Dexcom g6 transmitter failure

I wonder if anyone has had this issue: Friday night my Dexcom transmitter died. No readings for several hours. I also use the Omnipod 5 so this was troublesome. I called Dexcom and was told they would send a replacement transmitter in about 3-5 business days. Ugh! I am back to finger sticks. I have no callouses so that really smarts! I forgot how much I hated them. I switched my omnipod to manual mode and I am anxiously awaiting the new transmitter. I am somewhat concerned about overnight lows since I am using an old basal program and hoping it’s close to my insulin needs. I am sticking my finger often but not overnight. The technology is great when it works. I wish we had faster access to replacements.

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I’ve had transmitter warn me that the battery is low a few times but they t have never quit like that.

Good thing about the g7 is that you get a new transmitter in every sensor.

Donna, do you do a deep puncture when doing a fingerstick test? I find that when I barely puncture the skin, that most of the time I can test my blood pain free. A tiny bit of blood instead of a larger amount of blood does not change my results.

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I agree with that! I’m waiting for integration with omnipod. Hurry up! Lol

I have adjusted to the lightest stick. Still hurts a bit. I think I’m just complaining since I got spoiled with no more finger sticks. Lol

Did you get any readings after several hours? If you did, that would indicate a bad sensor and possibly a transmitter coming to the end of life. A new sensor should be the first line of defense. Then when you call Dexcom they can send you a replacement for both the sensor and the transmitter, plus an extra sensor, but in the meantime, you may get pretty good readings until your new transmitter arrives. I had a bad transmitter years ago when on the G5, but never since. They do appear to occur, however, very rarely.

There were no readings at all for about three hours before I gave up and called Dexcom. The signal loss was all I could get. It seems to be rare but happens. My experience is it always happens on the weekend. Ugh!

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When the G6 first came out about the second or third transmitter, it wouldn’t stay in the sensor properly, it was loose. I called Dexcom and they said they would 2 day ship a replacement. Of course it took them 2-4 days to ship it in the first place. I managed to tape it down so it would stay firmly in place and to keep it working. I had become so reliant on my Dexcom I realized I didn’t want to be without one. That’s when I decided to restart sensors to have a back up supply of those and got a prescription for an extra back up transmitter. I actually have a couple now because of a couple of failures along the way and you get an overlap. You just have to make sure you rotate and use the older stock first because the batteries don’t last too much past the expiration date.

When I purposely decided to take a week break from using a Dexcom my fingers got so sore. Since I was used to knowing 24/7 my BG levels, I fingersticked a lot more than before I used one. Just the 2 hours of warmup and the first two days of a sensor I fingerstick a lot, but at least after that my fingers get a break.

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And we so often long for the good old days. Newbies can’t begin to imagine what we have been through over the past few decades. At least some things, although not perfect such as diabetes management, have improved leaps and bounds in the past 50 years.

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I had a transmitter fail while on a trip. You should ask them to overnight it to you with morning delivery at no charge if you don’t have a spare on hand. . They don’t want to have a medical incident tied to their product. Many companies will start with slower shipping, which I am ok with for replacement sensor when I have enough stock. Same for transmitter.

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I don’t have a spare transmitter on hand and so I requested expedited shipping. They blamed FedEx for not being able to mail transmitter until Monday, earliest. I still haven’t heard when it will ship. Very frustrating.

I’ve bought transmitters at the Costco pharmacy in person for a good price, though still paid out of pocket. Just a way to get one more quickly if you’re willing to pay.

Did they require a prescription?

My memory is they did.

Amazon also has them starting at $60 depending on insurance. $264 without insurance. Several eCommerce sites have G6 transmitters under $200. Prescriptions required. Some as little as $100 if the box is open or damaged. Do a Google search to see your best option.

Check for GoodRx cost and locations near you. My last G6 transmitter cost about $45, cash pay. RX required.