I’m pretty thrilled with how it’s going right now. On Day 11 of my current sensor, readings are all quite accurate. Two nights ago, my low alarm (at 60) went off, I went to the fridge and got a can of pineapple juice, drank it, went back to sleep and woke up at about 110, where my bg went after the juice and then flatlined. My husband is thrilled too…he’d much rather hear the vibrate than me mumbling incoherently at 2 am. Once you get the calibration technique down, it works like a charm.
I use the time I am in the shower to recharge the receiver. If you were not on a CGM, as Helmut points out, you would not have any fingerstick readings while in the shower. If I am in the shower for 20 minutes, I lose 4 readings, which is not a big deal for me.
The big advantage of this technique is that you always keep your receiver battery topped off and never have to worry about it running out of battery power. 20 minutes per day recharge is easier for me than letting the battery power indicator go down to one bar or less.
Terry -
The only skepticism I have encountered re. CGMs is from my insurance company! They approved my claim initially by accident, thinking I was simply asking for a regular blood glucose monitor, but when I called to reorder sensors they decided not to cover them. I’m still fighting with them at the moment and will probably be buying my next set of sensors %100 out of pocket because I just can’t imagine waiting out this approval decision without my Dex!
Anyway, as for A1c changes, my last A1c was a %7.5 (at the end of August). I started the Dex on September 30 and just had my A1c taken again last week. With only 2 months of Dex use, my A1c dropped to %6.9 (the lowest I’ve seen in over two years) and I hope to lower it even more when my insurance company approves the OmniPod so I can kick my dawn phenomenon high blood sugars. As for your questions, I LOVE the Dex and will be fighting tooth and nail to get it covered again. I’ve never seen a drop in my A1c like this and I know the Dex is the reason for it!
Lindsay,
Good luck with your insurance company. The peer-reviewed medical literature provides clear evidence that CGMs will in general lower A1c levels.
I’ve had A1c results similar to yours. After about 70 days on the Dex my A1c dropped from 7.2% to 6.5%. This is the first time I’ve been below 7% in two years! I expect it to drop even lower as time goes by. Even better, the Dex has provided early warning of numerous impending hypoglycemia episodes; many of them during the night.
This technology is proving to be everything that I hoped it would be.
I agree that it is very easy. The pain level I’ve found correlates with speed of insertion. The faster the insertion the less painful. Unfortunately, after 11 years of diabetes I still haven’t managed to convince myself that it’s better to just jam the needle in so I approach it cautiously. The result of this is more pain. I strongly suggest that everyone who is able do the insertion quickly to avoid this result. I’ll just keep wishing for an auto-inserter.
Rebecca: i know when i just gently push the Dexcom inserter in, i get pain. Now i just whack it with my hand and it’s over in a split second. It’s no worse than inserting an infusion set for the pump. I just have to remember to pull back the collar on the inserter before detaching the device. I did that once and out came the sensor wire. That mistake cost me. Now, i review the video each time. I can forget the whole process with the sensors lasting 2 weeks.
I think the Omnipod’s auto insert is probably my favorite feature of my pump too. 
I know in theory (and practice) that it’s better to do it fast, I just haven’t gotten up the courage yet. I keep thinking, maybe next time…