I wore the CGM for two weeks and have not worn it all this past week, because I am so frustrated that it works until I calibrate it and then it goes haywire.
Anyone else have trouble with your initial first weeks on the thing.
It is 100% covered and I am not using it and feel like I should, because I had a few good days where it helped me but mostly I felt like I was constantly checking it to see if it was right and sometimes it was right on and sometimes it was way way off, so how could I ever trust it for a bike ride, or to catch severe lows or highs.
It seemed when my bgs went high or way low is when the sensor could not revert back to normal bgs readings when my meter showed I was normal.
I finally gave up as I felt I was ready to calibrate then my bgs were not steady so I had to wait, then it was time to eat and that is a bad time to calibrate, it seemed all consuming and not something that I needed with an already all consuming disease.
Could current CGM’ers please help and/or post your feelings about the CGM?
Seems like I spent the first day of a new sensor calibrating, the second day it would work kind of and then the third day it would say sensor end and then back to square one with the same sensor of more calibrations and waiting, ahhhh!!!
I’ve been using the Minimed system since April. I have been very frustrated with it sometimes. I’ve spent way too much time on the phone with Minimed Customer Support. One MM support person said that that the CGMS is just not right for everybody. Especially after I bought the thing, I didn’t like hearing that. I very much want the thing to work. I have felt quite alright going for a some time without using it. I am using it today and it has seemed to get a lot easier to use over the months. I have seen that my blood sugars are a LOT better controlled when I use the CGMS I am definitely NOT a poster child for easy to control blood sugar. The CGMS has helped a LOT in preventingt trouble with lows. I do not know what to tell you to do, but I hope you stay with it.
I have been wearing Dexcom for about a year now, and I have to say that I really have not had many problems. My sensors get screwy toward the end of wear…10 - 21 days with the SEVEN sensors. I get a lot of flat lines that don’t correspond to bg values at this point. That is when I know the sensor is shot.
I suggest you try another site. I wear my sensors on upper buttocks. It’s hidden, and it seems to work for me as there is less movement than when I wore them on abdomen.
Positives for me: much better bg control in that you can treat the trend much faster. Finger sticks just don’t do that. This is reflected in much better A1C’s for me.
Negatives for me:
This is something attached to the body. Even though it is minimal, I do not like having something attached to me. That is why the pump is not for me.
You are CONSTANTLY reminded of diabetes. Sometimes you want a break from this. CGM’s don’t allow that, but that is why you can get the tight control with them.
My suggestion is to hang in there and try a different site. Good luck and let us know.
I also have the Dexcom (in my second month) and haven’t had the same problems described by others. Each “seven day” sensor has lasted 14. Typically on the last day or two I start noticing gaps in the readings also. My nephew tried the Minimed, but he was too lean and the sensor wouldn’t work on him. The nurse that did my training at my doctor’s office recommended he try the Dex, as it is not supposed to be so big going in.
I got Minimed’s CGM/722 in July (I paid for it out of pocket-- my insurance wouldn’t cover it) and I hated it. It is sitting on my dresser, unused since this summer. Basically, I had 2 main gripes: (1) the adhesive that kept the sensor in place was HORRIBLY itchy for me, to the point where I could not sleep or relax because it was constantly bothering me. I thought this was strange, because I have been on the pump since 1992 and never had a problem with adhesive for my infusion sites. And, (2) like you, I had big-time problems with calibrating the sensor. It was extremely inaccurate (the most accurate number I ever got was still 50 mg/dL off), and I felt like I either had to lie to the pump about what my bg was, or put the real number in and have it give me a “Cal Error” and ultimately a “Bad Sensor” alarm. I was so frustrated.
Also, I wore the sensor in my lower abdomen and I had to wait AT LEAST 8 HOURS before my pump could “find” it. Minimed says this is because my fluid must not circulate very much because I do not have very much fat under my skin on my stomach or something. They said I should aggressively massage my abdomen before and right after I insert the sensor, to get the fluid moving. I would prefer to just put it in my hip if that was the only problem, because I have plenty of fat there!! In any event, I am like Robert-- I refuse to use it until they improve its accuracy and use a different adhesive.
