Hey everybody! I’m Matt and I live in Denver, CO. I’ve been T1D since '86. I’m currently using the Eversense CGM, Inpen MDI with Humalog, and Tresiba. My most recent A1c was 5.6. I’m active with weightlifting and HIIT for my exercise. I’m a product manager for a software development company, and an all-around tech enthusiast. Glad to be part of the community!
@Matt_Callis I see that you are using two newer pieces of diabetic technology, the Eversence CGM and the Inpen. Could you please tell us more about them.
Happy to share whatever I can (any specific questions or topics?).
The InPen is pretty straightforward - it tracks any dosing from the insulin pen on a phone app via bluetooth. I don’t find it to be revolutionary, but it is interesting to see my daily dosing totals and how those fluctuate based on what I eat/how active I am (although it’s just data, it hasn’t really changed how/what I do).
The Eversense is a game changer in my mind - while it still requires 2 daily calibrations, the combination of 1)no additional equipment to carry (used to have FreeStyle Libre and had to carry the reader around everywhere) and 2)no worries about it getting ripped off (because the external transmitter can easily be pulled off and reapplied) which happened all the time with my Libre - makes for a pretty incredible experience. The vibration alerts on the transmitter take a little getting used to - but are great to notify you of any fluctuations out of range (hi or lo) even if you don’t have your phone or watch on.
Like I said, if there are any other specific questions, I’m happy to answer them.
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Thanks Matt, I have moved your post to a topic in the main forum so it will bee seen by a larger audience.
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Can you move the transmitter around at all or does it have to stay in exactly the same spot directly over the sensor? 90 days is a long time so I am wondering if that would cause skin irritation in the one spot or if you have means to make that a non-issue?
Did you have insurance problems with the cgm or was it pretty straight forward?
How are you finding the accuracy of the cgm to be?
You remove it once a day, for 10-15 minutes, to charge the transmitter and swap out the adhesive strip. The transmitter stays in the same place each time you reapply because it has to be in very close proximity to the sensor which is implanted under the skin. I’ve only had it for ~30 days so far, but haven’t noticed any skin irritation issues. It has been in Europe for a while and they have people using it for the full 90 days without any major complaints of skin irritation either.
Most insurances in the US have not adopted any coverage for this device as of yet. Hopefully within the next year they will. I had to pay out of pocket for it.
The accuracy is incredible. I had a FreeStyle Libre previously and, when I got the Eversense, I wore both to see how they compared - and the Eversense was clearly the winner. There are also articles online about the MARD (Mean Absolute Relative Difference) calculation of CGMs, which basically measures how close they are to actual blood glucose readings - and the Eversense is usually the leader in these studies.
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My understanding is everybody in Europe has now been switched over to the 180-day version of the device.
If the transmitter has to be removed each day for a charge then I would assume the adhesive is not as strong as if it was intended to remain in place for many days. Do you need any adhesive removal or other method of cleaning off residue after removing the transmitter or is it more like a bandaid where it just easily peels off and leaves nothing behind?
That was smart to be able to actually see for yourself. Studies are great and all that but whenever you can run your own mini-experiments and see exactly how things work on yourself - that is awesome !!!
Thanks for your review, @Matt_Callis. I’m skeptical about the long-term success of this product but I’m always interested to read the experience of early adopters. I’m open to changing my mind. I’m glad it’s helping you. Please keep us updated as time goes by.
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Yes - it is much more like a bandaid - no adhesive removal needed (I used to always need that with my FreeStyle Libre). in fact, some days if I get really sweaty (workout/physical activity), I will use 2 adhesives over the course of the day - but it’s really easy to swap out and stick right back on.
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Yeah - I will say it’s definitely not for everybody, but I’ve always been an early adopter of technology (which doesn’t always work out for the best…ask my bank account). But after 32 years of diabetes, and a lot of different technology options, this is the most exciting one that I have seen in quite a while - but it’s definitely in its early stages. My hope (and I think Senseonic’s hope) is future versions that have longer life (last for full year before needing to be replaced) and factory calibration (similar to FreeStyle Libre and Dexcom G6) - which all seem very plausible and would really make this a killer product.
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Thanks Matt…
I hope to get an Ipen this week—-really looking forward to it.
I was diagnosed in '87 and am in technology too as an Enterprise Architect. When diagnosed, my neighbor headed up diabetes research at what was then Upjohn (makers of the #1 type 2 drug Orinase.) He strongly urged me to use the relatively new consumer glucose testing technology 6-8 times per day.
Which I religiously followed for 30 years, keeping my A1C level in the 6 range even though I was traveling globally non-stop. Sometimes being in a different country every day.
I started using Dexcom’s CGM last year and fell in love with it, especially the integration with my t:slim pump and my Android phone. My wife loved being able to monitor how I was doing remotely (those 12-18 hr work days in tech!) so much, she changed from her 22 yr job in pharma benefits management to working for Dexcom.
