Nacho Libre

LilBird had a good check up this week. Up another half inch or so (now 5' 3.25"), perfectly centered on the growth chart for weight, a little taller than average, and .. wait for it ... an A1C of 6.5!! One minor bolus rate change is all we made in the office. I have been using all three basal patterns (calculated myself, reminders all the time for changes based on activity schedule) to manage the havoc puberty bestows upon my kiddo's blood sugar .. and it's working!

We had some discussion about a new meter on the market now. She is not due for a pump upgrade until next year, and she is currently 100% not interested in wearing a Dexcom (nor Medtronic) CGM because it requires her to continue daily finger pricks (albeit fewer). Enter FreeStyle Libre, the newest continuous glucose meter. It is factory-calibrated so no daily finger pokes for calibration. The sensors remain in for TEN days. Each sensor requires a 12 hour wait before it provides data (and the reader can only read one sensor at a time, so no doubling up to avoid that wait - bummer). Did you catch that last part? DATA. Trends. Graphs. History. TRENDS. What it does not do: send alerts for blood sugar high/low, transmit data to other devices (ie, phone or pump). So, it's akin to a baby step toward next year's closed loop system (which we intend to get).  The reader does double as a blood glucose meter, so that's kind of cool (even though we'll probably just stick with the Contour Next because we like it). With insurance, it's comparable to blood glucose test strips ... but IT GIVES CONTINUOUS DATA WITHOUT ROUTINE FINGER TESTING! I don't think I've ever been so excited to go to the pharmacy.

The sensors are about the size of 2 stacked quarters. She did use numbing cream before inserting it, and I had to help her push it in because she was afraid the first time. But, it was WAY easier than a pump site change. She can shower with it; it can be submerged up to 3' for up to a half hour. We did slap an IV3000 over it .. because if you know my kid, you know she sweats.

Did I mention how freaking excited I am about the data?

For those who are not primary caregivers of Type Ones, you have to understand that this data is HUUUUUUGE. I feel like I do a pretty darned good job managing her diabetes (ahem, 7 or less A1C over 18 months in which she grew 4 inches and gained 26 pounds!), but there is always this giant hole in my data - the trends. Unless I'm checking her every 15 minutes (and sometimes it does feel like I have to do that), when I see a number on her blood glucose meter, I literally have to GUESS which way it's heading (higher or lower) when I treat/bolus. Those hours in the night when she goes from 120 to 200 ... I'm going to get to see PATTERNS OF DATA. I'm going to be able to fine tune her basal rates to help keep highs and lows at a minimum.

This is a game changing new technology for us. It's "Nacho Libre" - it's LilBird's Libre! Stay tuned. Cross your fingers. Send us good vibes or whatever. I'll let you know how it goes.