I also hated the calibration reminder alarms because I am very private about my T1 at work and they would occur at the worst possible times. Ugh.
I know a lot of people use the CGM and find it very helpful-- I’m sure I’m in the minority with my feelings about it. But that’s my $0.02.
Good luck,
Katie
Im sorry you are having such a hard time with your sensor . It is paid for so my advice is try to get another trainer . Were you told not to touch the end of the sensor ( the handle thing that you pull the needle out with ) That can break the wire and you will not get good readings . You should only pull it out , try not to touch it until then . Maybe try starting a new sensor before bed get connected but dont ask your pump to start new sensor until morning , then start your sensor you may have to wait 2 hrs to calibrate some time it makes me wait sometimes not, another thing is look at the isig number if it says 1.1 and your blood sugar is 200 its not going to be accurate …wait until that isig number is close to your actual blood sugar (1.1) would be 100 or close ) . I hope that helps . I dont get accurate numbers all day every day but enought to help for me its worth it . I do take a break sometimes though after mine died yesterday I didnt start a new one I will probably start one tonight .
HI Karen,
I definitely understand your frustration, but I think that if you stick with it things may get better (they did for me). The sensor definitely has it periods of inaccuracy but I’ve found over a few months I learned how to interpret the results and it’s been a really useful tool. It’s true that it does remind you of diabetes 24/7, and that can be hard. But for me there’s a big comfort factor in being able to see the trends and I couldn’t give it up. Although I do want to throw it against the wall a little bit sometimes.
Here are a few things that have helped me along the way:
If you are getting cal errors, you can make sure that you are safe to calibrate by doing a simple calculation (courtesy of MiniMed):
Divide your current meter BG by the ISIG value - anything under 20 and you’re safe to calibrate. 20 or over and it’s going to throw an error. If this happens with an ISIG under 10 I usually just unplug the transmitter and recharge, then restart the sensor. That usually helps.
You can “start new sensor” without disconnecting the transmitter, and this allows you to keep going almost immediately - mine usually prompts me for a calibration within a few seconds. You will need to recharge the transmitter if you restart the same sensor a 3rd time though.
I often have a lot of trouble with weak/lost signals when I first insert a sensor. I have found this is better if I leave the introducer needle in for a few minutes (that helps w/ bleeding too), if this happens I usually just turn the sensor off and try again a bit later.
I had a terrible time using stomach sites. I had a lot of success on my upper buttocks, and I recently discovered that my arms work best of all - I didn’t think the sensors would work in leaner areas but I have actually found them to be especially accurate there, and hardly noticeable.
I hope you give it another try, i’m really glad that I did!
Thanks for taking the time to write out all your helpful hints. I have yet to try the sensor again, but I will. I will give the arm a try.
I guess I thought this new tool would be easier and not have so many variables just to keep it running smoothly.
I did have a few days where it worked well, so yes I will try it again, especially since it is 100% covered for me and I do want to be able to try walking the golf course again with out worrying of hypo’s and not knowing.
I have heard quite a few success stories and my endo did say to give it 6 months.
Any helpful hints of getting the sticky IV 3000 buildup off the transmitter??
Well I alcoholed my transmitter and rough toweled off the sticky IV3000 and I tried the sensor again last night and today and numbers have been nearly right on all day with my meter. Rough day bgs wise today for me because the CGM does not fix that issue, but the matching the meter sticks and seeing what was going on bgs wise all day, can truly be helpful.
If this keeps up I can see the CGM being a useful tool.
Karen,
I saw that Kerri (Six Until Me) uses a band-aid to hold her sensor in place…no sticky adhesive on the transmitter that way—when i saw that i thought, Genius!—which we all know Kerri is.
