My numbers started to change dramatically 2 days after this post. I think, after 5 weeks, it started to fix my problems. I’m at 139 or so when I get up and eat breakfast. 65g of carb. and now I’m a solid 250 1 hour after then it goes to the 180’s around 2.5 hours out and then to the 100’s around hour 3. A lot of “micro bolusing” is also going on. It HAS gotten better.
Thanks everyone. I was on manual mode (and still am as every sensory I have put on has failed). I’ve spoken with my doctor and had an appointment. Talked with medtronic and finally decided to just return the medtronic pump. It’s too bad I had a lot of hope in it
Where do you put your sensors?
I use the back of my arms mostly. I bleed when I use my stomach area every now and then so I do not use that a lot. I’ve used my legs a couple of times with the old pump. I haven’t tried them with this pump yet.
Using 670g. About a month now. Happy with results. A1c was 7.8 now 7.2 ans pump guestimates it is really 6.8 ish. I have been free of fixing highs over and over. I have slept well with a very steady bg all night. And today i reattached an expired guardian 3 for longer use and it is reading well…i will see how long i can extend it.
After 9 weeks I sent the 670G pump back. Kept getting required BG and calibration programming loops that went on for 4 hours at a time. Then the sensor was always off. I went from 78% time in range to 61%. That was the last straw. I called Medtronic last night. Told them I want to return it. Took it off. I may die by the time this gets fixed through the insurance, pay the final bill and go with a different CGM system. Not fun for me. After 9 weeks I was told to give it more time to learn me and to fix the loop problem that they are aware of I was told to place it in manual mode. Don’t get me wrong. This pump in manual mode is awesome! But I was sold the artificial pancreas, not a pump that turns off when I go low and turns itself back on when my BG’s go back to 100.
Any good will I had for this pump was lost after week 7 and 3 consecutive nights losing 4 hours of sleep each night for the looping error.
That all I have to say for now.
I’ve followed the various threads on this pump with interest. I’m sorry to read that you’ve decided to give up on the 670G, but I understand. When I decided to try the Omnipod several years ago, I gave it an extended trial of several months. I was frustrated by repeated occlusions and failed infusion sites. Even though this system worked for many others, it just didn’t work for me.
I think, however, that it’s worthwhile to have tried new diabetes tech and failed than to have never tried at all. Most of the tech things I’ve tried with diabetes have been successful. Live and learn.
I hope this hasn’t soured you on hybrid closed loop systems. Better systems will make it to market and the do-it-yourself systems are getting better every day. Good luck with whatever you decide to do next!
I’m just waiting for the better to come with these systems. This is the first and I knew there would be problems but all the hype lead me to believe I would have a better experience and I didn’t. Manual Mode is great with the 670G! Just not what I got it for.
I’ve seen that the guardian sensor with 670 G is definitely more accurate, so that makes me happy. I am finding a few difficulties with 670G in auto mode, possibly because I didn’t stay in manual long enough. I’m willing to live and learn though .
I’m having issues with these new Sensor 3 sensors I’m using with the 670g pump. I love the pump, I also love continuous glucose levels. My mayo nurse never put me on auto mode, so I’ve manualled it for the last 6 weeks and my glucose levels are generally in control and the low suspend is outstanding. The problem is with these sensors. Sensor 1 lasted 3 days, then goes into a 3 hour ‘update’ and tells me to replace sensor. Sensors 2 and 3 lasted 7 days, great. Sensor 4 lasted 5 days and 11 hours, same thing, ‘updating sensor’, 3 hours later fail and recommend to replace. Sensor 5 lasted 5 days, 11 yours, ‘updating sensor’ for 2+ hours (uh oh!) and then surprisingly worked fine to the 7 days. Sensor 6 lasts again, 5 days 12 hours before the ‘update’, and replace sensor there’s a pattern? Lovely, it’s $800 for 5 of them through edgepark. Now to sensor 7, now this one bled where the others never did, but followed the troubleshoot on bleeding. Clearly something was wrong with the insert/user error or who know as the sensor took forever to ‘warm up’ but keeps indicating I’m low, where the blood glucose monitor says I’m high. Of the 7 this is the only one that wasn’t within say 8-10% of the monitor on calibrations. A recalibration and with the discrepancy… change sensor after not even 7 hours. Oh, speaking of calibrations, it often wants them every 6-8 hours instead of every 12 hours, and then sometimes at 12 hours which gets annoying trying to time it so you don’t get woken up in the middle of the night buzzing you to calibrate. Sound familiar to anyone else by chance? It always could be user error, I’ve spent an hour on the phone with medtronics and more than that looking up solutions on line. Frustrating.
@MikeB1 a few questions. Where are your sensors inserted? Medtronic recommends abdomen only. Having used other sensors in my arm and leg I tried one of the new G3 sensors in my arm…FAIL. I just found they dont seem to work correctly. Also, have you called Medtronic about your apparent failed sensors? Ive called on two and they overnighted another one within a couple days.
