I thought I might throw down a few words on the new sensors. I literally just put my first one in a few minutes ago. I used the inserter that also came with my new 530 pump upgrade.
I was kind of in a weird way hoping to be underwhelmed so I wouldn't feel the urge to pay more for anything, but oh well.
The insertion and inserter is ridiculously well designed and it was all but painless. No blood at all (and I bled almost every single time with the old sensors).
I absolutely love how the end of the sensor now has a blunt edge so you can push the transmitter on and push back the other way on the sensor to keep all in place during a connection. With the old one it felt like you were kind of picking the sensor strip up as you were doing this. Kind of hard to explain, but it felt odd and not very well designed.
Back to the new Enlite. The way the needle springs back out of place after you pull the catheter out is very snazzy and appreciated (though maybe a little unnecessary). The adhesive, while still pandering to the ludicrous design of the transmitter and how it isn't fixed in place, is better, and Minimed have included some adhesive patches which fix over the sensor both above and underneath to help secure all in place.
There's even a little extra tape piece on the sensor to adhere the transmitter to you and the whole adhesive set.
This...I was in two minds whether or not to use this as obviously, at day 7 or so when my transmitter runs out of juice, I'm going to try a recharge and it means this will have to be cut.
Anyway. so far so good. I'm going to let it run in for a few hours and then see how the accuracy and lag is compared to the originals too :)
A little disappointed to see the low level maxes out at 60 on the new pump (this is as low as it will allow you to set it to). This in my mind is a little high so take such a drastic measure, but we'll see. Perhaps it will be of some use...Time will tell.
I'd love to hear some thoughts from others who are also using this setup for the first time.
If it's like any other adhesives then I think it's adhesive life will either be completely gone, or it will be so unbelievably gummy that it won't allow me to reattach.
One thing though...He forgot to remove the adhesive covering on the main part of the sensor after he inserted it. Only the initial sticker is exposed when you pull the stand out from the inserter. The second one is to be done manually. You pull it out from underneath before you attach the transmitter. You can see it moving around a tonne as he attaches the transmitter.
Everything does look exactly the same though. Even the inserter.
Complete comfort firstly. Not a single 'pinched' type sensation or any feeling at all for that matter. Adhesive set seems still fixed firmly in place after my morning shower. Doesn't appear to be holding onto any water, which often isn't the case for IV3000s.
Otherwise much the same. I did notice today that as I'd programmed my 'pattern A' basal secondly to the first. I failed to notice that it then went in to run pattern A. I finally noticed around 4pm :D
My pattern A is used for when I'm having a busier day and is everything scaled back a wee bit, and thus I felt like I was battling an old infusion set or something. It just wasn't quite working right...Reason being that I wasn't getting enough insulin. duh. This was after I'd changed my infusion set. :/
Oh well, we're on track again.
I experienced a slight low at 1am. My pump is set to annoy me at anything under 70. I ate a single Rolo candy (about 5 carbs), and the response from the glucose monitor seemed fast to react to it. Within a 10 minute (2 readings) period, I was seeing a reasonable and logical upswing, one of which that was 9 points higher that then immediately slowed. Looks like a single Rolo on a bar graph to me!
I also notice that the response, while still every 5 minutes as displayed, still lags behind a further 3 minutes before posting that (now three minutes previous) result. I could never figure out why it does this. IE the next result is due at 1:05, but doesn't actually show until 1:08, but then says 1:05. I know it's a minor thing, but why doesn't it simply state the actual time it changes rather than 3 minutes before? It makes waiting for the next reading a little frustrating at those times when you're waiting for a Rolo to hit and see all is well in the world :D
I am in my second sensor, I bypassed the upgrade and went with my Revel pump and the Enlites. At first they would not sell them, but then they allowed it for whatever reason with a warning.
I find it much easier to install and much easier to connect.( install them manually as I did with the sofsensors.) I just like to see where it is going and that spring loaded thing hides it and freaks me out a little.