Secondly, i understand your frustrations—i use the Dexcom and had lots and lots of issues for awhile…i finally found that my sensor spot affects accuracy and sensor life greatly…my lower abdomen just does not work…my sides worked great(15 days) but really no good for me because i sleep on my side alot=15 days of interupted sleep. My spot is about 2-3 inches above my belly button—i find that when i sit, stand move around that that portion of my body does not ‘roll’ over at all. One of the tech ppl at Dex told me that if you have some jelly rolls on your tummy, and the sensor is affected by them, it will move around more and that is not optimal. Maybe this is why the arm works well for so many people.
I hope you can find your spot…and get the CGM working consistently…it really is fantastic----i know that it can feel like a full time job trying to get it up and running, calling tech suppport, and being down right frustrated. I think research has shown that for some people MM works better, others Dex, others both work the same, and some neither work well.
The nice thing about Dex is that Dex can be calibrated a million times and it doesnt seem to freak the thing out. I have a friend that has a Dex she is not using…maybe you guys should swap--
Well day two went well too, it was pretty much right on bgs wise 10-20 point difference at times, but it caught my high after breakfast, was good the rest of the day AND I HAD GOOD BGS, and then it caught a low right before dinner, so I am a happy camper again today. I am finding I am spiking bigtime after breakfast, I am going to fast tomorrow in the a.m. to see where I am spiking, hope the CGM does not crap out on me as that will be day three and that is when it might want the new sensor fake out.
Well I am back on now for 4 days and what do you know the CGM has been so accurate and no calibration errors and no other issues, and it has helped me big time from going too high. I got an end sensor last night, but did a new sensor start up with the current sensor and it has been right on all night long and this a.m.
Last few days I have learned I have a huge bgs rise in the a.m., which I thought was a basal issue, but when I slept through the time when my bgs rises this a.m. and looked at the CGM there was no rise, so I am thinking it is either coffee, or the fact that I am always late in the a.m. and get a little stressed and this is causing the huge rise in the morning.
Karen, You are doing good this time with the cgm?? What are you doing differently? I haven’t tried mine again, but I want to. When do you put it in,and how long after you ate or before you eat after putting it in?
I am not sure what the difference is as I used my stomach again. In my opinion it should work well each time, but I have experienced that it does not and others say the same thing.
I am on day six of this sensor and it is soooo close to my meter reading constantly.
I believe I started it after dinner and then I did the two hour calibration right before bed when my bgs was stable. It woke me up in the a.m. for another calibration so I tested in bed and fed the number in and it has been smooth sailing ever since with no calibration errors. I have been calibrating about twice a day and it seems to be working well right before a meal when my bgs is pretty normal and then I send the bgs reading to the sensor, enter carbs for my meal and bolus and things seem to be running smoothly for whatever reason.
I have even calibrated in the early morning and calibrating off what the sensor said and went back to sleep and tested when I woke up and calibrated again. I have been calibrating when it works out for me and also thinking about when the next one will be, as to avoid it waking me up.
It has caught a few lows and as I was going high after a few meals I bolused some insulin and have been staying below 160 and then back to normal.
I am thinking, also, that I am having better luck as my hormones are not raging and when my diabetes in general is easier to handle, hope that makes sense.
Try the sensor again, what can it hurt, and just remember to test your bgs like you don’t have a sensor and calibrate when you are doing well like before a meal.
On the third day when I got the sensor end warning, I sent to Sensor Start, then New Sensor and then in about 5-10 minutes it asked for a bg meter read and I was good to go. This is a way to extend the sensor life and you make the transmitter believe you inserted a new sensor, so yes I am on day six.
When your sensor ends dont take the transmitter off just go to start new sensor and it will ask for a BG meter in a few min . instead of the 2hr wait …so make sure you do it when your stable . If you are rising or falling when the sensor ends just wait to do the start new sensor . Then the next 3 days when the sensor dies you can remove transmitter and charge and try to still use the same sensor . This time you will have to wait 2 hrs to enter bg . Some people get 9 or more day .
