DITTO. DITTO. DITTO. I am thinking of going to OmniPod’s closed loop system when the Pod5 and the G7 come out, but I am having second thoughts on the whole situation due to the number of errors or inaccuracies with the G6.
Have you tried different sensor locations like your thighs or back of your arms? Also, you could insert the new sensor, save the code sticke, the night before your sensor expires. This lets the sensor have a longer warm up time. Also, make sure you stay hydrated, it makes a big difference.
Also, ask your endo or CDE about it. Dexcom G6 shouldn’t be that troublesome, really.
Until recently my sensors could be restarted and last 7 to 10 days. Now, I am lucky if they can last 2 to 3 days after restarting. I believe that Dexcom has refined the technology to narrow the potential for abuse of the ten day duration of life. This seems to me to have affected the accuracy of the sensors towards the 7 to 10 day period.
I had a few sensors over the summer that might be considered erratic. I had more that reverted back to the same “error” vs my Contour Next BG strips. Current batch is doing quite well after the day.
Really squirrelly thing are a few sensors that start 50% or more off and by second day are giving good readings. I think it may be too close blood vessel. One Dexcom rep asked why I don’t just replace. The next sensor is just as likely to do the same, so I stay tend to stick with a sensor longer than many would.
I use abdomen only for sensors, opposite side of infusion set. I do use my back, above my belt, for infusion sites occasionally to give abdomen a break.
I only have issues when that are not installed right
Tom- I can echo everything you said (minus the references to football!!). Our daughter uses the G6 plus the Tandem pump with Control IQ.
If the G6 is wacky, then CIQ is also going to be off.
It seems we need a replacement from Tandem at least every 3rd sensor. We are still doing finger sticks occasionally because the whole thing is so unpredictable. It’s a special challenge when your child is insulin sensitive and a tiny bolus can have a major effect.
This sensor problem didn’t happen nearly as frequently with the G5.
I’ve been a year on G6 and only with my latest lot of sensors (and a fresh transmitter) am I experiencing troubles. Erratic readings, one failed sensor, alarms in the middle of the night which I treated with orange juice before fully awakening and realizing that maybe something is wrong (confirmed when it says “lost signal”). So really it was high as fingerprick confirmed despite Dexcom reading was low. . . Ugh.
Anyway, I’m hoping it was just this lot.
Generally I’ve been very happy with Tandem and Dexcom working together. Amazed, in fact.
Tom, you mentioned that your BG “bounces around like a ping pong ball in a tornado“. So does mine and I can count the number of times I have had my Dexcom last a full 10 days without failing. I to get error messages where I have no reading for sometimes up to an hour or two and then all of a sudden it either comes back or fails .I call in every time and get it replaced and FINALLY one of the customer service reps told me that when your blood sugar is erratic and goes from high to low in too short a time it confuses the Dexcom and it can’t get an accurate read, which is why it gives you an error message. So the long and short of it is the more consistent your BG is the better your Dexcom will work.
I used G6 for about six months, and gave it up for these reasons. I learned a lot about general trends, but for momentary readings it was so wrong so much of the time I had to finger stick anyway anytime I thought I needed insulin or carbs. I’m finger sticking less now than when I used it, and my numbers are fine, good A1C (not any worse than using it - in fact using I was too low too much of the time). False nighttime low alerts were by themselves not worth the hassle. I’m glad it works for other people. Me, nope. If anyone does make a reliable CGM I’d think seriously about using one again, otherwise, for me, it was too much stress and not enough help/accuracy.
I’ve been having all of the same issues and having the Dexcom tell me to calibrate when I’ve entered the sensor numbers or scanned it in. I’ve called Dexcom multiple times and they replace the sensors but insist I am the only one having these issues. I will refer the tech here next time. Anyway, I believe the issues have more to do with the transmitters than the sensors. After I change a transmitter, either all of my sensors work perfectly or they all seem to fail miserably. Also, I wanted to add that I’m not new to Dexcom, I’ve been using it for about a decade and this is the first time I’ve had any serious problems.
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I have found that the G6 is spot on when BG is in normal range. It is not as accurate at super high BGs or very low. That sid, the tricep in the only place I get great results. Consistently. Of course, you need a buddy to help with insertion.
Good luck!
- Are you supposed to wear the receiver inward or outward from the body? I use the Tandem pump and it has to be facing outward, otherwise I’ll receive an error and notification that the pump stopped communicating with the g6 sensor.
