Hi All, I’m being trained tomorrow on the 670g. I’m curious for those of you who have started already, have you seen a change in your total daily insulin requirements? It seems on the surface like it should go down because of less correction boluses, but potentially more microboluses make the total requirements go up?
I’m asking because I also take Invokana and I try to keep some level of circulating insulin going to avoid DKA. I’m worried that if my insulin requirements go too low that I might get into trouble like I did once last summer.
Also, how’s the accuracy of the guardian CGM? I’m currently a dexcom user and I’m seriously tempted to stay with dexcom and switch to tslim. I think they’re getting closed loop technology approved this year…Thoughts?
im planning on switching to the 670G…im curious as to others experiences as well. im on the animas right now. let me know what your thoughts were for the 670G…you may like it after being trained
I’ve been using the 670G since last May. It’s awesome. You will use less insulin if you’re frequently going low and eating to cover the lows. You will see a dramatic reduction in the number of your low blood sugars. I’ve heard that the Dexcom is more accurate but I don’t really know since I didn’t come off of it. I will tell you that it seems more than accurate enough. I did have trouble getting the full 7 days out of it on my abdomen but since switching to the back of my arm it’s lasted the full 7 days 19 out of 20 times. I’m on Jardiance too (amazing results) and haven’t had any issues with it regarding the 670g. You will find yourself forgetting you’re a person with diabetes within a few months. Overnight control is rediculace especially with the Jardiance. Medtronic 670G experience - YouTube
Great to hear!! I’m curious how long you’ve been on Jardiance? I’ve been on invokana 100 for a couple of years but started having postparandial highs again. I tried going to 300mg + ketogenic diet but went into DKA so I backed off. Too bad, I’ve never had better glucose readings :(.
Has your response SR to Jardiance stayed the same over time? I used to have amazing control right when I first added invokana and was finally able to lose weight also.
I wonder if a switch to Jardiance might help in addition to the 670. Thanks for this awesome feedback! I feel better after hearing your experience.
It’s been almost 2 years on Jardiance and I haven’t seen a thing change. I know I’ve read it’s considered an “enduring” drug meaning it’s effectiveness remains constant. Good luck.
Fast enough? Every 5 minutes getting a CGM reading and adjusting is pretty fast. Before the 670G my basil rate was 1 unit per hour or 0.083 units every 5 minutes. I’ve seen it pumping 0.375 units every 5 minutes fighting a rising blood sugar. I’ve seen it where I forget to bolus for a 15-30 gram carb item and look a few hours later and it took care of it just fine. It really is an artificial pancreas.
That is amazing! I started on it yesterday, but in manual mode for a few weeks. Medtronic still hasn’t sent me any sensors so I was given one by a fellow classmate in the training session. I can only use it for one week. So far the calibration hasn’t been great but I’m really only on day one, so I’m giving it time I’m still wearing my Dexcom. They have been up to 100+ points different at times, which makes me nervous. I’m so excited to hear of your experience with it and I’m very encouraged. Thank you!
FYI, you can extend the Guardian 3s like you can the Dexcoms, more or less. Couple of ways to do it, but basically I switch the sensor off (Utilities >> Sensor Settings), then squeeze the sensor and transmitter apart with my fingertips for 10-15 seconds, not a big gap, just enough to break the connection. Then reconnect, switch the sensor back on again, and tell it you’re starting a new sensor session (Sensor Settings >> Sensor connections). It will still make you sit through the warm-up period and all that, but I generally get two full weeks out of a sensor. Some people manage to disconnect the transmitter and recharge it before putting it back on the sensor but I don’t know how they do it with all the tape and sticky goop the tape leaves on the thing. But the above method works fine for me.
Glad to hear it’s working well for you! Can you describe a little bit about the level of control and stability it’s providing (what kind of numbers and ranges) mostly outside of meals… meals are always hit or miss but if it’s keeping you steady and in good ranges while you’re not eating that’s amazing
You’re right. Meals can still be hit or miss but it will more or less aggressively modulate the microboluses (basil rate) to get you in normal ranges. It’s not a substitute to bolusing. After a bolus the microbolus of Auto Mode will allow your bolus to affect your blood glucose. If it is still rising it will kick in and if your bolus causes your blood glucose to start dropping then there will be no micro boluses until your blood glucose (from your sensor) levels off. If you level of at say 160 the microbolus will try to bring you down to 120. If you level off at 100 it may not start until you start rising. Especially when not eating it controls your levels to a point you’ll forget you have diabetes. Overnight if I didn’t eat really late my levels are 90% of the time perfect and I wake up in normal range. My A1C have dropped .5% after a year on Jardiance and another .5% since the 670G. In at 6.5-6.75 now and I’m not really that militant about my diet. Speaking of diet I finally figured out the “white food” is the devil. Try to stay away from pasta and bread especially. I’m still in a Thursday night drinking league with a bowling problem. Eggs in the morning, salad with protein or a burger with no bun for lunch and meat or fish for dinner. Lost about 20 and gained back about 7… uggg.
