Dexcom Stelo is the first glucose monitor for these with prediabetes situation

About one in three People, or 125 million individuals, are prediabetic or have Kind 2 diabetes. Dexcom‘s Stelo glucose monitor is for those people and I’ve discovered it really works fairly effectively. It’s obtainable at present as the primary blood sugar monitor for individuals who don’t have diabetes but, no prescription required.

I’ve been carrying the Stelo for a few weeks and makes it straightforward to know what occurs to your physique if you eat meals with plenty of carbohydrates or sugar. The biosensor is offered for buy at present at Stelo.com for individuals within the U.S. 18 and older not utilizing insulin.

As an alternative of only a one-time check, Stelo gives an over-the-counter sensor that may gather information 24/7 that reveals in close to actual time your glucose ranges on an app in your smartphone. The customized insights can present you the influence of the meals you ate about an hour in the past. With this information, prediabetic individuals perceive what meals, train and sleep can do to their glucose ranges.

Dexcom obtained on my radar again in 2020 after I wrote in regards to the Dexcom 6 sensor. Again then, it was larger and it had a shorter battery life. The march of Moore’s Legislation and different design updates has now made Stelo right into a extra helpful product. However as I famous in 2020, let’s discuss a bit about why this issues.

Why blood glucose ranges matter

Again in 2020, you needed to get permission from a health care provider to make use of a Dexcom product, because it was authorised by the Meals and Drug Administration just for use by Kind 1 diabetes sufferers who want to watch their glucose ranges to determine their insulin pictures and management their diabetes signs.

As a tech narcissist, I’ve been for years in how know-how can ship a “quantified self,” or information about myself and the way I stay. Again then, I couldn’t say that the info I had collected to this point, from step counters to sleep displays, had actually taught me something actually helpful — till I attempted out Dexcom’s monitor as a product check, though I didn’t have Kind 1 diabetes. It turned out not solely to be a very good well being care story but additionally an incredible information story.

The Dexcom G6 Professional gave me insights into how my physique was behaving second to second, and the way I can take cost and management how I really feel. For me, this was a form of tutorial fascination. However for Ric Peralta, for instance, a 47-year-old man who has been dwelling with diabetes for 12 years, it makes an enormous distinction in how conveniently he can monitor glucose ranges and handle life-or-death conditions.

This sort of perception that we each obtained from information is one thing I’d count on to study from a Star Trek Tricorder.

Glucose displays measure the extent of sugar in your blood. For diabetic sufferers, that is vital. Diabetes impacts tens of tens of millions of People and on the time it was the seventh main reason for demise in america. The normal customary of take care of glucose monitoring was a fingerstick meter, which was painful as some sufferers needed to check their blood by pricking their fingers as much as 12 instances a day.

In a affected person with Kind 1 diabetes, the pancreas can’t produce the hormone insulin, which helps the physique take in sugar and take away it out of your bloodstream. For Kind 2 diabetes sufferers, their physique might not be capable of produce or course of insulin successfully. Both situation means individuals should inject themselves with insulin to take their glucose ranges down. However they’ll solely do that if they’ll precisely measure their blood sugar ranges in actual time, one thing that hadn’t been attainable or handy till lately.

If somebody like Peralta spikes above their restrict or falls under the decrease threshold, they face large well being dangers. In case your blood sugar is just too excessive, it could possibly injury your blood vessels. The lows, referred to as hypoglycemia, can result in starvation, trembling, coronary heart racing, nausea, and sweating. It may possibly additionally enhance the chance of different issues like coronary heart illness, stroke, nerve issues, and kidney illness. It’s a lethal downside, probably resulting in coma or demise. An injection of insulin can head off excessive blood sugar, however Peralta stated that, up to now, the quantity of insulin to inject was usually a guessing sport.

The Dexcom G6 was fairly non-invasive. A nurse confirmed me tips on how to connect it to the left facet of my stomach (now it goes beneath your bicep). There was a tiny pin prick after I activated the system, which poked a needle into my pores and skin. After that, I couldn’t really feel it anymore. The monitor itself was a bit of over an inch lengthy and it was glued to my pores and skin. I used to be in a position to put on it for 10 days and take showers with it. It mechanically uploaded the measurements of my blood sugar in actual time to my iPhone. It by no means fell off.

I used to be astounded to study that consuming an enormous pile of spaghetti was one of many issues that might push my blood sugar degree off the charts and even put me above the 180 milligrams per deciliter threshold that medical doctors thought-about to be excessive. Once more, I used to be extra in a prediabetes state. I didn’t have Kind 2 diabetes, which you may get in case your pancreas ceases to perform correctly over time and doesn’t present sufficient insulin to take the glucose out of your blood. When you don’t appropriate your weight loss plan, somebody with prediabetes can transfer right into a Kind 2 diabetes state with extreme well being penalties.

In case your blood sugar drops too low, as it could possibly for athletes, it’s possible you’ll end up out of power and unable to interact in bodily exertion.

Stelo’s improvements

With Stelo, monitoring glucose simply obtained simpler, with no prescription and no fingersticks wanted. It’s particularly designed to assist individuals with Kind 2 diabetes not utilizing insulin and people with prediabetes
attain their A1c objectives and probably gradual the development of diabetes.

Stelo is a small biosensor worn on the again of the higher arm that leverages Dexcom’s most correct glucose sensing know-how. It’s particularly designed to offer the 125 million People with Kind 2 diabetes not utilizing insulin and people with prediabetes with highly effective, customized glucose insights.

