Over The Counter Continuous Glucose Monitor?

Question about installing Stelo: The instructions say to find a spot on the back of your arm that has fat, no loose skin, and won't impact muscle or bone.
Other people, whom I've seen wearing a Stelo, seem to all have heavy upper arms. My body fat is pretty low, upper arms are well-developed, but it's mostly muscle. Is this likely to be an issue with accuracy, etc.?
 
I don’t have a good answer, but out of all my installs, only one wasn’t good. I think the placement was more inside the back of my arm and there would be occasional discomfort when I moved my arm. I also noticed that the measurements weren’t as accurate.

I try to make sure it’s installed on the outer part of the backside of my arm. I have one installed right now and don’t feel it at all.

Let me try another description. If I hold my arm in a 90 degree angle with a fist/lower part of my arm facing straight upward (vertical to ground) the Stelo is installed at the bottom of my upper arm, pretty much in the center, maybe a little to the outside. I hope that helps!
 
Would a photo be possible?
 
Let me make the point first that the upper arm is currently the only location "approved" by the makers of Stelo and Dexcom.
Having said that, I have been using the Dexcom sensor for several years and have always placed it on my upper thigh toward the front (so as to avoid the keys or wallet in my front pant pockets). The reason for this is that a.) I do have some fat tissue on my thigh, and b.) it is the place where it is least impacted/bumped/pushed/pressed of any place on my body, and c.) very discrete location / out of view. On my arm, I would sleep on it constantly which lead to crazy readings that were so far off, they triggered the alarm. Anyway, no problems at all with the inner thigh location for me.
Also worth noting that earlier versions of Dexcom "allowed" several alternate locations, one front/side of your belly, one on your shoulder, for example. I guess, over time, the upper arm location got the fewest complaints, so that's where they settled.
 
When I put mine on the spot could be described as if I held my arms out like a sleep walker then touched the underside of the bicept. If the arm were placed at the side the stelo would be between the arm and the body.

 
Would a photo be possible?

The video joesxm3 posted shows what I was trying to describe. That’s about where I place mine.

When I had a bad placement, I felt it. I shared that experience on this thread. See posts #78 and 81/82.
 
Thanks. I work out (thus, flexing the arms) almost every day, and am someone who shifts positions while sleeping (back to side, side to back), so I definitely forsee issues with the Stelo. We'll see....
 
DW did just one stint. Places it exactly as the directions indicated. She said she never even knew it was there, and she sleeps on all sides.
 
I was thinking it would be nice to have (not diabetic) - didn't realize it was $100 a month. I'm thinking some sort of test strips would make more sense. Any suggestions for those?
 
I was thinking it would be nice to have (not diabetic) - didn't realize it was $100 a month. I'm thinking some sort of test strips would make more sense. Any suggestions for those?
Honestly test strips are not going to give you the same volume of information. You can just use the CGM for a month and see how your body reacts over time to what you eat.
 
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I use test straps several times a day when I want to check out effects of certain foods. My doctor also order blood panels every 6 months, which include a1C, fasting glucose, CBC, Lipids, Vit D etc. I am very comfortable with knowledge of impacts of various food. I order my supplies from Diabetic Warehouse. If you order test straps for closer expiration, they are much cheaper.
 
I use the keto-mojo tester and buy strips from their web site. The glucose strips cost $0.25 or $0.30 each. Keto strips are 3x more.

Stelo gives constant tracking. Three sticks for each meal might be close in cost.

My feeling is stelo once in a while and finger sticks in between.
 
I was thinking about getting one of these because I've always been a little over 100 fasting glucose. I often feel awful after a high carb meal. My latest blood work from this week though showed 95 fasting glucose, lowest I've ever seen it. A1C from a year ago was 53. So it seems like I have healthy glucose levels, but I don't know why heavy carb meals make me feel crappy. Does it make sense for me to try a stelo/lingo for a couple weeks?
 
The best way to test for insulin resistance is a dynamic test that measures glucose and insulin after 75g glucose syrup. See Dr. Ford Brewer or Mario Kratz on youtube.

Fasting glucose and A1C only show problems when it is too late. What you are seeing is a spike after eating carbs.

Stelo will be good to show that. But be aware that hyperinsulinemea can suppress the glucose level for up to ten years before the glucose labs start to show problems.

With Stelo you are looking for both how high the post eating spike is but also how long it takes to come down. Healthy people get peak spike at one hour and back to normal an hour later.

I also felt really after carbs and felt like napping in the chair. I switched to low carb diet. I may not spike super high but I take too long to return to normal.

I had the belly fat typical of insulin resistance. On low carb it melted off which I take as confirmation of my self diagnosis.

I think one Stelo purchase is a good idea.

Also, fasting glucose cut off of 100 is based on two standard deviations from the norm of an already sick population.

Over 90 is still borderline based on some doctors I watch. Low 80s is the healthy range.
 
I was tagged with a Dexcom G7 today. Phone app is running, and my data is syncing with the provider.

You can add up to 10 contacts to see data also.

This was a sample installed by office assistant, and I've already been contacted by a med supplier for fills.
 
I had been worrying that my morning finger sticks were getting close to 100.

Two days ago I had problems with my boiler and missed second meal, so it was 22 hours without food when I tested the next morning. Glucose was 77 and ketones 2.7 instead of my usual 0.7.

I did not test yesterday, but this morning glucose was 83 and 80, ketones 0.7. An hour later after drinking black coffee glucose was 90. I ate two eggs with broccoli and some raspberries with plain yogurt. Two hours after that glucose was 92.

It almost seems like that minor fasting day kick started something in my metabolism.
 
Had the Stelo less than 12 hours and have already verified something I suspected but is not detected by A1Cs or finger sticks: I am getting lows at night, looks like the Stelo does not track under 70 but I spent some time there with a 70 reading. Last week I did have an incident where I was shaking at night (guessing would be closer to 40 level) but by the time I recovered there was nothing a finger stick would tell me. And haven't evem had a meal yet. My 'science experimant of one' continues.
I had the same ah-ha moment today. I awoke from a long nap, and had a familiar feeling. My G7 app alerted with tone and vibration. Reading was 55. I went for a glucose rescue chew.
 
When I first got my stelo I had problems with it going lol while sleeping but discovered that my phone was putting the app to sleep. I had to change a phone setting.
 
Question about installing Stelo: The instructions say to find a spot on the back of your arm that has fat, no loose skin, and won't impact muscle or bone.
Other people, whom I've seen wearing a Stelo, seem to all have heavy upper arms. My body fat is pretty low, upper arms are well-developed, but it's mostly muscle. Is this likely to be an issue with accuracy, etc.?
I'm wearing the G7 on the back of my arm. If I raise my arm it is on an area that hangs (very little in my case). The tech installed it there, and TBH I'm amazed since I just know of skin there.

It will definitely give data relevant to why your glucose reading is low, but A1C is rising.
 
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