goofy
September 17th, 2008, 07:50
People with Type 1 diabetes have reason to be encouraged after a study revealed a new type of glucose monitoring that allows people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels easier than conventional methods.
Twenty-one years ago Sandy Ogg discovered she had Type 1 diabetes. It was a diagnosis that immediately changed her life.
"Checking your blood sugar, taking the injections. That's hard to learn to live with," Ogg said.
She would prick her finger several times a day to check her blood sugar. If levels were too high she needed insulin, if they were too low, she needed sugar. It was hard to keep track of, but last summer she got a little help.
Ogg was one of the first people in the nation to use continuous glucose monitoring. She attaches a sensor to her body that reads her blood sugar for her. It beeps when her blood sugar levels are too high or too low.
If they are too high, a pump actually injects insulin into her body. The advantage is that she is being monitored 24/7, and her readings over the past two weeks can be uploaded onto a computer.
"It certainly brings the amount of testing and just the piece of mind, particularly in those times overnight, while you are driving, times when it's hard to think about testing," said Dr. Richard Bergenstal of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet.
A study recently conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine showed that continuous glucose monitoring has helped many adults improve their blood sugar levels.
Ogg said it took a while to learn and isn't perfect. She thinks the sensor should be smaller and she still pricks her finger to double check the reading. However, she said continuous glucose monitoring has improved her life.
"It's amazing and then you upload on the computer and you can see all this information for a two week period. Every number, every high, every low," Ogg said.
Doctors at the International Diabetes Center in St. Louis Park said that if this type of blood sugar testing continues to go well, a similar type of test could be created for people with Type 2 diabetes.
http://wcco.com/health/new.glucose.monitoring.2.819109.html
Twenty-one years ago Sandy Ogg discovered she had Type 1 diabetes. It was a diagnosis that immediately changed her life.
"Checking your blood sugar, taking the injections. That's hard to learn to live with," Ogg said.
She would prick her finger several times a day to check her blood sugar. If levels were too high she needed insulin, if they were too low, she needed sugar. It was hard to keep track of, but last summer she got a little help.
Ogg was one of the first people in the nation to use continuous glucose monitoring. She attaches a sensor to her body that reads her blood sugar for her. It beeps when her blood sugar levels are too high or too low.
If they are too high, a pump actually injects insulin into her body. The advantage is that she is being monitored 24/7, and her readings over the past two weeks can be uploaded onto a computer.
"It certainly brings the amount of testing and just the piece of mind, particularly in those times overnight, while you are driving, times when it's hard to think about testing," said Dr. Richard Bergenstal of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet.
A study recently conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine showed that continuous glucose monitoring has helped many adults improve their blood sugar levels.
Ogg said it took a while to learn and isn't perfect. She thinks the sensor should be smaller and she still pricks her finger to double check the reading. However, she said continuous glucose monitoring has improved her life.
"It's amazing and then you upload on the computer and you can see all this information for a two week period. Every number, every high, every low," Ogg said.
Doctors at the International Diabetes Center in St. Louis Park said that if this type of blood sugar testing continues to go well, a similar type of test could be created for people with Type 2 diabetes.
http://wcco.com/health/new.glucose.monitoring.2.819109.html