Hey there - not sure which of the 5 billion forums to ask this in so Im making this one and I hope someone sees it This is probably a dumb question, but Im just now starting my initial research on CGMSsâŚwhere can you buy a Dexcom Seven? Do you buy everything through them, directly or are there other vendors that sell them? I talked to my insurance company and apparently the Freestyle Navigator by Abbott is considered âin-networkâ and therefore would be covered at 90%, but anything out of network is only 70% and apparently Dexcom the company itself is out of network.
Basically, does anyone know a vendor that sells Dexcom? Ive emailed them and been on hold a few times but with no luck thus farâŚ
I am going to begin by asking you why you want the Dexcom 7? It only gives readings every 5 minutes. The Navigator every minute. The Navigator also has a meter built in while the Dexcom doesnt. The dexcom does give readings within a short period of time. The Navigator takes 10 hours. The reason is they want the insertion site to âsettle downâ before giving any readings. If you would like to discuss this with me more I invite you to e-mail me at davelennv@yahoo.com.
You get it directly from Dexcom as far as I know. Iâm not aware of any 3rd party vendors, which isnât to say there arenât any.
First you need an Rx or Letter of Medical Necessity from your physician. Get that to Dexcom and theyâll take care of the rest.
Ask 12 diabetics which CGM is best and youâll get 13 opinions. For everyone who says the Dexcom sucks or that theyâve heard âbad thingsâ about the Dexcom, the Navigator, the Guardian, etc. youâll find another person who loves it. Like anything else, YMMV.
I use the Dexcom even though I have a Minimed Pump. Why? Opportunity for one, cost for another, insurance for a third.
Thereâs no reason to rush into a decision. Look into the CGM forum, ask questions and see what works best with your management plan (and/or your insurance plan.)
I have read GREAT reviews about the Navigator. So you should also look into that. If you still want to get the Dexcom, I would call Dexcom and ask their recommendation. They want to sell you the device â so they will likely tell you how you can do that.
Let me start by first saying I am a Dexcom user. Many users report great results with the Navigator. Both are capable of meeting your needs.
That being said, the BG readings every minute feature of the Navigator, IMHO, should not be a deciding factor. The Dexcom reports BG every 5 minutes. If the Dexcom tells me at 10:30 that my BG was 150 and at 10:35 it says BG was 155, I am going to make the same treatment decision as if I had a Navigator and saw my BG go from 150 to 151, to 152, all the way to 155.
The 10 hour Navigator initialization start-up must also be repeated when you try to extend the life of the sensor. For re-starting the sensor, it is nice to only have a 2 hour start-up time.
Plans are for integrating the Dexcom with the Animas Pump in early 2010. Although Navigator has an integration agreement with the Omnipod, I am not aware of any near future plans for Navigator integration.
I love my Dexcom 7 Plus better than Dexcom 7. I wouldnât live without it! I canât tell when Iâm having a low or high BG. This helps me out alot! Good Luck! Talk to your ENDO about CGMS and see which one he wants you on.
This is probably a dumb question, but Im just now starting my initial research on CGMSsâŚwhere can you buy a Dexcom Seven? Do you buy everything through them, directly or are there other vendors that sell them? I talked to my insurance company and apparently the Freestyle Navigator by Abbott is considered âin-networkâ and therefore would be covered at 90%, but anything out of network is only 70% and apparently Dexcom the company itself is out of network.