I just completed a hysterical crying jag over sensor changes. I have SO had it.
Yesterday was sensor change day. Went through all the steps, jabbed the ten penny nail (Thanks, AR--it's my favorite D term!) sized sensor probe in my body and it HURT so much. I took a close look at it and decided something was seriously wrong. Removed that one and started again.
Sensor two went in and started up fine. Calibrated and about 25 minutes later got an alarm I had never seen: RATE RISE. The sensor seemed to think I had gone from 127 to 240 in 25 minutes. Tested, and had risen to 150, so I recalibrated and corrected. All was good.
Got ready to shower this morning and saw the site was a bruised and bloody mess. Tried to clean it up and noticed there was still bright blood, so I pulled it out and did ANOTHER probe.
Just venting. I have posted before that I HATE MY CGM, but wear it faithfully to prevent dangerous highs and lows. Sometimes I just want to climb in a hole and avoid the world.
I am so sorry you go through this Spock. As I have said before, if Medtronic was the only CGM available I would not use it, most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn. Just wish Medtronic would pay a bit more attention to their CGM sensors, inserters etc than they do to other parts of their business. I appreciate that Dexcom only does 1 thing, and they do it very well.
I don't worry about the blood if they are reading accurately as the Flexfix Opsite tape will hold quite a bit of fluid before it bursts. If I get weird "turbulence" in readings like you are describing, I usually wait until the next calibration to try to recalibrate. Whenever I've tried multiple calibrations, it seems to confuse it more. I don't bother pulling them and replacing them but will just accept a few hours of off readings and get my BG into a flat space before I calibrate again, burning a few extra test strips to make sure I can do that.
Re insertions, I've started rolling my fingers over closer to my fingernail, where there's less padding, and that seems to make it go more smoothly. The pads seem to the presspresspressargh before it "fires" but towards the nail seems to facilitate getting it in.
I dunno re the Dexcom/ Medtronic thing. One of my friends has a Dexcom and the only time it came up, I'd biked to meet her and her husband for lunch, the dexcom showed something like 155 on the table and I missed her meter. She had a drink of something or other and I was like "eek" and she said her meter was 58. A very small sample size to be sure but it didn't sell me on the Dexcom, despite the generally favorable reports.
I am usually worried about confusing it with too many calibrations also. I put that one in to determine if I might have a bad sensor. It was reading accurately, but when it was so bruised..seriously about a 4 inch square around the sensor...and it was still bleeding, I just felt compelled to change it. I have had them bleed through my clothing a time or two.
I actually reset my CGM limits so I only get warned if it goes below 60. I have also stopped paying attention to all the "rules," such as do not enter readings below 70 or above 170. I have actually had much better luck with how it functions and how precise, almost on the nose, readings I get are.
Spock I find that the Medtronic CGM gets confused with too many calibrations. Best to wait until you are a flat liner blood glucose wise. When the MM CGM is good it is very very good. When it is bad IT IS HORRID If you are very thin, I imagine the insertion device can cause horrendous bruising. I call the inserter a javelin.
I reserve my wearing of the CGM for basal testings, vacations, stressful or sick times, and unfamiliar exercise attempts. I find. if it is nursed watched and babysat properly, the results for those situations( how am I TRENDING, not BG numbers) are fairly consistent. I am motivated by the result outcome. However, since I am not hypo nor hyperunaware, and do not fear either; I find it far too annoying and time consuming to wear daily. I do have it on now, though. I am going through grief and stress since my brother died suddenly in March, and I am trying to minimize the roller coaster, if at all possible.
Brunetta, again my sympathies about your brother's loss.
The last sensor I put on yesterday, set it up with a great calibration and headed to a hockey game. About 1 hour after the first calibration, I had a BAD CAL alerts, another BAD CAL about 45 minutes after that, and then of course, BAD SENSOR. Ripped the D**N thing off, I was so frustrated. Slept without it, put a new one in and am now attempting a Zen mode waiting to see what happens. OHMMMMMMMM.
As I said, I usually have no problems, and I don't baby it. All the rules--do this or that--have never seemed to make a consistent difference. But I totally agree that when it is good, it is great, but the bad stuff can be sooo frustrating.
