670g Experience?

I’ve been on the 670g now since mid-April '17, coming from a 630g/Enlite sensor combo, and prior to that MDI for 20+years and Dexcom (3 versions ending with the G5) for about 6 years).

CGM: I had my doubts about the Guardian sensor after my experience with the Enlite sensors. As a long time Dexcom user, the Enlite system is horribly unreliable. I’m happy to say though, that it has been my experience that the new Guardian sensors are as accurate as the Dexcom G5 system (I wore them in tandem for 3 weeks because of my past experience with the Enlite). The Guardian system IS more cumbersome to insert, and the overtaping is ridiculous. I do not overtape anymore, and have not had a single issue of the sensor coming off (I am very active). In fact, I’d say the Guardian tape adheres better than the Dexcom tape, but the Dexcom is definitely easier to insert and has a smaller foot print on the body.

670g System: I was the guy that was always resistant to being attached to a machine. Stuck with MDI for years, and managed decent control, especially with the addition of the Dexcom. Over the last several years, my A1Cs were consistently in the 6.8 range. That included my brief use of the 630g. My two latest A1Cs since switching to the 670g have been 6.1 and 6.3 respectively. I’d say the best thing about it so far has been the ability to sleep through the night without crashing. I’ve had ZERO incidents of low bs at night since in the last 9 months of being on this system. I tend to be flatter during the day too. The high/low roller coaster is more of a kiddie coaster these days.

A few annoying things about the 670g:
-Too many button presses/screens to go through to do simple tasks like bolus. I’m sure this is for safety sake, but its tedious.
-While the auto mode does a good job of keeping your flat, once you go high, getting back down takes a long time. The correction factor is very conservative and the auto basal cannot keep up with large swings
-TOO many alarms initially, you will find you need to turn many of them off if you want to get a good nights sleep
-Like some have mentioned, if you allow the calibration period to exceed its time limit on the CGM, it will simply stop reporting numbers, unlike the Dexcom.
-Dexcom is more comfortable than the Guardian, to me anyway

Hope this helps.

4 Likes

Nice summary. Going from the 6.8 A1c range down to the 6.1-6.3 range is a win. Eliminating night-time lows is even better.

I’m not using the 670G but I like following people’s experience. I’d love to read an insider’s report on how the user experience influences ultimate design decisions.

I made it to auto mode! I started the 670 a week ago and jumped on auto mode yesterday. I put the sensor on the back of my arm and I’m finding this one to be more accurate than the one I had on my abdomen. I took the advice given above and didn’t put the second piece of overtape on the transmitter. It’s much more comfortable this way so thank you! I actually prefer this flatter CGM profile than the Dexcom. I too wore both sensors for a bit because I was so wary of the guardian due to bad enlite experience, but this is SO much better and more accurate.

Auto mode has been very interesting so far. I still went high after breakfast but it’s slowly bringing me back down and it held me pretty flat all day yesterday and all night. I look forward to hopefully tweaking my settings and getting my breakfast numbers more in line. This afternoon I’m going for a hike so we’ll see if setting the temp target helps. I’ll bring my usual supplies in case of a low.

My complaints are the size & weight of this darn pump and all the tedious button pushing and alerts. It literally makes my pants sag down when I put it on my waist band :/. I’m holding out hope that the end result of auto mode are so beneficial that I forgive the annoyances.

So far, it’s pretty darn good! I’m really happy to see a flatter graph. Kiddie-coaster is the perfect description!

2 Likes

Is the 670 a lot heavier than the 5xx series? Or are you comparing it’s weight to another brand of pump, Rachel?

I’m comparing it to the 530 I was just using. It’s the same weight as the 630. Both 600 series pump have AA vs. AAA batteries, they’re made of heavier material to be waterproof and more durable and they only fit a 300 unit reservoir. The 1.8 size is a goner. For me this means that when I start my 3 day fill, the 670 graphic shows my insulin level as 1/3 full. I have to ignore the graphic and look in the status menu to see how many units I have left.

The 670 is definitely a bulkier pump vs. the 530.

1 Like

That almost sounds like a downgrade to me. I don’t even fill the 180 ml Reservoir because I would go too many days before I would change my set if I fill it all the way. I usually take about 25 units per day unless I’m eating improperly in which case you could triple that number

Yes for me that aspect is a downgrade, and it’s the reason I ditched the 630g (plus the enlite sensor inaccuracy). But when I had it I was able to go out surfing with my daughter and my pump on, and I could see my glucose readings. We headed back in only when we were done, not because I had to check my sugar or get back on a pump.

