Has anyone else noticed more failures recently with their G6 sensors?
The past 4 sensors I have used have had issues. For one, they have started to fail around the 7 day mark, and then I also had one where the inserter malfunctioned and the needle didn’t retract, so I had to rip it off with the needle still poking in me. I just sent the failed device back tot hem, and now my current sensor has failed. I had no issues with them for the first 4 months of usage, so not sure what is going on there.
all from the same batch?
I had that happen with my last-but-one sensor, first time it’s ever happened. Other than that, they’ve all been fine.
The very first G6 I tried stuck like that. Only that once.
All my other failures seem to mainly be involving a sensor that isn’t fully adhered and moving around a little.
I have had two that would lose signal, even with my pump within 6" of the transmitter. Came back after about an hour or so.
No issues here yet, fingers crossed. I’ve been able to get 20+ days out of mine, unless Tandem asked me to remove them early when I was having Bluetooth issues.
I’ve noticed sensor errors towards the end of the 10 days on a semi-regular basis. Usually checks out for 15-30 minutes or more. Sometimes it’s bad enough I just change it early.
Btw, I normally run mine 14 days. I have ran a couple to 21 days.
BTW, I’d never even heard of this until it happened to me a couple of weeks ago, but since then I’ve seen a couple other reports popping up, including this one. Selection bias, maybe, but it does seem to suggest there may be a recent quality control problem. The tech support person I talked to said it was rare but a known issue.
FWIW, on my own thread about this someone said they’d seen a tip on FB about whacking it with a wooden spoon to make it release. I guess I’d try that if it happens to me again, though it seems a little crude.
I had to call Dexcom again yesterday because the sensor failed completely. I swapped it out for the last replacement they sent and that one failed to start once, then I restarted it before bed, woke up with a BG of 38 in the wee hours of the morning and the sensor reported failure to start again. I again attempted to start it this morning and it has finally successfully started. Man what a run of bad luck lately! I had pretty flawless performance from almost all my sensors until now.
I recently had a sensor insertion fail the same way. Like you, they sent me a package so I could return it to them.
My n=1 experience is I think the G6 is way more sensitive to having the “perfect” environment of interstitial fluid. My initial 90-day batch was flawless, but since then, I’ve had a very high rate of failure.
Since early November, I have been really focused on rotating locations and the failure rate has gone way down. In addition to the insertion failure, I’ve “only” had three failures. I have had 24 failures (most during the two-hour warm-up) since starting on the G6 in March 2019.
Are you waiting 15 minutes or more between Sensor STOP ans Sensor START?
I can’t wait until I can post a video of me whacking myself with a wooden spoon!
I’ve had to extract “the wrong transmitter (it was my old one with expired battery)” from a new sensor that was on my belly. I kinda knew where the little pry points were to release the tabs but had never actually done it before. My wife walked into the kitchen and I had credit cards and miniature screwdrivers hanging off the sensor on my belly as I was trying to keep the tabs pried open.
The person in the video I watched used a test strip, which works if you hit it just right, but I mangled a few trying. Really hard to get right if the sensor’s on the back of your arm—you just have to go by feel. Or ask your wife, which is what I eventually did.
LOL That had to be a sight!
Or husband, which is what I would end up doing!
I feel for those who must handle all of this without a spouse/friend/family member to help!
YES I eventually settled on a onetouch Verio test strip as the right tool at each tab to keep it pried open. I swear I spent half an hour with screwdrivers and credit cards before I figured out the technique with test strips which just worked.
So far I am sticking to the official recommendation of belly CGM sites for the G6. I always found it exquisitely awkward to use my arm but maybe after nearly 40 years as a T1 I should stop being a wuss and learn how to use that as a site.
I think you should just have your wife on standby with a wooden spoon at all times. 
You’re assuming I don’t?
May main reason for using my arm for CGM is that I absolutely can not use it for an infusion set. I’ve tried, and then I take my shirt off too fast or I roll over in bed, and yank! out it goes. And where to run the tubing is also a big problem. Nor do I want to use an Omnipod—there are aspects of it that just wouldn’t work for me. So it’s more about not occupying the relatively limited territory I need for pumping with something else that takes up significant space, especially given the restrictions about placing an infusion set too close to your CGM.
Speaking of spousal assistance, nice thing about the G6 is it’s a LOT easier to insert on the back of the arm. I found myself having to resort to “Hon, could you come here?” fairly often with G5 insertions, though I did get to where I could manage it solo if I had too. The insertion wasn’t so much a problem as getting the tube thing to release cleanly.
If you’ve got one of those really thin plastic insurance cards, they work great for prying the transmitter out. I wound up just cutting a strip off a thin, plastic file folder, so I had something dedicated to keep in my supply box. Thin, but stiff is the key. I’ve had trouble with the test strip method because my freestyle lite strips mangle too easily.
While I’ve always had plenty of fat on my belly, legs, and rear end, my arms have never had much fat to make a good injection or sensor site. Well, that’s my excuse at least. I probably haven’t tried sticking myself in the arm in 20 years now but it’s awkward at best.
Yes, for sure, I can see how the G6 inserter makes it more practical to use the arm!