After more than a decade of aching fingertips, Melanie Moor finally got some reprieve last year.
It only lasted four weeks.
Ms Moor is one of about 1.3 million Australians who live with type 2 diabetes and must check her blood sugar levels several times a day.
For most diabetics, the process involves pricking a fingertip with a needle, then blotting a drop of blood on a tiny paper-like object plugged a into small electrical device that displays blood glucose levels (BGL).
But there is another option that does not involve drawing blood.
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a small wearable device that uses a sensor to measure BGLs constantly, allowing for more convenient, less painful access to the vital information.
But CGMs are only subsidised for people with type 1 diabetes and some rare forms of the condition.
For those with type 2, type 3c and gestational diabetes, the devices can cost hundreds of dollars each month.
Last year, a parliamentary inquiry into diabetes recommended the federal government make CGMs available at a low cost for all diabetics.
The measure is yet to be implemented and experts are calling for change.
A day in the life
Ms Moor’s diagnosis halted a once-vibrant life filled with hobbies like running, climbing, dancing, and a hairdressing career.
She could not stand for long periods, and her shakes were often so bad she could barely hold a cup of coffee.
Except for errands between testing, the Camperdown local rarely leaves the house and when she does, the need for her medication to be refrigerated means she cannot be gone long.
“Because I’m here testing all the time or I’m too scared to get up too quickly in case it is too high and I sort of feel like I’m going to pass out,” she said.
Beyond the health implications, Ms Moor said public spaces could come with judgement.
“People look at you differently, like you’re on drugs because you’re walking around with a little syringe bin and injecting yourself — they don’t understand,” she said.
Last year, Ms Moor’s doctor prescribed her a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and it changed everything.
Suddenly, she could leave the house with less medical paraphernalia.
Long lunches with friends did not involve running to the bathroom to discretely test her BGL.
No longer did her anxiety spike if she felt nauseous or unwell.
Ms Moor could get a BGL reading just by scanning the sensor on her arm with a smartphone, and the results would be sent to her partner, her daughter, and her team of medical doctors.
CGMs cost about $150 and need to be replaced every 10 to 14 days.
After two CGMs, it was simply too costly for Ms Moor, who also manages an autoimmune condition, to continue.
“Sometimes you’ve gotta choose between food and medication,” she said.
Inequitable access
Chief executive of the Australian Diabetes Society, Associate Professor Sof Andrikopoulos, is among the experts calling for all insulin-dependent diabetics to have access to low-cost CGMs.
“Imagine you have two people, they both have diabetes, they are both using insulin,” Dr Andrikopoulos said.
“One of them has access to CGM and the other person doesn’t — and the only difference is one person has type 1 diabetes and the other has type 2.
“That’s not fair … it’s a terrible thing to do to people.”
Dr Andrikopoulos said a type 2 diabetes diagnosis carried stigma.
“People sit there and say, ‘Well you’re overweight, you’ve caused it to yourself … you’re not eating the right things, you’re not exercising the right way, so you can do something about it,'” he said.
“But there is a genetic predisposition that you cannot do anything about.”
Dr Andrikopoulos said CGMs provided almost immediate BGL information with a level of detail finger pricking could not achieve, which gave users a significant sense of security.
“We cannot underestimate how significant that is on a person’s psychology, wellbeing, and the way they will live their life,” he said.
Ms Moor said it was frustrating lawmakers had not made changes to ensure fair access for all diabetics, after the parliamentary inquiry was tabled in July 2024.
“I don’t understand why it’s taking so long … if they were in our situation I think it would be a different story,” she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the government would carefully consider the report.
“This report shines a light on a serious public health issue affecting every community in Australia,” the statement said.