This CGM is so much more accurate and the water proofing will be a plus. Plus…auto mode sounds pretty darn promising. If I can’t take the weight or size I will probably convert to Dexcom and tslim when they go closed loop. But I do like this sensor shape (the flatness) better than the Dexcom.

Why can’t they all just merge their technologies and give us the best of all the worlds together in one system?! (I know, I know, it’s business).

Waterproofing would be an excellent improvement over my current Medtronic pump.

My 670 weighs in a 5.6oz with about 175u of insulin in it, the belt clip attached, and the silicon skin on it. No idea how that compares to others, since I’ve not worn others.

Meal time numbers will get better with tweaking obviously. Adjusting the active insulin time for bolusing was the biggest help for me. Initially, after a meal, I’d swing in the low 200s ond over the course of a couple of hours get back down in range. The active insulin time was defaulted to 4hrs. Working with my endo, we’ve settled on 2.5hrs. Now I swing, most of the time, into the 160-170 range post meal time. (that is unless I have a donut :wink: )

Swimming - practically every day for two weeks with the 670 this summer, no issues.

1 Like

My 551 with silicone skin and 100u in the reservoir weighs 4-5/8 oz.

Just a short update on my success with the 670g. Since being on this system for little over a year, my last 4 A1Cs have been 6.1, 6.3, 6.1, and 6.1.

Congrats on your great blood glucose numbers! Can you give us an idea on your pre-670G numbers?

Avg’s by year:
2011 = 7.0 (avg of 4 A1Cs)
2012 = 6.9 (avg of 4 A1Cs)
2013 = 6.8 (avg of 3 A1Cs)
2014 = 6.5 (avg of 4 A1Cs)
2015 = 6.9
2016 = 7.1
2017 = 6.8 (based on 2 A1Cs) (began 670g in April)
2017 = 6.2 (based on 2 A1Cs) (on 670g in AUTO)
2018 = 6.1 (based on 2 A1Cs) (on 670g in AUTO)

my A1c dropped last year because of me starting on a G5. It has nothing to do (my reduction in A1c) with pump features–it has to do with the constant data I get from an accurate CGM system keeping me more level. It’s as simple as that. (I use a 551)

Agreed Dave… that constant flow of data is probably the single best thing I ever did for my T1D. Unfortunately I can’t show my numbers, which were in the 7.5 range, prior to 2011 without a lot of work digging through medical records.

I started on the Dexcom Seven Plus in 2011, then to the G4 and G5 before switching over the the Medtronic CGM. I should also note, i have always been MDI prior to the 630g (horrible CGM) / 670g (good CGM) Personally, I’d prefer to be using the Dex still.

Reviving an old thread, but I wanted to do a followup for those that may be on the fence about the 670G.

My endo does A1C once per quarter, here’s my results on the 670G system since I began on it in the Spring of '17.
3QTR17 = 6.1
4QTR17 = 6.3
1QTR18 = 6.1
2QTR18 = 6.1
3QTR18 = 6.1
4QTR18 = 6.1
1QTR19 = 6.1
2QTR19 = 5.9 (first time <6 in 27yrs!)
3QTR19 = 6.1
4QTR19 = 6.3 (what can I say, I enjoyed my Thanksgiving) :smiley:

See a pattern here? With the hard coded BG of 120 in the 670G, 6.1 appears to be, on average, the best consistently obtainable for me. I’m happy with that.

The best part of the experience for me though, is that I still have not had a single low blood sugar episode at night since April '17.

3 Likes

I have been thru pretty much everything but have had a 670G for 6 months. Diagnosed at age of 22 months. The 670G IS AMAZING.
Everyone needs it*

I have been on the 630G for a year and then the 670G now for 3 years. It maintains a pretty consistent 6.1 HbA1C. I was doing this manually prior to that but the swings became too low to manage after 20 years.

There was a thread above about reusing a sensor without much of an explanation. I had to do that recently when an aging transmitter started to fail. My method is to tape down the sensor as normal. The second tape I only cover the bottom of the transmitter about a third of the way. To remove the transmitter without harming the sensor, use the small tab from under the transmitter to lossen the tape. Pry out the transmitter and recharge it. Sometimes the second tape can be fit back on. Sensors generally last 10-14 days unless the Updating Sensor message causes a new sensor to be needed. I’ve had some sensors only last 1-3 days due to that message. Medtronic provides replacements when needed.

Overall I love the whole system. It has quirks, but we can get around them.