@Nicole4, I’m not sure that anyone who is not diabetic and already on a CGM can appreciate what a game changer this little device is. Being able to constantly monitor your BG by something as simple as looking at your phone enables you to fine tune your control in a way otherwise impossible. I’ll share your excitement if you’ll share mine!
The most common solution is to use Skin Tac adhesive plus Opsite Flexfix (with a hole cut out for the sensor bed) over the sensor tape. This topic has come up on here loads of times. If you search through this forum for threads with key words like Dexcom, Skin Tac and Flexfix, I am sure you will find more specific details.
Opsite Flexifix FTW!
@Nicole4 definitely contact Tandem about the syringes. You should’ve received a syringe & detachable needle for each cartridge in the box. Probably a packing error at the manufacturer.
i hope you like it,. i love my pump, but i think it hates me,.
I have noticed a lot of questions as to why one would want to upgrade from the G4 to a G5. for us (with emphasis on the “us”) it was a matter of being able to see our son’s BG level no matter where he is. With the G5 and his iPhone, his iPhone transmits his levels to the “Cloud” and from there down to his followers. We are always able to see how he is doing no matter where we are. When we are in bed at night, all we have to do is to check our phone. There is no receiver cradle to deal with anymore either. Usually if he is awake he is on top of things, but not always (he may have muted his phone or receiver and not feel its vibration). One night when he was out of town without us, he got into the danger zone and his phone was silenced. But, his phone was sending us the data and we had our alerts set. I was able to use the iPhone “find my phone” feature to cause his phone to ring over and over even though it was silenced for normal rings and alarms. This woke him up so that he could attend to his situation. We also now have redundancy. Either his phone or his receiver can break and we will have one or the other as a backup since both essentially work the same. The G5 transmits the same data via Bluetooth to both devices. At this time we are waiting on a new receiver to arrive and are still able to “CGM” (his receiver just broke).
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How do you know your pump is going bad? I read your views on pumps. Thanks alot - I appreciate it!
Hi Nicole4,
I use the Omnipod and the Dexcom G4 and they read pretty close to one another–often exactly the same. I’m very happy with both. I’ve never used a different CGM (this is my first), but I have used the Animus pump, and (nothing against it in particular) I can’t say how much happier I am with a tubeless pump!
Good-luck in finding the right fit for you!
Cheers,
Jenni
This is an interesting thread. My son, who just turned 7, came down with type 1 diabetes a few months ago. We are using the Dexcom 5 which is great. I love that I can see what his blood sugar is on my phone even when he’s not with me. This has eliminated a lot of fear, and I love that it shows all his readings so we can view trends. However, I feel I can’t move forward because I am finding that he really needs a pump - his blood sugar has crazy ups and downs during the day and I feel like a pump is really needed, but I am disappointed that none of the pumps go with the g5, is this correct? It just feels like things are moving so slowly right now in this area though there is a lot to be thankful for. Part of me is tempted to go the Medtronic 670 but then I wouldn’t be able to see his readings when I’m away from him, not sure about accuracy of the cgm and if he could even use it as he requires a smaller amount of insulin. I hate to get something and then not be able to get another pump for another 4 years but not sure how much longer I can hold on without a pump. Thoughts??? Any advice would be helpful.
Hello! I was diagnosed in my early 20s in December and by April I was on a pump. For me personally the pump is much easier to manage. I started out with a Medtronic pump, which I did not mind, but I did not do well with Medtronic’s CGM. Now, this is before the new system came out and I’ve heard their CGM has improved. That being said, I LOVE my Dexcom and would not personally go back to Medtronic as my readings are accurate. Before with Medtronic’ CGM I would get so frustrated I stopped wearing it. I do not have that problem with Dexcom, now I would feel naked without all the information it provides. I also love that I can see my sugar on my watch (amazing!) and that I can pull up trend reports on my sugars so that my endo is able to make accurate adjustments. My endo told me that they are working on a system similar to Medtronic’s so eventually we should be able to use Dexcom in a closed loop system as well. He also said improvements to the CGM will actually provide more accurate data than a finger prick down the road. I believe he said this would take a couple years yet to be released. All that being said, the fact that I manage my own diabetes rather than someone else would definitely impact my decision. If I had to manage someone else’s diabetes I may be more inclined to go with the most advanced system that is out now, as you can always switch when your warranty is up. I would encourage you to talk to your endo about it to help make the best decision for your situation. When I got my first pump I had to take classes first to learn how to carb count and understand how all the different pumps worked so I could make a more educated decision.
