Hi All, a few weeks ago I wore a CGM with a loan Dexcome G4 receiver from the hospital. It was amazing and I was so sad to have to give it back. Anyway, I now have a Vibe pump and my transmitter and sensors have arrived so I just have to pluck up the courage to insert the sensor and I’m all set.
In Australia, neither Medicare nor private medical insurance contribute towards he costs of the CGM so I am very keen to extend the life of my sensors beyond one week. Do I stop the sensor before it shuts down itself and then restart it? Last time I let it end and then did Start Sensor. I got the whole pie chart for 2 hours, inserted the 2 calibration readings, but it only worked for about an hour and then the egg timer came up and it just died after that
hi Cheryl, I have had the G4 since November and currently my sensor is on day 21 on my thigh. I usually leave it until day 7 wait until there is a couple of hours to go and then hit stop sensor and start sensor and in 2 hours I recalibrate it and it is good to go. I have never let it stop on its' own.
I have done it both way, stopping the sensor when it it near the end and waiting until it stopped itself, I haven't found that either way makes a difference.
Also, if the timer comes up a second time try restarting the process starting from stop sensor, start sensor and enter calibration after the 2 hours -that has worked for me as well.
Also make sure the receiver is fully charged, I find that when mine is only half changed it starts giving me the??? or bad readings much more often, way before the low battery warning, especially if I am trying to start it. Good luck
Thank you for your advice. I appreciate all the help from everyone. I’m going to be using my Vive pump as the receiver. Will let you all know how it goes. I actually feel nervous about putting in the sensor for the first time. Not worried about it hurting but that I’ll mess it up and waste a sensor which costs about $80
It doesn't really hurt, but I messed up the first one when I started in January. dexcom set me up with a very helpful technician who met with me and showed me how to do it after the first time getting it wrong for free, If you are nervous about it ask dexcom if they can have a nurse show you how. It was so simple to do after she showed me how in about 10 minutes - insertion takes about 2minutes total, including prep
I’m up and running. Waiting for 2 hours before I can calibrate. Had some tense time when ANT came up. Phoned Helpline in a panic, but then it sorted itself while I was talking to the helpline. I was just being impatient - lol
It varies from person to person, I get more than 21 days with mine but a friend gets just 8-9 days at most. I'd guess its body make up and how your body chemicals react with the sensor. Hope it goes well for you.
Today is day 10 and my readings are very accurate. I am loving the CGM. The advantage of being able to track my BG levels has given me the confidence to exercise more without having to panic about hypos. I’ve even started running
Great Cherylou - that is the most amazing thing about the Dexcom, it has given me the confidence to exercise and not worry about hypos, being able to see the trends in real time makes such a huge difference. I am currently in 2 racquetball leagues and am having a blast playing.
