Having no awareness of changes in their blood glucose levels puts a huge strain on both patients and their families. Read 15-year old Vinny’s story:
The UK has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world, and the incidence is growing at an alarming rate (around 4% a year).
The condition can be life-threatening and particularly difficult to manage if the person has no awareness of changes in their blood glucose, which puts a huge strain on both them and their families.
However, real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), an innovative technology which monitors blood glucose levels 24 hours a day, is giving people back the ability to live their lives to the full and free of worry.
Wigan based Sam, mother to 15-year-old Vinny who has type 1 diabetes, explains what it means for them:
“Horrible isn’t a good enough word to describe life before continuous glucose monitoring. Vinny’s diagnosis was very traumatic, and then we found out he had no awareness of hypos and hypers.
Vinny was terrified he would suffer a hypo in his sleep.
“Night time was the worst. Vinny was terrified he would suffer a hypo in his sleep, and we wouldn’t know. I couldn’t sleep either, as I would test him several times during the night to reassure him and myself.
“Vinny lost all confidence in himself. He was always outgoing, loved being out on his bike or at the park, just like any kid. However, this all stopped due to his lack of hypo-awareness and his suffering from a lack of sleep.
“CGM technology has changed our life completely, it has given us all the confidence and reassurance that this great piece of kit is helping to keep him safe. One night last week, Vinny was trampolining with his friends, and before I would have to be with him to keep a check on him.
“Now Vinny can live his life more freely, and I can go to the retail park, do my shopping and then pick him up, all because of this device, which is compatible with his phone and Apple watch and has share functionalities, so I can see his blood glucose readings in real-time from my own phone.
The device is compatible with his phone and Apple watch.
“Our life has changed for the better and we can now sleep again knowing that my phone will alarm us if needed.
“Vinny has gained his confidence back – he is back out with his friends, being active and doing the things he loves such as paddle boarding in the sea. All our anxiety levels have dropped knowing we have this amazing technology to help us.”
