I need a quick refresher pls on how to start a new Dexcom G6 sensor AND a new Dexcom xmtr using a combination of my Tandem pump, my iPhone, my t:connect iPhone app, and my Dexcom iPhone app.
I did some part of it wrong the last time I started a new Dexcom transmitter. I started the G6 properly but the Dexcom app isn’t paired right now with my new xmtr; it still thinks I’m using the old xmtr that I actually replaced with my new one.
So my Q is: if I use just the Tandem pump to “stop sensor” and insert the new sensor and then “start sensor”, I know that eventually my iPhone picks up the new sensor and starts tracking the two hour warmup period, because my iPhone is paired with my pump. I don’t also have to “start sensor” using the phone. But I thought Dexcom said never to start anything using both the pump and the iPhone! I thought they said only use the pump and let the phone connect itself by itself. So when I put in the new xmtr I didn’t do anything on my phone to pair it with the new xmtr. I thought the phone would pick it up by itself like it does the new G6.
Is that what I did wrong? DO I have to pair the new xmtr using the phone, even if I don’t use the phone to start the new G6?
Please note that these instructions go back to G5. You do not have to do the fingerstick calibrations with G6 that are mentioned in Step 7. Other than that, it works the same.
You don’t have to wait. If you have the option to “stop sensor” on the phone now, go ahead and do it. It won’t affect your current session at all, because the receiver is talking to them old transmitter, not the one currently attached to you. If you don’t have the option to stop a sensor, then you should already have the ability to change the transmitter number. Just enter the new transmitter ID number, and it should join the current session that’s already running.
Related question. Starting a new transmitter tomorrow and I’d like to stagger my sessions. My plan is to start a new sensor and transmitter on one device (probably my pump) while leaving the old transmitter and sensor in place and continuing to get readings on my phone, thereby getting readings from my old sensor and transmitter while my new sensor and transmitter are warming up. Then I’ll let the old sensor die a natural death and change the transmitter ID on my phone to the new transmitter and it will start picking up the new sensor readings right away.
Just wanted to be sure that nothing will go wrong with this procedure. I’ll skip the dreaded two-hours of radio silence and not mess anything up with the new transmitter, right?
If you treat each transmitter and sensor as a separate system you are ok.
But a few things won’t work. Your pump system will not be tracked by your phone.
The readings that your pump uses and if you have a tandem, the data will not match.
Also when the old transmitter dies, your pump will not recognize it and you will need to wait to pair your pump until the current sensor is finished.
You won’t get any saved data during that time. And your dexcom ap will start alarming if you try to pair it up early.
Ok I see you are doing this for the 2 hours only. But you likely will not get your phone to pair while a session is going
I only know this because I’ve done this by accident before. I paired my new transmitter to my pump and didn’t pair my phone. So they were set to different transmitters. My dex ap was warning me the whole time and wouldn’t let me pair the new transmitter until10 days passed.
The bigger question is why you want to do this. It will consume 2 sensors instead of just 1.
That’s tough. My insurance only lets me have 3 sensors a month and even tho they pay for it, the copay is high.
Are you figuring out which site gets better results or something. ?
Yesterday I started a new sensor. And I also tried to pair my iPhone with my current xmtr which I had forgotten to do a month ago when I first inserted it. So my Dex app has not been tracking my CGM at all for the past month.
Well, I did manage to pair the xmtr on the phone. And I did manage to start the new sensor using the pump. But somewhere in all that, I also managed to confuse the sensor, the pump, the G6, and the Dexcom app into thinking I had tried to start the new sensor twice. You can’t do that to a single G6.
So about 30 minutes after I thought everything was warming up properly I got a msg saying I couldn’t start the sensor twice and I had to start a new one! Like I said, I didn’t know I’d tried twice. So I took off the one I just put on, out on a second one, and tried again. Trouble is, 30 minutes later it happened again! I’d done something else wrong! I had to take off the second one and use a third!
This time I did it with the Dexcom tech support guy on the phone.
Third time’s charm. It all started up ok and Dex is sending me replacements for both sensors I deep sixed.
I doubt if I’ve accurately described all that I did and all that went wrong, and if you ask me anything about it I’ll ignore you politely because it’s really not relevant to the current post on this thread from Tnyc.
All that’s important is that I agree with Timothy it’s not worth the hassle to deviate much if at all from the prescribed routine.
Perhaps I should give up this plan…
Just to clarify, though. I was not planning on using two new sensors. The plan is (or, I suppose, was) that I have a sensor in now that’s working and should continue to work until about noon tomorrow. I was hoping to start a new sensor at say 8 or 9am and have that warming up on the pump with the new transmitter while the old sensor was cruising along on the phone using the about to expire transmitter…
Maybe the piece that I’m missing is that I won’t be able to enter a new transmitter ID on my pump without stopping my current sensor and thus defeating the whole purpose?
(And the purpose wouldn’t be to compare results so much as just not to have any time when I’m not getting Dexcom data…Something I kind of hope will be possible with G7 since every sensor will also be a new transmitter…but I’m doubting that will be a feature.)
I have one more related question. Step 2 says to “discard both” transmitter and sensor. Is that what most people do?
I have some idea that the battery in the transmitter is lithium and shouldn’t just be thrown away like you might an alkaline battery. I’ve always been a bit confused and I end up with a little pile of expired transmitters that I eventually get around to putting in Best Buy’s electronic recycling area – and then who knows what happens to them. Since they’re not easily recognizable as lithium batteries, I think they might just get thrown out anyway.
thx. It hasn’t worked yet. But at least now I know what I need to do. I have to wait till I switch my next sensor.