Which CGM is best

Howdy all, I’m looking into cgm’s, I’m looking at the seven and the navigator, I’ve heard good and bads from both, and was hoping to hear from someone who has tried different brands. Also, I was wondering if anyone has input on the effects of temperature swings and extremes, I’m deploying to Iraq in the near future, and hoped a cgm would be helpful, but maybe I should stick to finger sticks until I get back…any help would be greatly appreciated.

I love the dex 7 plus. It calibrates quickly, its accurate and the sensor can last well over seven days. Not to mention all my experiences with their customer service reps have been awesome. If a sensor fails, just call them and they will replace it! Dexcom is also working hard with Omnipod and Animas corp on future developments.

I use the DexCom 7+ and like it very much. It is the only one I have used. There seems to be a learning curve of a month or two until you get used to the sensors. In the beginning people experience sensors that may fail or yeild unexpected results and become anxious. There is a tendency to calibrate too much and this may confuse the receiver. The point is that the CGM are very useful to detect changes in BG level dynamically regardless of their absolute accuracy. Once you get used to the system you will not want to be without it.

AaronM

Thompy, don’t view a CGM as exclusive to finger sticks. Plan on sticking your fingers as much as without a CGM and consider anything beyond that as a free lunch. I am doing very well with sticking my fingers only twice a day for calibration. It took me 3 months to get to that level. The level of attention needed to master a CGM can be easily underestimated. The dex and navigator are your bets. The piece of mind that comes from knowing the bg value at all times is priceless.

I agree with Helmut, the piece of mind from a CGM is priceless. But if you want the opinion of someone who has tried more than one of them you should check out the CGM group on yahoo. There is at least one person on there who has tried 2 or all three of them. The yahoo group is at this website http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/diabetescgms/ I think you’ll get good info there.

well, since you’re asking within “Dexcom User Discussions”, you’re going to be missing some other opinions.

Some people who have switched from Dexcom to Abbott have said things like, “I was pretty happy before, but the Navigator is amazingly more accurate.” But if you go with Abbott, I strongly advise that you go with two sets of equipment right off the bat: I’ve read a lot of posts by angry Abbott buyers about unreliable equipment AND horrid, slow responses from support in getting replacements.

Although both brands of Sensors allow storage at “room temperature”, even a few weeks of sustained heat (temps over 75F) shortens the storage life a great deal. You need to have them stored in a medical supplies fridge, GUARANTEED not to freeze. (Freezing kills them instantly.)

Your deployment is to an on-base location, right? Insulin viability degrades rapidly in temps over 100F, and it’s nearly impossible to predict how many more bolus units, or how much extra basal you’ll need, during this degradation process. Be sure to also check your meter/strip temperature ranges: The J&J “Ultra” strips and and meters go up to very high temps (110F, IIRC), but there are some brands which can’t even handle 95F.)

Thanks for all your comments, there’s alot of good info and “food for thought” i’m starting to think it’s going to be alot better to just wait til I get back, more gadgets and expenses may not be a good idea in the environment I’m heading to.

I strongly recommend that you get one or the other (of these two devices, not the MM). Recognizing hypo when the temperature is causing sweat all by itself, and additional “environmental concerns” are happening all the time, can be difficult.