“Dexcom has been at the forefront of glucose biosensing for 25 years. With the launch of Stelo, we’re defining a brand-new category and once again setting the gold standard for people to easily take control of their health,” stated Jake Leach, government vice chairman and chief working officer at Dexcom, in a press release. “Now, millions more have access to 24/7, easy-to-understand glucose insights that can inform their daily lifestyle choices and support behavior modification.”

The advantages of glucose biosensing have been proven when used alone, or alongside different diabetes and weight administration medicines. Research present the usage of Dexcom glucose biosensing by individuals with Kind 2 diabetes is related to clinically significant enchancment in time in vary, A1c and high quality of life.

“Dexcom glucose biosensors are an essential and proven tool for diabetes management – driving strong clinical outcomes regardless of medication use9 and even potentially slowing the progression of diabetes,” stated Thomas Grace, MD, head of medical advocacy and outcomes at Dexcom. “In a world where GLP-1 use is becoming increasingly more common, glucose biosensors like Stelo can help make those medications more effective.”

Key options of Stelo

You prick your pores and skin if you connect a Stelo sensor beneath your higher arm. However there are not any fingersticks, ever. It’s the one over-the-counter glucose biosensor designed for individuals with diabetes that doesn’t require any fingersticks.

You possibly can put on it as much as 15 days, and it’swaterproof. It has the longest biosensor battery life in the marketplace with the very best waterproof ranking. This is much better than the ten days that the sensors lasted within the Dexcom 6 technology, which was aimed solely at individuals who had diabetes as a prescription.

It has a personalised, easy-to-use app. Offers every day, weekly and session abstract insights that may assist
type more healthy habits.

And it has spike and sample detection. The one over-the-counter glucose biosensor for individuals with diabetes that includes spike detection, designed to establish significant glucose variability because it occurs so customers could make knowledgeable adjustments. It takes about an hour for meals to hit your bloodstream, and when it does, Stelo detects the spike in glucose which could be dangerous for diabetics. At any time when I ate a carb-heavy or sugar-ladened meal, my blood sugar spiked and I obtained a notification from Stelo.

The system has confirmed outcomes with Dexcom glucose sensors: Utilizing Dexcom glucose sensors like Stelo helps decrease A1c for individuals with Kind 2 diabetes and will assist gradual the development of diabetes. Solely
Dexcom glucose sensors have been related to vital enhancements in glucose and
cardiovascular danger discount measures as early as three months.

Easy ordering, delivered on to your door

Stelo improves entry to vital well being know-how for individuals with Kind 2 diabetes not utilizing insulin and people with prediabetes who may not have insurance coverage protection for prescription glucose biosensors. Stelo is at the moment obtainable for buy within the U.S. at Stelo.com and is FSA and HSA eligible.

You possibly can pay as you go, because it prices $99 for a single pack of two sensors (whole put on time as much as 30 days). You may also pay for a month-to-month subscription the place you subscribe and save 10%. You pay $89 per thirty days for an ongoing subscription, with two sensors (whole put on time as much as 30 days) delivered each 30 days.

Stelo is now a part of Dexcom’s general portfolio of glucose biosensors, with a consumer base of greater than 2.5 million individuals globally. The Dexcom portfolio within the U.S. consists of the Dexcom G6 and Dexcom G7 Steady Glucose Monitoring Programs, and now Stelo, collectively designed to deal with the wants of individuals with all forms of diabetes and prediabetes.

Every product within the portfolio is constructed for the individuals who use them, making it simpler than ever for healthcare suppliers to get sufferers began with the glucose biosensor greatest for them. Dexcom G6 and Dexcom G7 are designed for individuals with diabetes utilizing insulin or who’re liable to hypoglycemia and who’ve insurance coverage protection for glucose biosensors.

Each methods require a prescription and are reimbursed by 97% of economic insurers within the U.S., Medicare nationally and Medicaid in most states.5 Stelo is designed for adults with Kind 2 diabetes not utilizing insulin or prediabetes who search conduct change and optimized well being and who should not have
insurance coverage protection for glucose biosensors.

San Diego, California-based Dexcom’s monitor lets you realize when a glucose spike exterior of your regular band occurs within the second. That allows you to modify your habits and make knowledgeable adjustments.

The app additionally has exercise, meal and sleep logging. You possibly can simply observe your glucose to disclose how meals,
train and even sleep can have an effect on your glucose ranges. The app additionally comes with expert-curated data, sensible suggestions, and galvanizing steerage. It really works with iOS and Android smartphones, in addition to Apple Watch and health-tracking apps.

Utilizing the Stelo

I’ve had a Stelo in my arm for a few weeks. As famous, it doesn’t harm if you embed it into your pores and skin after which tape it tight so it doesn’t fall off. Since I’m in a close to prediabetes state, the Dexcom of us really helpful I maintain the band slim by way of the band the place it says I ought to keep.

So my regular vary was 70 mg/dL to 140 mg/dL by way of my glucose depend. I began to journey simply as I wore it and so it captured my life as I began to eat extra carbs (usually I keep away from them) whereas on the highway. Nearly each meal was pushing me above the band, leading to “glucose spikes” by way of mg/dL depend. It was frequently going above 140 with every meal, with the outcomes displaying up about an hour after I ate.

With the app, I may categorize the meals that pushed my glucose larger, and I may study to keep away from them over time with a purpose to maintain my physique within the really helpful vary. This provides me extra data for regulating my physique by myself, and fodder for a dialog with the physician. I’m wanting ahead to seeing extra of what it should do after I train so much and drive my blood sugar decrease — however not too low.

Anyway, When you’re in want of extra clear details about your self and are in a prediabetic state, I counsel you take into account getting one in all these.

Disclosure: Dexcom supplied me with a Stelo sensor to check the product.