There Has to Be a Better Way
After years of managing her condition — with adjustments in prescriptions and dosages over time — she noticed some changes.
Armed with a healthy appreciation for self-care and an eye for detail, Smith carefully compiled her glucose numbers through multiple fingersticks daily, a process she recognized as both necessary and kind of awful.
“When I’d go for my labs, I started having troubles with my A1c. It had been about 5.6, then elevated to 6.5 and then up to 7.6 (normal being less than 5.7; the goal for those with diabetes is less than 6.5). I was doing finger-sticks three to four times a day because I wanted to be as careful as I could. This was a problem because my hands were getting leathery from all that sticking.”
Then a light came on. From the television.
The Benefits of Late-Night TV
“A commercial came on for FreeStyle Libre 2,” Smith said. “I asked my doctor if I could get this monitor, which would reduce the sticks and give me an ongoing understanding of my numbers throughout the day.
“Instead, she told me I could use a pen that would take my readings twice a day. But I like knowing what is happening in my body, knowing what and when I can eat, what was going on before I ate. That was my biggest concern.
“So, I changed doctors.”
In June 2022, Smith and her new physician agreed on the FreeStyle Libre 2, and she never looked back.
“Within a week, I could tell the difference,” Smith said. “Before FreeStyle Libre 2, if my sugar dropped extremely low and I was out doing something, I would only know when I got sweaty or couldn’t stand. But now the monitor alerts me before that happens.”
And nighttime became the right time once her sensor was in place.
“I am a heavy sleeper. Everyone around me knows it,” Smith said. “I was concerned about going to sleep and not waking up if my numbers dropped a lot. Most people would wake because of what is happening to their bodies, but I might sleep right through it. Getting alerts at night so I would wake up and do what I needed to do was a huge plus for me.”