33 Comments
If you use a CGM, how many times in the past month have you had to change your sensor more than 24 hours before its session expired?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
© 2022 T1D Exchange. All Rights Reserved.
Not sure why but it’s not uncommon for me to bleed When inserting the sensor for my G6, and as well know the sensor does not work with blood – it works with interstitial fluid.
On the positive side, DEXCOM is wonderful in replacing those sensors.
That happens to me occasionally. The first time it happened I called Dexcom. I had already taken it off, it was bleeding more than you would think a hole that small could bleed. Soaked through 3 alcohol squares and was still going strong. Dexcom replaced it, but also said they normally still worked even if there was bleeding. I haven’t called them on subsequent bleeds, and the sensors worked fine. None of them were as bad as that first time though.
None in the last month but in the whole year it would have been 2 or 3.
Oops, meant my previous as a general reply. But I was going to say re your post, I’ve usually found that if I get a bleeder my results can be flakier than usual for the first 24 hrs or so but after that it usually settles down and is fine for the rest of the sensor session. So sometimes it’s worth waiting it out. Also ditto re Dexcom’s willingness to provide free replacements, though I think there’s a limit to how many they’ll do in a certain time period.
That REALLY depends on what YOU mean by “before its session expired”!
I’ve had to change my sensor 4 times before the 7 days that they are meant to last, BUT my pump has told me to “Change Sensor”.
It was coming off so I changed it a day early. Sometimes the SkinTac works for a full ten days, sometimes it doesn’t.
I use Medtronic and the sensors always last a full 7 days for me; more if I decide to extend it.
If I had waited for it to expire, I would have been changing it around 11PM, and subsequent changes would have been later and later.
Dexcom since 2009 and had less than a dozen fail
Sometimes I change a sensor early is for scheduling (ie avoid expiring while sleeping, going out of town so don’t want to have to bring extra with me(the most recent reason). The most irritating reason I have had to change it early is when the transmitter expires within a day or two of starting a new sensor.
That will be one nice thing about not having to change transmitters when the G7 comes out.
Most annoying reason for having to do this was having an MRI scheduled like three days into a new sensor session back in December. They wouldn’t let me do the exam with it on, even tho it was not in the focal area.
I have had several MRIs done this past year and that is one big frustration. I usually try to schedule around my MRI or just go a day or two without it before the MRI if I can. When MRIs are scheduled way in advance, that is impossible to do.
It was due to failure during warm up. I got a new one as a replacement.
I wear the 14 day Abbott Freestyle Libre and have to change the sensor often before the 14 days are up. The reason I change is because all the numbers are low, so when I check with the blood strip meter, it shows quite a disparity in accuracy. Anytime from day 10, I watch for this change. Sometimes there is blood on the sensor, sometimes the sensor just quits, once I found the needle bent. However, I enjoy the convenience of this Freestyle Libre and like the system when it works closer to the accuracy.
The only time my Dexcom G6 sensor fails is when the adhesive fails and it comes off early.
How many pets withT1D have stopped using pumps and returned to multiple daily injections?
Does a restart to achieve all paid days count as a change?
It was a weird scenario, but my cgm said I couldn’t restart my sensor. The weird thing was is that I hadn’t restarted the sensor. Since I couldn’t start that new sensor, I just took it out and put in a new one. I had never had that happen before, and no, the sensor didn’t have the same code as the sensor before it did.
Dexcom G6 has lasted the full 10 days.
Had to restart sensors for my minimed 770 through a whole box of 5. Now new box 1st one did the same thing. Very time consuming!
The only time this happens is if the adhesive gives out . Maybe two times last year
In the past year, I’ve not had to change my Dexcom G6 sensor early. All have lasted the full 10 days.
none in last month. Maybe a few times a year. Every now and then it will register dramatic lows (not real) in the day or even 2 before expiration. Or it may stop reading recurrently. But it is relatively rare.
I’ve been using the Freedom Libre system for about 3 years now. I always mark down the time and date I’ve applied the sensor, so I know when it should expire. There hasn’t been a time that it hasn’t gone the proper length of time. However, at least 3 times since I started using the system, I have had the sensor providing crazy numbers (verified by blood/ finger poke tests), varying widely from much higher to much lower than actual test strip readings… So, I have had to replace them – often days or over a week early: the most recent occasion being in the past month. The other issue has been some that just didn’t ‘stay’ in place for the entire time, getting knocked off easily.
Dexcom 6 sensor lasts 10 days. Only time sensor didn’t is due to an error by me. I note on calendar when I put in new sensor or transmitter. If sensor is going to expire at inconvenient time, I rely on One Touch, then replace sensor when convenient.
Two out of three times in the last month the Dexcom G6 has failed (started producing wildly erratic readings) a day or two before the sensor was due to be changed. This used to happen a lot and now suddenly seems to be happening again.
Libre 2 has been very reliable. Used Medtrum sensor for a while but stopped as it was so unreliable.
Dexcom is not as accurate as they for me
Would love to hear suggestions on how to
Improve accuracy for Dexcom G6
I used A Dexcom G6. They rarely last the 10 days for me. Usually they start failing and giving me the dashes on the 8th or 9th day. If it fails 3 times, I figure I might as well replace it. Sometimes I report it and get a replacement but not always.
Of course, it always has to be changed when I’m involved in activities far away from home. So once in a while I will change it early. However, I also have had sensors that lasted over it stated time by more than few hours.
Nope. Overpatches to protect the transmitter/sensor/adhesive and restarting saves the day(s) for me.