I also decided that the accuracy is much improved. I can see on my comparison charts that i upload to carelink that the points are much closer, I think may be 20% closer to the finger sticks.
I like the fact that my Revel allows low numbers so my charts won't flatten out at 60. Not that I really get down that low often, but a 60 is worry some, but a 40 is scary.
Still I wouldn't wait until my pump shut off, I simply eat when I get a low alarm under 70.
I have gotten into the 40s from time to time and it is nice to at least have the ability.
I cover mine with an IV3000 even though I think new adhesive system might be all I need, I just feel better with it covered.
I never wanted the suspend feature anyway so I'm happy without it.
My first sensor crapped out at right around 12 days. That's about double compared to the soft sensors. Makes sense since the Enlites are twice the cost.
I had one or two of the originals do this. Shame it has to be the first tested. It seemed pretty accurate up until that last day, and then started to report false lows. Not a huge margin of error, but one that grew larger and then triggered the sensor error.
I massaged the site and managed to get it to reconnect, but then it continued reporting a very suspect flatlining lowish level or around 79-83, hardly veering. I fingerstick tested to 112 and it died again.
Removing site :(
I should also note that removal was fine. No blood. This is also the first time I've seen the actual sensor strip. It;s quite considerably smaller. I do hope this isn't why it didn't last as long. I really do want to justify the continued use of these and won't be able to if they fizzle out after 5.5 days.
Additionally, the connective adhesive strip did unstick and reattach for the second charge. (I charged it this morning after the first 6 days of the sensor ended). Adhesive set was still in good shape and wasn't peeling up.
My second sensor is on day 7 and working nicely. I charged up and reconnected yesterday.The site looks great and no irritation. I wonder if higher sugars cause the sensor to get used up faster. It sort of makes sense that the reagent only goes so far.
This week has been tough for me, having a few very high highs that resisted coming down. Still I made it to day 7. I wonder if maybe it is a crap shoot, which lot we get.I also have to reinitialize it every 3 days, and I don't know how that effects the length of use, if at all.
The sheer variance is what frustrates me. Minimum of 3 days and max of 23 days for me. Average of roughly 11 days.
For the sake of this thread it seems likely the life spans are basically the same. As such, the costs for those of us who use these until they're dead are effectively doubled from the originals.
The odd thing for me is that if I get more length out of a sensor, and it causes me to skip an order, My insurance company discontinues my prescription.Then I have to call my doc and start it over again. Sort of like, they want me to not get more life out of them.
I get charged $400 per month and I pay $80 of that. I think $40 a month is reasonable if I can get just 2 rounds out of a sensor.
I never wore a softsensor past 6 days, so the enlites are definitely longer lasting. I doubt I will get double duty out of them, but I'm ok with that. If you get fewer than 6, You can get a credit from Medtronic.
Oddly, a box of 15 enlite sensors arrived Tuesday. I didn't order them.
Missed my chance to call medtronic today due to helping at my son's school, but I'll call tomorrow and figure out what they're up to now.
I was actually awaiting a call from them telling me how much each order would cost. So strange that they'd send a three month supply too. I do not use the auto prescription filling service they offer. I order as and when needed due to the differing lives of the various supplies.
It took over an hour of being thrown back and forth between departments, and some near arguments when I explained why I didn't want the sensors (I was using up my old sensors first).
I understand that it is not your corporate policy to use sofsensors with the 530G, but you won't replace opened sensor boxes with new either, so I'm going to use them. Telling me that I was told this order would be placed when I specifically was not doesn't really make me feel warm squishy feelings towards your company.
I'm not wasting 80 dollars worth of sensors that we both know full well will work perfectly.
Ugh.
When being told that they would be replaced with an equivalent number of boxes (so half the sensors) I said that everyone re-uses the sensors, and so this wasn't an equivalent. It was exactly half.
I don't even have automated ordering. I specifically asked to be told what they would cost before I could even place an order.
Seriously guys, good luck ordering some old sofsensors with the new pump if that's what you had in mind.