2 By any chance are you over-calibrating so that the transmitter gets confused?
Just joined and am totally unfamiliar with posting. So, forgive a newbie! I was diagnosed with T2 in 2017 and have been on insulin since 2019. I was reclassified as LADA earlier this year. No change in treatment but the new endo put me on the G6 about a month ago. I’m very frustrated with the frequency of signal losses. My BG stays high according to the meter and I I keep throwing insulin boluses at it. I’m going through my omnipods about every 36 hours. I was using the Libre Freestyle system before and never had these issues. I’m seriously considering ditching the G6 and going back to the Libre. I like it better, too, because it goes on the back of my arm. With the G6 having to be placed on the belly, my area for placement of the omnipod is really limited. Guess it’s back to the endo sooner than later.
You can wear it on the back of your arm. Almost everyone does. And you get better results.
I actually wear the G6 on the outer side of my upper arm. I live alone and it’s easier for me to reach that area, For me, it’s also less likely for the sensor to be compressed when I’m lying on my back when the sensor is not on the back of my arm.
As others have mentioned, I rotate arm to arm but I also switch the sensor orientation every 20 days. I use the back of a chair to roll that portion of my upper arm towards me to ensure I have enough “padding” underneath the applicator when I apply the sensor.
I also alternate whether the top end or bottom end is pointed towards my shoulder when I apply the sensor every two sensors.
Since I’m limiting the application area to one part of my body I figure it can’t hurt to mix up the insertion to whatever extent I can. 
My last G6 worked beautifully for all 10 days, but the one which I have had on for about 5 days isn’t working well at all. I have to finger test several times a day, because the sensor is always wrong by more than 20%. I should switch it out for a new one and call Dexcom. And yes, I always use the soaking technique. My husband has asked if it is really worth wearing one, since I have problems with them so often.
I’ve been having a terrible Dexcom month, but it’s been the transmitter that’s the problem, not the sensors.
Since I run my sensors for a full month, they have a tendency to run high. I’ve always been able to calibrate them, though, and they fall into line perfectly. Unfortunately, the transmitter I started a month ago refuses to accept calibrations, so I’m stuck with it reading high. Basically my data for the last month is worthless, and I’ve had to do a lot more intervention than I normally would with Control-IQ.
I FINALLY got Dexcom to ship me a new transmitter, though, so hopefully I’ll be back on track soon. Someone at Tandem finally advised me to call the Dexcom “care team”, rather than tech support, and they were the ones who would finally straighten this mess out.
For what it’s worth, I get terrible data on my stomach and they always bleed terribly and hurt. Might be my fault because I only use the center-line that’s rich in blood vessels, where I don’t put infusion sets. I’ve heard it said that “bleeders are good readers”, but that’s definitely not my experience!
I mostly put Dex on the front of my arms, with excellent results. I can’t use the back/sides because I have a waterbed and Dex won’t transmit through it. It works out well, though, since it’s a clear line of communication with the pump that lives down the front of my shirts.
Most of my sensors have stickers on them proclaiming an officially extended expiration date beyond that which was originally printed. I don’t know if it’s because of supply issues or just overstock. I wonder if it will effect accuracy, though.
I was surprised by the “bleeders are readers” quip on FB several months back. It surprised me because my experience taught me otherwise. When I experience more than a little blood at either a CGM site or an infusion site, trouble often ensues.
The fact that some people conclude otherwise reminds me that our individual experiences ranges across a spectrum and it’s sloppy thinking to jump to a general conclusion from an individual experience. I appreciate your careful wording that avoids this fallacy.
Good luck with managing this expensive resource! Just know that you are not alone as I placed a cash order this morning for my Afrezza insulin as my insurance coverage stopped last year. I found a discount deal but it is still a financial stretch for me.
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I always use my stomach and have only ever had two bleeders. I am a restless side sleeper and don’t understand how I could place a sensor on my arms. I suppose that I should try it, but I don’t always sleep well and certainly don’t want any false lows.
I have no idea why a good percentage of my sensors don’t work well. I place the ones that work perfectly just like I do the ones that don’t. My TIR is very good, and it is rare for me to go over 160. I do have more lows than I want though. I don’t expect the sensor to work well when under 60.
I certainly understand that my insulin dose needs to be lowered to avoid lows, but that is more difficult then it sounds. I don’t want to go below 65 and I don’t like to go over 140-150. I have finally ordered a book that might help me accomplish this with MDI.
I just stopped on day 10 minus 1 hour the first sensor to nearly last 10 days. It is the 2nd that I put on the back side of my upper arm. This one started nearly accurate, whereas those in the past 9 - 10 months have started with high and rising BG. Number 2 on the arm was very good until day nine. Shortly after a shower it lost connection for half and hour, this happened several times during the day, and most annoying 3 times at night. I hate being woke with that terrible alert alarm. Not a low but for loss of signal.
It did that again after I was up and was pretty good until an hour ago. I thought, what the Hell, stopped and started the new sensor which was preloading in the other arm.
Not a bit data set with only 2 sensors on the arms, but we shall see.