So exciting!!!
I have an endo appointment in January and this is the first thing I plan on bringing up!!!
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Jen - Will the Dex CGM be covered by any of the Provincial health care systems? I would never want to go back to living without a CGM. It gives me control, flexibility, and safety. I hope you can get one.
Nope—most provinces still do not even cover insulin pumps, except sometimes for children with Type 1, and rarely adults with Type 1. Apparently insurance companies here tend to deny coverage, too, although I will certainly be putting in a claim with mine to see what they say. I'm going to start saving up in case I need to pay out of pocket for it, though.
I just realized that your link is for Animas Canada. Looking around on the site, it appears that the Dex G4 will be a stand-alone unit and not part of a pump system like the Animas Vibe is in Europe. Is that your understanding?
Yes, although I've heard the Vibe is coming. I sort of want the separate unit for myself (even though I have a Ping) because it has a larger screen. Up until now we haven't had the Dexcom available at all, though—the only CGM available has been the one integrated into the Minimed pump (this wasn't available as a stand-alone unit like it is in the U.S.).
The cost is around 85$ per sensor
Yikes - I thought it was around $50 (at least that's what the Minimed sensors were about four years ago when I looked into it)? Hopefully my work benefits will cover at least part of the cost!
prices
Dexcom Receiver Kit
100-921-00
Dexcom G4® Receiver Kit, Black
1
$800.00
Dexcom Transmitter
100-909-00
Dexcom G4® Transmitter
1
$700.00
Dexcom Sensors
100-912-00
Dexcom G4® Sensors, 4-pack
4
$340.00
Dexcom G4® Receiver Carrying Case
1
$23.00
Dexcom G4® USB Power Supply Charger
1
Dexcom G4® USB Cable
1
$8.00
and the transmitter needs to be replaced every 6 months.
also if you were to order one box of sensors you would owe 10$ for shipping bc orders under 400$ cost 10$ for shipping.
Do people actually replace the receiver every six months? Seems kind of ridiculous at $800, and I doubt insurance would cover it even if it covers the initial purchase.
It's the transmitter that has a 6-month warranty. My first one lasted 9 months and my insurance paid for a replacement at that time. Some TuD members reported their transmitter lasting 12+ months. The receiver is warranteed for one year.
Does the transmitter remain accurate? It's just the warranty that expires? Or does it actually stop working after a certain amount of time?
I met up with my Animas rep earlier this month, he said that the Vibe will be available in Canada in January I believe.
That's awesome! I think I would prefer the separate transmitter, but having the option of the pump would be nice as well! The major barrier might be the cost if my work benefits don't cover it.
When my first transmitter reported that its battery was near depletion, I had been getting a "???" display more frequently on the receiver. This display is normally given when the receiver can not make any sense out of the signal it receives. Others here also reported this.
This happened at nine months of transmitter age. For the most part, I believe that it was accurate up to that point. It's my understanding that it will stop working when the transmitter battery goes dead, although I didn't push it that far. The warning it gave said that it had about one week's power left. That's when I reordered a new transmitter.
Just an FYI: the earlier prices that were posted are slightly wrong as Animas issued a correction to me a couple weeks ago - the end price is the same. The transmitter is 800.00 and the receiver is 700.00. So essentially the part we have to replace every 6-9 months is now the more expensive part.
and Jen if you have any luck with getting it covered let me know your secret, been "fighting nicely" with my insurance company for years to cover my CGM (first my medtronic one and now my dexcom) and just gave up and buy them out of pocket. And the dexcom is definitely worth the price.
You said earlier metronic sensors are 50 - which they still are but generally don't last as long, and the technology on them is very different than the dexcom! :)
Keep in mind that the actual recurring costs are considerably lower for most people.
Dexcom specs the sensors for 7 day's use, the transmitter for 6 months. In the US, a scrip is required, and they are written based on those frequencies of replacement.
However, just about everyone gets more than 7 days out of a sensor, and as stated in this discussion the transmitters usually last longer than their prescribed lifetime as well.
I generally get 2-3 weeks out of a sensor (skewing to the 2 week duration), and just hit the six month mark on my transmitter, but it's still going strong.
So, if you have to pay out of pocket, expect your actual recurring expenses to be 50-75% of what you'd calculate based on the prescribing information.
Given my issues with infusion sets, I'm a bit nervous about the sensors. I've never been able to make it more than 2 days with an infusion set (and lately I'm lucky if I manage that without irritation), even though 3 is recommended and some people manage 4-5 days! Hopefully the sensors won't irritate me as much, but somehow I think my body might get cranky at having a piece of metal in it for two weeks ...
I think if I have to pay out of pocket I'll probably start out using it intermittently for troubleshooting, which is what my endocrinologist recommended. If that works out, I can work on insurance and work on saving up to be able to use it full-time.
I can't get more than 2 days out of an infusion set either. The common problems of irritation at the site (big red bump, bad absorption) are caused by a reaction to the preservative (m-cresol) in insulin. This should not be a problem with a CGM sensor. I self-funded the MM Sof-sensors for >3 years. In November I switched to an Animas Vibe and the Dexcom G4 sensors. I routinely kept the Sof Sensors in for ~9 or more days. I occasionally experienced slight irritation from the sticky tape but nothing serious. My current Dexcom sensor is on day 17 and still tracking well. I got 21 days out of a previous one. No irritation, even from the tape.
The Dexcoms sensors are amazingly accurate and if you are self-funding, their long lifespan make them a lot cheaper than the Medtronic Enlites (which seem to last for no longer than around 8 days) even if you factor in the extra cost of having to replace the transmitter every 6-9 months.
Interestingly, in the UK the Dexcom sensors are around 25% cheaper if you purchase them direct from Animas rather than Advanced Therapeutics who are the reps for Dexcom. Obviously you need to be using the Vibe to do this.
Joel
Jen--I bought a G4 here in the US on December 31, 2013. The reason we did it that day (and somehow got it pushed through--yea!) is that my out of pocket maximum had been met for the year. My insurance paid it although they balked at first. It came to $1999, 100% of which my insurance paid. That was for the first 3 months of sensors, too. I will be very careful about ordering in the future because the adhesive is giving me LOADS of irritation/infection issues. Dexcom really doesn't seem to care about this, either. It pains me to think that the technology is there but the d!@#$!&& adhesive holds me back because it is so extremely irritating to my skin!