On calibrations, Ive noticed if youre relatively in range, you should only need a calibration every 12 hours. If youre rollercoastering, it will ask more often, OR if max basal has been active for more than 4 hours. This is safety feature and nothing else. It just wants to “make sure” its correct while adjusting to BG’s.
My .02
Thanks for responding Dan. 1) Abdomen, flat surface, well above belt line, about 3-4 inches lateral to the belly button. 2) yeah I’ve talked to them, they said they’d send 2 replacement ones when I called just to inquire on how to work around not getting a full 7 days out of them in general. But that was after #5 where only 2 had failed. I never got them in the 3-5 days promised, so I inquired at 11 days and they passed me on to Edgepark who did overnight me some. I didn’t post the above comment here until it occurred an additional 2 times, and then when the 4th fail pushed me over the edge. Which got me wondering if this is a product thing or just a ‘me’/user fail thing. 3) The calibration comment is interesting thank you. So that’s a pump generated thing rather than a sensor thing. I’ve been manually bolusing effectively, but it may not be at the BG setting of the pump. Ie. the pump setting is different from my personal preference. I’ll adjust that and see if it helps. I figured the BG setting was for the wizard/auto purposes but didn’t consider it possibly messing with it’s judgement of needing calibration.
@MikeB1 a suggestion…try your sensors on the side of your abdomen instead the front. I have found there is much more opportunity for mishaps in front, and in daily moving around the sides have less tissue movement overall. My experience anyway.
You can reattach the 7 day old sensor and start it again. I got a few more days out of it.
You might want to try other alternate locations also such as back of the arm, thigh, etc. I’ve actually put the last 2 sensors in the sides of my left calf - painless getting extended life out of both of them! Extremely accurate in the calf location. Don’t be afraid to try!
I am in Canada and recently went on the Medtronic 630g system from Animas Vibe. THE only reason was because the sensor costs for animas was $800 a month to Medtronic sensors $325 a month. and then after I started with the 630g I like the lows alert and shut off when lows but the faults are adding up
… cant bolus for carbs or BS results from meter
… the alerts on the 630g wake me constantly at night so had to turn everything off, but then some of the good things of the pump I cant use because those are off
… sensors last only up to 11 days not easy to just turn off and on again have to take it off recharge it and then put it back on and retape everything
…FIND THERE IS ALOT OF BUTTON pushing … you cant just cancel an alert you have to scroll down and then stop it … cant just reach down and push a button to cancel alert like animas vibe
…
calibrate just before bed, even if it didn’t ask you for it.
I calibrate up to 3 or 4 times a day usually 3 times a day
sensors…Medtronic should replace all ones that didn’t last day they should last…sounds like manufacturing problem
I don’t think that has to do with your pump being a 670G. I have the 670G and like it. It’s a step in the right direction for pumps. The biggest change that helped me was eating a lower card diet. Eggs and meat for breakfast. Stop eating bread. Another HUGE help was taking Jardiance. Get you doctor to write you a prescription “off label”. Read about it. It’s been amazing for me.
That sounds like I wrote that post. I’m having very similar issues, I call it in, they send replacement sensors. I had a run of 4 in a row that didn’t make it 7 days. I’m convinced it’s a software issue and I’ll bet they can’t just fix it without the FDA being involved or some other safety concern. To us it may seem simple but the tech support people aren’t told by the engineers why this happens. There will have to be an update I would think. The amount of times I calibrate and immediately get asked for a BG is silly when BG tests are stable. I still love the pump. Fewer lows and overnight levels are amazing.
I’ve been on the system since May. Lots of frustration. My first time pumping in about 10 years. Went back to it based on reviews about the 670G from England. It’s been a long 6 1/2 months. My trainer and I had just about got things smoothed out (I have different CHO/insulin ratios for every meal); active insulin time down to 2:30 hours…I still have to eat to keep BS up with any intense activity, even when I suspend the insulin. That’s really frustrating to someone who is struggling to keep my weight down. I’ve also had multiple sensor problems. I’ve had DM for 46 years, so there are few places on my body that hasn’t had multiple injection from every insulin made! Some of my readings are 5-10 points off and on the same day, they can be 60-70 points off (fasting readings or 3-4 hours after eating). Last night, it woke me up twice for a BS. Don’t know why. Had calibrated before bed (I do this every night). I go through spells when I wake up high and then normal. It doesn’t seem to be learning my patterns very easily. And also, don’t believe the waterproof statement. I had to have my pump replaced about a month ago. I had been in the pool, chest deep water or about 10 minutes, when it started alarming and then just died, before I could walk 20 feet into the house. It was after 6 pm on Saturday, so I had to go back on insulin for 3 days while waiting for new pump. Thank goodness I had a new bottle of Lantus in the refrigerator. My last A1c was 6.7%; down from 7.2% when I started it, so that’s an improvement. I just get frustrated when BS run 200+ when I’ve done everything right! Good luck! Hope you get your problems smoothed out quickly.