CGM woes

I have tried multiple times to get an enlite sensor to work, but am fed up and confused with all the problems. I have tried about 5 separate times to get it to work, and each time I go in optimistic because everyone says how wonderful it is to have a cgm, but it’s always bad.

Last Tuesday, I was trying yet again to get the sensor to work. It had been inserted for 2 days, and there was already a reading of 145 on the cgm when my meter said 62, but I figured that was 1st day inaccuracies. I woke up with a meter bg of 135, sensor said 92, ok. I took my insulin, ate breakfast and went to work. An hour later, the sensor starts going crazy telling me I have a low blood sugar. I don’t feel low, the cgm has been wrong before, and I work in a daycare so testing is not convenient, so I ignore it. It keeps going all morning. 2 hours later, I start to feel really sick. It feels like ketones. CGM says I’m under 40. I have to throw up, and in the bathroom, I see that my insulin pump has become disconnected!!! Meter bg is 395. It must have happened at breakfast because I tested 3 hours ago. I am devastated, and spend the rest of the day recovering (luckily I didn’t have to work that afternoon because there’s no easy way to cover my shift on that short notice). This is exactly the situation I hoped a cgm could avoid, but it didn’t help at all because I knew I wasn’t 40 (I can feel lows, but have 0 sensitivity to highs until I get ketones). The next day it stopped working entirely and just kept telling me to change the sensor. I restarted it a couple times, but it was dead. When I removed it, the filament was curved like a question mark.

Every sensor I put in has failed within 5 days. They have not given me 1 day of accurate readings. Every time I remove them, the filament is curved like a question mark. I have tried everything I can think of. The Medtronic sites just keep saying it must be user error, so I did everything they suggested, but it’s still not working. It’s beginning to feel like my fault, but I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. I calibrate 2 to 3 times a day, and my blood sugars were very stable in the first day. I know the meter bgs were accurate.

I called dexcom to try one of their sensors in the hopes that it’s just me and enlite don’t get on, but I’m worried that my body is just difficult because 15 years ago I had a ton of trouble getting pump sites to work (thank god that’s better now, but I took a decade long break from pumps because of it). Has anyone else had this much trouble?

It’s not your body! It’s Enlites! I spent more than year with those blasted things. I wasted countless hours dealing with tech support. They replaced at LEAST 22 of them. So many sleepless nights. So many random results from those frickin’ things. Glad I dropped them. Dexcom is several orders of magnitude more accurate. And they don’t fall off nearly as easily. Get youself some Skin Tac from Amazon and you’ll be good to go.

About the pumping issues. Were you using cannula style sets? IF so, that may have been your problem. I had to switch to Sure-T’s due to “no delivery” issues over and over, with Quick Sets.

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I have used Dexcom systems for nine years so I can’t comment directly on your Enlite experience. I participate a great deal in diabetes online forums and have read many other Enlite experiences like yours. The comments about Dexcom are usually more favorable.

Not every piece of med-tech is guaranteed to work for everyone. If I were you I’d try a Dexcom system, if you can. I would also establish a relationship with an experienced CGM-savvy certified diabetes educator (CDE) and get their assistance to get you started. They could help with site selection and placement technique for your personal situation.

My experience with Dexcom CGMs has been very positive. They’re not perfect but I would never voluntarily choose to live without one.

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They were cannula sets, and they did have a lot of problems with kinking in the cannula and a lack of delivery. I also got bad skin problems from the medical tape. However, my pump now uses a cannula and I have no problems except I can’t use above the belt line because of scar tissue. 15 years ago I was in high school and only paying the minimum amount of attention so it might well have been user error, but it also could be improved technology or the fact I have less body fat than I did in high school (although still too much, it’s less). I honestly don’t know, but it’s one of the constant mysteries of this disease.

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My Dexcom transmitters are never accurate during the first 12 hours, but they’re usually reliable after that. In fact, they keep working for up to 2 weeks. So I end up having a ton of extra transmitters because I’m too lazy to change them when they’re still working, lol.

I also use Skin-Tac, otherwise the entire thing is just knocked out. But if you’re having allergic reactions, I don’t know. They’re all made of the same sticky tape, I’m sure. But perhaps Skin-Tac would offer a layer of something in between your skin and the tape?

I find that the CGM is more accurate on the right side of my abdomen than my left, and my right hand is more accurate for BG testing than my left. Strange and mysterious indeed.

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I’ve heard some things about there being an issue for some people that their body chemistry doesn’t work well with MedT sensors (a Guardian user told this by MedT tech support to explain why her sensors never lasted the full 6 days), but I’ve never heard anything remotely like that about Dexcom.

Definitely go with Dexcom if you can. Only real advantage to sticking with the MedT system is integration with the pump, and depending on which pump you have, there are safety features like Pause Before Low. But those are worthless if the sensor is as inaccurate as what you’re experiencing. Obviously no sensor is foolproof against the occasional bad insertion/bent filament, but for the long run if you have a system that’s driving you nuts all the time you won’t get the benefit of it. In my case I did the hybrid approach–MedT pump with Dexcom CGM–for 4 yrs before giving the 670G a try, which requited switching to Guardians. I found the sensors to be about as accurate as Dexcom, but much more inconvenient, and in the end the system just didn’t work for me. I’ve gone back to Dexcoms (and my old pump) with a big sigh of relief. I missed seeing my CGM results on my pump screen a little bit for about a week, but having them available on my phone and on the Glucogram widget on my desktop more than make up for that. And the aggravation is SO much less when it comes to taping and inserting, rolling over to a second session, etc. that I can’t imagine going back.

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I used the Dexcom G5 for 8 months and it turned my lif around after I started to lose my warning signs. Here in the UK the helpline is the best I have ever found for anything. Dexcom make all their employees wear the sensors whether diabetic or not so they can talk from experience.

Most comment about Enlight is pretty negative although I believe they have recently launched a new sensor Guardian Connect on which I have not heard any reports.

I personally added microporous medical tape round the edges of the G5 sensors particularly as I wanted them to last 13/14 days and never had a problem with them falling off.

I always put my sensors on 12-24 hours early whether G5 or Libre and then switch the transmitter over on the second day when they have settled down.

No sensor is 100% perfect and the odd one can be quite out so regardless of what the manufacturer claims I would always calibrate, or at least check, 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night.

For information on all the sensors I have found and the regulated and unregulated way of using them go to my website bgonmywatch.com . Price quoted apply to the UK.

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I was able to use the Medtronic CGMS just fine. I now use the Dexcom. For me the trick was finding a place I could wear. I was never able to use any sensor in my stomach or legs. Back of the arms and upper rear area are the only two areas I can use and get good results. Best advice is to find a very knowledgeable trainer to come work with you.

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