How Long Does Your Dexcom G6 REALLY Last?

Type 1 and LADA
1

I am writing this out of pure frustration after having the last dozen or so Dexcom G6 sensors lose signal or give false readings starting on Day 8 and going totally off the rails by Day 9. Dexcom claims that their G6 will last 10 days, but I truly cannot remember the last time my G6 sensor gave me a full 10 days of service. I wear them on my abdomen, the sensors are purchased each month on Medicare, so they are up to date, and the transmitters also are unto date. I sleep on my back or side, so I have no compression issues.

Yet, as time goes on, the sensors seem to be failing at a more frequent rate. Case in point: Yesterday my sensor was on Day 8. It lost signal twice during the day, and at 4:05 p.m., I received an Urgent Low Alert. A blood test revealed that my glucose was 130. Last night, I (and my husband) were awakened by FOUR low alerts, reading between 50 - 64. In each case, a blood test revealed a blood glucose of between 83 and 125. I recalibrated the Dexcom each time and went back to sleep… until the next alert.

I am on the OmniPod 5, so I rely on the G6 to give me accurate readings and accurate doses of insulin. After Day 8, I do not feel that I can trust the G6 to give me the data I need to be in control and to lead a healthy lifestyle.

My frustration comes not only from these frequent failures (and lack of sleep), but also because each time I call Dexcom Tech Support, I get nothing but, “I’m sorry” and, “We’ll send you a new sensor.” Getting a new sensor is NOT fixing the problem, but since the G7 is out, they will not be doing anything to fix the G6, and the G6 is the only CGM configured to work with the OmniPod 5.

Technology is great… if and when it works. Yes, I should call Dexcom, but I do not trust myself to act civilly to them right now, and since they have replaced so many sensors in the past few months, I wonder if they think I am trying to scam them into sending me free sensors (which I am not since my Medicare policy and my supplemental policy cover the sensor costs).

Am I alone in having these sensors always fail before Day 10? Has anyone talked to Insulet recently to see where they are at configuring the OmniPod 5 to work with the G7? Is the G7 any more reliable than the G6? Do any of you have any ideas on what I might do to get to Day 10?

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My G6 sensors typically fail after day six or day seven when my transmitter nears its end of life. The transmitters will go up to 112 days, but I normally swap out to a new one after sensors start getting signal losses when the transmitter has reached 90 days+. At the first signal loss, I immediately check the transmitter’s days left. Additionally, I find that my diet affects failure dates. When I LCHF, my numbers mostly flatline, and I often get the full 10 days without signal loss right to the end of the transmitter life. I switch my diet around periodically and add protein and/or carbs. I can’t flatline, and my sensors will fail after day six or seven when my transmitter nears the end of life. It may be just me, but that is my repeated experience. I am just building up my G7 stock while I use up the last of my G6 sensors/transmitter so will see how the G7 performs soon.

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I was having nearly all G6 sensor act stupid around day 7 or 8 over 24 months. But my last 5 sensors have worked as advertise- 10 days. I have no clue why.

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Strange. G6 sensors work really well for me and almost always last the full 10 days. I’ve had a few wonky sensors in the last 2.5 years or so that I’ve been using them, but it’s rare. One point, though, is that I wear them on my arm. I tried my abdomen twice and it just didn’t work.

Your experience sounds similar to what I experienced with the last version of Medtronic sensors (I forget what they are called). They were horrific for so many reasons and that is what inspired me to switch to tandem/Dexcom.

Experience with the various sensors really seems to vary by person!

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My G6 sensors have been working extremely well since I started wearing them on my arm. They always last 10 days and often read well from day 1.

I am a side sleeper so I wear it towards the inside of my arm maybe 5 inches from my shoulder. I have no compression problems.
I had all kinds of problems when I wore the sensor on my stomach.

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10, and I don’t mess w restarting or any of that. I presoak.

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I’ve had mixed results with G6 sensors. Lately they have been fine, lasting 10 + days consistently. But I have had bad batches or lots that consistently did not last 10 days, no matter whether they were on arms or abdomen. For me, the faulty sensors seemed to come in waves. The good news is that Dexcom seems to have no problem with sending replacements for sensors that did not go the full 10 days.

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My G6 sensors typically last the full 10 days but sometimes fail around day 8 or 9. When the occasional sensor disturbs my sleep with a false low, I quickly replace that sensor. I have a low tolerance for losing sleep to an inaccurate sensor.

I used to regularly restart the G6 sensors but they weren’t accurate enough to justify that. I suspect that the quality of my sensor sites has come down due to my age (70), weight loss and a loss of body fat.

I presoak all my sensors 12-20 hours.

