"How An Amateur Race Car Driver Decided on a CGM" - Hallie Levine
When Lance Bergstein went to see Carol Levy, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center, last spring, they both knew he had to make a change. Bergstein had owned a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for the past seven years, but he found the sensor difficult to insert, so he wasn’t using it consistently. Although Bergstein was able to keep his glucose levels within a reasonable range, Dr. Levy thought he could achieve more-precise control with consistent use of a CGM. As an amateur race car driver, it was imperative that Bergstein mount a CGM receiver on his dashboard to constantly monitor his glucose during races. “Lance was about to do his first 24-hour race, so stopping the car to do a finger stick simply wasn’t an option for him,” said Dr. Levy. She outlined various options for Bergstein. They zeroed in on the stand-alone Dexcom G6 system. “After each race, we sat down and analyzed the sensor data to figure out what Lance needed to do before and during the next even to ensure his glucose remained stable,” said Dr. Levy. She sees the value of the CGMs continuing to grow. “Users don’t have to worry about changing it for three months. In my experience, virtually all of my patients who have type 1 diabetes benefit from wearing a CGM.”
— Carol J. Levy, MD, Clinical Director, Mount Sinai Diabetes Center, Associate Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes, Bone Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai