How to prevent another lost receiver?

Hello,

At the risk of exposing myself as a complete idiot, I recently lost my dexcom receiver.
I was on a plane, after many days of not sleeping well, and have chronic fatigue anyway.
I guess having it clipped to my pocket wasn’t sufficient, because it is gone, and no one
can seem to find it. It will be a lot of money to replace, and I feel sick over it. I am
reluctant to spend it if I can’t find a reliable way to keep track of it, even when I’m exhausted
(which is very frequent) or dizzy from other meds (also not infrequent).

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Spibelt. I don’t use mine all the time but it holds nice and flat against the body and since it’s zippered less likely to fall out.

http://spibelt.com/

DIana

Right after I got mine, a friend of mine’s daughter lost hers while they were shopping. She was lucky and they found hers. She also put a tag on the back saying that it was a medical device and had their name & phone number if someone found it. I was worried about the clip and after that happened to her, knew that I was not going to trust it. I have mine in a Spibelt – it is zippered in a pouch. It would be able to fall out if I did not zipper the pouch, but it is a lot safer than the having it just on the clip.

Yep. My son has a spibelt and he’s 10 - and very likely to lose things. We haven’t lost the receiver yet. We love the spibelt.

I haven’t lost mine yet, it’s just a matter of time, though. I also placed a ticker on the back saying “medical equipment, please call if found” with my phone number. I’ve also looked into getting one of those key finder things. I printed off some info that I might try. You stick it on and use a credit card sized remote that when presses it beeps. We’ll see but I’ve “misplaced” it several times at home already.

Thanks everyone. All good ideas.

Yes, I am sure I will lose it soon, so maybe I’ll look into the spibelt thing.
I have worn the clip on my belt at work but any other time I keep it in my pocket. I have a sticker with my contact info on the back of mine but as soon as I needed to call tech support and find the serial number I had to peel it off. While on the phone with Dexcom I asked about finding lost receivers, and the customer service person said that people who find these will sometimes call the 1-800 number on the back of it, and with the receiver information Dexcom is usually able to track down the owner. (No telling how the finder actually gets the receiver to the owner after Dexcom makes a match - that’s another matter.) So I’ll keep my sticker on and hope for the best. Maybe someone will find the thing and call the 1-800 number - there’s still hope.

Definitely share the comments made here. I have added a label in the receiver case with phone number and email too, thought I’d do it someday, but I never did before losing my receiver somewhere getting in or out of the car… :frowning:

Now I have a lanyard (so I can also wear the receiver around the neck when I am at home wearing PJs) and I tie it to a belt loop when wearing pants, and having the label in the case. And thanks for the Spibelt tip!

Ciao, Luca

Here’s another idea for you: keep it INSIDE a pocket, not just “clipped to a pocket”. And then, replace the button on the pocket flap with velcro, all the way across.

There are shirts made like this right off the rack, for fisherman… but they tend to be expensive. So DIY instead.

It was clipped and on the inside of my pocket, just no velcro. Learning the hard way. The lanyard would work, especially as I already wear an enormous belt with pockets for my test kit junk and pump…

I always keep mine in a secure pocket. And I’ve taped a label with contact info on the back of it.

I always use a cell phone case. Another thread talked about this. They suggested the small cell phone case from Duluth Trading. It also fits my Omnipod PDM (I can’t wait for the integration).
Here is the link.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/searches/results_cellphoneholder.aspx?p_redirect=1&p_keyword=PHONE+CASE&processor=content

I’ve actually been recently looking for ways to keep my Dexcom receiver and Omnipod PDM together safely and easily accessible too. Not too long ago and still on occassion, I just wear something like a hoodie with front pockets to keep them close. I had been considering a larger cell phone case with belt loop or belt clip, as well as a camera case/bag that can be attached to your belt loop. It has been challenging though since I need a larger size (about 6" X 6") due to wanting to put my Dexcom and PDM in the same compartment.
I had previously purchased a nice fabric belt bag/purse that attached to a chain link belt. I preferred this b’cas I don’t like the idea of wearing something that looks more like a fanny pack, and this was far better and more fashionable. Unfortunately, due to the numerous times I had to open the bag (to access my devices), which had a flexible squeeze top opening, the stitching came undone/damaged on the sides. Since then, I have purchased (and should get soon), a different smallish vertical bag that has a loop on the back of it that I can also attach to the chain belt I still have. I’m hoping it will work a lot better since it has a zipper opening instead.

Another suggestion I have would be to consider a media bag (normally used for mp3 holder) or perhaps even an arm band with holder. You might want to check out eBay for some better deals than retail. Good luck.

Margaret

This suggestion is in line with an earlier one: I typed out labels and taped to the back of my DexCom: “This is a medical devise” 2nd line “if found please call my name and number” It gives me peace of mind to know it won’t be taken as some cool gadget if found!

I use those return mail labels the ADA sends me and stick them to everything I own with my cell phone # and the word, “reward” written in black sharpie. I’ve gotten my Dexcome back twice, and my Blackberry once. They cost me $10 ea. but well worth the reward.

I have just lost my reciever at a movie theater. I ran right back and searched the place over with no luck. The night manager took my information. I’m just praying it’s found. I’ve only had mine for 3 weeks, and I would put it in my pocket clipped in. I’m really sick over this. If I get it back I’ll definitly switch to wearing it in the spibelt. Wish I had seen this post earlier!