i'm a t1 pumper. had D since i was a child. 1st got dx when there was no fancy insulins, only beef and pork...so i've been around the block a while. in the past 6 or so months i've been using the DEXCOM CGM. i am neurotic about keeping food logs, writing down what my days are like, my nights' sleep, activity...blah,blah,blah.
YET, i've gone through a lot of problems with the DEX. missing direction arrows, ???, inaccurate BG readings, despite re-calorbrations. on and on. DEXCOM is great about replacing my sensors as well as providing (4 so far) new receivers. they FED-EX the replacements ASAP and are kind and helpful
on the phone.
QUESTION: would you become so frustrated that you would just give up on the CGM altogether, or is it worth it to you to keep it going despite the glitches?
During my first year on the dex I had very few problems. I did occasionally get readings that were a little off, and ??? but they didn't happen often enough to cause problems. I don't worry about the direction arrows because I can see the numbers. I also learned that sometimes when the dex and meter were off it was because it was really the meter that was wrong (discovered this by double checking meter reading).
After the first smooth year I had about a 4 month period where the sensors, receivers and transmitters all had to be replaced multiple times because of a variety of defects. Then I finally got ones that worked well again and the next year went relatively smoothly. And as you pointed out - Dex support is great.
No matter the occasional problems I have had I love the dex and the control it helps me achieve that is just not possible with finger sticks. A couple of times when I got frustrated during those few months when the dex was constantly having problems I stopped using it for a day or so, but found it was harder to live without it then it was to live with it when it was acting up.
It's kind of hard to say since I am not in your shoes.
I know that I resisted getting a Dex for a long time because I had trouble wrapping my mind around having two more devices attached and/or on my belt when it wasn't very accurate AND was calibrated with a device that sports +/- 20% accuracy. Logically, it just didn't compute for me.
When I first started, yes, I had a significant number of inaccurate readings, but nothing really extreme. Since the 505 SW upgrade, the CGM has been running extremely well, so IF there were suddenly a host of problems, I would try and keep going for as long as possible. Of course, I would also be escalating the issues with Dexcom, because while it is good that they are replacing defective(?) items, at some point there needs to be a certain level of consistency, right? 4 receivers over 6 months is ... WOW ... a lot! I have had one for the last 1.25 years.
About 3-4 years ago I tried the MM system, then called the Soft Sensors. In the one month time that I tried them (during the refundable period) they were nothing more than random-number generators. I forgot how many sensors I tried, but it was lot and I spent many hours with tech support. I ended up getting a refund. That very same system worked great for my wife. go figure.
Fast forward to Sept 2014. My wife switched from Soft Sensors to MM Enlite. It worked even better for her, so at her insistence I tried one of hers, along with her new 530G pump. Shockingly, it worked superbly. I was eligible for a new pump in early December, so I opted to also get the Enlite with it. Things went downhill. I have had 5 sensors replaced due mostly to failure of the sensors to output a high enough signal (called "ISIG"). I had so much trouble with several sensors in a row that I called MM to start the refund process. After a day without a sensor, I felt "naked" and so I installed a new sensor. It worked reasonably well, so here I am, 2 months later and I've had some sensors that have worked well way past the expected 6 days. I had one work great for nearly a full 14 days. For me, the key seems to be nothing more than finding the right area on my body to put them.
I'm not writing this to suggest anyone use a particular brand of CGMS--I'm just saying that by persevering, I'm now getting the good results much of the time, that I never thought possible. If you, like me, feel "naked" without a sensor perhaps working closely with tech support can get you some better results. One thing MM has said is that lean people have a hard time wearing the sensors as they must go into a layer of fat. The only appreciable fat i have is around my belly, so if I run out of viable spots there, I'm out of luck. Good luck to you!!
Has Dexcom replaced a transmitter for you yet? I have found that the older my transmitter gets, the more likely I am to have issues with the ???, or missing arrows, etc. I did have a pretty unreliable sensor this past session that I just swapped out at Day 13 (I can usually get them to last at least 14 days with good accuracy) because it was giving me terribly wonky readings much of the time I wore it. But I think that can be a bad batch of sensors, rather than the system itself. I did recently have to reset my receiver, but since I did that, it has been performing just fine. I would keep troubleshooting and see if you can get it worked out. I can't imagine living without my dex!
i experienced the exacts ams problem when i first started on the dex. bad sensors, one after the other, faulty receivers (4 of them in the first 3 months), a bad transmitter…on and on it went. however, once all began working well, i learned so much about my D; i’ve been T1D for over 30 yrs, and you’d of thought i was an expert by now. the trends and the extensive food logs (i was now motivated to make for myself) helped me to bring down my A1c from 8.9 to 6.5. and i am happy to report, that although i continue to have what seems like endless problems (malfunctions) w/ my dex, my BGs remain lower and more steady. so, would i give up my CGM? no way.
