I woke up the other night with a blood glucose reading of 44 mg/dL, which does not make me smile, but the fact that I woke up does.
Five to six years ago, affording to maintain a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) was not an option for me due to the insurance I had at the time. While some insurance plans and assistance programs have improved access for some segments of the population over time, there are still improvements in access and affordability to be made for people with diabetes. I genuinely believe there are companies and advocates out there working to make this happen because I’ve witnessed the changes myself in these past two decades of living with type 1 diabetes (T1D)!

For those who are unfamiliar with diabetes, 44 mg/dL is a severe low blood sugar that, in many cases, requires assistance. I did not need help this time, which is not a brag, but it is actually really scary because I don’t feel low blood sugars as much as I used to. My CGM is an essential part of my care plan for this reason.
I woke up sweating and guzzled some juice and fruit snacks exceptionally quickly. My CGM receiver had been slowly losing its ability to charge after years of use, and this instance reminded me I needed a new one. (I ordered it the next day.) Before I could afford to maintain a CGM with my health insurance, I remember setting alarms to check my blood sugar in the middle of the night to ensure that my levels were okay with my blood glucose monitor (BGM). This was not ideal for my mental or physical health.
Fortunately, due to having a CGM in my life now, I don’t experience severe low blood sugar often and have reduced the mental burden of living with type 1 diabetes because my CGM lets me know when my blood sugar is falling. That to say, this incident was uncommon for me! My CGM supports me in being more attuned to my body (what feels like) at least 99% of the time. I couldn’t be more grateful for it allowing me to be more hands-off and carefree in life with diabetes.
All to say, this experience got me thinking about the normalization of severe low blood sugars, which could be life or death events, as well as the importance of ensuring everyone with diabetes has access to affordable care, tools, and resources to support their management journeys. So, while we have to keep pressing forward in life with diabetes, I think it’s important to acknowledge how terrifying low blood sugars can be and the warriors that walk among us every day, battling the highs and lows of this disease! CGMs should be a non-negotiable in diabetes care for those who want them.
Having a CGM has been life-changing for me and many others.
The longer I live with diabetes, the more importance I see in sharing our stories when we’re willing. So here’s me living up to my mantra! Thank you for being here with me! Over the past ten years, I have witnessed the power of storytelling in changing what it means to live with type 1 diabetes.
So, let’s keep talking about it!