Is there a good personal continuous glucose monitor available now? Where and how can I get one?

Two commercially available continuous glucose monitoring systems have been approved by the FDA, to date:

One, the GlucoWatch by Cygnus is being used in clinical research studies.
The other continuous glucose monitoring system by MiniMed is available through limited number of physicians’ offices, is used only for three days at a time, and does not have a constant readout of glucose values. The MiniMed system involves a small catheter placed under the skin. The monitor itself is about the size of the insulin pump or a small beeper and is then brought back to the office or clinic to be downloaded into a computer for analysis after the three days. You should discuss this with your diabetes health care team since they will know if it is available to them or in your area.

Several other companies are working on similar devices, but these others have not yet been FDA approved or are still in earlier stages of clinical research trials.

SB