Last week, the Children with Diabetes team packed our bags and headed to New York City to attend a launch party for Dexcom’s newest glucose biosensor, Stelo. During the event, we learned more about this revolutionary over-the-counter sensor that will allow individuals to track glucose. Stelo users will learn more about how lifestyle choices, including food, exercise, and sleep, can affect blood sugars. This product is available without a prescription and is intended for adults over the age of 18.
Stelo is different from Dexcom’s G6 and G7 continuous glucose monitoring systems. The G6 and G7 are designed for people with type 1 diabetes or for those who are using insulin to manage their diabetes. The G6 and G7 have a wide range of alerts for users when blood sugar becomes too high or too low and action is needed. The Stelo is designed for people who are adults (18+ years) who are not on insulin and who may be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and those interested in tracking their glucose. While the G6 and G7 take a blood sugar reading every 5 minutes, the Stelo takes a blood sugar reading every 15 minutes. When compared to the G6 and G7, Stelo users will also notice that the trend graph on the application will only show readings from 70-250 (unlike the G6 and G7 which will show readings from 40-400). Finally, unlike the G6 or G7, Stelo does not have a companion application that will allow family or friends to follow blood sugars remotely.
Stelo’s biosensor is very small and is similar in size to the Dexcom G7. An overpatch is included in each sensor box and users can buy additional decorative patches for their Stelo from the Dexcom Design Shop online. Stelo can be worn for up to 15 days and is waterproof for up to 8 feet. The application interface looks very similar to the Dexcom G6 and G7 applications but also includes additional support resources and in-app learning to help individuals build healthier lifestyle habits and make positive steps forward with glucose management.
At the launch event, guests were given a 30-day supply (2 sensors) of Stelo so that we could try the new biosensor for ourselves as the product launched to the larger market. As an individual who has an HBA1C in the pre-diabetic range and someone who is currently taking a GLP-1, I was excited to try the Stelo for myself. My daughter has been using Dexcom’s continuous glucose monitors for the last 13 years. She’s currently using the G6 and has not switched over to the G7 so I was a bit unfamiliar with the insertion process for Stelo (which is very similar to the insertion process for the G7). The instructions on the application and in the patient information leaflet were very clear and walked me through each step of the way as I placed the biosensor on the back of my arm. After a brief warm-up period, my Stelo was live and started displaying blood glucose numbers on my app. As a new user of Stelo, I wanted to interact as much as possible with the application so I made sure to enter “Events” in the logbook so that I could view trends with my blood sugar throughout the day. Users can make notes about meals, activity, blood glucose via fingerstick, or additional user-defined notes of interest.
Stelo is available on Stelo.com. Each order comes with a two-pack of sensors and costs $99 for a 30-day supply ($89 per month for those who choose to have an ongoing subscription with auto-delivery every 30 days). Stelo is FSA and HSA eligible for reimbursement but is not currently covered by insurance. Dexcom anticipates that the product will eventually receive insurance reimbursement. Additional information about Stelo can be found on the Stelo website at Stelo.com including a wide-range of support videos located here: https://www.stelo.com/support#videos.
I’m excited to be on my own Dexcom journey this month and looking forward to learning more about Stelo as I interact more with the CGM over the coming weeks. I’m already making positive changes in my lifestyle and know that Stelo will be a nice addition to my wellness toolkit. It’s been fun to compare blood glucose graphs with my daughter and to watch how food choices affect our blood sugars differently. I’ve already reached out to my colleague who currently wears the G7 to ask her to mail me a few “fancy over patches” so that I can make this Stelo a bit more fun. I’ll be sure to report back along the way about my experiences with Stelo and how my habits have changed after having access to all of this amazing new information.
Green and Orange Forever,
Leigh
Written by Leigh Fickling, JD, MEd, MS