I don't expect a corporation to encourage the extended use of unspecified times for products, but when you're using it to just squeeze more money from people that's different. Even my endo encourages the re-using of sensors. They're incredibly expensive.
And also, how will it take 4-6 weeks for a credit to be applied to my bill? That time frame is ridiculous for something I didn't even order.
Thanks for such "enlitenment" Timothy. I have a revel 723, which I only use as a cgm, and that darned sof sensor sometimes drives me nuts. Inserting it in my abdomen, it often will not go all the way in, so I have to finish the job manually, but often it comes out as I am working or excercising. Other, non approved sites actually work best for me. Sensor accuracy is oxymoronic too. I usually restart and get 6 days out of a good sensor though. I plan to have my doctor change my prescription to the enlite. Once again, thanks so much for doing the groundwork for us.
The 530g is the same as the Revel. The only difference is the Threshold suspend feature that turns the basal off if you reach an SG of 60. You can immediately turn it back on. The charts do not flatten out at 60. The charts are the same as the Revel. The threshold suspend has helped me several times during the night already. It is actually a really good feature. If I am awake and get the threshold suspend alarm I just turn the basal back on and treat the low. But if I don't hear the alarm (if it doesn't wake me up), it's great that it turns off the basal. Sometimes I wake up afterwards and find that my pump is suspended. It is easy to turn it back on.
I’ve been using them for a few months now. I find that the wire gets bent more easily and therefore wastes sensors. I find it better to insert them manually. I have a video up if you care to watch it on how to do that… Anyway I find behind my arms in triceps area is the best place. I have not had one get bent or come up bad since I started using those sites. The wire is shorter so any problem at all will trash the sensor.
Here is the link although I posted it in another thread a while back.
I have been responding to another thread in the consistant issues I have had with the enlites. I have been checked for scar tissue, had my medtronic rep watch me insert to make sure that there is no user error… And so far no luck. In the last two months, I have had 1 enlite last 6 days, and 1 last for 5… They all either dont insert fully, never initialize (isig of 0.0 for the entire intialization period) or spiral into low Isig and start reporting low bg when my bg is not low, this in turn least to threshold suspends when I do not need it, which leads to high blood sugar later on… Vicious cycle!
I recently put in one of my old sof sensors with the new pump, and so far NO ISSUES. Plus the sof sensors always gave me reliable numbers, very close to my bg.
I can’t really speak to the accuracy of the enlite… Because if they don’t work… They are not accurate. Getting so frustrated, I have spent more time on the phone with medtronic that with my own mother! I don’t want to talk to them anymore, I am tired of answering the same question, and while it is rare, every once in a while, you get a rep who doesn’t know what they are talking about, and can be very rude.
I did the switch back to the old sensors this last period and it's worked very well too. There's so much bad press online about how much better the Dexcom is but they were almost always very reliable for me. The Enlites seem to get a bit wiggy into day 5-6, like they drain the charge more. The first few days seem nice, then I get all jazzed up but so far I've noticed they also seem very susceptible to reading high after gonzo workouts, like the interstitial fluid gets cooked somehow or something as I'll see 140 on the CGM and meter in the 70s (which is where I want to be anyway). They also seem inclined to read lower at night. I dunno if this is "programmed" or if it just works out that way. Plus, I'm off label as I kept my old pump. If the accuracy is so whacked, I certainly don't want my pump turning itself off.
The biggest problem for me is that with all the screwed up readings, I have pretty much zero data to study to see what to fix or adjust. I have a bunch of the old sensors but they are so old, I'm concerned they might be expired. As long as they work, I will work through them and worry about the Enlites when they run out or something.
Another thing that occurs to me is that my transmitter might be a couple of years old. I vaguely recall that when my last transmitter was a couple of years old, it got a bit whacked out. This is only my second since 2010 so perhaps it's time to "reboot" that? Maybe I'll try that before I give up. Oh wait, I'm not going to give up...
