Device reads blood sugar any time

By Gillian Slade on September 19, 2018.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

Type 1 diabetes patients have a new tool to give continuous blood sugar level information with the swipe of a small device.

“It’s life changing,” says Kendell Cornell, who has been using a FreeStyle Libre for a year. He no longer has to poke his fingers 10 or 12 times a day.

“It frees you up.”

The FreeStyle Libre comes in two parts. One is a disc the size of a toonie that is attached to the underside of the upper arm with a short needle in the centre. The other is smaller than a computer mouse that swipes over the disc and tells you what your blood sugar reading is.

Scan it as often as you like. Every 14 days the disc is replaced and you can discuss your readings with a professional to see what adjustments should be made in terms of diet and/or insulin medication, says Bob Stadnyk, pharmacist and certified diabetes educator at Greg’s Remedy’s Rx.

The device has the effect of patients becoming more engaged regarding their diabetes. They can see immediately the effect that a certain food has on their blood sugar.

For Cornell it was difficult at work to find an appropriate moment and space to poke his finger. Doing so in a restaurant attracted unwanted attention and often felt embarrassing, he said. His fingers had also become very sensitive. Now he can “swipe” anywhere, any time.

Stadnyk says people are often surprised that a particular food they enjoy is an issue.

Pizza was a trigger for a spike in blood sugar for Cornell. It could also be something small he’d not been aware of before.

“I’m definitely more conscious of what I’m buying at the grocery store now,” said Cornell.

The blood sugar roller coaster effect is not desirable, said Stadnyk. Some people have a blood sugar reading of six or seven in the morning, after breakfast it shoots up to 12 and perhaps to 30 after supper.

Stadnyk is a proponent of finding substitutes for foods rather than advising the person to give it up because that can make them feel deprived. If you feel deprived, chances are you will not be able to keep resisting that food.

An example would be a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. The “instant oatmeal” and even the “quick-cook” oatmeal may spike blood sugar, but “steel-cut” oatmeal, which takes longer to cook, is digested over a longer time and can be fine.

The same is true of fruit juice. A small glass of apple juice will increase blood sugar significantly more than eating a whole apple that you consume more slowly with all the fibre from the whole fruit.

“Amazed at the information and engaged in their health,” Stadnyk says is the feedback he gets from patients.

If you can see the readout on the sensor immediately after eating something you understand the difference and can feel excitement about making changes, he explained. The end result can be needing less insulin. As a result of eating a healthier diet, an added benefit can also be weight loss.

It is much healthier to choose the right food rather than choosing to take more insulin to accommodate the food, said Stadnyk.

“I do not take over for the doctor, the nurses or the specialist,” he said. “I never make a change or recommendation without involving the patient’s health care team. I am here to add my experience and education to a well-established trusted team.”

The long-term repercussions from diabetes can include blindness, loss of feeling in the extremities, heart disease and kidney failure. The better the sugar levels are controlled the better chance of avoiding these, said Stadnyk. A tool to help avoid this can be a big incentive.

The FreeStyle Libre costs about $200 a month on average, said Stadnyk. Some medical plans cover the cost.

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