I've had a dex 7+ sitting in a box in my closet since probably Fall 2012. I hated it. Had no interest in ever using it again. I am just wondering if anyone knew the shelf life of the sensors and the transmitter battery? It was only used for about 2 months....
The only reason I am considering dragging it out is so I can post awesome afrezza cgm pictures like Mike and Terry. But I really don't want to go through the headache of skewering myself with it and then discover that its dead. Any thoughts? any way to test the transmitter without attaching it to a sensor?
The contacts on the transmitter are there to pick up the output from the sensor. The sensor is not powered by the battery! Assuming you still have the receiver, you might try telling it you are starting a new sensor. Even if the transmitter is not connected to a sensor, the receiver should be able to determine if it is receiving a signal.
That’s worth s try… As I recall the transmitter was by a wide margin the most expensive piece of the whole setup-- so if I can’t make it work I can’t justify getting a new one.
So I’ve charged up the receiver on this old Dexcom 7+ with the transmitter sitting right next to it-- no sensor attached to the transmitter. Then I started the sensor. Not sure if this means the transmitter is dead?
With the G4, I think if you started a sensor without a sensor attached to the transmitter, it wouldn’t work even if the transmitter worked. I’d insert a sensor and start it and see if that works… I’ve never used a Seven+, but I wonder if it would work with a G4 transmitter (that way you could just buy a new transmitter and save on the sensors and receiver)? The G4 transmitters don’t seem to last more than a year, even if not in use, but maybe the Seven+ uses different transmitters that last longer. I know someone who uses Dexcom sensors well past their expiration date and says they work fine.
I’m not sure… I’m thinking that because this was pre-Bluetooth, etc, there might not be a whole lot of drain on the battery while it’s just sitting there not being used. I’d like to avoid using a sensor in case it doesn’t work unless I think it will. Here’s what the transmitter looks like w/o sensor
Thanks terry— but does that mean they’re not talking to each other because the transmitter is dead, or because it’s not transmitting any data because it’s not on a sensor?
Or is the only way I’m really gonna figure that out to stick a sensor on. I think I may just have to nut up and do it. You guys say you put them on the back of your arms?
I’ve successfully used sensors six months past their “use by” date. Beyond that, I don’t know. I do know that a fresh sensor has some paste on it that contains an enzyme that’s needed for the sensor to work.
I’m thinking that it means that the transmitter and receiver cannot sense each other. I could be wrong. It seems like forever that I’ve used the 7+.
I paint skin-tac on top of the sensor bandage once the sensor is inserted. I don’t like to shoot through that layer of contaminant. It may have no effect, I don’t know.
I paint a ring of skintac corresponding to the outer edge of the sensor adhesive fabric, then lay down the sensor patch. The insertion goes thru the unpainted center of the ring. Sometimes I’ll add some sport tape or opsite adjesive to the edges of the sensor patch to keep the edges from peeling up prematurely.
Well I stuck one in the back of my arm— it didn’t seem to start the initialization process— so I think it’s dead.
But some good practice— are you guys able to place on back of arm by self? Or is someone helping you? My wife helped me. Seems like it would take a lot of practice to do by ones self with one hand
I think I’ll leave it on for a day or two to see if I can stand it there