Hope it is OK to ask a question here without starting a new thread.
Those on 670G here, are any using Dex for cgm? Does Medtronic require you use their cgm? I know Dex doesn’t communicate but it is 1)easy to install one-handed on arm, 2) needs no recharging during its 6 mo. life, 3) and does not hassle me around the clock with alarms like the MM cgm (which I tried with my 630).
Plus I am on Medicare and can get the dex thru my supplier.
Any thoughts? I see myself eventually trying the Tslim x2 but would have to pay out of pocket as my warranty is expired on the 630. MM misled me on that.
I will start a new thread if desired.
I did with my old MT Paradigm and I’m thinking about going back to Dexcom since I gave up on auto mode after a couple months’ effort. No reason you can’t, as long as you don’t care about auto mode–obviously that doesn’t work with anything but the MT Guardian 3. I would point out that the Guardian 3 system is much more accurate than the Enlites you used with the 630. I wore Dex and Guardians together for about 2 weeks and the Guardians were at least as accurate if not more so. But the list of things I don’t like is long:
Insertion is a much more elaborate PITA if you do all the taping as instructed
Rolling over to a second session is also more difficult (though possible)
The CGM stops when a calibration is required
Doesn’t have a smartphone app
I went off auto about 2 months ago and I’ve been sticking with the Guardians, I guess because I had some thought I might give auto another chance after giving it a rest for a while. But I’m increasingly feeling like that’s not going to happen. It’s not a bridge-burning situation–as I understand it, my insurance just have it down that they’re covering “a CGM system” and they don’t care which one. Like I say, I used Dexcom with my old MT pump and it worked fine for me. I really liked having the phone app–I could have the “Share” open on my phone while biking to keep an eye on my BG without having to pull over and dig my pump out of my pocket. And I still have the little GlucoGram widget on my desktop and laptop, though it’s just displaying a sad little blank line. I liked being able to just glance up and check how I’m trending!
Thanks, Blueburd,
If only we could combine the ease of the Medtronic pump use (set changes) with the ease of the Dex use.
In addition to your list, the other advantage to dex is you can just hit ‘start new sensor’ and you are good to go another week. The MM cgm is a pain to separate which is why I could not use it on my arm (no helper in my house) and I need abdomen for pump.
Tx again.
I can manage it solo, but it’s not easy. No way I can get the tape on in that spot without help though. What amazes me is people who say they are able to take the transmitter off and recharge it without disturbing the sensor.
I used to be able to do that. What re really used to ■■■■ me off was when I would have a rare good sensor and I would lose it due to the tape coming loose
The shape of the transmitter, wide instead of long, makes it hard to set it flat on the skin, especially the arms which is where I need it. Whoever designed the tiny sensor and its diabolical attachment to transmitter and vice versa, should be made to wear it and change it every day for a year. Including removing the transmitter and recharging it, which took 27 minutes for me each time, not the few minutes they say in marketing.
The stupid taping needed is unlike any other medical device on earth. And medtronic has numerous other personal medical devices that they design and sell.
How did Dex get it right from the start, and without the Medtronic medical device history. Or maybe that answers the question!
I too, hate the Medtronic tape that’s supposedly required. I ordered some GriffGrip tape online and it advertises being strong, even when wet, and has a cut out specific to the Guardian CGM, (or Dexcom, or whatever CGM you designate). I haven’t received it yet but I hope it will remove the need for the goopy C-shaped taps that comes with Medtronic’s stuff.
I’m finding this CGM to be basically just as accurate as the Dexcom was. However, I miss the app and desperately want my readings back on my phone and on my Apple Watch. I could check my sugars with just a glance! I also do not like the constant alerts I get. It woke me up the other night to tell me I have 20 units left. Really? Like I need to know that at 4 am! I couldn’t find a way to turn that off or change it to go to high alert only when it’s at zero.
All of those nuisances will drive me to Dexcom and tslim when they go auto-mode…unless this is as amazing as some say it is. I will give it a solid try. I do like that the guardian is flatter. I hope that that combined with the colored griffgrip tape will make wearing it on my arm a better option. I did have trouble with the Dexcom tape looking pretty shabby.
For all the folks having trouble with the MM tape, may I suggest that you DON’T tape over the transmitter, just the sensor. I use just one of the two tapes offered. I put the large part of the tape over the sensor and the smallish part then goes over the adhesive strip that’s attached to the side of the sensor. That’s it. If I need/want to remove the transmitter, I just peel back the adhesive strip that’s on top of the transmitter with no messy/sticky goo to contend with. I’m a fairly active guy and I’ve never had a transmitter come off unless I wanted it to. I use my middle only, never arms or legs.
