When Your Diabetes Devices Don’t Agree: A Late-Night Dilemma

Managing diabetes is all about balance, consistency, and trusting the tools we use to monitor our blood sugar levels. But what happens when those tools give conflicting results? That’s exactly what I faced last night, and it left me scratching my head.

At 12:25 am, while the rest of the world seemed to be sleeping, I got an alert from my Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). The sensor on my arm reported that my blood sugar had dropped dangerously low, reading just under 3 mmol/L. If you’ve experienced lows, you know how serious they can be—shaking, sweating, confusion, and even worse if left untreated.

However, I wasn’t feeling any of the usual symptoms of a low. Curious (and slightly skeptical of the sensor), I decided to double-check using my trusty finger-prick test. To my surprise, the reading from the blood glucose meter was 7.9 mmol/L—a number that falls within the safe range.

Now I was in a tricky spot. Which reading should I trust? Was the sensor malfunctioning, or was the finger-prick test giving me a false sense of security? Both devices are supposed to help, but in this moment, they only added to my confusion.

Out of caution, I decided to treat it as a low and had a Mars bar. Better safe than sorry, right? After all, if my sugar levels really were under 3, it was important to act quickly to prevent a potential hypoglycemic episode.

But this experience left me with some questions:

This situation highlighted the importance of staying vigilant and knowing your body. While technology is an incredible tool, it’s not a substitute for common sense and intuition. In the end, I trusted my instincts and treated the potential low because the consequences of ignoring it could have been severe.

If you’ve had similar experiences with your diabetes devices, I’d love to hear how you handled it. Did you trust the sensor or the finger-prick test? Or do you have any tips for navigating these conflicting results?

Managing diabetes isn’t always straightforward, and moments like these remind me that it’s a constant learning process. Sharing our experiences can make the journey a little easier—and help others feel less alone.

Stay safe, and remember: when in doubt, trust your instincts and take action. Better to be cautious than to risk a dangerous low.