Double your pleasure, double you fun, two transmitters are better than one. La, La , La.....Lol!
OK, enough of that. I know a lady who has two transmitters. I developed a procedure similar to hers that gives me good numbers on the first day I start a new sensor.
I think it was February when I called Dexcom and ordered a second sensor. I think it cost about $140, but I might be wrong. Does anyone know the correct cost? After 12 days with a sensor, I put the second sensor in a different place on my abdomen and attached the second transmitter. (I saved the codes for both sensors and put them in a safe place.) After 14-15 days with the first sensor, I stopped that sensor and entered the code of the second sensor on the Dex. Then I started the second sensor with the proper code and it already had 2-3 days head start. I started off with very good agreement between the Dex and my meter on the very first day.
I realize this was kinda far out, but I was annoyed when I had to wait a few days to have acceptable accuracy after starting a new sensor. I no longer had that problem.
Now fast forward a couple of months. I lost one of the sensors. DUH! I was happy I had another one on hand. Now I put my new sensor in place with my only transmitter after dinner, when my spike has ended and my numbers are stable. I do not eat any more food or have any exercise before bedtime. My BG is still steady at bedtime, so I start the new sensor at that time. The next day I have good agreement with my meter, but not as good as when I was using two sensors. I am tempted to buy another sensor. Maybe Santa will bring me one. Ho Ho Ho!!!
Hey Richard157! I’ve heard about this, and I think it’s an awesome idea. I do not have a second transmitter, but when switching sensors (when it gets so itchy i can’t stand it!) I leave the old one in (and transmitting to the receiver) for about 12 more hours, insert a new sensor, then just don’t hook the transmitter up to the new one for about a day. It seems to allow the sensor to bathe in my subq tissue and give me more (but not perfectly) accurate numbers. Just an idea to try while you contemplate buying a new transmitter!
When putting that second sensor in, but not attaching the transmitter right away, doesn’t the “thingy” that flops around in the middle, uh, flop around? Has that ever come loose or caused any worry?
This is a good idea to leave in the old sensor and insert a new one and let it get used to your body before connecting it, I might try that next time because the first 12 hours of not even being close is crazy. Having two sensors and transmitters is not in my budget but also a good idea. I worry about losing the transmitter, wish they gave you two of them when you got the DexCom, they are so tiny so I guard it with my life!
Great idea! When a transmitter expires, don’t throw it out. Use it to get new sensors wet while prior sensors are near expiration. Or, Dexcom can make dummy transmitters to snap into new sensors while active transmitter still being used.
Scott, I was attaching my spare transmitter when I put on a second sensor. Now that I no longer have the second transmitter, I have taped the floppy item in place very lightly, until I insert the transmitter a couple of days later. I clean the flipper and make sure there is no glue on it, and that it is dry, before attaching the transmitter.
I decided to give it a shot to see if it would eliminate my night time “???'s” during the first two nights of my sensor. I inserted the sensor around 7:30pm last night then waiting until about 7am this morning to activate the sensor. I then entered 2 startup BG’s at 9am.
It went OK for the first hour, then took a SHARP SPIKE UPWARD. I had two arrows up for an hour, eventually the Dex was reading that I was 360. In fact, I was 180. Not sure what caused this? When I finally was able to check (I’m a teacher, mornings are typically busy) I calibrated with the 180 and the number came right back down and the Dex has been in-line for most of the rest of the day. There was a short period of ??? when I laid down briefly when I got home but I imagine I put pressure on the sensor. The pressure issue seems to be more important during the first days of a sensor. On my last sensor (which lasted 14 days), I had several bouts of ??? whenever I would lay down - even with no pressure for some odd reason - but after two days I did not see them again until day 14 when the sensor died.
Tonight will be the first night with the sensor sending readings. I am hoping for positive results, but I’m not really expecting it since I already had the ??? for a brief period this afternoon.
FYI, this sensor, as well as my previous one, are on the backside of my arm. I’ve read the ??? problem may result from hitting muscle, but I don’t really buy it. Accuracy is fantastic (when I check, twice today I was EXACTLY the same, other times I was off by 2-4 points) and after a couple days, the nightime ??? problem disappears. Some say it takes longer to get the sensor “wet” if it is in muscle, or that it won’t relay as fast, but I have extremely accurate numbers and I have not noticed ANY lag time. I’m sure there is SOME, but twice today I’ve had a straight DOWN arrow and my meter was dead on both times.
ANYHOW, I will post again to alert the world how my night went with the new sensor. Also, I flipped the sensor this time, hoping that might have an effect. Instead of the transmitter clip thingy facing my shoulder it is now facing my elbow.
So far, my experience with arm has been far more accurate than abdomen. Also, my abdomen sites had so much trouble staying in with the bending, moving, sweating, etc. The arm placement never threatened to come out, except when I accidentally caught it on my towel after a shower (I used some Flex tape to re-adhere it).
There is a lot of variety. On CWD I read posts about abdomen sites being terrible and arm sites being terrific. I have no clue why people are so different.
Richard, that’s brilliant! Much better than my method of taping a tall plastic lid from a hand-cream jar (an “Udder Cream” lid) to protect the insertion and the flapping plastic thing which holds the electrical contacts.
First night with the new sensor (which I allowed to warm up 12 hours) gave me several bouts with ??? but SOME readings did get through. I’d say, 70% of the night I had ??? and about 30% of the night I actually had readings.
During the next day the receiver was actually very strange and my readings were ALL OVER THE PLACE, even though they weren’t. I gave it as long as I could, then I decided to restart the sensor, hoping that would fix the problem. Wrong answer!
After my restart, the receiver did BETTER, however it kept “jumping” alot. What I mean is, one minute I would be 120, the next 165 (with no arrow in either direction). It did this alot, jumping between 20-60 points for several hours.
While sleeping last night, I was woken up by several false lows. It buzzed me alot in the 60s, then at the 40s, when I never dipped below 100. I may have rolled over on my sensor, but I’ve definitely slept on my sensor before and never had this problem. I’m chalking it up to a bad sensor, or something went wrong with the “warm-up” period. I will likely be changing sensors today if this one does not straighten out.
