I never thought of that…wonder if I can link one of my other meters to my pump???
Nel - I guess my base problem is that I have a very hard time believing what my CGMS says at times so I upload my meter data to give something of a baseline to compare readings against. If I can’t trust the numbers given by the CGMS, how can I trust any trends based upon those numbers?
And who says , that you cannot " trust any trends based upon those numbers " …??
I think we need to remember , that any system uses interstitional fluid , not real blood plasma and the MM sensor gives one readings of about 30 min. delayed in time …Does any other brand NOT use interstitional fluid ??
I have only tried MM’s and NO experience with other brand . …maybe a bit of topic …it is recommended, that type 1 's do not use alternate BG testing , due to same thinkingt about using interstitional fluids , compared to blood plasma ; am I corect ??
In Canada MM’s link meter is the Bayer Contour …the link meter is a fraction thicker , than the non link Bayer Contour …same strips .
Nel - I say that. I’m not talking about numbers being a few minutes delayed. I’m talking about numbers running for hours at an almost constant number in my desired range when in reality my glucose numbers are off by 100% ie CGMS reading 85 and meter readings of 200. When it gets to the “end” of its 3day cycle, the cgms numbers tend to “flat line” somewhere around 90, They will stay like that for hours, no matter what my meter readings are. I’ve compared my meter against another and the two meters are always with 5-10 points of each other. The CGMS is too far off too often, hence the lack of trust
I stayed silent far too long. I wear the CGMS and have for years. I found if I wore it in select places I got wonky readings. If you calibrate when your blood sugar isn’t rapidly changing (never calibrate near when you ate) Your numbers should not be far off. I’ve had probably 3 days out of 2 years that my numbers did not match my meter. You may want to look into possibly changing the location of where you place your sensors. I have found my upper thighs, and upper arms are perfect places, as well as my back. As for calibrations, I just use a one touch ultra mini, and go to the sensor menu to “enter bg” when I want to calibrate. On rare occasion I do upload both my pump and my meter, I just usually do the pump.
I say it too, Scott.
Since I’ve used both MM and Dex, I have no problem saying that MM’s product is extremely inferior to DexCom’s in every way. It wasn’t a training issue for me; I had all the training that was offered by MM. It was an accuracy, pain, and convenience issue.
The MM was never even close in predicting what my A1c would be. The Dex is right on!
I can’t wait to dump my MM pump, too. They’re just not focused on R&D like they should be. The massive infusion set recall last summer was a big wake up call for me.
Well, I’ve tried my abdomen when I first started and now use my thighs because that seems to work better, is less painful and bleeds less. I’m limited in where I can put it, since I live alone I need to be able to reach/see where I am inserting it. I’ve tried my upper arm, but it was very awkward to insert it there but maybe I just need more practice putting it there, I’ll try it there again next time.
And yes, I have been thru all the training, I understand about calibrating when when numbers are stable, about standing up when I put the sensor in, waiting about 30 minutes before attaching the transmitter, not wiping the site with IV Prep prior to insertion, etc.
It is just not working well for me, I know it is for some folks, I just don’t happen to be one of them
when I use my arms, I use a mirror to insert. I too, had the excessive bleeding in my stomach when I did insertions there. That stupid spear is evil!
evil and huge!
By the way , pix below is left leg …no blood at insertion . 5.3 x 18 equals US number
I certainly hope so, Casey. I’m trying to figure out the logistics of getting a Dexcom
Scott - I just went through the process of switching from MM to DexCom (and now from MM to Omnipod for my pump). I’d be happy to explain the process I went through.
That’d be great Shannon. I imagine there might be some other folks interested as well. I have an insurance authorization until the first of May on my MM. I need to contact my insurance and see if they will cover my swapping or if I’ll have to cover the initial cost. I should be able to get them to at least let me switch to the Dexcom sensors. I emailed Dexcom and got a quick response back (pleasant surprise) from a nice lady that told me that if I bought it myself it would run $999. I’m really hoping my insurance covers it… lol
When I made the switch to Dex, I had already had my MM CGM for 1.5 years (and I paid for it out-of-pocket). Aetna was covering my sensors, though. Same deal with my pump (although it was initially paid for by another insurance company, Aetna was paying for supplies).
I contacted DexCom, and they did most of the legwork for me. I completed their forms (authorization form and patient history, I think.) and faxed them back. From there, the Dex folks contacted my insurance company (for verification of benefits) and my doctor (for the letter of medical necessity). One BIG issue was the diagnosis code that your doctor provides. For Aetna to approve it, it had to be 280.83 (Diabetes with other specified manifestations, type 1[juvenile type], uncontrolled). Other insurance companies might have different requirements.
Once everything was confirmed (benefits, Rx, etc.), my system was shipped out, and I got started as soon as it arrived (I didn’t need the training since I’d already used the MM for so long).
I guess the best course of action is to contact DexCom first and let them see what your insurance will cover (even if they don’t cover the device, they’ll probably pay for sensors - it shouldn’t matter to them which company you go through). Look at it this way: you’ve got nothing to lose by trying!
Oh, and the $999 price is REALLY good for the DexCom system. If you have any leftover flex spending $$, it would be a good way to spend it!
Yea, I’m out of dollars for the year, I budget mine pretty closely and went about $100 over this year. If insurance would cover it, I’d get it this year if possible since I’m almost at my out-of-pocket cap, otherwise it will be after the first… guess we’ll see what happens! Yet another insurance journey to share!
A slight update. I called Dexcom and have things in the works. That was the same day I inserted my latest sensor. This has been the first sensor EVER to have been accurate at the end of three days. I restarted it and it is the first sensor EVER to be accurate for me at the end of six days. So I experimented. Recharged the transmitter, started it again and it it still accurate at 8 days. If this had been happening since I started in May, my feelings might be different.
However, it didn’t happen. I just think it heard me talking to Dexcom and thought “oh, crap… he’s serious!”
please let me know how it goes with dexcom! I wish I could go with them, however the amount of adhesive that would touch my skin is too much. I can cut the sticky part off the MM and have to, due to my allergy.