Free. And from Dex Tech Support, not Customer Support.
Just tell them you have trouble with the adhesive lasting the full 10 days and you would like to try out their overpatches. They will send you a 10-pack. If it works then you can keep getting them (still for free) from Dex Tech Support.
3 Likes
Here is the one I used just two days ago, and it worked exactly as described using the first (easiest) method. G6 Restart - there’s an associated video in this link.
2 Likes
FWIW - the only time I have had issues in the first 24 hours w/the G6 is when I have had a bad sensor. Otherwise, I have been shocked at how spot on my numbers have been. This is not to say my sensor experience has been all that great, as I have had over a third of them fail in the first 35 minutes.
The only exception for me so far w/r/t accuracy is when I have a severe low (under 55 mg/dl - 3.0 mmol). Just like the G4, it takes a bit of time for the interstitial fluid to recover.
1 Like
Just called, and yup, they did. Also a sensor.
Mostly that’s been my experience but I’ve had a few that were really wobbly at the start and today’s seems to be one of those. They usually settle down just fine though. One thing is that this one hurt going in, which might mean I hit a blood vessel. That always throws things off for the first 12 hrs or so. For some reason my right upper arm is more prone to that, which is where I have it. I’m actually getting kinda gun-shy about it on that side.
I’ve never been successful placing a sensor in my arm, always hitting muscle (even though I’m no Charles Atlas).
By MY account, it makes the day that I start a sensor (after having soaked for 1 day) AS ACCURATE as the remaining 6 days, which is to say, VERY accurate. I can bolus and treat lows w/o using a meter. It’s fricking amazing how good the G5’s work with my body. My wife has more trouble with accuracy, yet she did far better than me with the MM Enlites. I would give the Enlite an F+, while I think she would give them roughly a C or B-.
Ok, coming up on 24 hrs and it’s still so flaky as to be useless. 30 pt discrepancy with finger stick this a.m. and continuing to drop and rise erratically, 10-20 pts from reading to reading. Starting to think it’s not the normal first-day thing. I did have a little pain on insertion, which could indicate a blood vessel hit. But those usually settle down in the first 24 hrs and then it’s fine. Just dropped 10, then 2, then went up 11 while I’ve been writing this, all of the readings way below what my fingerstick just showed. Sigh. Really don’t want to have to trash one if I can avoid it.
1 Like
Sometimes you just can’t avoid it. It’s likely a faulty sensor, not enough or too much of this or that on the filament.
With it still in, that is if you haven’t already pulled it, call Dexcom and see if they have any suggestions. Too, then if the decision is to trash it, ask them about shipping a replacement.
I do hope it settles in for you!
Yeah, they’re good about sending replacements anyway. The guy basically said there’s nothing to do but swap it out, but of course I’m at work now and I don’t carry bulky extra sensors around with me. Just for the heck of it, I think I’m going to try stopping and restarting it, like extending the session, just to see if that shakes it out of its stupor. Since I can’t replace it for hours anyway, there’s no loss.
Two things that may be of general interest. One, when I told him I’d felt a bit of a sting on insertion the tech said “There’s no way to tell since you can’t see under the adhesive, but usually we find that if something feels wrong, it is wrong.” T’other is that, if it turns out it was a bleeder, that leads me to conclude the G6 is way less forgiving about that than the G5. I’ll let y’all know if that turns out to be the explanation. I still wouldn’t regret upgrading, but it would be useful to know.
3 Likes
The 6-8 hour pre-soak on a G6 sensor has made a world of difference for me. Day 1 is still a little flaky, mostly it errs low but this last one erred high. Even if it asks for repeat calibrations I don’t go overboard, it generally sorts itself out. I just fingerstick before a meal bolus since I am otherwise tightly controlled. A few fingersticks one day out of every 10 days is alright by me.
1 Like
I have had a couple that bleed, no issues. Not massive bleeding, but I can definitely see blood around the sensor wire area.
I don’t think this has affected my results though. Or, if they did, they were not noticeable enough to need verification.
Btw, the overnight soak works better than a soak during the day for me. Who knows why, but I do know that is what works best for me.
I haven’t done the “soaking” before but since my G6 sensors have been very flakey the first few days, I am going to try it on the next change.
I read somewhere that Dexcom factory calibrates the sensor to consider this “breaking in” period which I take to mean is the reason why we do not need to calibrate the G6.
Therefore, if we do the soak, do we need to calibrate right away, once the sensor starts, or do you wait to see how the readings are and/or at bolus time? Thank you!!
1 Like
I soak over night, and never calibrate.
To the point, I don’t even bother checking anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, if I FEEL different, I would consider it.
But, I haven’t done a fingerstick in probably 1 to 3 months? I really don’t remember when I did my last fingerstick (probably the last time I did a sensor without soaking it.)
1 Like
Even 10-12 hours of soaking doesn’t straighten out the “first day blues” of my G5, so I just install it one full day ahead of the planned sensor change, which is on day 7. I finally wised up and put it on the calendar so I don’t forget to install it on the correct day. I’d be lost w/o Google calendar. My life is on it (which is why I back it up).
Have you read that study out of University of Colorado? I have a paper copy somewhere. Let me find it…
I got a link to it from this article: https://www.diabettech.com/artificial-pancreas/diy-looping-and-cgm/
3 Likes
Oddly enough, this seems to have worked. All my readings since doing this around mid-afternoon have been within 10 pts of fingersticks or spot on, and it has stopped the abrupt swings up and down. So I’ve kept it on rather than swapping it out and, well, we’ll see if it keeps up.
4 Likes
I’m glad you are figuring this stuff out before I switch to G6. Thanks for Guinea pigging!
I had a vague memory of someone suggesting the sensor restart thing from an earlier case of a bloody insertion, but I think it came up after I’d already swapped it out for a new one. Or maybe I just dreamed it. But anyway, seemed like it was worth a try. Glad I did, though I’m still finger sticking a bit more than I was, just to keep an eye on it. Seems to want to run just a bit low, like ~10 points or less, but I can live with that. The worst thing was how it was fluctuating 30-60 points within a couple of readings, rendering them all meaningless.
2 Likes