that. I just suddenly wasn’t “there.” It happened several times in the presence of others (work, my parents, the horse farm) so I had a lot of input for my behavior beforehand, but…you know you just don’t notice that stuff yourself when you have no other indications that it’s about to happen. I know that I’d kind of feel like I wasn’t quite right, but by then I was low enough not to be able to figure out what was bothering me. I was so frustrated and scared. I figured at some point I just wouldn’t wake up.

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Really glad you found us, the background and help you can provide others, both in your story but also the knowledge you have accumulated over the last 17 years is awesome. My son was diagnosed a little more than two years ago and the pace of learning has been amazing. Having access to others with experience like yours is invaluable. Thanks for joining.

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Hi @PerfectHorse! Welcome to FUD. Sounds like you have had a very rough time with lows. I also got a Dexcom because of lows like you described…some of the scariest times in my life! I hope your lows if any, are not nearly as severe now as you have just described. Does anyone follow you on your Dexcom just in case?

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Thanks for that Chris. With no local support groups anymore it’s hard to find people to talk to. But I have had the occasional person ask me about my transmitter (because I wear it on my upper arm or thigh). I use patches to keep them secure and people have asked where to get the patches. I like being able to help.

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Which patches do you use? We use Grifgrips. Mostly the ovals, but once in a while a camouflage koala spices things up.

Chris

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I use Rockadex (www.rockadexusa.com) black with the horseshoes. They have a couple that are “stickier” and this design is perfect and is one of those. I also have some GifGrips that are kitties. I started out using the Lexcam clear patches (first thing I found when looking), but when removing them they have removed chunks of my skin so no more.

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@PerfectHorse, so glad to read your intro, and so glad you found us!

Spooky and scary to read your story, I can only imagine. It always gets me worried when my son does not treat an upcoming low preventively right away because I am afraid of that too.

I had heard that this condition may be reversed in time, if you are able to consistently stay away from lows. It is really great to read that this is true for you!

How long did it take you on the Dexcom before you started seeing some awareness again?

That is truly amazing, and a testimony to the power of a CGM! But I have no doubt that the CGM was only an enabler, and that the improvement really came from your actions.

I loved reading your intro, thank you!

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