Hello,
I have tried to get more info SEVEN PLUS on DexCom website and it states that:
The SEVEN PLUS Continuous Glucose Monitoring System is a glucose-monitoring device indicated for detecting trends and tracking patterns in adults (age 18 and older) with diabetes
Does CGM exist for the kids? If you have one for your child, what is your experience?
Thanks
I don’t have kids, but there are a bunch of parents on the Children With Diabetes site that use the Dexcom. It is my understanding that it takes longer to get FDA approval for devices used on kids so some of these companies skip that part. From reading the CWD board, Dexcom won’t talk to parents unless they have the medical necessity form from your doctor. They are allowed to sell it to you as long as your doctor signs the paperwork. There are a bunch of parents on CWD that have them for their kids, so you might want to check out the CGMS board there also.
Though it is accurate that DexCom is not approved for children, there are many children who use it. Caleb is 7 and has used it for over a year.
how did you get it? did you find it usefull? I poke my son every couple hours, sometimes often and we still have a lot of lows and highs. We started thinking about OmniPod for him and I’m investigating on CGM for him. He is going to school in couple years and it bugs me a lot.
Thanks.
I will check that site. thank you,
Dexcom is the best for children I have heard. FDA (fools, dummies, and …) are taking till the cows come home. Only problem I have heard was on another DM Social Network of an insurance company not paying for “off label” complications.
You meant to say, “off-label usage” (I’m sure). In the world of insurance contracts, “off-label usage” is a specific flavor of “experimental”. I’ll SWAG that the biggest reason why Dexcom has never applied for Approval with younger Pts is the simple fact that they have never spent on the money to create “crippled” the software, get it approved, and create documentation and Marketing materials for a kid-legal version. The MM Guardian, in contrast, was approved on the basis of the fact that it contains software in which the value for “low alarm” cannot be set below (IIRC) 90 mg/dL.
But now there is another new issue, and that’s the number of wire breakage incidents. Dexcom’s current “too-weak, frequently broken off and left behind” wire is already re-designed for GEN4. I think that the FDA has been wise in hinting, or maybe even stating as fact, that pursuit of Approval for the 7+ in usage by younger persons would simply be a waste of everyone’s time, and Dexcom’s money.
I think that the FDA’s reasons for dissuading Dexcom from such an application (with the Gen3 Sensor wire) are excellent- even though I personally provided considerable assistance for one of the Moderators at CWD to win one of the very earliest fights for insurance coverage of Dexcom being used by a child. (And a few after that, as well.) As Kelly and Lorraine have indicated, the licensed Medical Doctor takes responsibility for prescription devices and drugs used to treat a Pt. (In many conditions, the best treatments are often drugs which are being used for an “off-label” indication.) The treatment might be very effective, and that’s between you and your MD. The insurance, (perhaps unfortunately), is governed by the contract. If it says that they will cover treatments which have been shown to be effective, then you stand a good chance. If it says that they will only pay for treatment used exactly per FDA labeling, then you stand no chance at all. If they say both, and that’s usually the case, then it becomes an argument. Arguments can be won. But it’s often a major battle, requiring huge investments of time and personal credibility. If you want to argue, you really have to do it yourself- The MD’s job is basically done when he/she has determined that the treatment is likely to be “effective” and “necessary”. Don’t! ask that person to fight against a plan in which they are a member, it’s professional suicide.
Diabetes bugs me a lot too. 
Or are you referring to sending your son to school?
Caleb uses the OmniPod too. To obtain it, I did nothing other than get a form of medical necessity completed by his doctor and provide bg information for a period of time. I very surprisingly got a call of approval when I had expected to have to fight for it.
Yes, it is very useful. Perhaps not exactly as I had expected though. For us it’s not the magical high and low catcher that I might have wanted it to be. It does help in that area, but it does not prevent highs and lows, although being alerted to them sooner certainly helps in managing them.
I think the best benefit of DexCom has been the information I have gleaned and thus the depth of understanding of Caleb’s specific diabetes I have obtained. I feel more confident in many situations - I know more about how he will react to foods or activity. Over time, this knowledge base has deepened and intrinsically improved Caleb’s overall D management.
It’s also very useful in times where schedules are varied or uncontrollable like vacations or parties. The stress level is diminished.
Both OmniPod and DexCom have been invaluable tools to managing Caleb’s diabetes while being able to maintain a good quality of life.
I meant “sending my son to the school” (of course Diabetes bugs me a lot as well).
Currently Alex is in the private Preschool/Kindergarten with his mom, but in couple years he will be in the public school on his own. Currently, we do not leave him without our attention for any minute. I cannot image to have him away from us at school for several hours.
I’m glad I came across to this site through google search. I have found a lot of answers that sometimes out doctors cannot provide.
I really appreciate everyone’s input.
Thanks
I’m glad you found this site too.
Caleb was diagnosed when he was three. He’s currently 7 and we’ve started our 5th school year with diabetes. If it provides you any peace of mind, (and to be honest it really didn’t help me much when people told me this when Caleb was younger, but I’ll throw this out there anyway), as Caleb has matured and taken on more of his own care, the anxiety of being separated from him (although still there) is lessoned greatly. This year in particular Caleb seems to have gained a confidence not only in what actions to take (even though every decision is supervised) but a general comfort with having diabetes. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful, caring and supportive school nurse and a fabulous teacher this year.
Having been through this with several teachers and several nurses, I might suggest talking with the school about teacher assignments. I never did this. I always wanted Caleb’s assignment to be based upon his academic performance - perhaps just not wanting diabetes to control one more thing. His assignment this year I believe was influenced by the school nurse. I cannot overstate the impact of having a calm, cool and collected individual has had on Caleb. In the past, his teachers have been nervous or very clear that diabetes was the nurse’s job (again out of nerves). Although his nurse is still the goto person for all decisions, his current teacher is very interested in his care, does not show the slightest bit of anxiety regarding it and that has transferred to Caleb in a huge way. He is just so happy every day he comes home from school. I just know that diabetes is a smaller part of his day because he has that healthy, balanced environment.
We also have a 504 plan in place which protects him not only from a medical care standpoint, but also from an emotional care standpoint. There continue to be bumps, and I’ve found it takes time and effort to stay on top of it, but it’s well worth it to see a smiling, happy and safe boy get off that bus each day.
Does Alex start public school in 1st grade? (Caleb is currently in 2nd)
He will start in 1st grade. He was born on Sept, 12th, so he cannot start the 1st grade next year. I’m glad that he will miss it, since it gives us an extra year to be prepared for this transaction. Right now, he is all the time under supervision of his mother (she is a teacher and he attends to her Preschool/Kindergarten). Currently we do shots to him (his A1C has increased a little since the last check), but have started the process of switching to Omnipod and I was thinking to get CGM for him (my wife still afraid to put all devices on Alex). I see that some companies offer CGM, but only for 7 years of age or older, therefore I decided to ask parents how to get one. I believe I can get CGM with prescription but without insurance paying for it, right? How much would I spend a month for Dexcom?
You may be able to get DexCom covered by insurance. It all depends on your insurance and your son’s circumstances. We were fortunate to have it covered completely. I believe (but do not know) that the system is $1,000 and each sensor, presumably lasting 7 days, is $100.
it’s not cheap
thanks