r/dexcom

just curious. I’m early stage type 1 as an adult not on insulin yet. have Dexcom and Idk how feel about it after a few months with it. sometimes it’s helpful other times it’s like data overload.

i have bcbs, cvs caremark, and my copay for a 90 day supply is $125 😵‍💫 the pharmacy said the coupon code i gave them is only for people who don’t have insurance. is this true? is there anything else i can try? thanks so much in advance!!

I have been using Dexcom G7 10 day sensors for a little over 8 months and while many sensors have been solid, there are some sensors that just aren't that great or tend to fail early. I am a scientific person so I have taken notes and noticed a trend with sensors that tend to fail.  For the sensors that fail I notice the following characteristics:

• Brief Sensor Issues - For sensors that tend to fail Brief Sensor Issues tend to crop up relatively early in the sensor life, like day 1 or 2.  These initial Brief Sensor Issues tend to be brief and may only show up once or twice.  However, they will become more frequent and last longer.  By day 8 they may last a few hours with more and longer drop outs.  So you may see a graph like this with a lot of dropouts:

https://preview.redd.it/c866p9az3d2h1.png?width=1055&format=png&auto=webp&s=29590946fbf3be3abf96e7b2a27d09783a076222

When this happens it is a good idea to get your replacement ready as the sensor tends to fail at night with unusually low readings and complete drop outs. Later that night this is what happened:

https://preview.redd.it/1cpaha9n4d2h1.png?width=1079&format=png&auto=webp&s=7f9b1a62af9cdde19d5bebcd2100fa1f505118cd

• “Drifting” time - When inserting a sensor I take note of how many seconds past the minute that readings tend to come in.  For sensors that fail this time tends to drift 20 to 30 seconds or more past this initial time when the first readings come in.  When a sensor is solid for all 10 days this drift is only 5 or 10 seconds at most. I admit this is a bit in the weeds, but for the sensors that fail they almost always drift away from the initial reading time a noticeable period of time.
• “Drifting” readings - For sensors that tend to fail the sensor tends to drift from calibration easier and tend to drift farther away from a finger stick.  I also note that for a failing sensor this drift tends to be down from a finger stick, while a good sensor will stay close to or drift a few points higher from a finger stick.  Calibration seems to do no good, even if you notice the drift.
• Connectivity Issues - Sensors that tend to fail will tend to not be able to send their signal very far.  For example, if you walk out of the room without your phone or receiver you can go farther and still get a reading from a good sensor, while a sensor that will fail early will have a shorter range where this connectivity fails.

Overall I notice that bad sensors will tend to have more than one of these issues and the more of these issues I experience, the higher likelihood that the sensor doesn’t make it all 10 days. I haven't had the opportunity to break into my 15 day sensors yet, so I don't have notes on those sensors yet. I also know that each person is different, so you may or may not have these same experiences.

I want to be able to go for a run without my phone but still have my dexcom work. So does anyone know if the dexcom G7 can connect to the apple watch without the phone nearby?

During my doctor's appointment yesterday, I got a tetniss shot in my right arm. My sensor expired a few hours ago, but I was on a Zoom meeting and couldn't replace it. I'm now into the grace period, with plenty of time left. I need to insert the new sensor into my right arm, that's the same arm they gave me the shot in. Is it okay to insert my new sensor into that arm?

Has anybody noticed a recent delay when going into the Dexcom G7 app? In the last few days, when I tap the Dexcom widget on the home screen, it takes me to a solid white screen and it takes like 5+ seconds to load the chart and number. I am on an android if that matters. Is it just my phone or something to do with the app itself?

How do you guys dispose the sensor and the applicator? I looked up local laws and it says my sensor can be thrown away in the trash but the applicator needs to be disposed of in a sharps container.

But the sharps containers I have are small they will not fit the applicator and I don’t work and can’t afford $60 to buy a bigger container. Also it would just fill up quickly due to the size of the applicator so I would constantly have to find a way to empty it.

What do you all do? I’m new to using the sensors so any advice would help.

So for the first time using the G7 10-day in two years, I had my first issue with it not pairing. Tried three times. Did a search and saw something about the magnet trick, so I took the tiny magnet out of the applicator and hovered it around the inserted sensor for about 10 seconds and sure enough, it asked to pair.

Just passing this along in case others run into this issue.

My watch keeps going off saying my connection is lost but when I check it, it’s connected to my phone, just not my watch.

What would be causing that? It’s lost connection to my watch probably 15 times in the last 24 hours.

In which do have more trust- your CGM BG readings, or your glucometer? Sometimes, for me, the difference between is significant. Of course when that happens, I do calibrate the CGM. Additional question is which glucometer do you use, and how much do the test strips cost for your brand, and does it require control solution? I’ve been considering the Ascensia CONTOUR NEXT GEN Blood Glucose Monitoring the , but likely will not bother with “integrating the meter with a smartphone app”. I typically just prick a finger and use a glucometer when I’m dubious regarding a g6 reading as shown on my phone and on the receiver. If I’ve asked this question in the wrong thread (or whatever), please consider the fact that I’m not tech saavy, nor do I fully understand how to use Reddit. I’m not a young person, either. Thanks!

Why in God's name, given I can edit either category of events, just waste time confirming Insulin doses⁉️

So I submitted a support ticket this week for a failed sensor. Got an email back saying they needed more info, and to call them.

Finally got around to it today. I was using the serial number (line 21) off of the box, which I've always done. The CSR told me that serial # had already been called in. I was confused, so picked up the box for the sensor I'm currently wearing. SAME SERIAL NUMBER on both boxes. Same everything. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. The CSR asked for photos.

Thankfully I had the applicators as well... the serial # on the applicators wasn't even close to matching the box. The app does report the same serial # as the applicator for my current sensor, at least.

Keep your applicators handy. Having worked specifically in packaging medical supplies (specifically, artificial heart valves), everything is supposed to have a clearly visible serial number on the packaging.

Line (01) is also supposed to be a unique identifier... that's the same too.

https://preview.redd.it/ttul85zdax1h1.jpg?width=916&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fffa01809ed285fdf6216e24f729b2c07ac5eb0