I’ve been accumulating a G7 stock but I’ve changed my next shipment to G6s since I started to survey many negative comments on various online forums. When my current transmitter runs out of time, I will try the G7s and see for myself how they actually perform on my body. I’m wondering, perhaps, if all the negative G7 comments get amplified and all the happy users are not commenting.

The important thing is how well the G7s perform for me. I use the CGM readings to drive my Medtronic DIY Loop, so their performance is a safety issue to me. I’ll do the N=1 test and go from there. If I like the G7s then I’ll restart my G7 delivery. If not, I’ll just revert to the G6s for some time.

I don’t have to line up with the latest tech; I was very late in my abandonment of the G4 CGM as most people were using the G6 by that time.

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Mine always last the full 10 days and I restart every one of them. Some last another full 10 days, some only go for another 4-5. But for the initial session I always get a reliable 10 days.

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Ditto for me.

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That is reassuring. I have not had much luck with the last few boxes, but maybe I just got caught in a bad run. I suspect, however, that the CGM and my body chemistry just have “issues.” Thanks for the response, Luis.

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I agree. Each person is unique, as we all have different reactions to CGMs, foods, and insulin needs. I celebrate the differences, but I am frustrated with my own body’s fights with the G6. If and when Insulet Corporation ever coordinates the use of the OmniPod 5 with the Libra, I wonder if I would react better to that system. Time will tell…

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The same is true with the G6/ OmniPod 5 system. That is why the G6 failures are such a great concern for me.

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Sherry Ann, you’re right to be concerned with your G6 accuracy since it guides the delivery of your Omnipod insulin. Have you tried any different sites? I started using this year, for the first time, chest locations for my G6. I think that helped me with accuracy.

I’ve been using CGM sensors since 2009 and experienced long-term usability of the abdomen, over the hip area, and upper inside arm. My new working hypothesis is that my aging skin has changed the terrain and I must adjust as these conditions change.

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I have used the G6 since it came out, and for many, many years, I used the inside back of my arms. The readings were fairly good (at least, I thought so!) and I had few failures. Once I started using the OmniPod 5, I had to be concerned with “site lines” so that the CGM and the Pod could communicate. I started using my upper abdomen for my CGM and my lower abdomen for the Pods. As I stated, lately, the CGMs just are not trustworthy no matter where I put them. My husband says I do not drink enough water to stay fully hydrated, and he probably is right. I don’t know how much that affects the CGM reading, but it sort of makes sense that the area under the skin should be hydrated. As for the aging tissue, who knows? I have been diabetic for 57 years, so at age 69, I have abused the tissues with needles for many years. I only weigh 116 lbs. and stand 5’ 2", so I don’t have a lot of extra surface area to use!

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I’ve often suspected the quality of Dexcom’s CGMs. Back when the G4s performed so admirably, in both accuracy and longevity, I sometimes wondered if the sensor was deliberately downgraded to help the overall business. No proof, just a suspicion that creeped in.

The same goes for suspicions regarding the quality control of Dexcom’s G6 sensors. It’s hard to complain when Dexcom is so willing to replace a sensor that fails to deliver its promised accurate and 10-day service life. It is a nuisance, however, to live with a constant stream of sensors that fail.

I just communicated with a long-time Dexcom user who is about 5 years younger than me and regularly gets two 10-day sessions from the average G6. This user claims better accuracy in the second 10-day session. This causes me to question: is it sensor quality or the quality of my aging skin and tissue the reason for the early failures?

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At least half of mine last around 25 days. (I do not low carb). I don’t pay anything for mine, but I love restarts because for me they are easier to calibrate when I restart them. They take a lot less work to get them to stay within 5 points. I wear mine on my arm.

I have noticed a deterioration as I used to always get at least 20 days plus from all of them and over 30 days for some. Nowadays about half only go to about 15 days and the rest still last about 25 days.

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This is me, too.

I’ve definitely noticed the reduced quality of sensors. I used to be able to reliably get 30 days of good data. I could even run them longer, but the initial data points come back insanely high, and the calibration fight beyond 30 days just wasn’t worth it.

Now, I rarely hit 20 days, but I always get at least 10. I would guess 17ish days average. My current sensor is on day 13 and starting to do the Mexican jumping bean thing, so probably getting changed out.

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I have long suspected that the issue is with body chemistry. You mentioning that got me to think back to what else has changed. One thing is that I began Farxiga a week or 2 before I started having great sensor life. If I wasn’t so clumsy trying to release the transmitter with the sensor on my triceps I would do a restart.

Anyway, whether it is a side effect of the SGLT2 - Inhibitor, (Farxiga) who knows. I was started on it for kidney protection. My recent labs show a 2+ urine glucose, so it is causing the kidneys to excrete some glucose in the urine even though I have really good time in range.

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For me it’s been hit or miss. Some work ok while some fail a few days early. They do replace them when I report it but yes annoying and frustrating .