All that I can relate to is that sense the release of the G7 in Europe. I personally have seen more sensor & signal loss messages. And as of today (11-21-22) I’ve have had it occur more the 8 tomes sense 0300hrs
I’ve yet to see any response from Dexcom as to their standing on all of these posted issues.
And as finial thought I really believe it not to be a Bluetooth issue. As I can watch my TX sign on, .but the system in either phone or receiver stay off line.
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I’m having a run of bad G6 sensors, each from different lots and different expiration dates etc. Tonight was almost the last straw on day 8.5 of this sensor…hockey game started at 4:15 (sensor error) and went until 5:45. I was gulping down the glucose gel between shifts and snacked on shortbread cookies after the game based on the BG 39 the G6 told me about halfway through. All this time the Omnipod 5 was giving me zero insulin based on what the G6 sensor told it. Got home and determined that I am at BG 273 !!
Getting tired of Dexcom letting me down and curious if anybody is getting 10+ days consistently with Dexcom sensors these days…
I almost always get 10 days.
Same here. Ten days is usual, sometimes 20 if I manage to extract the transmitter. My main problem relates to the whole thing peeling off —improved by the plastic overpatches.
I usually get 10 days only rarely it craps out early
John58, I don’t know if you have tried what has helped me, but I used to have a stressful time with the G6. After making the following changes, my sensor began working extremely well from the moment the 2hr wait is over. I no longer use my abdomen for placement. I use the front of my upper arm with the sensor placed near the inside of my arm. I am a side sleeper, but this placement works very well for me. I don’t get compression lows. I also put the sensor on the night before and start it the following morning. I never use the code. Yes, I have to calibrate it twice a day, but I always calibrated it because the readings were so often off by many points.
I have expressed my recent option on this issue. Below are two Dexcom Clarity reports. The 1st a 7 day report. The 2nd is a 2 day report. Which is last 2 days of the present 5 days of wear… all the holes inn the data are from sensor loss.
I have found the same thing (arms seem to last longer than abdomen). But arms limit the “line of sight” placement choices for Omnipod 5 pods so I have been using abdomens a lot lately…maybe based on your and other comments I will go to arm placements for a few sensors and see what happens.
What I really am hoping for is a predictable longevity of these sensors. When they die early I lose my ability to presoak the sensor. I also try to plan ahead so I know what my schedule will be the first day of a new sensor…can’t plan ahead unless I preemptively quit sensors at the start of Day 8. Which makes no sense because occasionally a sensor will go 10+ days.
I remember those times, and it was extremely frustrating. I hope something changes for you, so that your sensors start doing a much better job for you!
I agree John, we just changed to a new transmitter and it has been absolute pandemonium! Dexcom support had us change sensors 3 times in 3 days! Does not instill confidence in either their equipment or the training their support “team” appears to have received and recites to users. As you stated there are tons of possible reasons for all of these issues but particularly the erratic readings is quite worrisome. Personally, in light of the erratic readings it really annoys me that they claim no more finger sticks, that the FDA approved this and that Medicare won’t pay for test strips if you are using a CGM (because you no longer need to do finger sticks!)
As you also stated, calibrations also eventually seem to resolve (takes between 12 and 24 hours usually for us) the issue. Which takes us back to the “no more finger sticks” issue.
This is a growing problem with many suppport units regardless of the product. There is no mechanism to escalate to a group with more technical knowledge than the first line. Not only should an issue like this be escalated up, but it should be issued a ticket, so that there is a record.
If the issues is with a TV it is annoying, but when dealing with medical equipment that is malfunctioning, well that is life threatening. This is especially problematic for non-technical users and children.
Since CGMs and pumps are under the FDA, it seems to me that there ought to be a way to report these issues to them.
What is odd is many do not have these issues, but it is not just one individual, but at least a sizable minority. Perhaps the false hypos and 7 day drop outs is a result of biochemistry. I don’t know, but some of the profits these companies make should go into researching these issues.
