I’ve recently been switched to the G7 after using the G6 successfully for several years. I would soak my G6 for about 6 hours and its readings were almost perfect from the beginning. I haven’t soaked my G7 because I thought the countdown started as soon as I inserted the sensor, and I would lose those 6 hours from the total. But, my G7 isn’t accurate right away. It kept saying my BG was under 40. I calibrated (my real BG was 116) and after an hour, it has slowly climbed to 60. So I’m not getting basal insulin. Should I just bite the bullet and presoak?
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It really depends on the person. Sometimes, for me, it takes a just a couple of hours for my readings to settle; other times it is fine right off the bat; other times it’s more like 12 hours! I don’t like to presoak (and I hate that term lol) because I hate to waste that time.
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I pre-soak for somewhere around 10 hours. That’s because there is an extra 12 hour “grace” period on the G7 and I’m not trying to make it last for the full 10 1/2 days. I insert each G7 about 10 days after the last then wait 10 hours before I swap to the new one.
In principle it is possible to swap back to the old one if there is some problem with the new one but it’s difficult; the second connection (back to the old one) takes a long time to hook up. It’s also not possible to do that with the Dexcom receiver so far as I know or with the Dexcom app (I use xDrip+).
The problem with my long pre-soak is that if there is an issue with the new sensor, for example the common failure where the sensor wire buckles up and doesn’t enter my skin, I can waste 10 hours before I find out.
The advantage is that I do see considerably more stability after a few hours. Because I use xDrip+ I can see the “raw” readings and they really are all over the place in the first few hours.
The apps and the receiver smooth these out so they are a lot less obvious. The G6 did its own smoothing internally, the G7 doesn’t so the results come in without an extra 150s or so delay but then have to be smoothed by the receiver.
Ok, I also would be willing to just wait it out. But what do you do about the basal insulin you’re not receiving, because the pump thinks your BG is below 40?
I think maybe you misunderstood what I meant: I pre-soak by inserting the new G7 and just leaving it sitting on my arm for 10 hours (or so). I still have the old one; that’s the point. I only swap (abandoning the old one) after the pre-soak.
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I have stopped pre soaking my G7. I actually let the 12 hrs run out and then put on a new sensor. The last two have started working accurately immediately. I really like the G7.
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If you are worried about that, I would turn off ControlIQ or whatever automated system you have and let it deliver your basal insulin apart from the CGM. If you have it set right, it shouldn’t be a huge deal. I’m not using my pump now, but I hated when my basal settings were all screwed up due to a bad sensor giving my pump bad info.
I do like @Marilyn6 no presoak and I get good results quickly.
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Turning off ControlIQ for a few hours is a good idea! I’ll just have to set an alarm so I don’t forget to turn it back on. That way I’ll still get basal insulin while my Dexcom thinks (incorrectly) that my BG is 40
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