Endo visit last week showed my A1C at 5.8 with no hypo events.
Technology can be great, however I agree with Douglas Adams’s (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe) statement, “We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.”
CGM works! 
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HI Matt,
I’ve been working through insurance coverage and hoping to get the Eversense starting in mid November. That timing coincides with my last Dexcom G5 transmitter running out of life.
I’m curious about how things are going for you with the Eversense….are the calibrations seeming trouble free? In other words does the Eversense still seem to be pretty accurate? What happens if you skip a calibration…for example if you are busy when it prompts you for a calibration does it still work reliably or does it force you to do the calibration before you can continue using the CGM?
Second question: do you find the signal strength and continuity to be reliable? If you are familiar with “signal loss” and “???” on Dexcom G5, usually caused by Bluetooth or internal gremlins somehow disrupting the signal…does this occur with Eversense and if so is it easily remedied?
Third question: Have you ever had the transmitter shift or somehow malfunction where the vibration alerts do not occur…is this a concern or does the transmitter-sensor signal seem pretty trouble free so the vibration alerts are always considered reliable? Are the vibration alerts easily customizable…in other words can you set the BG values to trigger low and high alerts and are there other options such as rate of drop, etc.?
Thanks!
2 questions: InPen, Apple Health, and One Drop
I just got an InPen, and am waiting until I receive insulin cartridges (vs. the disposable pens) so that I can start using it. (The cartridges in the disposable pens don’t have the threads you need, even if you manage to get them out of the pen.) Question: the literature says that InPen integrates with CGMs that integrate with Apple Health, such as Dexcom.
What I have been unable to find out is: will Apple Health integrate with Dexcom G4??
(I have not upgraded from G4 yet, and I am in less of a hurry to do so when I read about the recent customer service issues with the G6.). I’ve googled everything I can think of to answer this question, but with no luck.
Second question: in August 2018, Companion Medical and One Drop announced a partnership, so I was sent a one drop kit (meter, strips, etc.) for free along with my inpen. Since I’m already using an Accu-Chek meter, I haven’t made the switch yet.
Is anyone here using One Drop??
Thanks for any info you can provide.
Hey John - Here are my observations/thoughts:
Q1 - Calibrations are pretty straightforward and trouble free. That said, you have to do 2 calibrations per day within 10-14 hours of each other. The system doesn’t start shutting down until you’ve missed a calibration for 24 hours - so while you’ll get alerts that you need to calibrate - the system will still behave at the same level of accuracy (as far as I can tell) during that time.
Q2 - While the signal seems to be reliable, it can be somewhat weaker than other bluetooth devices. While things like my Apple Watch and Airpods maintain a connection beyond 8-10ft of distance from my phone, the Eversense transmitter seems to need to be within that space to connect to the phone app (which is ultimately what feeds the readings to the watch app). That said, if there are any connection issues, 3 quick taps of the button on the transmitter initiates a reconnection to your phone and it’s usually reconnected in a few seconds without any additional steps.
Q3 - The vibrations are reliable and consistent - but depending on what you’re doing, might be a bit unnoticeable. But the phone/Apple Watch app mirror those notifications - so they are hard to miss. You can set alerts for entering a lo/hi zone, approaching the lo/hi zone, or general trending of +/- a number of units (mg/dL per minute), which can be anywhere from 1.5 to 5 (in 0.5 increments). There are some hard thresholds you can’t go below or above for lo/hi reading alerts, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to fully silence the device (you can silence some the trending alerts, but not the alerts when you cross into lo/hi blood sugar zones).
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Thanks for the insight, Matt. Really looking forward to trying an Eversense XL. The MARD data looks fantastic through the entire life of the 180 day version. And not having to worry about knocking off (and subsequently replacing) the sensor is ideal.
I’d love to hear your views on the following…
- How did you find the insertion process?
- After a period of being ‘out of range’, are the recently missed data points loaded onto your phone when you’re back in range?
- Have you had any issues with it telling you there’s too much ambient light to get an accurate value?
- What was the out of pocket expense?
Thanks for your help! And, I agree, this cgm has the potential to be a game changer. Particularly if they can get the 180 day model out to 365 days as planned.
Agreed on your excitement about the 180 day version. However, the FDA has only approved the 90 day version in the US, which is what I have. So not sure I can answer your questions regarding accuracy/cost/experience since I don’t have the XL.
How much did the eversense cost out of pocket?
For the initial setup, you will need to buy the transmitter (which is worn on the outside of the body) for ~$600. This will be used for a year tho, so it will span a few sensors and won’t have to be bought each time. The sensor costs ~$900. There will also be the insertion fee for whomever is inserting it (assuming there is somewhere in your area approved to insert it, otherwise you’d have to travel). That cost you would have to find out. It’s not a cheap venture for sure, but apparently Aetna has just approved coverage (although not sure what the costs look like for their patients) and hopefully more to come.