Me, too. I’ve been pre-soaking about 18 hours but for the last sensor I was only able to insert the next sensor 5 hours before the current one expired. It worked out just as well as the 18-hour pre-soaks.
I do calibrate once or twice in the first 12 hours but they’re usually only a 20 mg/dL difference from the current sensor reading. Those one or two calibrations bring the sensor readings within 5-10 mg/dL and I get a nice steady and accurate run of 10 days.
Good luck with the nuclear stress test. No matter what your performance turns out to be, the doctors will learn more about your situation.
I’m not a maniacal pump zealot, though I’ve been using one for ten years or so. They are more complicated than MDI, which means a lot more failure points, but they can be a huge improvement in terms of quality of life, which offsets that. Being able to set your basal rate to fit your diurnal patterns, alter it to meet special circumstances, exercise etc is a huge, fundamental difference vs MDI. With the latest AID (automated insulin delivery) pumps there’s the capacity to have that happen dynamically in response to CGM readings too. How well that works for you depends on a few things. CGM accuracy is obviously one, another is how tight your control is to begin with. They have built-in limitations that can be frustrating for people doing as well as 5.4–they tend to target something more like ~6.2, though they are very good at time-in-range, which may be more important to you. Also, if that 5.4 is coming at the cost of too many hypos, they can be really good with that.
The big question as always is “What problem are you trying to fix?” What are you unhappy about with your current regimen? A pump may be the answer, but it may not. There are a lot more failure points than with MDI, a new system to learn, and there’s nothing that says you should get a pump just because everyone seems to be doing it. I would make the “everyone should have one” argument for CGM and have—a friend who thought she was doing fine with MDI and finger sticks, until she saw what was really going on when she finally got a G6. But you’re already on board with that one.
Wishing you the best @Marilyn6. I agree with the others than the first 12-24 hours can be dicey with the G6 though I find them usually accurate. If it’s still way off after that, you can try replacing it and see if it was just an iffy sensor, especially if it was a bleeder. I’ve been using it for a while now, and I had one sensor that was just a bit off; the others were almost always dead on or pretty close to.
Also I am always so impressed by your control and all the things you do to manage your diabetes and your health. I’m sorry you are dealing with possibly more challenges now, but I hope they are small and/or transient and/or that it’s a matter of tweaking all the things you do to adapt to a new variable.
Wow you are really going through it. Luckily you have built up stamina over the years dealing with one thing or another.
I can’t imagine that you won’t beat this back too.
As far as the g6 goes, I put mine in at bed time and I don’t look at it until morning. Then I usually have good results.
I never have good results when it is in my abdomen. The backs of my arms work best.
Especially when you are in bed so much, the cgm needs good lymphatic movement, if you are stuck in bed, the readings will lag behind
There is also a possibility you have a bad sensor or it didn’t go in all the way.
If it’s been 2 days and you still are not getting good results, then it might be time to start with a new one, dexcom will replace it.
When you remove it, look to see the wire, if it’s bent or anything.
Well, I am about to go for the stress test. My G6 says 39, finger stick says 90. It will not let me recalibrate. When I get home I will be calling Dexcom. Next time I will use the advice you guys have given me.
I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope it’s just nothing and just due to stress caused by worrying about your husbands situation.
I too put on my g6 about 10 hours before I start one. It’s usually a bit off (usually under 30 difference) on the first day, calibrating does help for me.
From what I remember you are one of the people on this forum who have great control over the years with diabetes and keep healthy. Hope you feel better soon! Take care!
Thanks Tedos, my diabetes has been in quite good control for about 40 yrs, extremely good control for about 15 of those years. It was the first 22 or 23 yrs that were worrisome. My doctor thought that with urine testing being free of sugar once a day was good enough.
I am so sorry about your health scare and wish you a complete recovery. I find the g6 all but useless for about 24 hours. I don’t pre-soak, rather I just do finger sticks for the first day and only calibrate before going to bed so that alarms don’t drive me crazy.
I’ve had issues with calibration sometimes, but realized it was usually when I applied a new sensor in the evening. That led to some sleepless nights, for myself as well as my spouse. Having made that mistake twice, I’ve switched to applying the sensor earlier, usually in the AM or around noon, so I can work out any issues beforehand. Even early evening is okay, provided I have enough time before bed.
James, I always try to attach my sensor by 10:00 am, but I still had the alarm go off around 2:00am. I never attach it while I am already running one and I suppose I should try. They have been giving me hydrocortisone Tylenol mix in the hospital and maybe the tylenol part is messing the G6 up. It has been well past 24 hrs and this machine keeps doing anything correctly.
The other trick that I learned from a Dexcom rep to improve the G6 accuracy in the first couple of days is to NOT start the new sensor right after replacing the old, expired sensor. Insert the new sensor and the transmitter but then WAIT 10-20 minutes (I wait 20 mins) before tapping New Sensor for the 2 hour warmup period. This trick has greatly improved the G6 accuracy for me. I also tried pre-soaking as others have mentioned. It helped, but no where near to the extent that the Dexcom rep trick helps.
I also only use the back of my arms for the sensor. I used to only use my abs for the G5 but could not get the G6 to work in that location. The sensor would only last a few days before it had errors.
I will continue to read all of the wonderful help you guys have given me. We are back home. The nuclear stress was very hard because it gave me a dreadful headache and made me throw up. I guess those are the side effects for a few people.
The good news is that it looks like my heart is fine and this was all the result of thinking that my dear husband might die. After 55 yrs of being together, I don’t know what I would do without him. Also our 32 yr old son who has had Tourette’s Syndrome since he was 6, has been ticcing like he hasn’t done in years. He is yelling out words at work and that is embarrassing for him. He is an essential worker. He is devastated. He also has coprolalia and that makes him very hard to be around. People who know him or understand TS deal with it ok, but others find it very rude and odd. He really is a sweet man.
Together it was all too much for me. Thanks all for getting me through this. I must say that the hospital was wonderful. They followed all the Covid rules and worked hard to keep all safe.
One more thing, with all of the stress, my glucose levels have been what I consider to be awful. Much harder to keep my numbers between 65 and 160 and very frustrating to see lower and higher numbers. Stress really does play havoc with our numbers.
Thanks for letting me share. It did me a world of good.
I’m so glad you went to the hospital (even though the hospital is the worst).
Here’s some pick-me-up movies if you need to kill some time. around the house and de-stress. Barefoot in the Park is sooo funny, but I can’t find it on the internet for posting.
Grace of Monaco
Haven’t seen this one, but its more recent and in color with Nicole Kidman.
As free movies on the internet go, it looks decent - but it will lead you to more free movies on Youtube incase you see something better.
Marie, that is how I have always calibrated my G5, but this G6 won’t cooperate. This morning it was way off so I double calibrated it and 10 minutes later it told me that I needed to wait to a certain time to calibrate, so I waited the 20 minutes, calibrated once again, and it tells me that I need to wait another few minutes.
I am calling Dexcom today, because this is ridiculous. Plus it woke me up again last night when it read 67 and I was really 110. I was sleeping on my back and the device was on my stomach.
@Marilyn, is this all the same sensor? I would toss it, ask for a replacement, and try a new one. Also for me they settle in best/fastest if I leave them alone in the first day, even if they are off, instead calibrating.