Oh and they should be slammed for claiming NO FINGER STICKS!
RANT over
As a manufacturer and engineer, I do have an issue with this premise. If there is a reporting mechanism to the FDA beyond doing so as a whistleblower, then we run the risk that the FDA shuts down the Dexcom Medicare program and/or fines Dexcom for these issues. If the program is shut down, then we, the users, of the Dexcom products are the ones that suffer as we are forced to go back to full-time finger sticking which very few of us want. I think we can all agree that a Dexcom CGM with all of its foibles and issues overall is still miles ahead of repeated fingersticks and most of us have been able to achieve BG, A1C and TIR results with a Dexcom CGM that we were unable to achieve with fingersticks alone. As far as fines go, again we would only be hurting ourselves. A company NEVER actually pays fines. The fines become part of the operating expenses of a company and are promptly passed on to the consumer. A company merely uses all of the money it takes in from customers and dishes it back out to its vendors, employees and shareholders. For providing their service, the company takes a commission often referred to as profit and without that profit the company can no loger exist. The bottom line is that the customer pays for everything. Be careful what you wish for.
Now my rant over
Back in the 1980s when the Texas Public Utility Commission had teeth, my industry (telephony) was frightened to death of an customer reports to the PUC. These reports would go to the top directors and than the ■■■■ would start rolling down hill. To my knowledge the company did not often get fined if they corrected the issue.
Sometimes the cost sizable amounts of dollars in upgrades and labor, but these things should’ve been done without the PUC holding a whip over them.
If there is no way to hold a company accountable for faulty service and products because one is worried about the cost, well there you go - nothing will change.
Considering the high price that insurance and governments pay for this stuff it ought to work or at least a disclaimer why it doesn’t for everyone.
RANT CONTINUES
Some of us . . . Maybe many of us (?) don’t finger stick. Ever! Or only extremely rarely, and it feel pointless since it’s essentially the same as the CGM is reading.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve woken up at 3 AM, sweaty and shaky and feeling terrible. I also can’t remember the last time my glucose has read “Hi”. That’s a huge win for me!
So I’m not sure how many patients who have been spared that, and enjoy much better HbA1C as well as measure TIR and nearly never lows, are enough.
I hear that there are people for whom Dexcom doesn’t work. There are others (such as me) who are amazed at how well it works and would like to see it work for everyone.
Yeah I get that it works very well for some. I want to know why if doesn’t work so well for others. When you call Dexcom support they repeat the same speech. Where is it, is the transmitter in place and date, are you taking acetaminophen? Always the same.
I’m happy for those who have great results. But the problems are common enough that they should be addressed. If the G6 is only going to work consistently go 7 days minus the first day should allow for more than 9 sensors per quarter. I get tired of calling support. Oh, when I use the online system I end up have a conversation on the phone.
I.also wonder if these issues will continue with the G7.
It is called competition. When a company does not perform, there is most often one or more companies waiting in the wings to take over the business. Any company, or individual that can do better, is welcome to try and it is only a matter of time before they succeed so companies are almost always continually trying to do everything they do better, faster and at a lower cost. That is the only win-win for everyone.
Where’s the competition in CGM? Decom has the monopoly with C-IQ and OmniPod 5 closed loop systems. Eversense has a host of problems, Medtronic only works with their systems, and Libre doesn’t work with any pump system.
Same here…The saving grace of the sensor longevity problem is the ease of obtaining a replacement from Dexcom. Use a 10-day sensor for 8 days, receive a replacement 10 day sensor that might go another 8 days and life goes on. It seems doubtful that Dexcom will so readily send replacements for G7 sensors that die prematurely (if that happens) but who knows? Most companies would eventually correct the quality problem or tighten up on the replacements.
Currently CGM competitors I am aware of and there may be many more are:
FreeStyle Libre by Abbott Laboratories
Eversense by Senseonics sold by Ascensia Diabetes Care
Guardian Connect System by Medtronic
More and newer better technologies will keep coming along
