With the G7, Dexcom reduced the sensor warmup time from 2 hours to 30 minutes. This is a significant improvement, especially for Omnipod 5 users since it reduces the outage window for readings in Automated Mode. But with the G7’s 12 hour grace period we gain not only increased flexibility in when we have to replace the sensor, but we can almost eliminate the outage window.
I can’t really take credit for the following instructions. I’ve consolidated steps from manufacturer instructions and many helpful comments scattered throughout the web, including FUDiabetes. To all who have provided any of the tips that I have shamelessly appropriated here, thank you. But I hope people will find having step-by-step instructions all in one place helpful, so I present “What I wish I had known from the start about replacing my G7 sensor” here:
NOTE: Do NOT remove the old sensor prior to inserting the new sensor. Wait for step 10.
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Choose G7 sensor site
Dexcom recommends back of the upper arm, but I use the front of my arm since I use the front of my thigh for my Omnipod 5. With the G7 on the back of my arm, the Omnipod would frequently lose the bluetooth connection. That would especially happen at night (I’m a back sleeper) and after an hour of it, the Omnipod app would wake me up because of the lost connection. The manufacturers recommend that the two devices not be on opposite sides of the body because it can block bluetooth. I think they meant left vs right, but in my experience since switching from the G6 to the G7, front vs back seems to have the same problems. (I haven’t found anything definitive, but anecdotal evidence suggests the G7 transmitter is not as powerful as the G6.) -
Clean and dry the sensor site
Making sure it is dry is important for the adhesive to work at its best -
Unscrew cap, use applicator to insert sensor, and apply overpatch
These are steps 3 through 7 from the “Inserting Sensor” instructions that come with each G7 sensor. Consult those instructions if you need more details. -
In the G7 app, on the Connections tab, Replace Sensor and follow the steps in the app to connect the new sensor that you applied above.
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You should get a Bluetooth Pairing request on your phone which will include a 6-character identifier for the sensor (e.g. DXCM8p). Write this down–knowing the identifier of the new sensor will let you confidently clean out the old sensor(s) from your phone’s list of Paired Devices (step 11).
NOTE: Hang on to the applicator to use the QR code to connect to the Omnipod 5 in step 8.
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Wait for the new sensor to warmup.
Note that your Omnipod 5 is still connected to the old sensor. You can still get current readings from the Omnipod app even though the new sensor is not yet giving you readings. -
Compare readings from new and old sensor
Once the new sensor has warmed up, you will have two different readings: one in the G7 app (the new sensor) and another in the Omnipod app (the old sensor). If the readings differ significantly, you should do a finger stick reading to calibrate the new sensor in the G7 app. (Generally not a bad idea to do that to calibrate a new sensor regardless, but a difference from the old sensor is a good sign that at least one of them is off.) -
Connect the Omnipod 5 app to the new sensor.
Menu–>Manage Sensor–>Add New. The app will walk you through switching to Manual Mode and connecting to the new sensor. You can immediately switch back to Automated Mode during the warmup while the Omnipod is connecting to the new sensor. -
Wait for the Omnipod 5 app connection to complete and begin receiving readings
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Remove the old sensor
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Clean up your bluetooth connections. You can unpair your phone from the DXCM.. devices other than the one you wrote down in step 5 above. (The new one is probably on the top of the list as the most recent connection, but best to rely on knowing the actual identifier for the device.)