I’ve read the old questions and am still a little confused. For a mammogram, do I just take the transmitter off my Dexcom and leave the sensor in or do I remove the entire thing (sensor and transmitter)?
we recently had a discussion about this here:
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Interesting, thank you for sharing Marie 
I had read that and it seems there is no clear answer. I called Dexcom and they said they could not give me an answer because it had not been tested in a mammogram. In other words, you are on your own. I guess to be safe, I’ll take the transmitter off but leave the sensor in. I was hoping to hear what folks had done.
I just had one and the tech said I didn’t need to remove the DexCom. No problems afterward.
I have never removed my Dexcom sensor and transmitter for a mammogram. In fact at my last mammogram, the tech had Type 2 and we had a very interesting discussion about CGM technology.
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This is a big issue with implanted medical devices and radiation treatments. Thankfully most of the diabetic tech is external and can be removed or not exposed to radiation.
One way to understand manufacturers recommendation is to understand what they are trying to protect against. In very simple terms radiation can change or effect electronic circuits in a permanent and negative way. In a pacemaker you can understand why this is such a big deal. Additionally, significant numbers of patients with pacemakers need radiation treatments and each manufacturer has to test and advise how much radiation can be absorbed by a device prior to defects occurring in the circuits. As you can imagine, these tests are expensive and not wholly necessary on an external device that can be removed from a radiation source.
Hence the recommendations to keep your pump out of airport scanners and such, since they haven’t tested and developed a safe radiation dose, and the radiation is easily avoided.
Now with the Dexcom you have a transmitter that you replace every 3-9 months so it doesn’t have as much time to collect radiation defects as say a pump that you use for 4 years. Also the Dexcom doesn’t deliver life saving therapy, so a failure isn’t that big of a deal (relative to dying if the tech fails). For most situations involving x-rays they can shield the tech or assure you that it won’t be directly radiated, and that should probably be enough. As always defer to the judgement of your medical professionals.
Thank you all. Looks like my best bet is to ask the tech.