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I just re-read your post to see if I missed anything. If Medtronic’s CGM doesn’t allow you to follow like Dexcom’s does I could see how that would be hard to give up. Honestly for me, not having my pump integrated with my CGM has not been an issue. Especially if your giving manual shots now, i still think it would be less work than that. I still test with a meter several times a day: when I wake up, before eating, before bed, etc… I just have to manually enter it into my pump when I eat or correct, which for me is not a big deal. I use the CGM more for the data and to help me know what direction I’m headed. I hope this helps! There are lots of good groups on Facebook too with people who have gone through/are going the same things which I know I have found very helpful.
@Nicole4 gives great feedback on her CGM and pump. I would entirely agree with her on the CGM. We also find the Dexcom extremely accurate although often times we only bother with one calibration per day and no other confirmation fingersticks. Dexcom does say to provide 2 calibrations (per day) for the G5 - but with just the one we find it only off by a couple points IF we pick a good time to calibrate which is straight and level and in good range. Never calibrate when really high or low - that is just messing with the system. Similar to @Nicole4 we are also waiting for the pump enhancements that will integrate the Dexcom and ultimately provide the closed loop.
We are not willing to get a closed loop with somebody different if we don’t trust their sensor as the sensor drives the entire system.
@jteacher You mentioned your son just turned 7. That would just put him just out of the “under 7” warning from Medtronic. However AFAIK it is only FDA approved for ages 14 and older. Obviously Docs do “off-label” things but you would have to decide if you were comfortable with that.
@jteacher - Rather than jumping right to a pump to try and control your son’s swings, I suggest you speak with other T1 parents of small children. A diabetic child is VERY much different from older people. What works for young adults, middle aged adults and older adults WILL NOT work the same for small children. A pump is not necessarily going to fix that for you.
“WARNING: Medtronic performed an evaluation of the MiniMed 670G system and determined that it may not be safe for use in children under the age of 7 because of the way that the system is designed and the daily insulin requirements. Therefore this device should not be used in anyone under the age of 7 years old. This device should also not be used in patients who require less than a total daily insulin dose of 8 units per day because the device requires a minimum of 8 units per day to operate safely.”
BTW - Not to discount my advice to FIRST get advice from T1 parents of small children…
@jteacher, But I missed this point you made. This was a major decision point when we were recently contemplating switching to a newer pump. We had been on our previous one for 6 years and it was starting to break so we really had to switch. But were very concerned about the point you raise.
We ended up going with the Tandem t:slim X2. This is remote upgradeable via software download/update as well as having three publicly announced Dexcom integrations in their “pipeline”. This will give us access to quite a lot of technology which is not yet released. We will not have to switch pumps to get these technology enhancements. We expect to be able to download the upgrades on our new Tandem X2 pump.
Thank you for all your replies! I think I am really leaning toward the tslim x2 since you can download new technology like you said without waiting to get a new pump, also I like that it goes with the Dexcom and I think I might be disappointed going to the Medtronic’s cgm. Plus, I’m not sure the Medtronic 670 would be safe since he is young and uses a smaller amount of insulin, though the new stuff with Medtronic is tempting. I’m thinking of him going on a pump because I think it would help his blood sugar be more level and also being a little kid he really hates the shots. Thanks again, appreciate any and all advice!
G4 vs G5? With G6 around the corner I would think twice before committing myself for several years to a device which is compatible with G4 only.